Resident Evilhas been one of my favorite franchises since I was a kid, even when I was terrified of its creepy zombies. I still fondly remember the moment when I was around 11 or 12 and rented the remaster of the originalResident Evil, only to immediately return it to my local Blockbuster the next day the moment that I encountered the game’s first zombie and couldn’t bear to see any more of it, too shaken to the core to continue on.
WhileResident Evilhas ebbed and flowed over the years between true survival horror and more action-oriented installments, those moments of true, unnerving horror have always been what drew me to theResident Evilseries over the years. This is what has always led me to play most of the major entries in the series, even after my initial terrors with the first game. However, while I’ve played the series' peaks likeResident EvilandResident Evil 4–and suffered through its lows withResident Evil 6–there has been a big gap for me when it comes to the series' older entries that I have yet to play, such asResident Evil 3,Resident Evil: Code Veronica, and yes,Resident Evil 2.
[pullquote]“There has been a big gap for me when it comes to the series' older entries that I have yet to play, such asResident Evil 3,Resident Evil: Code Veronica, and yes,Resident Evil 2."[/pullquote]
For some reason, I just missed out on these two titles in theResident Evilseries. I’d say the most likely culprit is that playing the more recentResident Eviltitles has made going back to the infamous “tank controls” of the original games a bit unappealing, but with the upcoming remake ofResident Evil 2on the horizon for consoles and PC, I’m glad that I can finally start to fill in those gaps that I’ve had with one of my favorite series.
And that’s made it all the more interesting for me to follow the development of theResident Evil 2remakeever since it had its first debut at Sony’s E3 conference last year(and even its announcement by Capcom long before that). A large part of the hype surrounding the game, naturally, is driven by nostalgia for the originalResident Evil 2, often seen as one of the best installments of the series as a whole.
[pullquote]“What I’m most looking forward to fromResident Evil 2is the fact that we’ll get to go back in time a bit to the series' roots."[/pullquote]
While I’m sure most of the anticipation and excitement forResident Evil 2’s remake is surely coming from fans that are looking forward to re-experiencing the classic with a truly from-the-ground-up remake, I feel like I’m in the minority camp that gets to play through the title for the first time. That isn’t to say though that that’s a bad thing at all. While I may not havethe nostalgia for the haunting setting of Raccoon Cityor a familiarity forthe early parts ofResident Evil’s history and characters, I’m looking forward toResident Evil 2nonetheless, even though I’m coming to it for the first time.
Aside from the dark, creepy visuals and a gore factor that seems to have been amped way the hell up, what I’m most looking forward to fromResident Evil 2is the fact that we’ll get to go back in time a bit to the series' roots, and especially back to its true survival horror basics. TheResident Evilseries has changed quite a bit in the past 10-15 years, withResident Evil 4(my favorite entry in the series) having completely reshaped the franchise moving forward, for better and worse in the solidResident Evil 5and in the bloated, loud action ofResident Evil 6. Of course, just two years agoResident Evil VIIalso reshaped what the franchise’s future looks like, even though the change to a first-person perspective was a bit divisive to longtime fans.
[pullquote]“I’m already in love with the fact that this remake is not holding back when it comes to making players extremely tense and uncomfortable."[/pullquote]
However, with all the years that theResident Evilseries has gone on and the more convoluted that its plot has continued to become, I seeResident Evil 2as the chance to go back to the series' roots as a good thing, and especially getting to be reacquainted with some of its familiar faces. Seeing Leon as a young rookie cop after his later years as a badass special agent inRE4will surely give me a newfound appreciation for how far he has come in the rest of the series. Claire is a character that I’ve only known to a lesser extent after having playedResident Evil: Revelations 2last year, but getting to deepen my understanding of her role in the rest of theResident Evilseries is also something I’m looking forward to while playingResident Evil 2.
But even more than getting the chance to get new context for the rest of theResident Evilseries as a whole, I’m looking forward toResident Evil 2for the fact that it lookscreepy as hell. From the reveal trailer last year at E3 2018, I’m already in love with the fact that this remake is not holding back when it comes to making players extremely tense and uncomfortable. From the unsettling visuals and gore, to the diverse environments that players will have to explore in and out of Raccoon City, I’m excited for the terrors that await inResident Evil 2, especially when combined with its use ofResident Evil VII’s engine, which makes terrifying imagery shine like no other.
[pullquote]“As much as I’ve come to know and love this series after 20 years, I’m looking forward to getting to experience something new from it (for me) withResident Evil 2."[/pullquote]
WithResident Evil 2now just a few days away from release, my anticipation for the game couldn’t be any higher. Given that it’s aResident Evilgame I probably would have been excited regardless, asResident Evil VIIfinally gave me (and many other fans) the long-awaited series' return to survival-horror that we’ve been waiting for. But withResident Evil 2, I now have the chance to not only fill my quota of terrifying game experiences for 2019 early but also, in a way, get back in touch with the core reasons why I loveResident Evil. As much as I’ve come to know and love this series after 20 years, I’m looking forward to getting to experience something new from it (for me) withResident Evil 2.
Resident Evil 2will release for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on July 30, 2025. If you have yet to pick up a copy of the game,you can still do that right now over on Amazonand get ready to relive your terrors.
