20 years ago the masterpiece Resident Evil 2 hit store shelves. While the original did set the template and was groundbreaking, RE2 was that near perfect sequel, like Mega Man 2, Sonic 2, Uncharted 2; it became the standard by which other RE games would be judged by. We all know RE2 went through an interesting development, its original version starred Leon and a woman named Elza Walker. The R.P.D. had a much more modern clean look, this version is known as RE1.5. Whatever could have been is in the past, all I know is that Mikami and Kamiya scrapped that version to make a more exciting game, well they succeeded.

Resident Evil 2 upped the action, had better graphics, better music, far better writing and voice acting, and expanded the lore greatly. The most distingushing feature of RE2 was its zapping system in which you can play the game four different ways. Two different routes were available depending on which character you decide to play as first, once you finish the game with them a second route became available for the other character with all new locations and enemies. It not only added replay value, it was a very well done mechanic where your actions in one playthrough directly effect the other. Plus to see the entire story both paths were necessary, this was not some half assed mode, every path has its unique moments.

In a bold move the development team didn't bring back any of the beloved original cast for the sequel. Instead we get a brand new cast of characters which have all influenced the RE lore much more than just sticking to the orinal team could have ever done. Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield are both fan favorites, their joruney through the hell of Raccoon City was so much better told and fleshed out than the original, RE2 is really were they cemented the idea that this storyline can be something worth following across many games. As silly as this storyline is Capcom managed to make a horror b-movie series where the main characters mattter, there is a level of attachment this fanbase has to its characters that you just don't see in horror games. I feel RE2 has the best story of any RE game, Leon's story with Ada is captivating, has twists and turns and was so powerful that we are still exploring their relationship in games today. Claire becomes the moral center of the series, she shows compassion and actual human emotions as she cares for Sherry, she feels far more real than Jill does in the original. The secondary cast is fantastic which help make the game so memorable. Annette is a distrubing villain, a woman that abandons her own daughter, who is clearly not right in the head as she goes after her mutant husband who she still loves. We have Chief Irons who murders innocent women, has a hidden dungeon in his police office and was partly responisble for letting the Umbrella experiments get out of hand. Plus he has one of the best lines ever "Everyones gonna DIE!". Hunk is a legnedary post game unlockable character that has become a key figure in the entire series. From the gunshop owner, to the "why'd he bite me?!" driver, to Ben Burtolucci who has a horrible horrible death; the entire cast is memorable.

BOW's are the other stars of every RE game and RE2 has some of the best designs in the series. The Licker might rival the Hunter as the best non boss RE baddie. Ivy's design is cool as shit. I remember how freaked out I was when I first entered the Moth room, then it proceeded to knock me out lol. We have the precursor to Nemesis with Mr. X who is a finished version of the Tyrant. Mr. X is responsible for my personal most scared shitless from a jump scare moment when he does the double wall burst. Of course we have William Birkin and his many G-virus transformations, not to mention how damn demented the entire goal of the g-virus is, which is to infect others who carry your own genes, meaning his own daughter. This thing with an eyeball in his arm is chasing his little girl, this little girl has to run from this thing that was once her dad, crazy stuff. Oh I almost forgot, there is a giant alligator in the sewers!

You all know Resident Evil 1 meant a lot to me, while RE2 didn't impact my gaming habits the way the first did, it's a game I love much more. I still remember the first time I played it through the demo disc that came with RE Director's Cut. The demo version had some differences from the full verison, for one the city had many sections cut out so the trip to the R.P.D. was much faster. The R.P.D. had some routes blocked off and some items rearranged so that the demo ends when you reach the stars office which a cutscene that was out of place. I played that demo so many times, memorized all of it so when the full game came out and things were different it messed with my head.

On January 21st 1998 I got my copy, sadly this time there was no sleep over party, no playing into the middle of the night. It was just me and the game. I chose Leon first cause it felt like the proper order to play in, I remember being exciting for everything, even the cool new Capcom logo. The opening cutscene blew my mind;the CG was so incredible I remember thinking graphics would never look this good, lol. I got through the first few screens easy from my time on the demo, I was an expert at manuvering around the undead. But then the new areas appeared, the city felt alive, the scale of the game felt so much bigger even though in reality it was the same small hallways with doors. I was captivated from the very start, I finally had a brand new RE game to play at it was better than the last. I loved learning the layout of the R.P.D., learning the best paths, fearing whats behind every loading door screen. I remember the shock and horror of when I would reenter some previously cleared areas only to have new enemies waiting. Me jumpng out of my chair the first time arms burst through wooden planks of the windows. The epic battle on the train elevator against Birkin. That incredible music when the lab self destruct sequence kicks in and all hell starts to break loose, seriously this game has the best music in the series. And when it was all done the first time, I got to do it all over again with Claire. The new path through the city! Mr.X being dropped from a helicopter and that first time you see it coming down the dark hall way. Mr. X on the monitor! And of course the true ending on the train which felt as epic as any of the days hollywood blockbusters. Resident Evil 2 was the pinnacle of movie like gaming at the time. It was exciting, scary, and captivating for that time; it gave us a glipse at what we take for granted now in AAA gaming. In a mere few months Metal Gear Solid would come out and overshadow RE2, and rightfully so as MGS took gaming to a new level, but lets not forget that earlier that year RE2 was doing things that few games could match.

It's time to celebrate this all time classic. Tell us your stories of playing it. What were your favorite moments? Who is your favorite character? What are your favorite music tracks? I plan to replay it right now, I find this to be the most easy RE game to replay. There are almost no bad segments, it flows so well that an replay is a joy. Plus its awesome to speed run, I remember doing a sub 2 hour run many years back, I was a naster at this game. So grab some Tofu, find a copy of RE2 and lets all enjoy this masterpiece.

This made me drip all over the place.

To me, this is still THE definitive Resident Evil game. Everything about it was perfect...in a way this was to RE what FF7 was to that series. As you said, the flow of the game is just incredible. It's short as hell by today's standards, but it's so well paced you really don't even notice or care about the length. Same as MGS. I've played through this game at least once on every system it was released on, and the original PS1 game I've probably replayed 100 times. It never gets boring.

Also has my favorite art style in the series...and the color pallette they used really popped. It was almost like those really striking Snes games back in the day, but on the PS1...just really visually pleasing. Nemesis used the same style which was also beautiful, and then when Code Veronica came out it's funny because while CV is technically far beyond RE2 and 3 graphically, the visuals aren't as striking or pleasing because of the switch in style. It had a slightly blurred and washed out look to it. I'd argue RE2 and 3 hold up better today than CV does.

One of my all time favorites, anyway. I am holding out hope that they just merge RE2 and 3 into one game for the remake. That would be incredible.

I don't think I made it further than the police station. That was still enough to make it my favourite RE. Super atmosphere.

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Finished RE2, did Claire A Leon B which is the best path. Man what a game, it's still super engaging and has the best finish of any RE game. The crazy thing is the game is easy. Lots of ammo, bosses aren't tricky, it's a pretty straight forward game. What it does though is keep things moving, surprising the player with cool moments, great jump scares and memorable locations. There is no rough patch in the game, it's not frustrating, it's enjoyable from start to finish.

I tried to play the PS1 copy of RE2 in my PS3 yesterday, but the game keeps freezing. It's a little scratched up so I think it's fucked. Oh well. Re-bought it a few years back on eBay, and I guess that's why the fucker was selling it. I could plug in the Dreamcast and play it on there, but I just don't feel like it.

I never played this until it was released on the N64.  It was a lot of fun and looked amazing at the time.  One thing that always gave me a laugh was when I picked up the mail to the chief and  the song, “ Hail to the Chief” would pop up in my head.

Resident Evil 2 was a great bonding experience for me when I met who are now my very good friends way back in the day. The weird puzzles, the music, the awesome (it was 1998!) graphics, that police station! I remember being blown away that something you did in your A game would impact the B run later. Quaint today but that was quite something then. I always watched my friends play but didn’t play or own it myself until years later on the GameCube, but it was still a thrill ride for me years later now that I knew what the heck I was doing.

Woo

/firsttwirl