When the RE2 remake was announced, Capcom devs said "we do it". And they did.

I grew up with the original three Resident Evils along with a bit of CODE: Veronica (I used a relative's Dreamcast to play it, but never got around to finishing it). I don't like RE4 because I don't find it a good survival horror game, it's a good action game but I don't think it's really *Resident Evil*. I loved the first half of RE7, and found the second half (was it a "half" point?) passable -- the former was a true return to form for the series, even if at a different perspective for the player in its gameplay. To be clear, I'm laying out my opinions on other games in the series so you can see where I stand with it, so that if yours are anything like mine, you know there's a good chance that your opinion after you play the RE2 remake reflects mine as well.

To me, you see, Resident Evil isn't about the T-virus or Umbrella corporation, or dragging on plot threads about tired characters that should've ended over a decade ago, or getting thrilled over whether Chris manages to convince Leon to help continue the Redfield bloodline. To me, Resident Evil is about exploring places with weird layouts and intricate architecture, solving bizarrely placed puzzles to progress, while constantly making tough resource management decisions to try and survive the threat of strange, frightening creatures: should I spend my ammunition that I may need later to make that zombie-infested hallway safe, or should I try to run through them, risking my health and thus my even scarcer healing items, assuming I don't give up my life? Should I spend this ink ribbon to save the game now, or should I save it for later when things get tougher, and risk losing precious progress forever if something goes horribly wrong?

The constant need to make all these decisions creates tension. To me, this is the core of Resident Evil.

And I am happy to inform you that the Resident Evil 2 remake delivers. Not only does it deliver this tension, it also delivers other things that made the original great, such as the sadistic pleasure of mutilating zombies to your heart's (ha) content, and such as the subtle film noir atmosphere (although that would be better achieved with a soundtrack closer to the original, as opposed to the more ambient one we get in the remake -- this is relegated to DLC; I find it almost criminal that the original menu sounds are exclusive to the DLC and not default in the remake, as well as the also DLC-exclusive "Resident Evil 2" voice when you start the game being changed from the original, ominous one, the replacement being a bit cringe-inducing). It's joyful to see Capcom take the Resident Evil 4-style gameplay and make an outstanding, real Resident Evil game around it.

I have a couple more complaints about the remake; the length of my description is for detail, not because of great relevance: the first thing, I think, is that there should've been a way to have limited ink-ribbon saves in the standard difficulty. This would've emulated the difficulty of the original perfectly. The standard difficulty is too easy with infinite saves; needing ink ribbons would lend it a bit more of that tension for newcomers. Currently, the only way to have limited saves is in hardcore mode, and that is, and I'm not afraid to admit it, too difficult. With all the difficulty elements together (tougher and more numerous enemies, less health, scarcer ammunition...), the game becomes too tense, and ventures into the realm of frustration and stress. The devs aren't playing around with the naming here: hardcore mode is clearly intended for players who want a real challenge in their second playthrough. I just feel that there should've been a difficulty option that stood somewhere between standard and hardcore, intended for a first playthrough.

Yet, I think hardcore is still the best way to experience the new RE2. If you're not careful with the risks you take and parsimonious with your usage of resources (and let me reiterate: saves are a resource), the game will kick your ass without consideration for whether you're doing well at it or not.

This brings me to the second blemish I find with the game, and that is the bosses: they can be quite bullet spongy, and if you're too low on resources, or wasted your saves way too far before getting to them (or simply before making good preparations), you will get frustrated, and you may even have to consider restarting the game. This is, of course, not considering the standard difficulty, where infinite saves trivialize these issues.

At the end of the day, though, RE2 really delivers. The original RE2 is nearest and dearest to me (despite my finding REmake to be """objectively""" better, the quintessential old-school survival horror). It's a game that is sacred to me, having been my first acquaintance with the series, and one that brings warm fuzzy feelings of childhood nostalgia whenever I play it. The remake does a great job at mixing things up while preserving everything that was iconic. The memory of the old police station layout is seared into your brain, and you will find many things as you remember them, but the layout is not quite as you recall. You will still have to get acquainted with it. Routes are perfectly designed to direct you in a clear progression inside the station and its whereabouts, and once you clear out and explore all of it, new objectives, new threats and new paths are thrown in, and you must adapt. It's all subtly changed from the original, but this is perfect Resident Evil design as you remember it: at its best.

Anyway, finishing remarks: the ideas here are scattered around and I put too much emphasis in (somewhat) minor negative things about the game... but then again I'm kinda sleepy and I'm not going to lose more sleep over a review, lol.

Either way, I HIGHLY recommend this game. If REmake is the quintessential old-school survival horror, RE2 remake is something of a masterpiece in adapting that perfect adventure game-like design to a modern horror game with modern mechanics and graphics.

When the RE2 remake was announced, Capcom devs said "we do it". And they did. I grew up with the original three Resident Evils along with a bit of CODE: Veronica (I used a relative's Dreamcast to play it, but never got around to finishing it). I don't like RE4 because I don't find it a good survival horror game, it's a good action game but I don't think it's really *Resident Evil*. I loved the first half of RE7, and found the second half (was it a "half" point?) passable -- the former was a true return to form for the series, even if at a different perspective for the player in its gameplay. To be clear, I'm laying out my opinions on other games in the series so you can see where I stand with it, so that if yours are anything like mine, you know there's a good chance that your opinion after you play the RE2 remake reflects mine as well. To me, you see, Resident Evil isn't about the T-virus or Umbrella corporation, or dragging on plot threads about tired characters that should've ended over a decade ago, or getting thrilled over whether Chris manages to convince Leon to help continue the Redfield bloodline. To me, Resident Evil is about exploring places with weird layouts and intricate architecture, solving bizarrely placed puzzles to progress, while constantly making tough resource management decisions to try and survive the threat of strange, frightening creatures: should I spend my ammunition that I may need later to make that zombie-infested hallway safe, or should I try to run through them, risking my health and thus my even scarcer healing items, assuming I don't give up my life? Should I spend this ink ribbon to save the game now, or should I save it for later when things get tougher, and risk losing precious progress forever if something goes horribly wrong? The constant need to make all these decisions creates [b]tension[/b]. To me, this is the core of Resident Evil. And I am happy to inform you that the Resident Evil 2 remake delivers. Not only does it deliver this tension, it also delivers other things that made the original great, such as the sadistic pleasure of mutilating zombies to your heart's (ha) content, and such as the subtle film noir atmosphere (although that would be better achieved with a soundtrack closer to the original, as opposed to the more ambient one we get in the remake -- this is relegated to DLC; I find it almost [i]criminal[/i] that the original menu sounds are exclusive to the DLC and not default in the remake, as well as the also DLC-exclusive "Resident Evil 2" voice when you start the game being changed from the original, ominous one, the replacement being a bit cringe-inducing). It's joyful to see Capcom take the Resident Evil 4-style gameplay and make an outstanding, real Resident Evil game around it. I have a couple more complaints about the remake; the length of my description is for detail, not because of great relevance: the first thing, I think, is that there should've been a way to have limited ink-ribbon saves in the standard difficulty. This would've emulated the difficulty of the original perfectly. The standard difficulty is too easy with infinite saves; needing ink ribbons would lend it a bit more of that tension for newcomers. Currently, the only way to have limited saves is in hardcore mode, and that is, and I'm not afraid to admit it, [i]too difficult[/i]. With all the difficulty elements together (tougher and more numerous enemies, less health, scarcer ammunition...), the game becomes [i]too[/i] tense, and ventures into the realm of frustration and stress. The devs aren't playing around with the naming here: hardcore mode is clearly intended for players who want a real challenge in their second playthrough. I just feel that there should've been a difficulty option that stood somewhere between standard and hardcore, intended for a first playthrough. [b]Yet, I think hardcore is still the best way to experience the new RE2.[/b] If you're not careful with the risks you take and parsimonious with your usage of resources (and let me reiterate: saves are a resource), the game will kick your ass without consideration for whether you're doing well at it or not. This brings me to the second blemish I find with the game, and that is the bosses: they can be quite bullet spongy, and if you're too low on resources, or wasted your saves way too far before getting to them (or simply before making good preparations), you will get frustrated, and you may even have to consider restarting the game. This is, of course, not considering the standard difficulty, where infinite saves trivialize these issues. At the end of the day, though, RE2 really delivers. The original RE2 is nearest and dearest to me (despite my finding REmake to be """objectively""" better, the quintessential old-school survival horror). It's a game that is sacred to me, having been my first acquaintance with the series, and one that brings warm fuzzy feelings of childhood nostalgia whenever I play it. The remake does a great job at mixing things up while preserving everything that was [i]iconic[/i]. The memory of the old police station layout is seared into your brain, and you will find many things as you remember them, but the layout is not quite as you recall. You will still have to get acquainted with it. Routes are perfectly designed to direct you in a clear progression inside the station and its whereabouts, and once you clear out and explore all of it, new objectives, new threats and new paths are thrown in, and you must adapt. It's all subtly changed from the original, but this is perfect Resident Evil design as you remember it: at its best. Anyway, finishing remarks: the ideas here are scattered around and I put too much emphasis in (somewhat) minor negative things about the game... but then again I'm kinda sleepy and I'm not going to lose more sleep over a review, lol. Either way, I HIGHLY recommend this game. If REmake is the quintessential old-school survival horror, RE2 remake is something of a masterpiece in adapting that perfect adventure game-like design to a modern horror game with modern mechanics and graphics.