Joshua Weston

There is much I could say about this game and its various improvements over the original, with its graphical enhancements, fleshed out characters such as Annette Birkin, and the obvious one: Mr. X. The thing I really appreciate about it though is something nobody ever mentions. This is the closest a Resident Evil game has ever come to marrying the styles of the old school titles and the modern action packed ones. Yes, it is in an over the shoulder perspective, but something I noticed immediately when playing is that your character's movement speed is considerably slower than in say RE4. This is a great decision on the part of the developers because it helps to make you feel a little bit helpless, which is of course a necessary part of the feel of a survival horror title. You never want to feel overpowered. There is also the fact that item management and conservation feels very much like the older titles. They removed some of the puzzles sure, but then added new ones. Another thing I really like is how dangerous and threatening your average zombie is now. Sure, with enough play you can get good at wiping them out, but when first playing the game they are surprisingly difficult to put down! I could go on and on about all the things I appreciate in this remake. Bottom line, this is the closest to a perfect Resident Evil title ever. Especially considering how highly regarded the original is. I don't know for sure if it is my favorite Resident Evil game because I love all the mainline entries including, yes you guessed it, Resident Evil 6 which is a much better game than people give it credit for even if it dropped much of the survival horror atmosphere. Still, I can resolutely say that it is in my top three Resi games of all time, probably right there with Resident Evil REmake and RE4. I will sum up this review by saying this: Resident Evil 2 Remake is the best of both worlds, a little bit of the old and the new.