Resident Evil 2 stands the test of time,and you should definitely pick this version if you haven't experienced it before
GRAPHICS:
Considering that this is a port of the Dreamcast version, it looks awful, with horrible models for the characters, pixalated backgrounds and bad looking cutscenes. It should have been more polished for this release. 1/5
SOUND:
Most of the music is ambient, and definitely set up a good, eerie atmosphere, where you don't know what lurks behind you. When there is music, it is generally very good, being well dramatic when it has to be, and hopeful as well. The voice acting is a step up from the previous game, but still is rather poor. The voices fit the characters but the performances are a bit too over the top. 4/5
STORY:
In this game, you can play as either Claire Redfield, sister of Chris from the first game, or Leon Kennedy, a rookie cop. Unlike the first game, where either Jill or Chris went into the same areas and had the same story aside from minor differences, choosing between Claire and Leon is important, because there are certain events only for them. Most importantly, each interact with a different character: Leon with the spy Ada Wong and Claire with Sherry Birkin, daughter of two Umbrella researchers. It is definitely a welcome feature and to experience the whole story you have to play as both characters. The story itself is more involved and devoloped, resolving around a new type of virus known as the G-virus, and Claire and Leon find themselves into Raccon City only to escape from the biohazzard. It isn't that complex but is definitely a nice, interesting story, specially for fans of the series, who will enjoy digging more into Umbrella's depth. 5/5
GAMEPLAY:
The game is a survival horror game. It plays much like its predecessor, with puzzle solving and zombie shooting being the name of the game. Like I said before, choosing between Leon and Claire is important because when you start a first game you begin scenario A, and after finishing it you can star with the other character scenario B. They play the same except for a few differences in weapons. Also, some things that you pick as A don't stay for B, so you have to be thoughfull. This game also introduces more weapons, such as the bow gun and the sub machine gun. They are nice additions, and the other ones works just as well. In the first RE, you only explored the Spencer Mansion, but the sequel has more variety, which is always a plus. You begin at Raccon City, and explores the Police Station, the Sewers and an Umbrella Laboratory. The areas are fair in size, and are mostly fun to explore, even though you'll spend more time in the Police Station. The gun fight is just as fun, but this game has less ammo than the first, so you'll have to be conservative. Also, the puzzles are never too hard, and never too easy, and there is a good balance between combat and puzzles. It will take you about 6 hours to beat, but one can speed run it in 2 hours or less. 5/5
OVERALL:
Resident Evil 2 is a great sequel. It maintained what was good from the original and improved on its aspects. It also has a better balance between puzzles and action, and a more developed story. It is definitely worth checking out.
The good:
-Puzzles are satisfying
-Easy to speed run
-Combat is still fun
-Story is more developed
-Significant differences between characters
-Great music that enchances the atmosphere
The bad:
-Unimproved visuals look terrible