E3 is just around the corner and it is time for every video game journalist to speculate about what they may see or what may be announced, so here is one from BagoGames.
Resident Evil VII took the gaming world by storm, hardcore survival horror enthusiast fell in love with the game, normal gamers enjoyed it and it received critical and financial success. Finally Capcom has realized what to do with their main franchises, and I hope that it sticks with them as they decide what else to somewhat “reboot.” In 2015, Capcom announced that the most popular entry in the series, Resident Evil 2, would be receiving a from the ground up remake for the current generation of consoles. The internet went ablaze with rumors and thoughts and overall excitement, but there has been very little news about the remake from Capcom in quite sometime. Hopefully this year’s E3 will put some of our questions to rest, and give us the coveted release date.
I know that I have been somewhat negative about remakes and remasters in the past, but this is one remake that I have wanted since 2002 since Capcom remade Resident Evil from the ground up for the GameCube. When I was a high school student, my father would sit in my room and watch me navigate the dangers of the Raccoon City Police Department. He would help me listen for shuffles of zombies, and the sounds of lickers in the distance. I’m sure he will be excited to watch me beat this game again with the new graphics Capcom is creating for this version. I know that the Raccoon City Police Department will look dilapidated, run down and covered in blood and gore everywhere. Leon will still have that goofy haircut on his first day at work and we will actually be able to see the concern on Claire’s face for her brother’s safety. If Capcom does it right, this version will look even better than Resident Evil VII, and that game looked almost lifelike. Lickers will finally be giving me nightmares again.
Capcom should be smart with this game and not go full co-op; what made Resident Evil 2 so special was the fact that you basically could play four different games: Leon A scenario, Leon B scenario, Claire A scenario and Claire B scenario. And don’t forget about all the little unlockable scenarios as well: Hunk’s little adventure and whatnot. You had to unlock these by deciding which disc to play first; there was a Leon disc and a Claire disc, once you complete the disc the memory card would roll your save over to the next characters disc. That means if you take all the ammo from certain rooms in Leon’s play through, Claire will have some tough times. You have to leave supplies for your other character’s play through which was a pretty neat concept for the time. I’m hoping Capcom sticks with that idea; obviously there isn’t going to be 2 discs, but a menu choice of who to play as first would be great. Let me unlock Hunk and Tofu again!
What really shook everyone up with the Resident Evil remake on the GameCube was the fact that Capcom fleshed out the story of the original game. They added some new mechanics that we’ve not seen since, like the self defense weapon, and they included new rooms, areas, puzzles and zombie types. I really hope that Capcom does the same for Resident Evil 2, I would be sad if one scenario was only five hours long like its predecessor. I want a 16 to 18 hour experience in Raccoon City before it gets nuked. I want new rooms in the police department, new types of lickers, different weapons, and even different placement of key items so that it feels like an entirely new experience for me. That would be the best way to experience this title all over again, except as an adult and possibly on my Xbox One.
Personally, this is my second favorite Resident Evil in the series; Code Veronica is my favorite and I’m pretty sure I’ll never get to see that remade, so number 2 will have to scratch the old series itch. What is nice about the incoming remake is the fact that it is from the ground up, which hopefully means they are using their RE Engine to take us back to Raccoon City. For those of us who were survival horror fans during the GameCube era Resident Evil Remake was huge, and that was fifteen years ago. I can’t imagine the excitement I’m going to have as this game draws nearer and nearer. Let us hope Capcom brings us some tidbits on the game’s development and possible release time frame at this year’s E3.