3.5/5 ★ – nickmazz15's review of Resident Evil 2.

RESIDENT EVIL 2 REVIEW - Solid horror puzzle game. The formula is basically the same as the original Resident Evil game which I enjoyed and with this being a modern game, with innovations such as the camera angle not being fixed, that very much freshened up the experience. The police station has the best balance of tension and sense of accomplishment in solving puzzles. Not only do you tread lightly around every corner but even with what’s in front of you cause of the darkness which the game manages to make a strength. Frantically waving your flashlight around to spot a zombie in the darkness is tense. I do wish with more enemies in an area at once and faster enemies like Lickers and bosses like Mr. X & Birkin that the game would be more flexible with getting through areas and mobility. Like throwing an object to distract zombies so you can get by without alerting them. Also sprinting faster would be nice and a dodge mechanic cause running away doesn’t always help when trying to avoid attacks. Flash bangs and wooden planks to cover up windows do serve some of this purpose admittedly but I would’ve liked more. I do really enjoy working my way through all the rooms. Solving puzzles to get keys or items to progress further is very fulfilling and the puzzles are usually fair and not tedious. Besides filling the vile with liquid in the lab. Plus you’re always rewarded with expanded inventory space and new weapons attachments. The sewers stress combat more with those big muscle dudes with the eyes and the NEST labs stress puzzles more. Even if I appreciate the different settings neither the sewers or NEST labs are as scary as the police station. Graphically the game looks great of course but the the use of art direction and light fires on all cylinders in the police station to create claustrophobic horror. The story isn’t much at all. Your emotionally investment is all put on the backs of the characters and their likability personality wise. Claire is very girl next door which is fun and different for an over the top horror game like this. Leon is kind of a plank of wood though. I don’t put that all on the writing. He’s written to be a soft and awkward guy but the voice actor doesn’t sell it well. Both stories get more interesting when Claire meets Sherry and Leon meets Ada. Those dynamics pick up the slack with the lack of narrative and plot details. I liked playing as Sherry for a stint. Puts you in her shoes as a child with all this terror going on which increases the sense of urgency when you switch back to Claire coming to save her. Leon and Ada’s chemistry of growing to trust each other isn’t anything spectacular but there’s enough there to add intrigue. My one big complaint with the game is when I learned Claire and Leon’s stories were told from their perspectives I got excited by the possibilities of playing the B story right after completing the game the first time. But other than some small things here and there its the same experience outside the Sherry and Ada plots. Apparently Capcom was rushed to release this which is why that is the case which is unfortunate. Even then I can understand solving the same puzzles again but the narrative experience shouldn’t have been as inconsistent. Why do I have to fight the same three Birkin boss battles? The first one I can excuse but the other two? Nah. Just have Mr. X be the third boss before the final one. I know a big appeal of these games is how fast you can complete them but I don’t care about that. Actual narrative interplay and the level design being taken into account from one play session into another is far more compelling for me. I still had a good time with Resident Evil 2 overall though and look forward to continuing the series. Now if you’ll excuse me I have to relearn the comparably far more complex control of Horizon Forbidden West before the DLC drops tomorrow.