Resident Evil 2 Screens! Sample the Evil

Tuesday, Capcom stopped in to show us the latest on Resident Evil 2, and if the final game is anything like the demo shown (to be included in Resident Evil Director's Cut), gamers are in for one hell of a ride.

The first thing that's immediately noticeable is that the characters and environments are much cleaner and more detailed than in the first game. In the demo - if this is any indication of how the real game begins - the zombies come out to play right at the start, with hordes of the undead surrounding you.

I won't spoil it for you, but Capcom has left intact the style of dialogue from the original. It is a bit better, but still that same style that everyone knows from the first game.

Backgrounds are amazingly interactive, with plenty of hidden stuff to go around. In the demo, you will also find Chris and Jill's office from the first game, complete with a picture of the original S.T.A.R.S. team.

Gameplay has been streamlined and improved as well. This time, when zombies are close, going into an attack stance will make you directly face your enemy. This is helpful in case you were attempting to run away, but get cornered - a one-button turnaround.

Also, damage is visible on your character. For example, as he gets hit and is getting closer to death, he will hold his side and soon begin limping, eventually hardly being able to run. It's these small details that make the Resident Evil 2 demo so fun to play.

Unfortunately, the US release of Director's Cut will contain but one demo, that of RE2. Japanese gamers will get two additional demos on their Director's Cut disc - a playable demo of Mega Man Neo and a movie of Breath of Fire 3...and both look great (see today's other story on MMNeo for details).

Check out these screenshots and we'll have more on the game as it gets closer to its scheduled January release.