It is well known that I’m a survival-horror fanatic and I’ve been waiting on the edge of my seat for years for a proper Resident Evil 2 remake. My hopes rose when Capcom gifted the GameCube with the phenomenal REmake and they have been waiting over a decade for this news.
Resident Evil 2 was my second favorite in the series, Code Veronica takes the top spot, so hopefully after 2 has its moment to shine again, Capcom will be hard at work at remaking my personal favorite. Here are five things it has to have.
5) Optional Co-op
While co-op can be fun, when it is forced on me I don’t really enjoy it. For example, I can play Borderlands by myself and have fun, or invite some friends to join me and have fun as well. I can do the entire campaign alone and still have the same experience as I do with my friends. Resident Evil 5 was the first game in the series to have co-op and while it was inventive at the time, I didn’t really enjoy it.
What made Resident Evil so great was the feeling of isolation and I remember firing up the first Resident Evil in the PlayStation and once I was in the Spencer Mansion, I felt so alone. That’s what made those games so amazing, the fact that at any moment you could die alone and in a horrifying fashion. The addition of Co-op in 5, 6, and Revelations takes that away from you.
If Capcom were smart they would allow you to play the game as originally intended, as Leon and as Claire separately, then once you beat both of their scenarios in either order you unlock the co-op mode. I don’t want me feeling of isolation and fear to be broken by a buddy yelling at his wife while playing.
4) A Fleshed Out Story
In March of 2002, no one quite expected what Capcom had in store for us with the Resident Evil Remake on the GameCube. For those of us who thought it was just a reskinning of the original game, we were insanely wrong. Not only did Capcom make the game gorgeous, they added a variety of new elements to throw even the hardcore Resident Evil player off guard. Beating the original several times, I found myself lost in the new version, with new rooms, new enemies, and new placements of items.
What even made it more amazing was the fleshed out backstory Capcom blessed us with. I got to learn more about Barry Burton, The Umbrella Corporation, and the S.T.A.R.S. Team. Then a year or so later Capcom wowed us again with Resident Evil 0 which fleshed out the origin of the T-virus and such. I’m hoping Capcom does the same with the Resident Evil 2 remake and aligns the story more with what they are doing in the newer Resident Evils, no sense in confusing us anymore.
3) Disc Release
Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled that Capcom has decided to re-master the Gamecube-era Resident Evil games. It gives me an excuse to dive back into my survival horror roots, and I’m excited to play these games over and over. I’d rather them be on disc though, the ultimate collection would be HD versions of Remake, Resident Evil: Code Veronica, Resident Evil 4, and the soon-to-be released Resident Evil 0 all on one disc with creepy box art for me to display.
I don’t mind downloading them but it takes up my hard-drive and sometimes I forget what is on my 2TB Xbox One external hard-drive. I seriously doubt that I’d forget about the best survival-horror games ever, but I’m old, and there’s a chance.
2) Old School Throwbacks
As an entire generation of gamers has been babied into their games now, and are not use to the struggles that older gamers use to have. I’d like to see Capcom bring these back in a way in Resident Evil 2 and I’d love to see the tank controls returned, the ink ribbon save, and limited item management. The “Item Box” would have to be brought back, though, none of the Resident Evil 0 drop your stuff wherever and hope you remember where it lay.
I really don’t want an auto-save or an unlimited inventory zone. What makes the game survival-horror is managing your ammo, health, saves, and items you need. If you take that away, you take away part of the magic that made Resident Evil 2 one of the best Resident Evils ever made.
1) Next Gen Graphics
It’s about time for Capcom to bring out the big guns with the current-gen graphics. We saw a taste of it in Resident Evil Revelations 2, but I don’t think that’s the extent of what Capcom can do. I want the police station to look as amazing and run down as the cities in Bloodborne, I want the character models to look like those in inFamous: Second Son. The machines are capable of amazing things, and Capcom needs to harness that for its Resident Evil 2 remake.
I can’t even imagine how frightening they will be able to make the Tyrant, the sewers, those first moments out in the open in Raccoon City. It boggles the mind just how beautiful and scary this game will look and be. I cannot wait.
Those are some of the little nuances that I’d like for Resident Evil 2 to have. I know they aren’t too Earth shattering, but it would be nice to see some old school survival-horror on some current-gen systems.