Proving that not even digital graveyards can keep the dead buried for long, this week sees a familiar franchise dig itself out of the dirt and lumber back into relevancy: Resident Evil 2! If the recent one-shot demo was an indication of just how far the series has come, we might be looking at one of the finest remakes of all time.
The visuals look amazing, the gameplay is nostalgic yet tight and there’s a stack of new content to discover in this sincere shotgun blast from the past. What’s it really like however? Beyond the hype, marketing and YouTube influencer faces shouting about how zombies are the best thing ever for all time Jimminy Jim Jim, is Resident Evil 2’s remake worth its day one price tag?
Well here’s what the critics have to say so far:
GameSpot – 90/100
Though Resident Evil 2 has its roots firmly in the past, it reworks the familiar horrors into something that feels brand new and all its own.
The Sixth Axis – 90/100
This Resident Evil 2 remake is a phenomenal update of a classic game. It combines the best of the original’s narrative and puzzles with the ammo crafting of Resident Evil 3 and the action gameplay of Resident Evil 4 to create a hybrid that still manages to feel like classic Resi. Old fans will enjoy the nostalgic retread of Racoon City in all its newfound glory, whilst newcomers will get to experience one of the finest episodes of the series as it should be.
The remake has been more than worth the wait, and the evil of the Umbrella Corporation is back in residence at the top of the survival horror pile once more.
Destructoid – 90/100
My complaints about the Resident Evil 2 remaster are minimal. An argument could be made that Capcom could have done more, but the spirit of the original has been preserved and in many cases, enhanced. I hope every legacy game in the series gets this loving treatment, as I’ll probably be playing them for the rest of my life.
Dualshockers – 90/100
Resident Evil 2 is likely the single most excellent video game remake ever created and I’m hard-pressed to think of anything else that could even compare.
VentureBeat – 85/100
Resident Evil 2 is going to click with a lot of people, and those folks are going to love it. I still really enjoy it even if it didn’t fully click with me. But my issues with this game are just a matter of taste and not execution. I prefer the Resident Evil 4 style where I have enough ammo to just blast my way out of every situation.
But what’s great about Resident Evil 2 is that it’s still a really fun and well-made experience even when it drives someone like me out of their comfort zone. That’s the sign of a strong game.
IGN – 88/100 no wait now it’s 90/100
Update: Looks like the IGN review was temporarily pulled and spruced up a bit, as
Game Informer – 95/100
Over the years, Capcom has experimented with several different approaches to Resident Evil, but this is one approach I hope gets revisited. Resident Evil 2 not only looks great,
it plays well, and it forces you into a series of dark encounters that are a total rush. Resident Evil is finally running on all cylinders.
Resident Evil 2 is out this Friday for PS4, Xbox One and PC. I hope the virus hasn’t spread to baking products, because I can’t stomach the idea of the walking bread.
Last Updated: January 23, 2019
Jonah Cash
January 22, 2019 at 19:32
Love ?
Original Heretic
January 22, 2019 at 21:27
Ya know, I seriously wanna play this. But I’m SO scared that I’m gonna get that feeling of “but I’ve already played this”.
Yes I know, they’ve added and tweaked, but it’s still essentially the same game.
Jonah Cash
January 23, 2019 at 07:55
Thank goodness it is the same game. I play RE 2 probably once every 2 years or so to this day. It was my first game on a CD on my PS1 when I was 13. My brother went in to town and I asked for Medieval and he brought back Resident Evil 2. I didn’t have money for a memory card, so I replayed the first hour or two probably 50 times before I could afford one. Have so many great memories of this game and I am super happy they haven’t messed with that at all! RE2 is my favourite game of all time and even though I have two single player games in my backlog that needs my attention, I will be putting this in the front of the queue…
Original Heretic
January 23, 2019 at 08:24
That’s awesome, man. This is gonna be amazing for you then.
But for me, I cannot tell you how many times I’ve gotten an older game that I loved jamming years ago…only to abandon it after a couple of hours.