Resident Evil 2 Remake PS4 Review: The Resident Evil Game I have always wanted

So I sat down to play Resident Evil 2 Remake: One Shot Demo on my PS4 the other night, my expectations running wild with imaginations of how the game would actually feel like since I never played the original 20 years ago.

Being a huge Resident Evil fan this obviously sucks because Resident Evil 2 is considered the high point of the series and I started with Resident Evil 4 which is an amazing game overall and my favourite of course, but the series veteran claims it's Resident Evil 2 which made the series so great and undoubtedly the best game this series has to offer till now.

So, of course, my expectations have been sky high with this game though in one corner of my mind I also feared that this game actually being 20 years old might just not be able to keep up with the modern AAA games I'm used to playing.

To be very honest, I was very wrong. At least that's what the first 30 minutes taught me and I was desperately begging for more.

Now I played the One Shot Demo on the standard PS4 and so I can only tell you about how the game performs on that system. That being said, I have divided the game's attributes into 4 sections and I'll be thoroughly discussing each one of them.

So without any further delay let's just get right into it.

#1. The Visuals.

Leon in RE 2 Remake

Resident Evil 2 Remake runs on the stunning RE Engine, the same engine that 2017's Resident Evil 7 used 2 years ago.

Now, my take of the game's visuals might be a little biased because I'm coming into this after playing Red Dead Redemption 2 which is undoubtedly the best looking game of this generation.

Resident Evil 2 Remake looks very similar to how Resident Evil 7 looked for a lack of a better word, which is obvious but you do expect some notable difference when there has been a two-year gap between the two games.

RE 2 is a pretty game no doubt. Leon's hair has never looked so strikingly detailed as you walk and run through the game's dark and grimy looking tight corridors.

In dark places, the game's visuals shine the most, with incredible shadows and lighting effects. The zombies look pretty detailed and gruesome as well, Blood dripping down from their mouth and overall texture looks spectacular.

Where the visuals are not up to the mark are the well-lighted areas such as the main room in the RPD where the demo starts. Those areas show off how low-resolution textures are used throughout the environments such as the doors or the hallways or the objects placed around. Of course, I'm relatively comparing this to RDR 2's world in my mind but even then you expect a little more from a 2018 AAA title, that too a linear game.

#2.The Performance.

Capcom

As I mentioned I played the demo on a standard PS4 and I believe it was running on 30 FPS with 1080p resolution.

With bad experiences in the past with the likes of Resident Evil 5 and 6, I'm happy to report that Resident Evil 2 runs phenomenally on the standard PS4.

Not once I did encounter frame rate drop or texture pop-in throughout the 30 mins I played and that says a lot. In fact, I even doubt whether the game was running on 30 FPS or 60 FPS because it felt like the latter. I tried searching about that on the Internet but couldn't find any concrete information about that.

But anyways, Capcom is committed to delivering a well-polished experience for the fans which is a breath of fresh air when it comes to this generation of AAA games. (I'm looking at, you Fallout 76 and Mass Effect Andromeda.)

#3.The Gameplay.

Capcom

I literally never had so much fun playing a Resident Evil game before

Yes, I said 'fun'. Its because RE 2 controls are shockingly so smooth, I wonder if the developers at Capcom wrote some codes correct by mistake this time around, seemingly because none of the past RE games had decent controls.

RE 2 controls are super polished. The over the top third person camera is great and the shooting feels satisfying. I enjoyed shooting the zombies in their head which seemed a little bit easy this time around, obviously because the aiming has been perfected to such a degree that the game still retains its frantic moments but giving the players much-needed confidence to tackle such situations. If you die this time around, it isn't because the game is cheap and the controls ain't responsive, its because you screwed up.

Aside, the controls, RE 2 feels like the most expansive game till date.

RPD area of the demo has a lot of areas to explore and the game rewards you for doing that.

Every untamed room I came across had me thinking whether I should venture forward to explore it or pass it away, but the adventurer in me forced me to explore every nook and cranny I could in the given time and I was well rewarded. Whether it was stumbling upon the much-needed pistol ammo I needed or a locker full of goodies, or a health spray you stack up for emergencies or even some lore regarding the RPD and how things were before this disaster occurred. Overall, The game encouraged me to explore its dark and scary looking world and I had a lot of fun doing so.

Also, the puzzles are back this time around and you get a Nathan Drake-style book to help you solve these obstacles along the way which is cool and feels a little organic.

#4.The Soundtrack.

Capcom

To cut it short, RE 2 Remake soundtrack is everything I expected it to be.

The lighted areas which act as the safe hub don't have a background score and act as a breather after the terrifying encounters your character has had in the other areas of the game.

However as soon as you enter some of the dark scary places, The game's terrifying score kicks in.

A blend of high piano and heavy emphasis on the environment sound such as zombies moaning in the distance, or footsteps in the background. The combo of all makes for a terrifying experience overall and I was always on the edge and kept my ears open for anything peculiar I could hear in the distance.

The piano score used seemingly felt like the ones you find in 90's classic horror shows which is pretty obvious because the game did come out back then originally. There hasn't been any confirmation whether the game is adding some new scores to go with the old ones.

Thinking about it now, Resident Evil 2 Remake Demo made me feel like playing the dream Resident Evil game I always wanted. There was always something lacking in the previous entries whether it was good controls, immersive gameplay, horror elements, or even interesting characters.

So far- Resident Evil 2 Remake seems to offer everything I have always wanted from this series and I cannot wait to get my hands on the full game.

Resident Evil 2 Remake is out on 25 January for PS4, PC and Xbox One.