Developer: CAPCOM
Year Released: 1998
They were parted by an unescapable destiny. This is just the beginning of their worst nightmare…
Taking place several weeks after the mansion incident, Resident Evil 2 introduces us to two main protagonists as they enter Raccoon City: Leon S. Kennedy, a rookie police officer about to start his first day on the job and Claire Redfield, a college student searching for her brother Chris (S.T.A.R.S member from previous instalment). However, they arrive only to find that the city’s inhabitants have become the ravenous undead. The pair cross paths and decide to work together in order to survive the horrific ordeal…..
As a player, you have the option to take on the role of either Claire or Leon (each with differences in difficulty and storyline) with your primary objective being to make it out of the zombie-infested city alive. At the beginning, Leon and Claire are separated and plan to meet each other at the police station. Before long, they discover that the outbreak was caused by exposure to the T-virus – developed by the notorious Umbrella Corporation. They also come across other survivors on their travels. Leon meets Ada Wong – a mysterious figure whose motives for remaining in the city are questionable, while Claire discovers a little girl named Sherry Birkin. It soon becomes apparent that zombies are not the only creatures roaming the streets…this is exemplified in a memorable cutscene which introduces us to the ‘Licker’ (a result of direct administration of concentrated T-virus into living tissue). Next, the survivors are met by Sherry’s mother – Annette Birkin who reveals that her husband, William Birkin (lead Umbrella researcher) has infected himself with the G-virus (his own creation) – a more powerful, yet unstable version of the T-virus. Annette also goes on to imply that Ada is a spy, sent to collect samples of her husband’s work. On top of everything else, Claire and Sherry are relentlessly stalked by a creature known as Mr. X (similar to the Tyrant from the previous instalment) – his reasons for doing so are revealed as you progress further into the game. As well as dealing with zombies and mutated Umbrella test subjects, you must solve a series of challenging puzzles throughout the game. You must do whatever it takes to survive and avoid a gruesome death – if you are not so lucky; your demise is illustrated by a grisly cutscene as the words ‘You Died’ splatter in blood across the screen…
This sequel was an instant success – the graphics are gorier, the enemies more menacing and the haunting soundtrack makes for a very unsettling atmosphere. With a great story-line, action-packed cutscenes and iconic characters, Resident Evil 2 provides endless hours of entertainment. In addition, upon completion of the game, various scenarios, unlockable weapons and bonuses can be obtained.
Resident Evil (Biohazard) and all associated characters, images, and trademarks are copyright © Capcom. Images adapted from CAPCOM’s Resident Evil 2