089REVIEW
most delectable anxiety you
ever feel. And yes, you will
yelp, you will scream, you will
shout very loud and very rude
words at your screen as you
unload all of your carefully
managed inventory in a
situation you probably should
have avoided. Because you just
can’t help it. Because that fear
creeps tinglingly up your spine
and gets to you.
RISE AGAIN
Leon’s and Claire’s stories and
gameplay differ slightly. In
addition to the first routes you
play through each character
has a ‘2nd Story’ scenario that
follows a very different path
(which are a return of the A
and B routes from the original
game) – essentially a step up
in difficulty with some things
shuffled around. On top of that,
bonus challenge routes with
different characters also make
a return from the original.
Content-wise it’s all here, and
leads to a rich-feeling package.
VERDICTAbove Torch
light leaves
you blind on
the periphery.
What’s in the
shadows?
Right Lickers
rely on hearing,
so don’t make
any reckless
moves when
one’s around.
Above Some of the nasty things you find will call for a strong stomach.
THE OPM BREAKDOWN
By the end you’ll be exhausted.
Relieved. And itching for
more. In those dark rooms
and corridors, Resident Evil 2
provides a challenge and then
some. Oscar Taylor-KentOne first-route playthrough
feels substantial enough: a very
dense, intense seven- or eight-
hour experience, with much
more to follow it up. You’ll
probably want to run some of
the same routes a few times.
Your journey eventually takes
you beyond the walls of the
police station, and the time
away from the fantastically
designed labyrinth does feel
a little bit weaker. But those
external areas don’t overstay
their welcome either, and
do provide some interesting
changes of pace that are no
less gruelling and involve that
wonderful push-pull between
mastery and fear as the rest of
the game, though implemented
slightly differently.22% Simply
yelling in a panic
and making
things worse
for yourself as
you fumble.5% Fending off
close calls with
a combat knife
and breaking it,
then feeling very,
very unsafe.6%Managing
items in a safe
room – do you
needgrenades?17%Running
away from Tyrant
while your bowels
run away from
your body.WHAT YOU DO IN... RESIDENT EVIL 231%
Pushing down
dread as you
know something
horrible is about
to pop up...19% Keeping
track of which key
items you need for
your next path
through the RPD.STAT PACKHours or less to
get an A-rank
run on Standard
difficulty (finish
in under eight
for a B).Years since the
original Resident
Evil 2 was
released. Like
that, this one’s
set in 1998.Inventory slots at
the start of the
game. And no,
it’s not enough!
Grab expansion
upgrades.12158
Ink Ribbon that
you’ll need to
spend to save
in Hardcore
mode, like in the
original games.HOW TO... HANDLE THE TYRANTThis well-dressed gent
hunts you relentlessly
until you move the plot
along. Sinking ammo into
him will only stun him.
Move around him and
make distance so it
takes longer for him to
find you. Listen for his
steps, and the musical
cue when he appears.Poor Resi 6 is where
the series hit a bit of
a tired slump. But
from RE7 onwards,
Capcom’s made it
fresher than ever.SERIESOGRAPHYResident Evil (PS4) | 8Resident Evil 4 HD | 9Resident Evil 5 | 8Resident Evil 6 | 7Resident Evil: Revelations | 7Resident Evil: Revelations 2 | 7Resident Evil VII: Biohazard | 9IS IT BETTER THAN?YES YES
Meatier. Scarier. This
reimagining owes a
debt to Resi VII, but
ultimately surpasses
it for frights.Until Dawn has chills
aplenty, but with Resi
you’re more directly
in control, meaning
more terror.YES
Both games are
throwbacks to classic
survival horror, but
Resi 2 modernises
fear a bit better.