Resident Evil 2
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is a survival horror game by Capcom originally released for the PlayStation in 1998 and the second installment in their Resident Evil series. It was later ported to the PC, Nintendo 64, game.com, Sega Dreamcast and Nintendo GameCube.
Story
The story is set on September 29, 1998, two months after the events in the original Resident Evil. Zombies have now made their way across Raccoon City, as the T-virus has been released in the sewer system and been digested by rats, which then spread the virus to the city's human population. As the outbreak begins, two figures make their way into Raccoon City: Leon S. Kennedy, a rookie police officer on his first day, and Claire Redfield, a college student looking for her brother, Chris, of the S.T.A.R.S. unit. Leon and Claire must fight their way through hordes of zombies and escape from the city alive. But there is a creature much more powerful than a normal Zombie lurking in the shadows.
Supporting characters include Dr. William Birkin, the scientist responsible for spreading the virus; police chief Brian Irons, the inside operative for Umbrella; an Asian-American woman named Ada Wong, who claims to be searching for her missing fiancee; William's daughter Sherry Birkin; Sherry's mother, Annette Birkin; and Ben Bertolucci, a reporter for the local newspaper. There are also two hidden characters named HUNK and Tofu (see below). Only Hunk is part of the game's normal storyline, as Tofu is a joke character.
Gameplay
The biggest difference between Resident Evil 2 and the original was the addition of the Zapping System. Like in the original, the player has the choice between two characters: Leon and Claire. Unlike the original, where both characters' scenarios were self-contained, Resident Evil 2 allows the player to play through the first scenario with either character, which then opens a second scenario involving the other character, that differs greatly from the original scenario. The game is on two discs (one for each character). Although both scenarios take place simultaneously storywise, some of the actions performed by the player during the first scenario will affect the player's surroundings in the second scenario (including access to certain areas). As a result, players can play through one of four possible scenarios depending on the order of characters they choose ("Leon A" and "Claire B", or "Claire A" and "Leon B").The differences between both characters are more balanced out in Resident Evil 2. Both characters can hold the same amount of items (eight by default, although this can be boosted to ten for either character by equipping an optional storage pouch) and have their own advantages and disadvantages, although every problem can be solved by either character. Claire can use a lockpick to open desks and simple locks (like Jill in the first game), whereas Leon must use small keys he finds throughout the game; Leon has a lighter as his default item, whereas Claire must find one and carry it manually. They both start with a combat knife however the weapons available to both characters differ. Leon gets an HK VP70 pistol, while Claire gets a Browning Hi-Power. Leon also gets possession of conventional firearms such a shotgun, a Desert Eagle (both with upgradable custom parts) and, later on, the Flamethrower, while Claire can acquire weapons like an M79 (with various types of ammo) a crossbow, and later on, an experimental Umbrella weapon called a Spark Shot. In terms of firepower, Leon's weapons are comparatively better than Claire's, with much less need to manage ammunition due to having only three base weapons.
The gameplay remains largely unchanged from the first game, although the player can now determine their character's status by their body language. If the player is in a health state of Caution, their character will cover their stomach with their hand. In the Danger state, the player begins to limp (and is unable to run). In addition to this, a character can take more damage from enemies compared to those in the original game. The player's character also reacts to their environment by looking up or down at enemies (usually inspecting the corpses of creatures the player has slain).
An alphabet-based grading system has also been implemented which keeps track of the playing time, number of saves and the number of recovery items used. After finishing the game, the Result Screen is shown with the player's final grade. To achieve an "A" ("S" in the Japanese version) grade, the game must be finished in less than three hours, and no healing sprays can be used. Using any special weapons (unlockable weapons with unlimited ammo) or saving more than twelve times reduces the grade by one.
Bonus minigames
Resident Evil 2 was the first non-port Resident Evil title to include minigames as unlockables after clearing the main game (a concept previously used in the Sega Saturn version of the original Resident Evil). There are two minigames in the original PlayStation release of RE2, plus a third minigame that was introduced in the Dual Shock ver. rerelease. Each of the subsequent Resident Evil titles have since followed the tradition of including at least one minigame as an unlockable feature.
- "The 4th Survivor"- After the player completes the entire game with an A grade in both scenarios, an unlockable mini-game titled The 4th Survivor becomes available through a save file. The player controls HUNK, a surviving member of the Umbrella Special Forces Unit that was sent to retrieve the G-Virus (as seen during one of the game's FMV sequence). The objective is to reach the extraction point on the roof of the RPD Precinct from the sewers. Standing between HUNK and his goal are hallways and corridors filled with all sorts of creatures that are encountered during the main game (including the Tyrant). The player must defend their character with only the limited ammunition that is initially provided at the start of the minigame.
- "The Tofu Survivor" - Essentially a harder version of The 4th Survivor, The 豆腐 (Tôfu) Survivor becomes available after the player completes the main game three times with an A grade each time on both scenarios. Instead of HUNK, the player controls a joke character named TOFU, a giant piece of tofu who speaks in Osaka-ben and is armed only with a knife. The rest of the minigame is identical to HUNK's game, including enemy placement. Unlike other characters, TOFU doesn't limp when he reaches the Caution or Danger states, but changes colour from a bright white to a blood red (red means increased damage); he can also turn purple when poisoned.
- "Extreme Battle" - Introduced in the Dual Shock ver. for the PlayStation and carried over to all subsequent releases (excluding the N64 version), Extreme Battle is essentially a completely action-oriented version of the main game with no puzzles to solve or storyline and enemies in every area. The objective of Extreme Battle is to reach the precinct from Umbrella's laboratory and procure the four anti-biohazard bombs located within the building. Extreme Battle is divided into three different stages, each covering a different location from the main game. Once a stage has been cleared, the player cannot go back to previous areas. Due to the long nature of the minigame, the player can acquire additional ammo and weapons, as well as save their progress like they would in the main game. There are three difficulty levels (each unlocked sequentially) with four playable characters (two of them hidden): Leon, Claire, Ada and Chris (from the original game).
Cast
Playable characters
- Leon S. Kennedy - The male protagonist. A graduate from the police academy who has been selected for the Raccoon Police Department's newly established Select Police Force. He arrives a few days late for his job than scheduled due to personal problems. In the game, his main arsenal is comprised of a VP70 Handgun, an M1100-P Shotgun and a Desert Eagle, which are all upgradable with their corresponding parts. A handmade Flamethrower is also available for Leon, but cannot be upgraded and has no replacement ammo. His personal item is an oil lighter (which Claire has to procure separately).
- Claire Redfield - The female protagonist. A student and motorcyclist who arrives to Raccoon City in search of her brother Chris Redfield (the protagonist of the first game). Her main weapons are a Browning HP handgun, an M79 grenade launcher, a bowgun and Umbrella's experimental Spark Shot. Although, none of those weapons are upgradable, the Grenade Launcher can fire one of three different types of rounds (explosive, incendiary and acid), much like in the first. A Colt S.A.A. is also available as a hidden weapon.
Supporting characters
- Ada Wong - An Asian-American woman whom Leon encounters during his adventure in Raccon City. At first glance, Ada appears to be an average citizen, looking for her fiancè John, whom was an Umbrella Scientist. However, she is actually a spy working for a unknown Agency whose mission is to steal the G-Virus for her employer.She is playable in certain portions of Leon's scenario, in which she uses the Browning HP as her gun of choice. Her personal item is a photo of her fiance and herself- obviously in happier times.
- Sherry Birkin - A young girl who bonds with Claire during the viral outbreak while wandering inside the police station. She is actually the daughter of Umbrella researchers, William and Annette Birkin. She becomes playable during certain portions of Claire's scenario, but has no weapons to defend herself with. Her personal item is a picture of her with her parents. The locket around her neck actually contains a sample of the G-Virus. Sherry later gets implanted with the G-embryo that kills Ben and Chief Irons.
Other characters
- Ben Bertolucci - A freelance reporter whom Leon and Ada find inside the precinct's holding cell. He purposely locked himself inside the cell in order to hide from the monsters. He is later killed when a parasite planted inside of him by William Birkin rips through his organs and bursts through his chest.
- Brian Irons - The RPD's corrupt Chief. He's been secretly on Umbrella's payroll, helping to cover William Birkin's research. During the viral outbreak, he goes insane and kills several of the survivors, including Mayor Warren's daughter. Claire encounters Irons while attempting to find a way out.
- Annette Birkin - William's wife and lab assistant. When her husband transforms into G, she attempts to keep a sample of the G-Virus for herself and thwart off anyone she perceives as an intruder. However, she is also concerned for her daughter, Sherry.
- William Birkin - The Umbrella researcher responsible for the creation of the G-Virus. He is mortally wounded by Umbrella's special forces unit, but returns to life as an abomination after implanting himself with the G-Virus.
Development history
After the surprise success of the original Resident Evil, Capcom immediately began the development of a sequel. The first public showing of Resident Evil 2 (Or Biohazard 2 as it was known in Japan) was at the Tokyo Game Show '96, only a few months after the original's release. Resident Evil 2, in contrast to the original, would take place in the more urban setting of a police station. The main characters were to be Leon S. Kennedy, a police officer, and Elza Walker, a college student and motorcyclist.Resident Evil 2 was initially scheduled for a March, 1997 release but as the release date approached, producer Shinji Mikami and the development staff were unsatisfied with the direction the game was taking. Rather than release a game they were unsatisfied with, Capcom took the risk of cancelling the nearly-completed version of Resident Evil 2 (now dubbed Resident Evil 1.5) and started the project again from scratch. Mikami left the RE2 team and decided to work on a new game which became known as Dino Crisis. Hideki Kamiya took over as director for Resident Evil 2.
Yoshiki Okamoto hired Japanese TV writer Noboru Sugimura as a story consultant. Sugimura had formed Flagship with Okamoto and has written most of the Resident Evil games up until the release of Resident Evil 4. Several changes were made to the scenario, the most notable being the game's heroine, who was redesigned and rewritten to be Claire Redfield, the sister of the male hero from the first game. Her introduction in the series made more sense than Elza Walker - Claire's main purpose was to look for her missing brother Chris (who was last seen in the previous Resident Evil game). Ironically, Claire retained much of Elza's personality in that she is a college student and a motorcyclist.
Since revamping Resident Evil 2 delayed the release of the game by nearly a year, Capcom released an updated version of the original Resident Evil, titled Resident Evil: Director's Cut, which came packaged with a Resident Evil 2 demo, in order to appease consumers.
Resident Evil 2 was finally released on January, 1998 in North America and Japan and garnered generally positive reviews from the press. As of May 2006, the PlayStation version is top selling game in the entire Resident Evil franchise with a total of 5.82 million copies.
Trivia
- The Japanese release was accompanied by an expensive TV ad (with a budget of over $ 1.5 million to produce, exceeding the game itself) directed by legendary Living Dead director George A. Romero. The ad starred Brad Renfro and Adrienne Frantz in the roles of Leon and Claire respectively. Due to a contractual obligation with Renfro's agent, the ad was never aired outside of Japan. This was the only time Capcom ever attempted a marketing campaign of this caliber for one of their games.[link] [The ad, at YouTube.com.] The advertisement received postive feedback from the public at large, and promoted Resident Evil 2 as well (despite being named Biohazard 2 in Japan)
- The word REDRUM is found on a wall in the police station. This word is a reference to Stephen King's book and Stanley Kubrick's film The Shining.
- Robert Kendo, the gunshop owner who gets killed in the beginning of the game, is a close friend of Barry Burton. His brother, Joe Kendo, is the designer of the Samurai Edge sidearm assigned to members of S.T.A.R.S. (as mentioned in Resident Evil 3).
- A film roll can be found on Albert Wesker's desk after checking it fifty times. When developed, it will reveal a photograph of Rebecca Chambers. Rebecca is the only S.T.A.R.S member not in the group photograph on the wall. This photo is thought to have been taken to counter this deficiency
- The plot of borrows elements from this game.
- Resident Evil 2 was adapted into a comic book in Hong Kong using typical Manhua style of artwork and occasionally "martial arts with guns". The early 30 episode is based on the game setting in Raccoon City. The comic includes several original characters and some official Capcom characters they scrapped from the drawing board.
- The Queen references continue in this title, as evidenced by the design on the back of Claire's vest reading "Made in Heaven".
- Chris's brown jacket, his alternate costume from Resident Evil, is seen hanging next to his desk in the S.T.A.R.S office.
- The "Made in Heaven" design on Claire's vest has 16 bombs, while the one on Chris' jacket and sweater has 20.
- In the S.T.A.R.S office, the player can find Rebecca's First Aid Bag hanging on the wall with a First Aid Spray.
- The gas station which appeared at the first cutscene was owned by "Taxago" (a parody of Texaco).
- In scenario B, there is a store in Raccoon City with a sign of Coca-Cola in with blue background color instead of red.
- The original PlayStation version of the game features bloody "finishing moves" whenever the character is slain by a monster; upon running out of health, the death scene is triggered. These scenes are apparently not present in any other version of the game; upon the character's death, the player is taken directly to the Game Over screen. Scenes included the character's throat being torn out by a zombie or dog; Mr. X crushing the character's head under one booted foot; the Licker impaling the character through the torso with its tongue; Ivies biting off the character's head; and being impaled on the claws of Mr. X's final form.
Packaging art
Sony PlayStation
North America, 1998 Image:SLPS-01222.jpg|Biohazard 2
Sony PlayStation
Japan, 1998 Image:RE2PS1PAL.jpg|Resident Evil 2
Sony PlayStation
PAL, 1998 Image:SLPS-01510.jpg|Biohazard 2: Dual Shock ver.
Sony PlayStation
Japan, 1998 Image:Caratulas Resident Evil 2 -PC-Frontal.jpg|Resident Evil 2
Microsoft Windows
PAL, 1999 Image:Residentevil2N64.JPG|Resident Evil 2
Nintendo 64
North America, 1999 Image:T-1214M.jpg|Biohazard 2: Value Plus
Sega Dreamcast
Japan, 1999 Image:RE2SDCNA.jpg|Resident Evil 2
Sega Dreamcast
North America, 2000 Image:re2.jpg|Resident Evil 2
Nintendo GameCube
North America, 2003 Image:Japenessescoverofre2.jpg|Biohazard 2
Nintendo GameCube
Japan, 2003 Image:Boxshot uk small.jpg|Resident Evil 2
Nintendo GameCube
PAL, 2003
Alternative versions
Much like the original Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2 has been released several times on various different platforms, with each release adding new content and features not found in the previous versions. The following is a brief description of each version and characteristics that make them unique.Regional differences
In Japan, where Resident Evil 2 was titled Biohazard 2, the game was released a week after the North American release. The game was made easier for the Japanese market with changes in item and enemy placement, increased firepower for weapons and the auto-aiming feature turned on by default.In addition, the Game Over scenes are less violent in the Japanese version, as zombies and other creatures do not devour the player's character on-screen like they do in the North American and PAL versions.
Resident Evil 2: Dual Shock Version
Released months after the original PlayStation version, Capcom reissued Resident Evil 2 with added support for the analog controls and vibration functions for Sony's Dual Shock controller. In addition to the original game's difficulty settings and game modes, the Dual Shock ver. featured an Arrange Game containing the following game modes.
- Rookie Mode - A difficulty setting easier than the original game's Easy Mode, in which the player begins the game with the submachine gun already in their equipment, along with the gattling gun and rocket launcher (all with unlimited ammo) in the item box.
- Extreme Battle - A minigame which is unlocked after completing any scenario on the normal difficulty setting. Contains three difficulty settings and four playable characters (two unlockable) For more information, see the minigames sub-section.
The Japanese release also contained a USA version Mode based on the Normal difficulty setting of the North American version.
PC version
Titled Resident Evil 2: Platinum in its North American release, the PC version of the game, released in 1999, was based on the Dual Shock ver. and contained all of its added features (excluding analog/vibration support), as well as added Gallery Mode, featuring several unlockable illustrations, renders and character models. Since the Dual Shock ver. was not released in PAL format, this version marked the debut of Extreme Battle in those territories. A Hard Mode is also available after completing the game once in both scenarios.Nintendo 64 version
Ported by Angel Studios and released in 1999, the Nintendo 64 version was produced primarily as a forerunner for the unreleased N64 version of Resident Evil 0. The N64 version was based on the original Resident Evil 2 and thus, does not contain the Extreme Battle mode. However, it does contain force feedback via the N64 Rumble Pak, a high-resolution graphics mode via the N64 Expansion Pak, full surround sound via Factor 5's MusyX (previously known as MOsys FX) sound drivers, and several exclusive additions not found in any of the later versions (including the Nintendo GameCube version):
- First Person Controls - In addition to the original game's "tank"-like controls, the N64 version contains First Person controls that allows the player to move their character towards the direction they're pushing, rather than turning their character left or right and pushing forward. This is the only Resident Evil 2 game with such a feature.
- Violence Control - An option to change blood color (between red, blue or green) and tone down the violence is added to the Option Menu.
- Item Randomizer - An option available when starting a new game which changes the locations of ammunition and recovery items.
- EX Files - "Extra" files or documents not included in previous versions which serves to tie the game's storyline with previous games and provide hints of future events. Some of these EX Files are notably lifted from Resident Evil 3 (such as Dario's Diary), while others would mention people and events that would not reappear until the debut of RE0, notably Billy Coen.
- New Outfits - New outfits are available for Leon and Claire exclusive to the N64 version, replacing the ones from the original version.
Dreamcast version
A Sega Dreamcast port of Resident Evil 2 was released, based on the PC version of the game. As such, the Gallery and Extreme Battle modes were carried over for this release. The Japanese release (titled Biohazard 2: Value Plus) came packaged with a demo disc with an added Sound Museum, containing assorted music from previous Biohazard soundtracks. The North American version came out after the release of Code: Veronica and thus, offered no such demo. Similarly, the PAL version excluded the demo, despite the fact that it predated the PAL release of Code: Veronica.The Dreamcast version is the only version of the game that allows the player to check their health without checking the status screen. The player's current health status is displayed on the VMU screen (granted that one is plugged in).
GameCube version
A direct port of the original PlayStation game based on the Dual Shock ver., the GameCube version lacked all of the added content from the Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast versions. However, the game's graphics were improved slightly, with the game's FMV sequences now running at 60 fps (compared to the previous releases, which only ran at 15 FPS) but with heavy compression artifacts though much higher in quality to the N64. Cutscenes and dialogue can now be skipped as well (similar to Resident Evil 3). In addition to this, a new game mode named "Arrange mode" has been created. It follows the course of the normal game with the same characters but instead of needing to find weapons, ammo e.t.c the player gets the rocket launcher, gattling gun and sub machine gun with infinite ammo.Game.com Version
Unlike the other versions of Resident Evil 2, the Game.com version is not a port of the PlayStation version. Instead it is a completely different game made specifically for use with the Game.com and its significantly lower specifications than that of the PlayStation, as well as its touch-screen capabilities.This version is strongly hindered by the capabilities of the Game.com, and many fans (who were aware of its existence) were surprised that Capcom would release a game of such poor quality. The controls are limiting, hit detection and collision are off, the game is ridiculously short, and there are no real bonuses in finishing the game.
Novelization
A novelization of the game titled Resident Evil: City of the Dead was written by author S.D. Perry, as the third book in her series of Resident Evil novels. The narrative is based on the Leon A/Claire B scenario, with Leon fighting the mutated Birkin for most of the story, while Claire fights the Tyrant (Mr. X). The book downplays most of the puzzle-solving from the game and focuses more on the interaction between the characters. There are also added scenes in the book involving the supporting characters such as Ada, Annette and Chief Irons.
The book was written before the release of Resident Evil 3 and a lot of the information in the novelization has since been contradicted. Hence the fact that most fans consider the novel series non-canon.
References
External links
- [Biohazard 2 PlayStation version site (Japanese)]
- [Biohazard 2: Dual Shock Ver site (Japanese)]
- [Biohazard 2 Value Plus site (Japanese)]
- [Biohazard 2 Nintendo 64 version site (Japanese)]
- [Biohazard 2 GameCube version site (Japanese)]
- [European Resident Evil 2 site]
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