Resident Evil 2’s playable protagonists, Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, would then become hugely popular in the series and lead their own installments in the future. Resident Evil 2’s Raccoon City Police Department serves as another claustrophobic and suspenseful environment, as did the Spencer Mansion from the first Resident Evil. Further, the debut of lickers and other horrifying bioweapons offered new frights. Today, fans have another reason to honor the title as it marks its place in survival-horror history.
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Resident Evil celebrates today’s momentous occasion with a small tribute to Resident Evil 2. It is officially the 24th anniversary of the title, which makes it only a couple of years younger than its predecessor and the IP’s inception. Contemporary survival-horror has arguably been shaped by these early Resident Evil experiences, with Resident Evil 2’s memorable characters and A and B scenarios staying highly influential in Resident Evil 2’s modern remake. Recently, fans have shared some of their favorite moments from the original Resident Evil 2.
While Resident Evil 2 accentuates action with many more zombies present at any given time, the survival-horror aspect is not undervalued and still generates some of the original trilogy’s most tense moments. For example, Worm-Baby notes a “blink-and-you’ll miss moment” with a licker that quickly crawls along the opposite side of a window in the RPD, saying that it “really set the tone” as their first horror game.
Seth T mentions the hectic introduction to Resident Evil 2, where players must “bob and weave zombies while also learning the controls on the fly” as they hurry to the RPD. Indeed, the original Resident Evil games’ tank controls and fixed camera angles may be divisive nowadays, but they had decidedly added to the survival-horror element in each and make them uniquely identifiable.
Graphical fidelity and gameplay controls have since improved in the 24 years between Resident Evil 2’s launch and today. But fans still appreciate Resident Evil 2 for the seminal attributes it lent to survival-horror and today’s Resident Evil titles. With no Resident Evil 2 in 1998, for example, fans would not have received a modern remake that is beloved by so many players, let alone characters such as Leon. There are many reasons to celebrate Resident Evil 2 on its 24th anniversary and players continue to share their adoration for the franchise.
The Resident Evil 2 remake is now available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
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