Resident Evil 2 was the first of the original Resident Evil games I ever played and it still sticks with me as a great experience. I was quite excited hearing about the news of a remake especially when the previews made some comparisons to Resident Evil 4, one of my all-time favorite games. I remember very little specifics about the original game but after finishing this remake I'm happy to say justice has been done. Gone away are the tank controls and in there place we have a modern third-person shooter. Now instead of relying on camera tricks and awkward combat the scares are based on your own reflexes and ability to keep cool under pressure. Resident Evil 2 Remake isn't treading new waters but what it lacks in innovation it makes up for by presenting a clean, tight, polished package.
The story follows the Leon and Claire as the find themselves at the epicenter of the g-virus outbreak. Leon is reporting to work on his first day as member of the Raccoon city police department. Claire on the other hand is trying to look for her brother Chris Redfield, the protagonist from the first game. They get split up by zombies as the reach to police headquarters. The police headquarters used to be an art museum and is filled with secret passages. Turns out the Umbrella corporation, the company responsible for the zombie outbreak, may haves ties to the station and some of its staff. Leon and Claire must go deep down into the rabbit hole of mistakes and corruption in order to gather the evidence to expose Umbrella. However, their research won't mean a thing if they can't escape with their lives.
The gameplay is has been dramatically updated thanks to modern third-person shooter mechanics. When you come across a zombie you can simply draw you weapon and an aiming reticle appears. In this remake you can actually move while you're aiming but you'll need to stand still for a second or two if you want to line up a clear shot. The undead and the other creepy monsters are tough and therefore take a lot of damage before they go down for good. Some times it may be better just to run, especially since ammo is fairly limited. As you progress you will find weapons like shotguns and magnums that will pack more of a punch. Aiming can be rather difficult as the zombies like to bob around and if you're not fast enough they might even get a bite out of you. Thankfully, your map is very useful and will help you comb the environments for first aid and ammo.
The police department is set up like a maze and as you weave your way through you'll find keys that open up new paths. You're often going to be back tracking for essential supplies and to progress the story along. Thankfully you do get out the station eventually which will help provide much appreciated variety. Speaking of, although Leon and Claire experience much of the same environments they weave through them differently and there are occasionally some big story beats that diverge the two paths nicely. This would feel like less of an horror experience if it wasn't for the Tyrant. The Tyrant is a giant infected man that will chase you for most of the game and the most you can do to him is just slow him down.
As a remake its no surprise that Resident Evil 2 doesn't have much of a wow factor but that said its makes for a solid, horror-tinged, action game. The new HD visuals and modern controls definitely make this a nice update compared to the original experience. Its interesting, I found aiming fairly difficult yet I feel like this was done purposely to make the enemies more threatening. If not for the limited resources and the Tyrant this definitely could have lost its horror vibes. Playing through as both Leon and Claire to see the little differences should take about 15 hours. I feel like the content presented is very polished and you should have no problem getting your worth out of Resident Evil 2 if you enjoy action games and don't mind a good scare now and then.