Capcom | Screenlife Reviews

Video gaming had a good year in 1998. The world had Nintendo mining absolute gold with Ocarina of Time and Pokémon Yellow. Hideo Kojima was dropping Metal Gear Solid onto an unsuspecting public, while both Crash & Spyro had places on every Christmas list. It was around this time that something dark began brewing over at Capcom. They were looking to build on the runaway success of their global 1996 hit Resident Evil, and they were about to unleash a monster with Resident Evil 2. The Playstation One release was an instant classic, improving on the groundwork laid by its predecessor in almost every way. The characters were more authentic, the setting was more dynamic and just as claustrophobic – and the monsters were much, much meaner. So when Capcom announced that they’d be opening the vault for a ground up modern remake, fears for the quality of its transition after 20 years were understandable. Yet it only takes the game’s opening minutes for these fears to be erased, replaced only by the fear of just about everything else in this revisit to Racoon City.

To begin, you’ll be offered the choice between which of the two protagonists you’ll play as – Leon S. Kennedy or Claire Redfield. Leon is the newest recruit to the Racoon City Police Department (RPD), and is en route to the fictional American city on the night before his first day. Claire is a college student on her way to a surprise visit for her brother, Chris Redfield – a lead in the original Resident Evil and himself a member of the RPD. Regardless of your choice, both Claire and Leon share a very similar run through the long night, with the exception of a few key plot beats, areas and enemies. Don’t be fooled though, outside of a few chance meetings with one another over the course of the game, both characters will spend much of the night alone. Well, alone amongst the living at least.

The game’s first act plays out almost entirely within the walls of the Racoon City Police Department, a labyrinth of corridors and offices that previously served as the city’s museum. The building’s history provides context to the numerous puzzles and locks you’ll have to overcome during your visit, ranging from believable to pretty much outrageous. None of these are too onerous, generally only requiring a quick read of a document from another room or simply the right key for the right lock – however it does provide another layer of stress to an already rocky evening. The fact that these elements blend so well into the game’s setting is a testament to the fantastic atmosphere and design choices used throughout Resident Evil 2. Where the original used fixed camera angles and room transitions to create suspense and fear, the remake uses an over-the-shoulder camera view and the cover of darkness. The vast majority of your time in Racoon City is spent in the dark, leaving you to navigate its nightmares using what little light is available at the time. This forces the player to rely heavily on their own wits, as well as sounds and cues in the environment. Combine this dynamic with the close-quarters camera perspective, and the fight for survival becomes much more personal. The sound of footsteps or broken glass from behind spurs you forward, and when the creatures of the night come though the door for Leon and Claire, they’re really coming for you.

These creatures aren’t here to mess around either. For those still unfamiliar as to what haunts Racoon City’s streets and buildings, it’s the tried-and-true, classic zombie fare. Just about all the civilians and upstanding police officers you meet in the city are now shambling corpses hunting the living. These enemies have been created with an incredible amount of detail, reacting appropriately and as gruesomely as the player’s actions demand. Aiming for the head is still the best way of putting any zombie down for good, however a couple shots to the leg will have them drop like a ton of bricks if you need a quick getaway. It’s surprising how often you’ll need to go for the quick exit option, given that your average zombie is a fairly slow-moving target. This is because Resident Evil 2 is old-school survival horror, and part of that means almost never having enough supplies and ammo to be totally prepared for what’s ahead. You’ll often need to reach a far off room for a key item with next-to-no ammo and little health. Put that room at the end of a long corridor littered with the zombified dead, and you’ll be forced to make some tense and desperate plays. These enemies are just small fry, however, compared to the real nightmares that join the hunt in the night. Reanimated police dogs, deadly ivy plants and monstrosities covered in pulsing eyes are all waiting patiently for Claire and Leon to walk through the door. But, of course, there is one monster within the halls of the RPD that waits around for no-one.

The Tyrant (affectionately referred to as ‘Mr X’ by series fans) is an impeccably dressed nightmare that shifts the dynamic of the game completely. He appears around halfway through the game’s first act, just as you’ve finally got your bearings within the police station. Once he’s on the scene, his pursuit of Claire and Leon is absolutely relentless. With the exception of about three or four of the station’s rooms, there are no longer any safe spaces in the building that the invincible brute will not find you. He’ll end your game in two hits, and will barrel through doors and any zombie that crosses his path in order to get his hands on you. Up to this point, I’d been playing a careful and considered game – conserving ammo and reading each room before I’d make my move. Once the Tyrant entered the fray, this approach went out the window – along with a couple years of life. His inclusion in the game is a brilliant (yet thankfully temporary) shake up to the Resident Evil formula, despite a couple puzzles becoming a bit more of a strain with his helpful hand on your shoulder – forcing you into a constant fight-or-flight mentality as you race to collect the items required for your escape. For those worried that you’ll be sprinting through the game on high alert from that point, note that the pacing returns to normal once you move into the second act of the game.

It’s from this point that the story really begins to take centre stage. Without spoiling too much, you’ll be given the opportunity to play as different survivors for a short period – providing new gameplay elements and allowing for different perspectives. You’ll begin pulling the veil back on the cause of the chaos, delving into elements of both corporate espionage as well as the breakdown of a family. The remake really shines here when compared to its original counterpart, which is famous for its almost laughable English dialogue and stilted delivery. Each scene and line delivered in the remake is conveyed excellently and with weight. Environmental reactions and encounters between Leon, Claire and other characters feel genuine and natural, creating a relatable link to the player in the middle of the action.

Upon completing the night for your selected character, you’ll be given the option to play through the other’s scenario – which has been running tandem to your own on your first go. Completing both will reward you with the ‘true’ ending, wrapping up most of the loose ends you may have left from the story. The second playthrough features a few different story beats from the first, while also mixing up enemy placement to keep things interesting. For example, I ran into a spot of bother on my second run with some ‘Lickers’ – flayed, blind creatures that scale walls and attack with spear-like tongues and claws. The creatures are incredibly dangerous, but their lack of vision means you can often (attempt to) sneak around them without attracting attention. Imagine the surprise and delight when – expecting to be met with the sprinting dogs that were there in my first run – I bolted through a door at top speed, only to have a screeching Licker drop on me from the ceiling.

Once all is said and done, you can also take part in a number of additional short scenarios – most of which were added after launch. These quick runs place you in the shoes of a few NPCs you’ll have learned about during the main game, and are a nice little bonus if you’re looking at extending the stories within Racoon City – or if you’re into playing as a not-very-well-armed block of sentient tofu. Otherwise you can challenge yourself by finishing the story at higher difficulties or locating all of the game’s secrets. Weapons with infinite ammo are up for grabs for those ready to dial up the difficulty and blitz through at a pace. Allured by the infinite rocket launcher unlocked by completing under some gruelling conditions, I can tell you that playing for these bonuses is done on nothing but pure adrenaline and high health insurance premiums. It does, however, make it so much more satisfying to go back and drop limitless ordinance on anything that moves on subsequent plays. If you are looking to skip right to the cool stuff though, Capcom have released a DLC key that unlocks all of these bonuses without the work. While not being the most genuine and exciting way to play it through, this option may help those who are yet to dip their toe in due to the spooks.

Regardless of how you go about playing through, there’s no denying that the Resident Evil 2 remake is a fantastic addition to the series. Both the respect to the source material and quality of Capcom’s survival horror design have combined here, producing a high standard for future entries into the series – as well as for the genre as a whole. With ranging difficulty options and DLC designed for both fanservice and accessibility, they’ve also made it one of the most recommendable entry points into the Resident Evil universe – especially now as we get closer to the upcoming Resident Evil 3 remake early next year. So if you’re yet to visit Raccoon City with Claire and Leon, give yourself a shot at this well-polished and gripping run through the night – the locals are dying to meet you.

Resident Evil 2 is available now on PS4, XBOne & PC

Every now and then, a game is released that – for better or worse – changes a series or genre completely. Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 did just this upon its 2005 release, altering the winning formula that had run through the series since its inception. The game’s runaway success cemented it as one of the greatest games of its time, and Capcom have since made it their business to make sure it’s playable on just about anything since. The latest system to get the Resident Evil 4 badge of honour is the Nintendo Switch, with this week’s port proving that while classics may age, they rarely ever die.

You’ll play as Leon, a returning fan favourite that hasn’t been seen since the series’ second entry many years earlier. In the interim, he’s somehow found himself as an agent of the US government with reporting lines to the President himself. So when the President’s teenage daughter is inexplicably kidnapped by a small religious cult in the outskirts of Spain, naturally it falls on Leon to single-handedly swoop in and save the day. The plot is just ludicrous B-movie schlock, but it takes itself so seriously that you end up just giving in and riding its unique wave of madness. Leon’s mission will have him crossing a few different parts of the Spanish countryside, down through caverns and across small islands – stopping only to make a general mess of the place while questioning the locals. You’ll also run into some notable allies and antagonists along the way, such as Jack Krauser – a mercenary holding an unsettled grudge with Leon – and Ada Wong, another returning favourite from Resident Evil 2. There’s a larger cast than there generally has been in the past, with even minor characters stealing the spotlight every now and then. Their actual delivery and relatability, however, is a bit of a hard sell. For example, the addition of Ada is a cool throwback for fans of the earlier games, and she provides an interesting little anti-hero vibe given her existing relationship with Leon. Yet it’s hard to take her seriously as she zip-lines across rooftops, cartwheels through rooms and fights off monsters in an ankle-length silk dress and heels. I warned you earlier – don’t try to sit there and make sense of it all.

One character that will become quite pivotal to Leon’s mission is Ashley, the girl you’re sent out to save in the first place. You’ll actually track her down quite early, but for reasons I won’t spoil, you’re not able to simply pack up and leave once you’ve found her. It’s at this point that the game’s direction shifts slightly, in that you’re now responsible for getting her through the rest of the trip in one piece. While not as painful as it could be for the most part, this task would be a whole lot easier if the poor girl wasn’t absolutely useless. Look away for a minute to fight back some mob, and she’s getting carried off into the sunset with little resistance. She’s got a habit of standing directly in the midst of a fight, and will offer less than no help if you’re in a bind. I understand she’s not supposed to be some battle-trained war hero, but games like The Last of Us and the recent God of War have since shown that the partner dynamic can be done much better – both in and out of combat.

This is just a minor inconvenience however, when mixed in with Resident Evil 4‘s otherwise frantic action and tight gameplay. It’s here that the entry steps away from the roots of the series, forming some sort of hybrid between action and survival-horror. Rather than dark mansion corridors and slow-built chills, Leon’s now out in the open and often overwhelmed with enemies. You’re also given much more resources and a camera angle that puts you right in the thick of it. This makes Leon an agile and strong lead, allowing for encounters where you’ll be diving out of windows and running circles around danger. In balancing this, Capcom have also upped the stakes when it comes to enemies – doing away with the usual slow and shambling zombies from past games. Instead, the infected here are able to run, climb and beat down doors in their hunt for you. Like any good angry mob, they’ll also come at Leon with pitchforks, fire and crossbows. You’ll even spend one of the earlier moments of the game with a bloke very keen on showing off his shiny new chainsaw.

Each encounter with the locals is a tense game of cat and mouse, as you try your best to cut your way through while saving resources for the real nightmares. For while the average townsfolk will keep you on your toes, any of Resident Evil 4‘s several boss creatures will straight up tear you in half given the chance. This is where the real challenge is, with each of the unique fights forcing the player to use the environment to their advantage – almost like solving a puzzle while trying to keep your head on your shoulders. More often than not, simply emptying rounds into them isn’t enough – Leon instead needing to outrun, outlast or outwit his enemy in order to survive. Each just as deadly as the next, these monsters will range from human-sized foes that rely on speed or stealth, right through to real nasty creatures the size of houses. These battles are a great way of breaking up the game’s pacing, and their inventive design makes them almost timeless – even after all these years.

What doesn’t hold up as well, however, is the look of the game. While keeping in mind that this is a HD version of something made over a decade ago, Resident Evil 4 just suffers from being several shades of brown. The grass? Brown. The buildings? Brown. Any paths, cliffs, furniture or water? You best believe they’re all brown. Even once Leon leaves the more rural surroundings behind after the game’s first act, the environment just becomes a heavy blend of grey and black. This becomes more noticeable when playing it this week on the Switch, as scaling everything down for the smaller screen does no favours for how it all looks – even when the rest of the experience is solid on the portable system (despite the sad lack of motion aiming). A definite sign of the times, this look was common for action releases on older systems during the mid-2000’s. Playing through the environments today is a visible example of how far the medium has come since, and can take a bit of getting used to for modern audiences.

In its defence, each new iteration of Resident Evil 4 has provided a good touch up and polish of what it does have, and it also comes with a fair amount of additional content outside of the main campaign. A short series of levels titled ‘Separate Ways’ puts you in the shoes/stilettos of Ada, allowing you to see the events of Leon’s mission from her side. An interesting side note to the main campaign, Ada’s segment also features some new areas and encounters – while also letting you get around with her fancy little grapple gun. Yet the real time-sinker comes in the form of the game’s ‘Mercenaries’ mode, where you’re dropped into a small location from the game that is now swarming with enemies. Your selected character will then have to defeat waves of monsters while keeping an eye on resources, health and the clock. With some creatures not seen in the main story and some big rewards for high scores, this mode does a great job of showing off the game’s solid gameplay and action style. And after all is said and done, this is the real reason Resident Evil 4 found – and continues to find – its success. Its general design and mechanics were such masterstrokes back in the day, it set a baseline for the entire medium going forward and is still infinitely playable today. As much as its looks may fade, sitting just below the surface of this classic is a modern action shooter that runs like any recent release. Give it a chance if you have even a passing interest in action-adventure titles – you might even come around on the charming madness that its cast and plot try to serve up along the way too.

Resident Evil 4 – Available most recently on the Nintendo Switch, PS4, XBOne & PC.