Resident Evil 2

For the film, see Resident Evil: Apocalypse.

Resident Evil 2
File:Resident Evil 2.jpg
Developer(s)	Capcom Production Studio 4 (Playstation, Gamecube) Angel Studios (Nintendo 64, Dreamcast) Gearbox Software (PC port)
Publisher(s)	Capcom (Europe and PC version) Virgin Interactive
Designer(s)	Hideki Kamiya
Composer(s)	Shun Nishigaki Shusaku Uchiyama Masami Ueda
Series	Resident Evil series
Engine	Q.U.A.R.K. (Modified Quake Engine)
Platform(s)	PlayStation, PC, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, Nintendo GameCube, Tiger game.com
Release	PlayStation: USA: January 21 1998 JP: January 29 1998 EUR: May 8 1998 PlayStation (Dual Shock version): JP: August 6, 1998 USA: November 11, 1998 Tiger game.com: USA: November 11 1998 Windows (PC): JP: February 19, 1999 USA: February 28, 1999 EUR: June 1999 Nintendo 64: USA: October 31, 1999 JP: January 29, 2000 EUR: February 9, 2000 Sega Dreamcast: JP: December 22, 1999 EUR: April 28, 2000 USA: December 15, 2000 Nintendo GameCube: USA: January 14, 2003 JP: January 23, 2003 EUR: May 30, 2003 PlayStation Portable / PlayStation 3 (PlayStation Store): JP: December 26, 2007
Genre(s)	Survival horror, Third Person Shooter Science Fiction
Mode(s)	Single player

Resident Evil 2, known in Japan as Biohazard 2 (バイオハザード2, Baiohazādo Tsū), is a survival horror game by Capcom originally released for the PlayStation in 1998. It is the second installment in the Resident Evil series, and was later ported to the PC, Nintendo 64, Sega Dreamcast, Nintendo GameCube and game.com.

Gameplay

Resident Evil 2 follows the same gameplay mechanics as its predecessor. The game's graphics are composed of polygonal character models, and items superimposed over pre-rendered graphics, using fixed camera angles. The player must travel through a variety of locations, solving puzzles and fighting numerous mutated creatures in order to complete the game. The player can arm themselves with a variety of firearms, although ammunition is limited. The game features an improved graphics engine over the previous game, allowing for more zombies to appear on screen. In addition, the player can now determine their character's health based on their animation and body language. A character in the 'caution' stage of injury will cover their stomach with his or her hand, while a character on the verge of death will limp. The game over screens are more gruesome this time, featuring the player's character being devoured by the creature that killed him or her.

The main addition to the gameplay is a two-scenario system. Resident Evil 2 offers two playable characters, each with their own scenario. However, after finishing one character's scenario (referred as the "A" game) and saving the data, a second scenario (the "B" game) is unlocked in which the same series of events are depicted from the other character's perspective. Actions taken by the player during the first scenario affects the player's surroundings during the second scenario. In addition, one's character also has access to one area in their B game that they normally would not have access to. There are four scenarios, with two for each character.

The player is awarded with unlockable weapons and other bonuses after completing a scenario under certain requirements. A ranking system has been implemented in which the player is graded based on the amount of time taken to complete the game, on the number of times the game was saved and the number of first-aid sprays used. Several hidden minigames can also be unlocked as well such as: The 4th Survivor, its spoof/harder version The Tofu Survivor and in the DualShock version, an Extreme Battle minigame.

Plot

The game is set on September 29, 1998. Zombies have infested Raccoon City. A biological weapon known as the T-Virus was released into the sewer system. Rats then spread the virus to the city's population. Two people make their way to Raccoon City: Leon S. Kennedy, a rookie police officer on his first day on the job in the Raccoon Police Department, and Claire Redfield, a college student looking for her brother, Chris Redfield. Leon and Claire find themselves fighting against hordes of creatures in their search for survival through the city, while avoiding the mutated William Birkin .

Cast

Main article: Characters in Resident Evil 2

Development

Resident Evil 2 began development in 1996 shortly after the original game and was originally scheduled for a March 1997 release. However, as the game was approaching its release date, the developers were dissatisfied with the resulting product. Rather than releasing a game they were unhappy with, the developers took the risk of developing the game again from scratch. This scrapped version of the game was later dubbed Resident Evil 1.5 by Capcom. This prototype version of the game starred Leon S. Kennedy from the finished game and Elza Walker, a prototype of Claire Redfield. Like Claire Redfield, Elza was a motorcyclist and college student, with the only difference being her appearance and the fact that Elza had no ties to any established character from the previous games. Other supporting characters from the released game also appeared in Resident Evil 1.5. For example, Marvin Branagh, a minor character who gets killed off early in Resident Evil 2 played a major role in the prototype, helping Leon and Ada escape. Also, a scenario was planned where Annette Birkin was also supposed to be infected with the same G-cells her husband had been. The settings of the game were also significantly changed, with the police station in the original prototype having a more contemporary design.

There were dozens of sketches done for the main boss of the game, G, and there were even final bosses planned before him, entitled "Zeiram" and "Gorgoda". When they were scrapped, their designs were incorporated into G's, however, little remains of their original appearance. Some of the sketches of G differ so drastically from the used version that they appear as if they could be entirely different creatures.

Resident Evil 2 was preceded by a demo version that was bundled with Resident Evil: Director's Cut.

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 and edited in the Japanese version, as zombies and other creatures do not devour or eviscerate the player's character on-screen like they do in the North American and PAL versions.

DualShock Version

Several months after the original release, a second version of Resident Evil 2 was released known as the DualShock Version. As the title suggests, the game was modified to incorporate support for the vibration function and analog control of the PlayStation DualShock controller. The main addition is a new unlockable minigame, Extreme Battle. The objective is to reach the police station from the underground laboratory and retrieve four anti-biohazard bombs located throughout the station. There are four playable characters and three difficulty settings. The Extreme Battle became a standard feature for subsequent versions of the game.

There are also some minor additions, such as ranking screens for the Hunk and Tofu minigames, a Rookie difficulty setting for the main game, as well as a "USA version" mode in the Japanese version, based on the North American version's default setting and a new cheat code that grants the player unlimited ammo for all weapons.

Other platforms

Like the original game, Resident Evil 2 was released on other platforms after its initial success on the PlayStation. The first of these ports was a PC version titled Resident Evil 2 Platinum in 1999. It features all the additions from the Dual Shock Version and added a new gallery mode featuring illustrations, renders and in-game character models, as well as a new Hard difficulty setting for the main game. The Sega Dreamcast version, released the same year, features these additions, along with the added benefit of viewing the character's health in a VMU. In Japan, the Dreamcast version (where it was titled Biohazard 2 Value Plus) was bundled with a demo of Resident Evil Code: Veronica and also contained assorted music from several Resident Evil soundtracks released in Japan.

A Nintendo 64 version was also released in 1999, ported by Angel Studios (currently Rockstar San Diego). While it was the only port of the game that did not feature the Extreme Battle mode, it did contain some console-exclusive features. The most prominent was a series of additional in-game documents known as the "EX Files" that connected the plot of the game with the other games in the series (including the then-unreleased Resident Evil Zero). Other features include an item randomizer, violence control, first-person controls and new unlockable outfits replacing the ones from the previous versions. A Hunter from the first Resident Evil is also given a cameo appearance. The game supported the Rumble Pak and Expansion Pak. The N64 version is notable due to the compression techniques that the developers were forced to use in order to fit two CD-ROMs worth of data onto a single 64MB cartridge. It also featured, for the time, a high resolution display of 640x480 compared to the PS1 version's 320x240. In fact, the game would change the resolution at each camera cut based on the number of enemies in the room. Many enemies take more processing power, so the game chooses lower resolutions. When all the enemies are defeated, it runs again at 640x480. The N64 version also featured surround sound, not found on the PS1 version, using the Mosys system from Factor 5.

The Nintendo GameCube version, released in 2003, is identical to the PlayStation's Dual Shock Version in terms of content, featuring only a minimal set of improvements such as skippable cut scenes and a higher framerate for the game's FMV sequences.

An LCD game based on Resident Evil 2 was also released for the short-lived game.com in late 1998. Two versions of the game.com game were scheduled to be released, one starring Leon and the other with Claire, but only the former saw release. An aborted port for the Sega Saturn was also planned that utilized the 4MB RAM included with X-Men vs. Street Fighter. There was also an aborted port planned for the Game Boy Advance.

In 2006, it was re-released on the PC platform in Japan as Biohazard 2. It had full Windows XP support and uncompressed FMV sequences.

Reception

Reception

Review scores

Publication	Score
GamePro	4.5/5
GameRevolution	A-

Resident Evil 2 received positive reviews from most publications. Resident Evil 2 was a commercial success and the PS version alone has sold over 4.96 million copies since its release, making it the best selling game in the series, as well as Capcom's second best-selling game of all time. Game Revolution called it "a great game with good graphics, terrific sound, riveting action, and puzzles that will keep you entertained for hours". Game Pro said "For staunch veterans of the series, RE2 Dual Shock demands at least a rental...for newcomers to the series, there's never been a better time to get scared." Games Domain said "Had the game lasted a little longer, and if the monsters had been a little more creative, this would be one of the best games ever made for the PSX."

Music

The Biohazard 2 Original Soundtrack is the original soundtrack CD for Resident Evil 2, and was composed by Masami Ueda, Shusaku Uchiyama, and Shun Nishigaki. It does not contain every track written for the game however. Most of the remaining tracks were included in the subsequent release of the Biohazard 2 Complete Track album on August 21, 1998.

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.

Remake rumor

On August 27, 2008, rumors began circulating about a possible remake in the same style as the GameCube remake of the original game, to appear on the Wii. According to the rumors, parts of the game will use the same viewpoint as Resident Evil 4, with new story elements and a new knight-like creature.

External links

• European Resident Evil 2 site