Misplaced Pages

Resident Evil 2: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 21:52, 25 December 2023 editVenky64 (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users11,129 edits Updated UK PC release infoTag: Visual edit: Switched← Previous edit Latest revision as of 16:06, 20 December 2024 edit undoThe Editor 155 (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users26,548 edits Reception. 
(49 intermediate revisions by 29 users not shown)
Line 6: Line 6:
{{Infobox video game {{Infobox video game
| image = NTSC_Resident_Evil_2_Cover.png | image = NTSC_Resident_Evil_2_Cover.png
| caption = North American PlayStation cover art | caption = North American cover art
| developer = ]{{efn|Ported to ] by ], with support by Capcom Production Studio 3 and ].}} | developer = ]{{efn|Ported to ] by ], with support by Capcom Production Studio 3 and ].}}
| publisher = {{collapsible list|title=Capcom|titlestyle=font-weight:normal;font-size:normal;background:transparent;text-align:left|'''PlayStation, Dreamcast'''{{vgrelease|]/]|Capcom|PAL|]}}'''Windows'''{{vgrelease|]|Capcom/Tsukuda Original|]|Capcom|PAL|Virgin Interactive Entertainment}}'''Nintendo 64'''{{vgrelease|]/]|Capcom|]/]|Virgin Interactive Entertainment}}'''GameCube'''{{vgrelease|]/ ]/]/]|Capcom}}'''Game.com'''<br />]}} | publisher = {{collapsible list|title={{nobold|Capcom}}|'''PlayStation, Dreamcast'''{{vgrelease|]/]|Capcom|PAL|]}}'''Windows'''{{vgrelease|]|Capcom/Tsukuda Original|]|Capcom|PAL|Virgin Interactive Entertainment}}'''Nintendo 64'''{{vgrelease|]/]|Capcom|]/]|Virgin Interactive Entertainment}}'''GameCube'''{{vgrelease|]/ ]/]/]|Capcom}}'''Game.com'''<br />]}}
| director = ] | director = ]
| producer = ] | producer = ]
Line 16: Line 16:
| composer = {{ubl|Masami Ueda|Shusaku Uchiyama|Syun Nishigaki}} | composer = {{ubl|Masami Ueda|Shusaku Uchiyama|Syun Nishigaki}}
| series = '']'' | series = '']''
| platforms = ], ], ], ], ], ] | platforms = ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]
| released = {{collapsible list|title=January 21, 1998|titlestyle=font-weight:normal;font-size:normal;background:transparent;text-align:left|'''PlayStation'''{{Video game release|NA|January 21, 1998|JP|January 29, 1998|PAL|April 29, 1998}}''Dual Shock Ver.''{{vgrelease|JP|August 6, 1998|NA|November 11, 1998}}'''Windows'''{{vgrelease|UK|February 18, 1999<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=EuroGold |url=http://www.gonegold.com/golden/eurogold99.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010210220535/http://www.gonegold.com/golden/eurogold99.shtml |archive-date=February 10, 2001 |access-date=December 25, 2023 |website=Gone Gold}}</ref>|JP|February 19, 1999|NA|March 4, 1999<ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-02-03 |title=New Releases of 1999. |url=http://gonegold.com/golden/goldenfull99.shtml |access-date=2023-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010203120300/http://gonegold.com/golden/goldenfull99.shtml |archive-date=February 3, 2001 }}</ref>}}''SourceNext''{{vgrelease|JP|February 17, 2006}}'''Nintendo 64'''{{Video game release|NA|November 16, 1999|JP|January 28, 2000|PAL|February 9, 2000}}'''Dreamcast'''{{Video game release|JP|December 22, 1999|PAL|April 28, 2000|NA|December 6, 2000}}'''GameCube'''{{Video game release|NA|January 14, 2003|JP|January 23, 2003|PAL|May 30, 2003}}}} | released = {{collapsible list|title={{nobold|January 21, 1998}}|'''PlayStation'''{{Video game release|NA|January 21, 1998|JP|January 29, 1998|PAL|April 29, 1998}}''Dual Shock Ver.''{{vgrelease|JP|August 6, 1998|NA|November 11, 1998}}'''Windows'''{{vgrelease|UK|February 18, 1999<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=EuroGold |url=http://www.gonegold.com/golden/eurogold99.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010210220535/http://www.gonegold.com/golden/eurogold99.shtml |archive-date=February 10, 2001 |access-date=December 25, 2023 |website=Gone Gold}}</ref>|JP|February 19, 1999|NA|March 4, 1999<ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-02-03 |title=New Releases of 1999. |url=http://gonegold.com/golden/goldenfull99.shtml |access-date=2023-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010203120300/http://gonegold.com/golden/goldenfull99.shtml |archive-date=February 3, 2001 }}</ref>}}'''Nintendo 64'''{{Video game release|NA|November 16, 1999|JP|January 28, 2000|PAL|February 9, 2000}}'''Dreamcast'''{{Video game release|JP|December 22, 1999|PAL|April 28, 2000|NA|December 6, 2000}}'''GameCube'''{{Video game release|NA|January 14, 2003|JP|January 23, 2003|PAL|May 30, 2003}}}}
| genre = ] | genre = ]
| modes = ] | modes = ]
Line 29: Line 29:


==Gameplay== ==Gameplay==
] of ''Resident Evil 2'', with ] engaging ] in the ].<ref name="gameprops" />|alt=A young police officer is defending himself against a group of attacking zombies with a ]. The scene takes place in a small room decorated with pieces of art.]]''Resident Evil 2'' is a ] ] game which features the same basic gameplay as its predecessor, ]. Set in Raccoon City, a fictional town in the Midwestern Arklay Mountains, the player chooses from one of two protagonists - rookie police officer ] or college student ] - as they attempt to survive when a ] occurs in the city. The player is able to explore different areas of Raccoon City while avoiding ] and other monsters and solving puzzles - while the players start with ] and can obtain a variety of ], limited ] adds a tactical element to combat, forcing the player to choose between engaging or evading encounters.<ref>{{cite book |title=Resident Evil 2 Instruction Manual |date=January 21, 1998 |publisher=] |page=14 |section=Can't Survive? Try This}}</ref><ref name="gamespotps" /> ] of ''Resident Evil 2'', with ] engaging ] in the ]<ref name="gameprops" />|alt=A young police officer is defending himself against a group of attacking zombies with a ]. The scene takes place in a small room decorated with pieces of art.]]''Resident Evil 2'' is a ] ] game which features the same basic gameplay as its predecessor, '']''. Set in Raccoon City, a fictional town in the Midwestern Arklay Mountains, the game offers a choice of two protagonists - rookie police officer ] or college student ] - as they attempt to survive a ] outbreak in the city. The player explores Raccoon City while fighting monsters and solving puzzles.<ref name=gamespotps /> While the player characters may be equipped with ]s, limited ] adds a tactical element to combat, forcing the player to choose between engaging or evading encounters.<ref name=gamespotps /><ref>{{cite book |title=Resident Evil 2 Instruction Manual |date=January 21, 1998 |publisher=] |page=14 |section=Can't Survive? Try This}}</ref>


The player uses ] to move,<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 20, 2015 |title=A eulogy for tank controls |language=en |work=] |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/a-eulogy-for-tank-controls/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180305202610/https://www.pcgamer.com/a-eulogy-for-tank-controls/ |archive-date=March 5, 2018}}</ref> identically to the original, along with the same set of abilities and interactions as its predecessor, and can bring up a status screen to show their inventory, view a map of the area, re-read obtained files, equip or combined their items for various effects,<ref>{{cite book |title=Resident Evil 2 Instruction Manual |date=January 21, 1998 |publisher=] |page=9 |section=Status Screen}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Resident Evil 2 Instruction Manual |date=January 21, 1998 |publisher=] |page=11 |section=Condition}}</ref> or check their health, shown via an ] or through the character's posture - injured characters walk with a limp and clutch their stomach in pain.<ref name="gamespotps" /><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Smith |first=Shawn |date=January 1998 |title=Zombies Ate My PlayStation |magazine=] |publisher=] |issue=102 |pages=148–151}}</ref> The player will take damage whenever they are caught by an enemy or hazard, and if they take too much damage, they will die, causing a ] and restarting the game from the last save - ] and first aid spray can be used to heal. Safe rooms scattered throughout the city contain ], where the player may spend ] to save their progress, and ] that can store any excess items.<ref name="gamespotps" /><ref>{{cite book |title=Resident Evil 2 Instruction Manual |date=January 21, 1998 |publisher=] |page=11 |section=Item Box}}</ref> The game uses ], meaning that pressing up moves the character forward, down reverses, and left and right rotates, independently of the camera perspective.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 20, 2015 |title=A eulogy for tank controls |language=en |work=] |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/a-eulogy-for-tank-controls/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180305202610/https://www.pcgamer.com/a-eulogy-for-tank-controls/ |archive-date=March 5, 2018}}</ref> On the status screen, the player can check the condition of the player character, view a map of the area, re-read obtained files, and equip or combine items.<ref>{{cite book |title=Resident Evil 2 Instruction Manual |date=January 21, 1998 |publisher=] |page=9 |section=Status Screen}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Resident Evil 2 Instruction Manual |date=January 21, 1998 |publisher=] |page=11 |section=Condition}}</ref> The characters' current health can also be determined by their posture and movement speed. For example, a character will hold their stomach in pain if wounded, and will limp slowly if on the verge of death.<ref name="gamespotps" /><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Smith |first=Shawn |date=January 1998 |title=Zombies Ate My PlayStation |magazine=] |publisher=] |issue=102 |pages=148–151}}</ref> The player character will take damage whenever they are caught by an enemy or hazard, and if they take too much damage, they will die, causing a ]. ] and first aid spray can be used to heal. Safe rooms scattered throughout the city contain ]s, where the player may spend ]s to save their progress, and item boxes that can store items, which are necessary because the player characters can only carry a limited number of items with them.<ref name="gamespotps" /><ref>{{cite book |title=Resident Evil 2 Instruction Manual |date=January 21, 1998 |publisher=] |page=11 |section=Item Box}}</ref>


Contrasting with Chris and Jill's different abilities in the previous game, Leon and Claire have identical stats other than their starting key items - a ] and the ], respectively - their stories contrast greatly. The game introduces a "Zapping System"<ref>{{cite web |script-title=ja:ザッピングシステム紹介 |url=http://www.capcom.co.jp/newproducts/consumer/bio2/zapping.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219100232/http://www.capcom.co.jp/newproducts/consumer/bio2/zapping.html |archive-date=February 19, 2008 |access-date=November 2, 2010 |publisher=] |language=ja}}</ref> where they are each confronted with differing puzzles, storylines, and encounters<ref name="gamespotps" /> - after finishing the "A Scenario" as one protagonist, the player will unlock the "B Scenario" for the other, which changes elements to reflect the A Scenario protagonist's progress - e.g. enemies that weren't killed, solved puzzles, or hazards caused by a specific beneficial action in the A Scenario. This results in a total of four unique playthroughs, two for each character, which increases the game's replay-ability.<ref name="gamespotps" />{{efn|It was suggested by Capcom that the Claire A/ Leon B scenario to be the official and canon plot<ref>{{cite web |title=Resident Evil Retrospective: Episode 2 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_fwTOnfwQ4 |website=YouTube |access-date=7 March 2022}}</ref>}} Aside from these changes, Leon and Claire also have a unique supporting protagonist with their own playable segments. Contrasting with the previous game, there are no multiple endings, though the B Scenario must be completed to see the full ending to the story. Contrasting with Chris and Jill's different abilities in the previous game, Leon and Claire differ only in their starting key items (a ] and a ], respectively). The game introduces a "Zapping System"<ref>{{cite web |script-title=ja:ザッピングシステム紹介 |url=http://www.capcom.co.jp/newproducts/consumer/bio2/zapping.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219100232/http://www.capcom.co.jp/newproducts/consumer/bio2/zapping.html |archive-date=February 19, 2008 |access-date=November 2, 2010 |publisher=] |language=ja}}</ref> where the two player characters are each confronted with differing puzzles, plot threads, and encounters.<ref name="gamespotps" /> After finishing the "A Scenario" as one protagonist, the player will unlock the "B Scenario" for the other, elements of which change to reflect the A Scenario's events, e.g. killed enemies, solved puzzles, and hazards caused by player actions. This results in a total of four unique playthroughs, two for each character, which increases the game's replayability.<ref name="gamespotps" /> Each protagonist is joined by a support partner during the game. These characters accompany the protagonist in certain scenes, and are playable during short segments.<ref name="gameprops" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://guidesarchive.ign.com/guides/10402/characterstrategy.html |title=Resident Evil 2 Strategy Guide: Character Strategies |author=Pardi, Daniel |work=] |publisher=IGN Entertainment, Inc |access-date=May 15, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309124410/http://guidesarchive.ign.com/guides/10402/characterstrategy.html |archive-date=March 9, 2012 }}</ref> Like the previous game, there are multiple endings, but unlike the previous game, which ending the player sees is determined solely by which of the four scenarios is being played.


The graphics are composed of ] ] characters and item ], superimposed over ] backgrounds that are viewed from fixed camera angles.<ref name=gamespotps /><ref name=ignn64 />
After completing a scenario, the player is given a rank based on their playtime and the number of times they saved or used special healing items - higher ranks may unlock additional weapons and costumes to use on another playthrough. In addition, completing the B Scenario unlocks "The 4th Survivor", a timed ] featuring special ops agent HUNK as he attempts to reach a rescue helicopter with limited supplies and an overwhelming number of enemies - completing this minigame unlocks "The Tofu Survivor", a harder version of the minigame that replaces HUNK with a block of ] - Tofu has increased health compared to the other characters but is only armed with a knife.<ref name="igndc">{{cite web |last=Langan |first=Matthew |date=January 13, 2000 |title=Biohazard 2 (Import)&nbsp;– Dreamcast Review |url=http://dreamcast.ign.com/articles/163/163373p1.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109061716/http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/01/13/biohazard-2-import-2 |archive-date=November 9, 2012 |access-date=January 29, 2009 |work=] |publisher=IGN Entertainment, Inc}}</ref> All later versions, excluding the ] version, have an additional "Extreme Battle" minigame, where the player, either as Leon, Claire, or ] or ] from the first game, must plant four antivirus bombs around one of three maps while fighting through a gauntlet of enemies with limited supplies.<ref name="igndc" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Pardi |first=Daniel |title=Resident Evil 2 Strategy Guide: Survival Guide |url=http://guidesarchive.ign.com/guides/10402/survivalguide.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422035034/http://guidesarchive.ign.com/guides/10402/survivalguide.html |archive-date=April 22, 2012 |access-date=May 17, 2011 |work=] |publisher=IGN Entertainment, Inc}}</ref>{{clear left}}

After completing a scenario, the player is given a rank based on their playtime and the number of times they saved or used special healing items.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://guidesarchive.ign.com/guides/10798/rankings.html |title=Resident Evil 2 Strategy Guide: Ranking System |author=Pardi, Daniel |work=] |publisher=IGN Entertainment, Inc |access-date=November 6, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227142644/http://guidesarchive.ign.com/guides/10798/rankings.html |archive-date=December 27, 2012}}</ref> Higher ranks may unlock additional weapons and costumes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://guidesarchive.ign.com/guides/10798/secrets.html |title=Resident Evil 2 Strategy Guide: Secrets |author=Pardi, Daniel |work=] |publisher=IGN Entertainment, Inc |access-date=November 6, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309124157/http://guidesarchive.ign.com/guides/10798/secrets.html |archive-date=March 9, 2012}}</ref> ''Resident Evil 2'' contains two standalone missions: "The 4th Survivor" and "The To-fu Survivor". In both, the player must reach the goal while fighting every enemy along the way with only the default item loadout. The PlayStation version requires the player complete both scenarios with high ranks in order to unlock these missions, while the Dreamcast version has them accessible from the beginning.<ref name="igndc">{{cite web |last=Langan |first=Matthew |date=January 13, 2000 |title=Biohazard 2 (Import)&nbsp;– Dreamcast Review |url=http://dreamcast.ign.com/articles/163/163373p1.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109061716/http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/01/13/biohazard-2-import-2 |archive-date=November 9, 2012 |access-date=January 29, 2009 |work=] |publisher=IGN Entertainment, Inc}}</ref> All later versions, excluding the ] version, have an additional "Extreme Battle" minigame, where the player, either as Leon, Claire, Ada or ] from the first game, must plant four antivirus bombs around one of three maps while fighting through a gauntlet of enemies with limited supplies.<ref name="igndc" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Pardi |first=Daniel |title=Resident Evil 2 Strategy Guide: Survival Guide |url=http://guidesarchive.ign.com/guides/10402/survivalguide.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422035034/http://guidesarchive.ign.com/guides/10402/survivalguide.html |archive-date=April 22, 2012 |access-date=May 17, 2011 |work=] |publisher=IGN Entertainment, Inc}}</ref>{{clear left}}


==Plot== ==Plot==
Depending on which order the scenarios are played in, the player experiences one of two courses of events which mutually contradict each other. This plot summary covers only the path followed by playing the Claire A and Leon B scenarios, which was suggested by Capcom to be the canon version of events.<ref>{{cite web |author=GameTrailers |title=Resident Evil Retrospective: Episode 2 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_fwTOnfwQ4 |website=YouTube |access-date=7 March 2022}} Event occurs at 5:35-6:22.</ref>
On September 29, 1998, two months after the events of the first ''Resident Evil'',<ref>{{cite video game |title=Resident Evil 2 |developer=] |publisher=] |date=January 21, 1998 |quote='''Marvin Branagh:''' About two months ago, there was this incident involving zombies in a mansion located in the outskirts of this city.}}</ref> most citizens of the ] mountain community of Raccoon City have been transformed into zombies by the ], a ] secretly developed by the pharmaceutical company ].<ref name="characters" /><ref>{{cite book |title=Resident Evil Archives |date=November 9, 2005 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-7440-0655-1 |page=253}}</ref> ], a Raccoon Police Department officer on his first day of duty, meets ], a college student looking for her brother ]. After being separated, they each make their way to the Raccoon Police Station.<ref name="characters">{{cite book |title=Resident Evil Archives |date=November 9, 2005 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-7440-0655-1 |pages=117–121}}</ref> They discover that most of the RPD has been killed,<ref>{{cite video game |title=Resident Evil 2 |developer=] |publisher=] |date=January 21, 1998 |quote='''Operation report 2:''' We're down to four people.}}</ref> and that Chris has left town to investigate Umbrella's headquarters in Europe.<ref>{{cite video game |title=Resident Evil 2 |developer=] |publisher=] |date=January 21, 1998 |quote='''Chris's diary:''' August&nbsp;24th: With the help of Jill and Barry, I finally obtained information vital to this case.&nbsp;... We talked it over, and have decided to fly to the main Umbrella HQ in Europe.}}</ref> They split up to look for survivors and find a way out of the city.<ref name="plotsummary">{{cite book |title=Resident Evil Archives |date=November 9, 2005 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-7440-0655-1 |pages=39–58}}</ref><ref>{{cite video game |title=Resident Evil 2 |developer=] |publisher=] |date=January 21, 1998 |quote='''Leon S. Kennedy:''' There's no reason for us to stay any longer than necessary. Let's split up, look for any survivors and get out of here!}}</ref> While searching for an escape route, Claire meets a little girl, Sherry Birkin, who is on the run from an unknown creature, and Leon encounters ], who claims to be looking for her boyfriend John, an Umbrella researcher from ].<ref name="plotsummary" /><ref>{{cite video game |title=Resident Evil 2 |developer=] |publisher=] |date=January 21, 1998 |quote='''Ada Wong:''' I'm trying to find my boyfriend. His name's John. He was working for a branch office of Umbrella based in Chicago, but he suddenly disappeared six months ago. I heard a rumor that he's here in the city.}}</ref>

On September 29, 1998, two months after the events of the first ''Resident Evil'',<ref>{{cite video game |title=Resident Evil 2 |developer=] |publisher=] |date=January 21, 1998 |quote='''Marvin Branagh:''' About two months ago, there was this incident involving zombies in a mansion located in the outskirts of this city.}}</ref> most citizens of the ] mountain community of Raccoon City have been transformed into zombies by the ], a ] secretly developed by the pharmaceutical company ].<ref name="characters" /><ref>{{cite book |title=Resident Evil Archives |date=November 9, 2005 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-7440-0655-1 |page=253}}</ref> ], a Raccoon Police Department officer on his first day of duty, meets ], a college student looking for her brother ]. After being separated, Leon and Claire each make their own way to the Raccoon Police Station.<ref name="characters">{{cite book |title=Resident Evil Archives |date=November 9, 2005 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-7440-0655-1 |pages=117–121}}</ref> They discover that most of the RPD has been killed,<ref>{{cite video game |title=Resident Evil 2 |developer=] |publisher=] |date=January 21, 1998 |quote='''Operation report 2:''' We're down to four people.}}</ref> and that Chris has left town to investigate Umbrella's headquarters in Europe.<ref>{{cite video game |title=Resident Evil 2 |developer=] |publisher=] |date=January 21, 1998 |quote='''Chris's diary:''' August&nbsp;24th: With the help of Jill and Barry, I finally obtained information vital to this case.&nbsp;... We talked it over, and have decided to fly to the main Umbrella HQ in Europe.}}</ref> They split up to look for survivors and find a way out of the city.<ref name="plotsummary">{{cite book |title=Resident Evil Archives |date=November 9, 2005 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-7440-0655-1 |pages=39–58}}</ref><ref>{{cite video game |title=Resident Evil 2 |developer=] |publisher=] |date=January 21, 1998 |quote='''Leon S. Kennedy:''' There's no reason for us to stay any longer than necessary. Let's split up, look for any survivors and get out of here!}}</ref> While searching for an escape route, Claire meets a little girl, Sherry Birkin, who is on the run from an unknown creature, and Leon encounters ], who claims to be looking for her boyfriend John, an Umbrella researcher from ].<ref name="plotsummary" /><ref>{{cite video game |title=Resident Evil 2 |developer=] |publisher=] |date=January 21, 1998 |quote='''Ada Wong:''' I'm trying to find my boyfriend. His name's John. He was working for a branch office of Umbrella based in Chicago, but he suddenly disappeared six months ago. I heard a rumor that he's here in the city.}}</ref>


RPD chief Brian Irons had been bribed by Umbrella to hide evidence of the company's experiments in the outskirts of the city. He concealed their development of the new ], an agent capable of mutating a human into the ultimate bioweapon.<ref name="plotsummary" /><ref name="irons">{{cite video game |title=Resident Evil 2 |developer=] |publisher=] |date=January 21, 1998 |quote='''Claire Redfield:''' So it's true, you have been working with Umbrella. Then you must know about the G-virus. What is it? Tell me! '''Brian Irons:''' It's the agent that can turn humans into the ultimate bioweapons. Superior to the T-virus in every way. ... The monster that's been tearing my place apart is yet another product of the G-virus, an ultimate bioweapon.}}</ref> Leon has multiple encounters with a Tyrant, a monster air-dropped into the police station by Umbrella to seek the G-virus. Irons tries to murder Claire but is killed by a G-virus mutant in the police station. Claire and Sherry escape through the sewers and become separated. After splitting up with Leon, Ada finds Sherry and picks up a golden pendant the girl loses while running away. Further into the sewers, Ada reluctantly teams up with Leon again, after he insists on his duty to protect her. They encounter a middle-aged woman who fires at Ada, but Leon jumps between them and takes a bullet himself. Ada ignores the unconscious Leon and follows the woman, who reveals herself to be Sherry's mother Annette and the wife of ], the Umbrella scientist who created the G-virus. In an attempt to protect his life's work from special agents sent by the Umbrella headquarters, he injected himself with the virus, which turned him into the malformed creature and is now chasing Sherry because of her genetic make-up.<ref name="plotsummary" /> Annette recognizes her daughter's pendant and attempts to take it from Ada. A fight ensues, during which Annette is thrown over a railing.<ref>{{cite video game |title=Resident Evil 2 |developer=] |publisher=] |date=January 21, 1998 |quote='''Annette Birkin:''' Where did you get that pendant? It looks exactly like the one I gave Sherry. '''Ada Wong:''' She dropped it. I've been holding onto it for her. '''Annette Birkin:''' Liar! Give it back to me!}}</ref> Ada learns that the golden locket contains a sample of the G-virus, and later&nbsp;– taken over by her emotions&nbsp;– returns to Leon, tending to his bullet wound.<ref name="characters" /><ref name="plotsummary" /> RPD Chief Brian Irons had been bribed by Umbrella to hide evidence of the company's experiments in the outskirts of the city. He concealed their development of the new ], an agent capable of mutating a human into the ultimate bioweapon.<ref name="plotsummary" /><ref name="irons">{{cite video game |title=Resident Evil 2 |developer=] |publisher=] |date=January 21, 1998 |quote='''Claire Redfield:''' So it's true, you have been working with Umbrella. Then you must know about the G-virus. What is it? Tell me! '''Brian Irons:''' It's the agent that can turn humans into the ultimate bioweapons. Superior to the T-virus in every way. ... The monster that's been tearing my place apart is yet another product of the G-virus, an ultimate bioweapon.}}</ref> Leon has multiple encounters with a Tyrant, a monster air-dropped into the police station by Umbrella to seek the G-virus. Irons tries to murder Claire but is killed by a G-virus mutant in the police station. Claire and Sherry escape through the sewers and become separated. After splitting up with Leon, Ada finds Sherry and picks up a golden pendant the girl loses while running away. Further into the sewers, Ada reluctantly teams up with Leon again, after he insists on his duty to protect her. They encounter a middle-aged woman who fires at Ada, but Leon jumps between them and takes a bullet himself. Ada ignores the unconscious Leon and follows the woman, who reveals herself to be Sherry's mother Annette and the wife of ], the Umbrella scientist who created the G-virus. In an attempt to protect his life's work from special agents sent by the Umbrella headquarters, he injected himself with the virus, which turned him into the malformed creature and is now chasing Sherry because of her genetic make-up.<ref name="plotsummary" /> Annette recognizes her daughter's pendant and attempts to take it from Ada. A fight ensues, during which Annette is thrown over a railing.<ref>{{cite video game |title=Resident Evil 2 |developer=] |publisher=] |date=January 21, 1998 |quote='''Annette Birkin:''' Where did you get that pendant? It looks exactly like the one I gave Sherry. '''Ada Wong:''' She dropped it. I've been holding onto it for her. '''Annette Birkin:''' Liar! Give it back to me!}}</ref> Ada learns that the golden locket contains a sample of the G-virus, and later&nbsp;– taken over by her emotions&nbsp;– returns to Leon, tending to his bullet wound.<ref name="characters" /><ref name="plotsummary" />


Meanwhile, Claire is reunited with Sherry and discovers that William has implanted his daughter with an embryo to produce offspring. Leon, Ada, Claire, and Sherry advance through an abandoned factory connected to Umbrella's secret underground research facility. An attack by William leaves Ada heavily wounded, and Leon explores the laboratory to find something to treat her wounds.<ref name="plotsummary" /> He is interrupted by a psychotic Annette, who explains to him that Ada's relationship with John was only a means of getting information about Umbrella because Ada is a spy sent to steal the G-virus for an unknown organization.<ref name="plotsummary" /><ref>{{cite video game |title=Biohazard 2 |developer=] |publisher=Capcom Co., Ltd. |date=January 29, 1998 |language=ja |quote='''Annette Birkin:''' あの女はある組織の工作員よ。G-ウィルスを奪うために送られたスパイさ! ... 研究員のジョンに近づいて、アンブレラの情報を盗み出していたのよ。 / That woman is an agent from the organization. A spy sent here to steal the G-virus! ... She got close to the research member John and began to steal information about Umbrella.}}</ref> Just as Annette is about to shoot Leon, the Tyrant appears, and she is forced to retreat. Ada returns to save Leon and battles the Tyrant, which falls into a pit of molten metal; Ada, seemingly mortally wounded from the fight, confesses her love to Leon, who leaves behind her motionless body. However, Ada survives. Meanwhile, Annette tries to escape with another sample of the G-virus but is fatally wounded by her mutated husband; before she dies, she tells Claire how to create a vaccine that will stop the mutations caused by the embryo within Sherry. After preparing the cure, Leon and Claire reunite at an emergency escape train and inject Sherry with the vaccine, which saves her life. En route, Leon is assisted in terminating the now-mutated Super Tyrant by Ada, who escapes with the G-virus in the pendant.<ref name="plotsummary" /><ref name="pendant" /> William—now mutated into an agglomeration of flesh and teeth—follows Leon and Claire, but is destroyed when the train self-destructs.<ref name="plotsummary" /> After escaping from the city with Sherry, Leon intends to take down Umbrella, while Claire continues to search for Chris.<ref name="plotsummary" /><ref>{{cite video game |title=Resident Evil 2 |developer=] |publisher=] |date=January 21, 1998 |quote='''Leon S. Kennedy:''' It's over. '''Claire Redfield:''' No, I have to find my brother.}}</ref> ], one of the surviving special agents sent by Umbrella, completes his G-virus retrieval mission.<ref name="pendant" /> Meanwhile, Claire is reunited with Sherry and discovers that William has implanted his daughter with an embryo to produce offspring. Leon, Ada, Claire, and Sherry advance through an abandoned factory connected to Umbrella's secret underground research facility. An attack by William leaves Ada heavily wounded, and Leon explores the laboratory to find something to treat her wounds.<ref name="plotsummary" /> He is interrupted by a psychotic Annette, who says that Ada's relationship with John was only a means of getting information about Umbrella because Ada is a spy sent to steal the G-virus for an unknown organization.<ref name="plotsummary" /><ref>{{cite video game |title=Biohazard 2 |developer=] |publisher=Capcom Co., Ltd. |date=January 29, 1998 |language=ja |quote='''Annette Birkin:''' あの女はある組織の工作員よ。G-ウィルスを奪うために送られたスパイさ! ... 研究員のジョンに近づいて、アンブレラの情報を盗み出していたのよ。 / That woman is an agent from the organization. A spy sent here to steal the G-virus! ... She got close to the research member John and began to steal information about Umbrella.}}</ref> Leon does not believe her, saying he trusts Ada. Just as Annette is about to shoot Leon, the Tyrant appears, and she retreats. Ada returns to save Leon and battles the Tyrant, which falls into a pit of molten metal. Ada is mortally wounded from the fight; she and Leon confess their love for each other before Ada stops breathing. Meanwhile, Annette tries to escape with another sample of the G-virus but is fatally wounded by her mutated husband; before she dies, she tells Claire how to create a vaccine that will stop the mutations caused by the embryo within Sherry. After preparing the cure, Leon and Claire reunite at an emergency escape train and inject Sherry with the vaccine, which saves her life. En route, Leon is assisted in terminating the now-mutated Super Tyrant by an unseen figure; Leon briefly thinks it is Ada, but is unable to positively identify her voice over the noise.<ref name="plotsummary" /><ref name="pendant" /> Grown to gigantic size, William follows Leon and Claire, but is destroyed when the train self-destructs.<ref name="plotsummary" /> After escaping from the city with Sherry, Leon intends to take down Umbrella, while Claire continues to search for Chris.<ref name="plotsummary" /><ref>{{cite video game |title=Resident Evil 2 |developer=] |publisher=] |date=January 21, 1998 |quote='''Leon S. Kennedy:''' It's over. '''Claire Redfield:''' No, I have to find my brother.}}</ref> ], one of the surviving special agents sent by Umbrella, completes his G-virus retrieval mission.<ref name="pendant" />


==Development== ==Development==
Line 79: Line 83:


===Marketing=== ===Marketing===
In Japan, marketing included a live action ] directed by renowned zombie film director ].<ref>{{cite magazine |title=George Romero Returns to the Dead|magazine=]|issue=114|publisher=]|date=March 1998|page=32}}</ref> The commercial was filmed on location at ] and starred ] as Leon Kennedy and ] as Claire Redfield.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2017/7/17/15983438/george-a-romero-resident-evil-commercial|title=Watch George A. Romero discuss his Resident Evil 2 commercial|first=Samit|last=Sarkar|date=17 July 2017|website=Polygon}}</ref> The game had a marketing budget of $5 million.<ref name="budget">{{cite web|url=http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_01/15_retwo/index.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20000930133005/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_01/15_retwo/index.html|title=Capcom Logs RE2 Preorders|website=]|archivedate=September 30, 2000|date=January 15, 1998|accessdate=September 2, 2022}}</ref> In Japan, marketing included a live action ] directed by renowned zombie film director ].<ref>{{cite magazine |title=George Romero Returns to the Dead|magazine=]|issue=114|publisher=]|date=March 1998|page=32}}</ref> The commercial was filmed on location at ] and starred ] as Leon Kennedy and ] as Claire Redfield.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2017/7/17/15983438/george-a-romero-resident-evil-commercial|title=Watch George A. Romero discuss his Resident Evil 2 commercial|first=Samit|last=Sarkar|date=17 July 2017|website=Polygon}}</ref> The game had a marketing budget of $5 million.<ref name="budget">{{cite web|url=http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_01/15_retwo/index.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20000930133005/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_01/15_retwo/index.html|title=Capcom Logs RE2 Preorders|website=]|archivedate=September 30, 2000|date=January 15, 1998|accessdate=September 2, 2022}}</ref>


==Releases== ==Releases==
Line 99: Line 103:
A port of ''Resident Evil 2'' for the ] was developed at Capcom, with plans for it to use the console's 4 MB RAM cartridge,<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Saturn Gets Resident Evil 2 |magazine=]|issue=105|publisher=]|date=April 1998|page=26}}</ref> but technical difficulties led to its cancellation in October 1998.<ref>{{cite web |author=Ohbuchi, Yutaka |date=October 21, 1998 |title=RE2 for Saturn Canceled |url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/2465273.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120731040824/http://www.gamespot.com/news/2465273.html |archive-date=July 31, 2012 |access-date=August 31, 2010 |work=] |publisher=]}}</ref> A port of ''Resident Evil 2'' for the ] was developed at Capcom, with plans for it to use the console's 4 MB RAM cartridge,<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Saturn Gets Resident Evil 2 |magazine=]|issue=105|publisher=]|date=April 1998|page=26}}</ref> but technical difficulties led to its cancellation in October 1998.<ref>{{cite web |author=Ohbuchi, Yutaka |date=October 21, 1998 |title=RE2 for Saturn Canceled |url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/2465273.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120731040824/http://www.gamespot.com/news/2465273.html |archive-date=July 31, 2012 |access-date=August 31, 2010 |work=] |publisher=]}}</ref>


] released a black and white ]-based ] version for its ] handheld in late 1998.<ref>{{cite web |title=Resident Evil 2 |url=http://game.com/gamecom/re2.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991012050906/http://game.com/gamecom/re2.htm |archive-date=October 12, 1999 |publisher=]}}</ref> It includes only Leon's story path, and lacks many of the original game's core features, including cutscenes and music.<ref name="igntiger">{{cite web |url=http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/161/161169p1.html |title=Resident Evil 2&nbsp;– Game.Com Review |author-link=Peer Schneider | first=Peer | last=Schneider |date=July 14, 1999 |work=] |publisher=IGN Entertainment, Inc |access-date=August 31, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025024257/http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/07/15/resident-evil-2-6 |archive-date=October 25, 2012 }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Aniel |first=Alex |title=Itchy, Tasty: An Unofficial History of Resident Evil |date=2021 |publisher=Unbound |isbn=978-1-78352-949-0 |location=London |pages=122–124 |oclc=1262572241}}</ref> This was the first ''Resident Evil'' game to be released on a handheld console.<ref name=":1" /> ] released a black and white ]-based ] version for its ] handheld in late 1998.<ref>{{cite web |title=Resident Evil 2 |url=http://game.com/gamecom/re2.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991012050906/http://game.com/gamecom/re2.htm |archive-date=October 12, 1999 |publisher=]}}</ref> It includes only Leon's story path, and lacks many of the original game's core features, including cutscenes and music.<ref name="igntiger">{{cite web |url=http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/161/161169p1.html |title=Resident Evil 2&nbsp;– Game.Com Review |author-link=Peer Schneider | first=Peer | last=Schneider |date=July 14, 1999 |work=] |publisher=IGN Entertainment, Inc |access-date=August 31, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025024257/http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/07/15/resident-evil-2-6 |archive-date=October 25, 2012 }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Aniel |first=Alex |title=Itchy, Tasty: An Unofficial History of Resident Evil |date=2021 |publisher=Unbound |isbn=978-1-78352-949-0 |location=London |pages=122–124 |oclc=1262572241}}</ref> This was the first ''Resident Evil'' game to be released on a handheld console.<ref name=":1" />

In 2009, Capcom's Beehive Interactive subsidiary released ''Resident Evil: Uprising'', based on the plot of ''Resident Evil 2'', for BlackBerry and Windows phone devices. This version allows players to switch between Leon and Claire at anytime during gameplay.{{fact|date=November 2024}}

In February 2013, an unfinished ] of ''Resident Evil 1.5'' was ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-18-resident-evil-1-5-fan-project-releases-playable-build |title=Resident Evil 1.5 fan project releases playable build |author=Phillips, Tom |date=February 18, 2013 |work=] |publisher=Eurogamer Network Ltd |access-date=April 4, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407100021/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-18-resident-evil-1-5-fan-project-releases-playable-build |archive-date=April 7, 2014 }}</ref>


On June 26, 2024, ''Resident Evil'' was released on ], with ''Resident Evil 2'' released on August 27,<ref>https://www.gog.com/en/news/reveal_of_the_rerelease_date_for_resident_evil_2 </ref> and ''Resident Evil 3: Nemesis'' released on September 25.<ref>https://www.gog.com/en/news/reveal_of_the_rerelease_date_for_resident_evil_3_nemesis</ref> The titles were sold both individually and as a $24.99 bundle. The PC port will be based on the ''Dual Shock ver.'' and will include high-resolution character models and an art gallery.<ref>{{cite web|last=McWhertor|first=Michael|date=June 26, 2024|title=The original Resident Evil comes to PC, in all its unremastered glory|url=https://www.polygon.com/24185916/resident-evil-1-pc-original-version-capcom|website=Polygon}}</ref>
In February 2013, an unfinished ] of ''Resident Evil 1.5'' was ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-18-resident-evil-1-5-fan-project-releases-playable-build |title=Resident Evil 1.5 fan project releases playable build |author=Phillips, Tom |date=February 18, 2013 |work=] |publisher=Eurogamer Network Ltd |access-date=April 4, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407100021/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-18-resident-evil-1-5-fan-project-releases-playable-build |archive-date=April 7, 2014 }}</ref>


==Reception== ==Reception==
Line 118: Line 126:
| CVG_PS = (''CVG'') {{rating|5|5}}<ref name="cvg"></ref><br />(''CVG.com'') 9/10<ref name="cvgps" /> | CVG_PS = (''CVG'') {{rating|5|5}}<ref name="cvg"></ref><br />(''CVG.com'') 9/10<ref name="cvgps" />
| CVG_PC = 9/10<ref name="gamerankingspc"/> | CVG_PC = 9/10<ref name="gamerankingspc"/>
| EGM_PS = 9.375/10<ref name="EGM">''Electronic Gaming Monthly'', issue 104 (March 1998), page 124</ref> | EGM_PS = 9.375/10<ref name="EGM">{{cite magazine |first1=Shawn |last1=Smith |first2=Kraig |last2=Kujawa |first3=John |last3=Ricciardi |first4=Dan |last4=Hsu |date=March 1998 |title=Resident Evil 2 |magazine=] |issue=104 |page=124}}</ref>
| EGM_N64 = 8.62/10<ref>{{cite magazine |first1=John |last1=Ricciardi |first2=Crispin |last2=Boyer |first3=Dan |last3=Hsu |first4=Chris |last4=Johnston |date=December 1999 |title=Resident Evil 2 |magazine=] |issue=125 |page=268}}</ref>
| EGM_N64 = 8.62/10<ref name="gamerankingsn64"/>
| EGM_NGC = 5.5/10<ref name="gamerankingsgc"/> | EGM_NGC = 5.5/10<ref name="gamerankingsgc"/>
| EuroG_N64 = 8/10<ref>{{cite web|last=Taylor |first=Martin |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/residentevil2_n64 |title=Resident Evil 2 |website=Eurogamer.net |date=2000-04-22 |access-date=2019-11-17}}</ref> | EuroG_N64 = 8/10<ref>{{cite web|last=Taylor |first=Martin |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/residentevil2_n64 |title=Resident Evil 2 |website=Eurogamer.net |date=2000-04-22 |access-date=2019-11-17}}</ref>
Line 168: Line 176:
'']'' magazine's Steve Key and Alex Huhtahla praised the gameplay, puzzles, horror, graphics, audio, and the scenario system's replay factor.<ref name="cvg"/> '']'' magazine's four reviewers agreed it was better than the original game, and said almost everything about the sequel is "flawless", including the gameplay, graphics, layout, level of detail, sound, frightful atmosphere, suspenseful story, and scenario system. They criticized the controls and menu system, but said the controls were an improvement over the original. The game tied with the PlayStation version of '']'' for their "Game of the Month".<ref name=EGM/> '']'' magazine's three reviewers praised the gameplay, tension, environments, graphics, voice acting, and scenario system.<ref name="gamefanps"/> '']'' magazine's three reviewers praised the concept, graphics, sound, playability, and entertainment.<ref name="GI"/> '']'' magazine praised the puzzles, monsters, and weapons.<ref name="PSM"/> '']'' called it "the must-own title of the year", saying it made leaps over the original game in terms of longevity and graphics while retaining the original's core appeal.<ref name=NG39/> '']'' magazine's Steve Key and Alex Huhtahla praised the gameplay, puzzles, horror, graphics, audio, and the scenario system's replay factor.<ref name="cvg"/> '']'' magazine's four reviewers agreed it was better than the original game, and said almost everything about the sequel is "flawless", including the gameplay, graphics, layout, level of detail, sound, frightful atmosphere, suspenseful story, and scenario system. They criticized the controls and menu system, but said the controls were an improvement over the original. The game tied with the PlayStation version of '']'' for their "Game of the Month".<ref name=EGM/> '']'' magazine's three reviewers praised the gameplay, tension, environments, graphics, voice acting, and scenario system.<ref name="gamefanps"/> '']'' magazine's three reviewers praised the concept, graphics, sound, playability, and entertainment.<ref name="GI"/> '']'' magazine praised the puzzles, monsters, and weapons.<ref name="PSM"/> '']'' called it "the must-own title of the year", saying it made leaps over the original game in terms of longevity and graphics while retaining the original's core appeal.<ref name=NG39/>


]'s Ricardo Sanchez said that the game's atmosphere was "dead on", and that " graphics, sound effects, music, and level design all work together to create a spooky, horror-filled world".<ref name="ignps" /> Ryan Mac Donald of ] shared the opinion, and found the game to be "like a product out of Hollywood". He said that it was "more an interactive, cinematic experience than a video game".<ref name="gamespotps" /> Writing for '']'', Paul Mallinson considered the atmosphere, story, and film-like presentation its most outstanding features, and though he found its plot to be "far-fetched", he said it was "kept down to earth by clever scripting and gritty storytelling".<ref name=cvgpc>{{cite web |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/3359/reviews/resident-evil-2-review/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110704140940/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/3359/reviews/resident-evil-2-review/ |archive-date=July 4, 2011 |url-status=dead |title=Resident Evil 2 Review (PC) |last=Mallinson | first=Paul |date=August 13, 2001 |work=] |publisher=] |access-date=October 31, 2010 }}</ref> '']'' staff writer Mike Weigand called the narrative "engrossing and dramatic", and the dialogue "well-written" and "spell-binding".<ref name="gameprops" /> IGN's Sanchez, ]'s Brian Davis, and ]'s Martin Taylor praised the "Zapping System" for adding to the story and increasing the ].<ref name="ignps" /><ref name="gamespygcn">{{cite web |url=http://cube.gamespy.com/gamecube/resident-evil-2/5580p1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213145614/http://cube.gamespy.com/gamecube/resident-evil-2/5580p1.html |archive-date=February 13, 2009 |url-status=live |title=Resident Evil 2 Review (GameCube) |author=Davis, Brian |date=January 31, 2003 |work=] |publisher=] |access-date=January 29, 2009}}</ref><ref name=eurogamern64>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/residentevil2_n64 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006110312/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/residentevil2_n64 |archive-date=October 6, 2012 |url-status=live |title=Resident Evil 2 Review (Nintendo 64) |last=Taylor | first=Martin |date=April 22, 2000 |work=] |publisher=Eurogamer Network Ltd |access-date=October 31, 2010 }}</ref> Mac Donald said that the idea of actions in the first scenario affecting the second was "cool in concept", but underused.<ref name="gamespotps"/> '']''{{'}}s Ricardo Sanchez said that the game's atmosphere was "dead on", and that " graphics, sound effects, music, and level design all work together to create a spooky, horror-filled world".<ref name="ignps" /> Ryan Mac Donald of '']'' shared the opinion, and found the game to be "like a product out of Hollywood". He said that it was "more an interactive, cinematic experience than a video game".<ref name="gamespotps" /> Writing for '']'', Paul Mallinson considered the atmosphere, story, and film-like presentation its most outstanding features, and though he found its plot to be "far-fetched", he said it was "kept down to earth by clever scripting and gritty storytelling".<ref name=cvgpc>{{cite web |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/3359/reviews/resident-evil-2-review/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110704140940/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/3359/reviews/resident-evil-2-review/ |archive-date=July 4, 2011 |url-status=dead |title=Resident Evil 2 Review (PC) |last=Mallinson | first=Paul |date=August 13, 2001 |work=] |publisher=] |access-date=October 31, 2010 }}</ref> '']'' staff writer Mike Weigand called the narrative "engrossing and dramatic", and the dialogue "well-written" and "spell-binding".<ref name="gameprops" /> ''IGN''{{'}}s Sanchez, '']''{{'}}s Brian Davis, and '']''{{'}}s Martin Taylor praised the "Zapping System" for adding to the story and increasing the ].<ref name="ignps" /><ref name="gamespygcn">{{cite web |url=http://cube.gamespy.com/gamecube/resident-evil-2/5580p1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213145614/http://cube.gamespy.com/gamecube/resident-evil-2/5580p1.html |archive-date=February 13, 2009 |url-status=live |title=Resident Evil 2 Review (GameCube) |author=Davis, Brian |date=January 31, 2003 |work=] |publisher=] |access-date=January 29, 2009}}</ref><ref name=eurogamern64>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/residentevil2_n64 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006110312/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/residentevil2_n64 |archive-date=October 6, 2012 |url-status=live |title=Resident Evil 2 Review (Nintendo 64) |last=Taylor | first=Martin |date=April 22, 2000 |work=] |publisher=Eurogamer Network Ltd |access-date=October 31, 2010 }}</ref> Mac Donald said that the idea of actions in the first scenario affecting the second was "cool in concept", but underused.<ref name="gamespotps"/>


''Resident Evil 2'' was also praised for its graphics, which many critics said were a substantial improvement upon those of the first installment.<ref name=EGM/><ref name="gameprops">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/53571/resident-evil-2/ |title=Resident Evil 2 Review (PlayStation) |author=Major Mike |date=March 1998 |issue=114 |magazine=] |publisher=GamePro Media, Inc |pages=92–93 |access-date=January 28, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219164142/http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/53571/resident-evil-2/|archive-date=February 19, 2009}} </ref><ref name="gamespotps" /><ref name="ignps" /><ref name=NG39/> Sanchez and Weigand said that the pre-rendered backgrounds were an impressive leap ahead of those in the original ''Resident Evil'', due to their increased detail and interactivity.<ref name="gameprops" /><ref name="ignps" /> ''Next Generation'' said that the character models now stood out less from the backgrounds.<ref name=NG39/> Shawn Smith of ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' found the rendered cutscenes far preferable to the live action ones of the original.<ref name=EGM/> Mac Donald praised the model animations for having reached "true realism", and commended the use of body language as a means of seamlessly communicating the condition of the protagonists' health.<ref name="gamespotps" /> ]'s Shawn Sackenheim awarded its graphics the highest possible score, as he found the backgrounds to be "rendered to perfection", the cutscenes "a work of art", and the animation "fluid and eerie".<ref name="allgameps" /> The audio was well received by critics. Weigand cited it as an "excellent accompaniment to the visuals".<ref name="gameprops" /> Sanchez went as far as to say that ''Resident Evil 2'' "may have the best sound design yet for a console game".<ref name="ignps" /> ''Next Generation'' said it had "the most precise and realistic sound effects ever heard in any game".<ref name=NG39/> Sackenheim described the music and sound effects as "spot on perfect" and the soundtrack "perfectly composed",<ref name="allgameps" /> and Mac Donald likened the use of audio to that of classic horror films.<ref name="gamespotps" /> ''Resident Evil 2'' was also praised for its graphics, which many critics said were a substantial improvement upon those of the first installment.<ref name=EGM/><ref name="gameprops">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/53571/resident-evil-2/ |title=Resident Evil 2 Review (PlayStation) |author=Major Mike |date=March 1998 |issue=114 |magazine=] |publisher=GamePro Media, Inc |pages=92–93 |access-date=January 28, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219164142/http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/53571/resident-evil-2/|archive-date=February 19, 2009}} </ref><ref name="gamespotps" /><ref name="ignps" /><ref name=NG39/> Sanchez and Weigand said that the pre-rendered backgrounds were an impressive leap ahead of those in the original ''Resident Evil'', due to their increased detail and interactivity.<ref name="gameprops" /><ref name="ignps" /> ''Next Generation'' said that the character models now stood out less from the backgrounds.<ref name=NG39/> Shawn Smith of ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' found the rendered cutscenes far preferable to the live action ones of the original.<ref name=EGM/> Mac Donald praised the model animations for having reached "true realism", and commended the use of body language as a means of seamlessly communicating the condition of the protagonists' health.<ref name="gamespotps" /> ]'s Shawn Sackenheim awarded its graphics the highest possible score, as he found the backgrounds to be "rendered to perfection", the cutscenes "a work of art", and the animation "fluid and eerie".<ref name="allgameps" /> The audio was well received by critics. Weigand cited it as an "excellent accompaniment to the visuals".<ref name="gameprops" /> Sanchez went as far as to say that ''Resident Evil 2'' "may have the best sound design yet for a console game".<ref name="ignps" /> ''Next Generation'' said it had "the most precise and realistic sound effects ever heard in any game".<ref name=NG39/> Sackenheim described the music and sound effects as "spot on perfect" and the soundtrack "perfectly composed",<ref name="allgameps" /> and Mac Donald likened the use of audio to that of classic horror films.<ref name="gamespotps" />
Line 174: Line 182:
A common point of criticism was the inventory system, which Sanchez called "a pain". He disliked the player's need to retrieve objects from item boxes,<ref name="ignps" /> and Mac Donald criticized the system for being unrealistic, as the boxes are "" interconnected and all items take the same amount of space when being carried, regardless of their size.<ref name="gamespotps" /> Furthermore, Mallinson and Mac Donald disapproved of certain puzzles, as out of place in a police station setting.<ref name="gamespotps" /><ref name="cvgpc" /> Sanchez said that the puzzles were paced better than in the first game, but less interesting and too easy for experienced players.<ref name="ignps" /> ''Next Generation'' praised the game's massive length and said that the differences between each character's scenario were great enough to make the replay value ten times greater than that of the original, which used a similar two-scenario system.<ref name=NG39/> Sackenheim said the game was brief, and remarked that the individual scenarios are not different enough to hold the interest of casual players until the end of the game. He found the controls to be "easy to pick up and play",<ref name="allgameps" /> and Sanchez said that aiming weapons was difficult.<ref name="ignps" /> Some reviewers panned the voice acting, calling it "cheesy", "terrible", and "barbaric".{{ref|c|}} A common point of criticism was the inventory system, which Sanchez called "a pain". He disliked the player's need to retrieve objects from item boxes,<ref name="ignps" /> and Mac Donald criticized the system for being unrealistic, as the boxes are "" interconnected and all items take the same amount of space when being carried, regardless of their size.<ref name="gamespotps" /> Furthermore, Mallinson and Mac Donald disapproved of certain puzzles, as out of place in a police station setting.<ref name="gamespotps" /><ref name="cvgpc" /> Sanchez said that the puzzles were paced better than in the first game, but less interesting and too easy for experienced players.<ref name="ignps" /> ''Next Generation'' praised the game's massive length and said that the differences between each character's scenario were great enough to make the replay value ten times greater than that of the original, which used a similar two-scenario system.<ref name=NG39/> Sackenheim said the game was brief, and remarked that the individual scenarios are not different enough to hold the interest of casual players until the end of the game. He found the controls to be "easy to pick up and play",<ref name="allgameps" /> and Sanchez said that aiming weapons was difficult.<ref name="ignps" /> Some reviewers panned the voice acting, calling it "cheesy", "terrible", and "barbaric".{{ref|c|}}


With the exception of the critically acclaimed Nintendo 64 version,<ref name="gamerankingsn64">{{cite web |url=https://www.gamerankings.com/n64/198457-resident-evil-2/index.html |title=Resident Evil 2 for Nintendo 64 |work=] |publisher=] |access-date=January 28, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510150405/http://www.gamerankings.com/n64/198457-resident-evil-2/index.html |archive-date=May 10, 2013}}</ref><ref name="metacriticn64" /> most later releases of ''Resident Evil 2'' have received slightly lower scores than the PlayStation version.{{ref|d|}} Weigand advised players who already owned ''Resident Evil 2'' to rent the ''Dual Shock Ver.'' for the "Extreme Battle" minigame, and recommended that newcomers buy the updated edition instead of the original release.<ref name="gameprodualshockver">{{cite magazine |url=http://gamepro.com/article/reviews/295/resident-evil-2-dual-shock-version |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090624092027/http://gamepro.com/article/reviews/295/resident-evil-2-dual-shock-version |archive-date=June 24, 2009 |url-status=dead |title=Resident Evil 2: Dual Shock Version Review |author=Weigand, Mike |date=January 1, 2000 |magazine=] |publisher=GamePro Media, Inc |access-date=October 31, 2010}}</ref> The Windows version was praised for its additional content, but criticized for not allowing the player to save at will, and for lacking updated backgrounds to fit the higher in-game resolution.{{ref|e|}} Eurogamer said that version's total elimination of CD-ROM load times make the game "extremely fun and simple".<ref name="DF Retro: RE2"/> The Nintendo 64 version was widely commended for the technical achievement of fitting a two-disc game on a single {{nowrap|512-] (64MB)}} cartridge. However, Taylor criticized this version for retaining scenes from the PlayStation version that were used to conceal its CD-ROM loading times&nbsp;– a technical disadvantage absent from cartridge.{{ref|f|}} ''GamePro'' writer "The Freshman" was impressed with the enhanced graphics of the Nintendo 64 version, but was disappointed by its heavily compressed FMVs.<ref name="gamepron64" /> GameSpot's Joe Fielder found the compression to be forgivable given the cartridge format, and that the new exclusive features made up for the lack of the "Extreme Battle" mode.<ref name="gamespotn64" /> Eurogamer said the Nintendo 64's unique analog control "works supremely well to the point where it's borderline game-breaking".<ref name="DF Retro: RE2"/> IGN reviewer Matt Casamassina applauded the implementation of Dolby Surround support, and called the Nintendo 64 release the "best version of the game".<ref name="ignn64" /> In 2018, Eurogamer called it "one of the most ambitious console ports of all time".<ref name="DF Retro: RE2"/> With the exception of the critically acclaimed Nintendo 64 version,<ref name="gamerankingsn64">{{cite web |url=https://www.gamerankings.com/n64/198457-resident-evil-2/index.html |title=Resident Evil 2 for Nintendo 64 |work=] |publisher=] |access-date=January 28, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510150405/http://www.gamerankings.com/n64/198457-resident-evil-2/index.html |archive-date=May 10, 2013}}</ref><ref name="metacriticn64" /> most later releases of ''Resident Evil 2'' have received slightly lower scores than the PlayStation version.{{ref|d|}} Weigand advised players who already owned ''Resident Evil 2'' to rent the ''Dual Shock Ver.'' for the "Extreme Battle" minigame, and recommended that newcomers buy the updated edition instead of the original release.<ref name="gameprodualshockver">{{cite magazine |url=http://gamepro.com/article/reviews/295/resident-evil-2-dual-shock-version |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090624092027/http://gamepro.com/article/reviews/295/resident-evil-2-dual-shock-version |archive-date=June 24, 2009 |url-status=dead |title=Resident Evil 2: Dual Shock Version Review |author=Weigand, Mike |date=January 1, 2000 |magazine=] |publisher=GamePro Media, Inc |access-date=October 31, 2010}}</ref> The Windows version was praised for its additional content, but criticized for not allowing the player to save at will, and for lacking updated backgrounds to fit the higher in-game resolution.{{ref|e|}} ''Eurogamer'' said that version's total elimination of CD-ROM load times make the game "extremely fun and simple".<ref name="DF Retro: RE2"/> The Nintendo 64 version was widely commended for the technical achievement of fitting a two-disc game on a single {{nowrap|512-] (64MB)}} cartridge. However, Taylor criticized this version for retaining scenes from the PlayStation version that were used to conceal its CD-ROM loading times&nbsp;– a technical disadvantage absent from cartridge.{{ref|f|}} ''GamePro'' writer "The Freshman" was impressed with the enhanced graphics of the Nintendo 64 version, but was disappointed by its heavily compressed FMVs.<ref name="gamepron64" /> ''GameSpot''{{'}}s Joe Fielder found the compression to be forgivable given the cartridge format, and that the new exclusive features made up for the lack of the "Extreme Battle" mode.<ref name="gamespotn64" /> ''Eurogamer'' said the Nintendo 64's unique analog control "works supremely well to the point where it's borderline game-breaking".<ref name="DF Retro: RE2"/> ''IGN'' reviewer Matt Casamassina applauded the implementation of Dolby Surround support, and called the Nintendo 64 release the "best version of the game".<ref name="ignn64" /> In 2018, ''Eurogamer'' called it "one of the most ambitious console ports of all time".<ref name="DF Retro: RE2"/>


The clearer sound effects of the Dreamcast port were received well by ]'s Shawn Sparks, who also remarked that the character models look slightly sharper.<ref name="gamerevolutiondc">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/dreamcast/resident-evil-2 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130124030502/http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/dreamcast/resident-evil-2 |archive-date=January 24, 2013 |url-status=dead |title=Resident Evil 2 Review for the Dreamcast |last=Sparks | first=Shawn |date=February 1, 2001 |work=] |publisher=AtomicOnline, LLC |access-date=January 28, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> However, Steve Key of ''Computer And Video Games'' disliked the Dreamcast release's low-resolution backgrounds, which he thought made the characters stand out too much from the environments, and thus lessened the atmosphere.<ref name="cvgdc">{{cite web |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/2089/reviews/resident-evil-2-review/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110704142645/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/2089/reviews/resident-evil-2-review/ |archive-date=July 4, 2011 |url-status=dead |title=Resident Evil 2 Review (Dreamcast) |last=Key | first=Steve |date=August 8, 2001 |work=] |publisher=] |access-date=January 29, 2009 }}</ref> GameSpot staff writer James Mielke said that the Dreamcast port was not "an essential purchase", but still a "great game" at an attractively low price.<ref name="gamespotdc">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/dreamcast/adventure/residentevil2/review.html |title=Resident Evil 2 Review for Dreamcast |author=Mielke, James |date=January 28, 2000 |work=] |publisher=] |access-date=January 29, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411145101/http://www.gamespot.com/dreamcast/adventure/residentevil2/review.html |archive-date=April 11, 2009 }}</ref> The GameCube release was heavily criticized for its high price and dated graphics.{{ref|g|}} However, "Four-Eyed Dragon" of ''GamePro'' noted its superior in-game visuals compared to any other version.<ref name="gameprogcn">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/28767/resident-evil-2/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607144528/http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/28767/resident-evil-2/ |archive-date=June 7, 2011 |url-status=dead |title=Resident Evil 2 Review (GameCube) |author=Four-Eyed Dragon |date=April 2, 2003 |magazine=] |publisher=GamePro Media, Inc |access-date=January 28, 2009 }}</ref> Davis and ]'s Mark MacDonald were disappointed by the version's lack of features that were included in the Nintendo 64 release.<ref name="gamespygcn" /><ref name="1upgcn" /> ] of IGN found the 2.5D version for the Game.com to be frustrating and only "partially faithful" to the original release of ''Resident Evil 2''. Although he believed that its graphics and sound effects managed to recreate the original game's atmosphere to a certain extent, he thought that its controls were too "sluggish" to allow for an enjoyable experience.<ref name="igntiger" /> The clearer sound effects of the Dreamcast port were received well by '']''{{'}}s Shawn Sparks, who also remarked that the character models look slightly sharper.<ref name="gamerevolutiondc">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/dreamcast/resident-evil-2 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130124030502/http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/dreamcast/resident-evil-2 |archive-date=January 24, 2013 |url-status=dead |title=Resident Evil 2 Review for the Dreamcast |last=Sparks | first=Shawn |date=February 1, 2001 |work=] |publisher=AtomicOnline, LLC |access-date=January 28, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> However, Steve Key of ''Computer And Video Games'' disliked the Dreamcast release's low-resolution backgrounds, which he thought made the characters stand out too much from the environments, and thus lessened the atmosphere.<ref name="cvgdc">{{cite web |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/2089/reviews/resident-evil-2-review/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110704142645/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/2089/reviews/resident-evil-2-review/ |archive-date=July 4, 2011 |url-status=dead |title=Resident Evil 2 Review (Dreamcast) |last=Key | first=Steve |date=August 8, 2001 |work=] |publisher=] |access-date=January 29, 2009 }}</ref> ''GameSpot'' staff writer James Mielke said that the Dreamcast port was not "an essential purchase", but still a "great game" at an attractively low price.<ref name="gamespotdc">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/dreamcast/adventure/residentevil2/review.html |title=Resident Evil 2 Review for Dreamcast |author=Mielke, James |date=January 28, 2000 |work=] |publisher=] |access-date=January 29, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411145101/http://www.gamespot.com/dreamcast/adventure/residentevil2/review.html |archive-date=April 11, 2009 }}</ref> The GameCube release was heavily criticized for its high price and dated graphics.{{ref|g|}} However, "Four-Eyed Dragon" of ''GamePro'' noted its superior in-game visuals compared to any other version.<ref name="gameprogcn">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/28767/resident-evil-2/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607144528/http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/28767/resident-evil-2/ |archive-date=June 7, 2011 |url-status=dead |title=Resident Evil 2 Review (GameCube) |author=Four-Eyed Dragon |date=April 2, 2003 |magazine=] |publisher=GamePro Media, Inc |access-date=January 28, 2009 }}</ref> Davis and '']''{{'}}s Mark MacDonald were disappointed by the version's lack of features that were included in the Nintendo 64 release.<ref name="gamespygcn" /><ref name="1upgcn" /> ] of ''IGN'' found the 2.5D version for the Game.com to be frustrating and only "partially faithful" to the original release of ''Resident Evil 2''. Although he believed that its graphics and sound effects managed to recreate the original game's atmosphere to a certain extent, he thought that its controls were too "sluggish" to allow for an enjoyable experience.<ref name="igntiger" />


===Sales=== ===Sales===
Line 183: Line 191:
''Weekly Famitsu'' named it Japan's best-selling game for the first half of 1998, with sales of 2.13 million units.<ref name=firsthalf98>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000302201923/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_08/20_densha/index.html | url=http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_08/20_densha/index.html | title=First Half '98 Top Ten Japanese Games | last=Ohbuchi | first=Yutaka | date=August 20, 1998 | work=] | archive-date=March 2, 2000 | url-status=dead }}</ref> By August 1998, 2,298,814 copies were sold in Japan.<ref name="TV">{{cite book |chapter=97年9月~98年8月 |trans-chapter=1997.09~1998.08 |title=TV Game Ranking Databook: 1995.9~1998.8 |date=15 December 1998 |publisher=] (Bestsellers) |isbn=978-4-584-16090-9 |page=19 |chapter-url=https://cdn-ak.f.st-hatena.com/images/fotolife/M/MULTi88/20200928/20200928080910.jpg |language=ja}}</ref> According to ], it was 1998's sixth best-selling game in the United States.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=1998: The Golden Year|magazine=]|date=April 1999|issue=117|page=110}}</ref> At the 1999 Milia festival in ], ''Resident Evil 2'' took home a "Gold" prize for revenues above {{€|29 million}} or {{US$|{{To USD|29|EUR|year=1998|round=yes}},000,000|long=no|1998|round=-6}} in the ] during 1998.<ref name=eccsell>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990830171428/http://www.gamespot.com/milia/0212/ecc/index.html | url=http://www.gamespot.com:80/milia/0212/ecc/index.html | title=Milia News; ECCSELL Awards Name Winners | author=Staff | work=] | date=February 12, 1999 | archive-date=August 30, 1999 | url-status=dead | access-date=January 1, 2019 | df=mdy-all }}</ref> With 4.96&nbsp;million copies sold, the original PlayStation version of ''Resident Evil 2'' was a commercial success, and is the franchise's best-selling game on a single platform.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/business/million.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605002550/http://capcom.co.jp/ir/english/business/million.html |archive-date=June 5, 2011 |url-status=dead |title=Business Strategies & IR Data: Platinum Titles |date=September 30, 2010 |publisher=] |access-date=December 7, 2018 }}</ref> By March 1999, approximately {{nowrap|11 million}} units of all versions of ''Resident Evil'' and ''Resident Evil 2'' had been sold worldwide,<ref>{{cite web |title=Annual Report 1999 |url=https://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/data/pdf/Annual1999.pdf#page=5 |publisher=] |year=1999 |page=8 |access-date=13 February 2021}}</ref> including 810,000 copies of ''Resident Evil 2: Dual Shock Ver.'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/data/pdf/fy2000b.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509135452/http://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/data/pdf/fy2000b.pdf |archive-date=May 9, 2012 |url-status=live |title=FY1999 Financial Results |page=5 |date=May 2000 |publisher=] |access-date=November 2, 2010 }}</ref> totaling {{nowrap|{{#expr:4.96+0.81}} million}} copies for both PlayStation versions of ''Resident Evil 2''. ''Weekly Famitsu'' named it Japan's best-selling game for the first half of 1998, with sales of 2.13 million units.<ref name=firsthalf98>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000302201923/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_08/20_densha/index.html | url=http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_08/20_densha/index.html | title=First Half '98 Top Ten Japanese Games | last=Ohbuchi | first=Yutaka | date=August 20, 1998 | work=] | archive-date=March 2, 2000 | url-status=dead }}</ref> By August 1998, 2,298,814 copies were sold in Japan.<ref name="TV">{{cite book |chapter=97年9月~98年8月 |trans-chapter=1997.09~1998.08 |title=TV Game Ranking Databook: 1995.9~1998.8 |date=15 December 1998 |publisher=] (Bestsellers) |isbn=978-4-584-16090-9 |page=19 |chapter-url=https://cdn-ak.f.st-hatena.com/images/fotolife/M/MULTi88/20200928/20200928080910.jpg |language=ja}}</ref> According to ], it was 1998's sixth best-selling game in the United States.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=1998: The Golden Year|magazine=]|date=April 1999|issue=117|page=110}}</ref> At the 1999 Milia festival in ], ''Resident Evil 2'' took home a "Gold" prize for revenues above {{€|29 million}} or {{US$|{{To USD|29|EUR|year=1998|round=yes}},000,000|long=no|1998|round=-6}} in the ] during 1998.<ref name=eccsell>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990830171428/http://www.gamespot.com/milia/0212/ecc/index.html | url=http://www.gamespot.com:80/milia/0212/ecc/index.html | title=Milia News; ECCSELL Awards Name Winners | author=Staff | work=] | date=February 12, 1999 | archive-date=August 30, 1999 | url-status=dead | access-date=January 1, 2019 | df=mdy-all }}</ref> With 4.96&nbsp;million copies sold, the original PlayStation version of ''Resident Evil 2'' was a commercial success, and is the franchise's best-selling game on a single platform.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/business/million.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605002550/http://capcom.co.jp/ir/english/business/million.html |archive-date=June 5, 2011 |url-status=dead |title=Business Strategies & IR Data: Platinum Titles |date=September 30, 2010 |publisher=] |access-date=December 7, 2018 }}</ref> By March 1999, approximately {{nowrap|11 million}} units of all versions of ''Resident Evil'' and ''Resident Evil 2'' had been sold worldwide,<ref>{{cite web |title=Annual Report 1999 |url=https://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/data/pdf/Annual1999.pdf#page=5 |publisher=] |year=1999 |page=8 |access-date=13 February 2021}}</ref> including 810,000 copies of ''Resident Evil 2: Dual Shock Ver.'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/data/pdf/fy2000b.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509135452/http://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/data/pdf/fy2000b.pdf |archive-date=May 9, 2012 |url-status=live |title=FY1999 Financial Results |page=5 |date=May 2000 |publisher=] |access-date=November 2, 2010 }}</ref> totaling {{nowrap|{{#expr:4.96+0.81}} million}} copies for both PlayStation versions of ''Resident Evil 2''.


In Japan, 17,973 copies of the Nintendo 64 and GameCube versions were sold,<ref>{{cite web |title=Game Search |url=https://sites.google.com/site/gamedatalibrary/game-search |website=Game Data Library |publisher=] |access-date=18 October 2021}}</ref> and in the United States, 326,397 copies of the Nintendo 64 version were sold,<ref>{{cite web |title=Nintendo 64 US Sales (1995-2003) |url=http://www.gamepilgrimage.com/N64ussales.htm |website=Game Pilgrimage |publisher=] |access-date=18 October 2021}}</ref> totaling at least {{formatnum:{{#expr:17973+326397}}|}}. Total worldwide sales were at least {{formatnum:{{#expr:5770000+344370}}|}} units across PlayStation and Nintendo platforms. In Japan, 17,973 copies of the Nintendo 64 and GameCube versions were sold,<ref>{{cite web |title=Game Search |url=https://sites.google.com/site/gamedatalibrary/game-search |website=Game Data Library |publisher=] |access-date=18 October 2021}}</ref> and in the United States, 326,397 copies of the Nintendo 64 version were sold,<ref>{{cite web |title=Nintendo 64 US Sales (1995-2003) |url=http://www.gamepilgrimage.com/N64ussales.htm |website=Game Pilgrimage |publisher=] |access-date=18 October 2021}}</ref> totaling at least {{formatnum:{{#expr:17973+326397}}|}} across Nintendo platforms. Total worldwide sales were at least {{formatnum:{{#expr:5770000+344370}}|}} units across PlayStation and Nintendo platforms.


===Accolades=== ===Accolades===
''Resident Evil 2'' was a finalist at the ]' ] for "Console Game of the Year", "]", and "]";<ref name="Finalists1998">{{cite web |title=The Award - Updates |url=http://www.interactive.org/html/award/awardupdate.htm |website=Interactive.org |publisher=Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |access-date=13 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980615090128fw_/http://www.interactive.org/html/award/awardupdate.htm |archive-date=June 15, 1998 |url-status=dead}}</ref> it ultimately lost the first two awards to '']'' and the last one to '']''.<ref name="Winners1998">{{cite web |title=The Award - Winners |url=http://www.interactive.org/html/award/awardwin98.htm |website=Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |access-date=13 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980615090115/http://www.interactive.org/html/award/awardwin98.htm |archive-date=June 15, 1998 |url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Resident Evil 2'' was a finalist at the ]' ] for "]" and "]",<ref name="Finalists1998">{{cite web |title=The Award - Updates |url=http://www.interactive.org/html/award/awardupdate.htm |website=Interactive.org |publisher=Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |access-date=13 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980615090128fw_/http://www.interactive.org/html/award/awardupdate.htm |archive-date=June 15, 1998 |url-status=dead}}</ref> but lost to '']'' and '']'', respectively.<ref name="Winners1998">{{cite web |title=The Award - Winners |url=http://www.interactive.org/html/award/awardwin98.htm |website=Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |access-date=13 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980615090115/http://www.interactive.org/html/award/awardwin98.htm |archive-date=June 15, 1998 |url-status=dead}}</ref>


In ''Electronic Gaming Monthly''{{'}}s 1998 Gamers' Choice Awards, ''Resident Evil 2'' was the runner-up for ] and Readers' Choice ], behind '']'' which won in both award categories.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=1998 Gamers' Choice Awards|magazine=]|date=April 1999|issue=117|pages=107–114 (109)}}</ref> The ] nominated it for Video Game of the Year.<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 12, 1998|title=VSDA Announces Nominations for 1998 Home Entertainment Awards|url=http://www.vsda.org/newsite/vsdacontent/CONFAB4.HTM|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980613214745/http://www.vsda.org/newsite/vsdacontent/CONFAB4.HTM|archive-date=June 13, 1998|access-date=2021-11-09|website=]}}</ref> In ''Electronic Gaming Monthly''{{'}}s 1998 Gamers' Choice Awards, ''Resident Evil 2'' was the runner-up for ] and Readers' Choice ], behind '']'' which won in both award categories.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=1998 Gamers' Choice Awards|magazine=]|date=April 1999|issue=117|pages=107–114 (109)}}</ref> The ] nominated it for Video Game of the Year.<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 12, 1998|title=VSDA Announces Nominations for 1998 Home Entertainment Awards|url=http://www.vsda.org/newsite/vsdacontent/CONFAB4.HTM|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980613214745/http://www.vsda.org/newsite/vsdacontent/CONFAB4.HTM|archive-date=June 13, 1998|access-date=2021-11-09|website=]}}</ref>


''Resident Evil 2'' has been held in high regard in the years following its initial release, and was named the fourth best game on the PlayStation by '']''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://psx.ign.com/articles/088/088060p1.html |title=Famitsu Weekly PlayStation Top 100 |date=November 20, 2000 |work=] |publisher=IGN Entertainment, Inc |access-date=November 2, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805230154/http://psx.ign.com/articles/088/088060p1.html |archive-date=August 5, 2011 }}</ref> It is listed as one of the 100 best games of all time by '']'' (62nd), IGN (58th), '']'' (49th), '']'' (34th), and '']'' (6th).{{ref|a|}} Readers of '']'' voted ''Resident Evil 2'' the 97th top retro game, and the staff wrote it was "considered by many to be the best in the long-running series".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Your Top 100 Games (part one) |date=December 2004 |magazine=] |issue=8 |page=60 |publisher=Live Publishing Int Ltd.}}</ref> ] ranked it fourth on a list of the games that most needed ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gametrailers.com/video/top-10-gt-countdown/709845 |title=GT Countdown: Top 10 Necessary Remakes |date=January 27, 2011 |work=] |publisher=] |access-date=January 28, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106020253/http://www.gametrailers.com/video/top-10-gt-countdown/709845 |archive-date=January 6, 2012 }}</ref> ''Resident Evil 2'' has been held in high regard in the years following its initial release, and was named the fourth best game on the PlayStation by '']''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://psx.ign.com/articles/088/088060p1.html |title=Famitsu Weekly PlayStation Top 100 |date=November 20, 2000 |work=] |publisher=IGN Entertainment, Inc |access-date=November 2, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805230154/http://psx.ign.com/articles/088/088060p1.html |archive-date=August 5, 2011 }}</ref> It is listed as one of the 100 best games of all time by '']'' (62nd), ''IGN'' (58th), '']'' (49th), '']'' (34th), and '']'' (6th).{{ref|a|}} Readers of '']'' voted ''Resident Evil 2'' the 97th top retro game, and the staff wrote it was "considered by many to be the best in the long-running series".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Your Top 100 Games (part one) |date=December 2004 |magazine=] |issue=8 |page=60 |publisher=Live Publishing Int Ltd.}}</ref> '']'' ranked it fourth on a list of the games that most needed ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gametrailers.com/video/top-10-gt-countdown/709845 |title=GT Countdown: Top 10 Necessary Remakes |date=January 27, 2011 |work=] |publisher=] |access-date=January 28, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106020253/http://www.gametrailers.com/video/top-10-gt-countdown/709845 |archive-date=January 6, 2012 }}</ref>


===Controversy=== ===Controversy===
Line 217: Line 225:
{{Refbegin}} {{Refbegin}}
:{| :{|
| {{note|a}} Reference group a<ref>{{cite web |url=http://top100.ign.com/2003/51-60.html#58 |date=May 2, 2003 |title=IGN's Top 100 Games of All Time |work=] |publisher=IGN Entertainment, Inc |access-date=November 2, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131028154657/http://top100.ign.com/2003/51-60.html#58 |archive-date=October 28, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/100greatestgames/?title=49/|title=49. Resident Evil 2- The 100 Greatest Video Games Of All Time|work=]|date=August 15, 2014|access-date=March 2, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180402231119/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/100greatestgames/?title=49%2F|archive-date=April 2, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011220003000/http://www.gamers.com/feature/egmtop100/index.jsp |url=http://www.gamers.com/feature/egmtop100/index.jsp |archive-date=December 20, 2001 |title=Electronic Gaming Monthly Presents Top 100 Games of All Time |magazine=] |publisher=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=March 2004 |magazine=] |publisher=] |issue=108 |page=28|title=Resident Evil 2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/11/16/game-informer-s-top-100-games-of-all-time-circa-issue-100.aspx?PostPageIndex=7 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020141927/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/11/16/game-informer-s-top-100-games-of-all-time-circa-issue-100.aspx?PostPageIndex=7 |archive-date=October 20, 2012 |url-status=live |title=Game Informer's Top 100 Games Of All Time (Circa Issue 100) | last=Cork | first=Jeff |date=November 16, 2009 |work=] |publisher=Game Informer Magazine |access-date=November 2, 2010 }}</ref> | {{note|a}} Reference group a<ref>{{cite web |url=http://top100.ign.com/2003/51-60.html#58 |date=May 2, 2003 |title=IGN's Top 100 Games of All Time |work=] |publisher=IGN Entertainment, Inc |access-date=November 2, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131028154657/http://top100.ign.com/2003/51-60.html#58 |archive-date=October 28, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/100greatestgames/?title=49/|title=49. Resident Evil 2- The 100 Greatest Video Games Of All Time|work=]|date=August 15, 2014|access-date=March 2, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180402231119/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/100greatestgames/?title=49%2F|archive-date=April 2, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011220003000/http://www.gamers.com/feature/egmtop100/index.jsp |url=http://www.gamers.com/feature/egmtop100/index.jsp |archive-date=December 20, 2001 |title=Electronic Gaming Monthly Presents Top 100 Games of All Time |magazine=] |publisher=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=March 2004 |magazine=] |publisher=] |issue=108 |page=28|title=Resident Evil 2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/11/16/game-informer-s-top-100-games-of-all-time-circa-issue-100.aspx?PostPageIndex=7 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020141927/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/11/16/game-informer-s-top-100-games-of-all-time-circa-issue-100.aspx?PostPageIndex=7 |archive-date=October 20, 2012 |url-status=dead |title=Game Informer's Top 100 Games Of All Time (Circa Issue 100) | last=Cork | first=Jeff |date=November 16, 2009 |work=] |publisher=Game Informer Magazine |access-date=November 2, 2010 }}</ref>
| {{note|b}} Reference group b<ref name="gamespotps">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/resident-evil-2-review/1900-2549080/ |title=Resident Evil 2 Review for PlayStation | last=Mac Donald | first=Ryan |date=January 28, 1998 |work=] |publisher=] |access-date=October 31, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106034836/http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/resident-evil-2-review/1900-2549080/ |archive-date=November 6, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="allgamegcn" /><ref name="allgameps">{{cite web |url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2261&tab=review |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114121943/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2261&tab=review |archive-date=November 14, 2014 |url-status=live |title=Resident Evil 2&nbsp;– Review (PlayStation) | last=Sackenheim | first=Shawn |work=] |publisher=] |access-date=August 19, 2010 }}</ref><ref name="cvgps">{{cite web |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/8185/reviews/resident-evil-2-review/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704140239/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/8185/reviews/resident-evil-2-review/ |archive-date=July 4, 2011 |url-status=dead |title=Resident Evil 2 Review (PlayStation) |last=Constantides | first=Alex |date=August 15, 2001 |work=] |publisher=] |access-date=January 29, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="ignps">{{cite web |url=http://psx.ign.com/articles/150/150504p1.html |title=Resident Evil 2&nbsp;– PlayStation Review |last=Sanchez | first=Ricardo |date=January 21, 1998 |work=] |publisher=IGN Entertainment, Inc |access-date=April 27, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513080255/http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/01/22/resident-evil-2-8 |archive-date=May 13, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="gamerevolutionps">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/sony/resident-evil-2 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130123225202/http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/sony/resident-evil-2 |archive-date=January 23, 2013 |url-status=dead |title=Resident Evil 2 Review for the PS |author=Baldric |date=June 4, 2004 |work=] |publisher=AtomicOnline, LLC |access-date=October 31, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> | {{note|b}} Reference group b<ref name="gamespotps">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/resident-evil-2-review/1900-2549080/ |title=Resident Evil 2 Review for PlayStation | last=Mac Donald | first=Ryan |date=January 28, 1998 |work=] |publisher=] |access-date=October 31, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106034836/http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/resident-evil-2-review/1900-2549080/ |archive-date=November 6, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="allgamegcn" /><ref name="allgameps">{{cite web |url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2261&tab=review |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114121943/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2261&tab=review |archive-date=November 14, 2014 |url-status=live |title=Resident Evil 2&nbsp;– Review (PlayStation) | last=Sackenheim | first=Shawn |work=] |publisher=] |access-date=August 19, 2010 }}</ref><ref name="cvgps">{{cite web |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/8185/reviews/resident-evil-2-review/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704140239/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/8185/reviews/resident-evil-2-review/ |archive-date=July 4, 2011 |url-status=dead |title=Resident Evil 2 Review (PlayStation) |last=Constantides | first=Alex |date=August 15, 2001 |work=] |publisher=] |access-date=January 29, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="ignps">{{cite web |url=http://psx.ign.com/articles/150/150504p1.html |title=Resident Evil 2&nbsp;– PlayStation Review |last=Sanchez | first=Ricardo |date=January 21, 1998 |work=] |publisher=IGN Entertainment, Inc |access-date=April 27, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513080255/http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/01/22/resident-evil-2-8 |archive-date=May 13, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="gamerevolutionps">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/sony/resident-evil-2 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130123225202/http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/sony/resident-evil-2 |archive-date=January 23, 2013 |url-status=dead |title=Resident Evil 2 Review for the PS |author=Baldric |date=June 4, 2004 |work=] |publisher=AtomicOnline, LLC |access-date=October 31, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
| {{note|c}} Reference group c<ref name="gamespotpc" /><ref name="allgamegcn" /><ref name="gameprogcn" /><ref name="cgmpc" /> | {{note|c}} Reference group c<ref name="gamespotpc" /><ref name="allgamegcn" /><ref name="gameprogcn" /><ref name="cgmpc" />
Line 258: Line 266:
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]

Latest revision as of 16:06, 20 December 2024

1998 video game This article is about the 1998 video game. For the 2019 remake, see Resident Evil 2 (2019 video game). For other uses, see Resident Evil 2 (disambiguation).

1998 video game
Resident Evil 2
North American cover art
Developer(s)Capcom
Publisher(s) Capcom
Director(s)Hideki Kamiya
Producer(s)Shinji Mikami
Programmer(s)Yasuhiro Anpo
Artist(s)
  • Isao Ohishi
  • Ryoji Shimogama
Writer(s)Noboru Sugimura
Composer(s)
  • Masami Ueda
  • Shusaku Uchiyama
  • Syun Nishigaki
SeriesResident Evil
Platform(s)PlayStation, Windows, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, GameCube, Game.com, iOS, macOS
Release January 21, 1998
  • PlayStation
    • NA: January 21, 1998
    • JP: January 29, 1998
    • PAL: April 29, 1998
    Dual Shock Ver.
    • JP: August 6, 1998
    • NA: November 11, 1998
    Windows
    • UK: February 18, 1999
    • JP: February 19, 1999
    • NA: March 4, 1999
    Nintendo 64
    • NA: November 16, 1999
    • JP: January 28, 2000
    • PAL: February 9, 2000
    Dreamcast
    • JP: December 22, 1999
    • PAL: April 28, 2000
    • NA: December 6, 2000
    GameCube
    • NA: January 14, 2003
    • JP: January 23, 2003
    • PAL: May 30, 2003
Genre(s)Survival horror
Mode(s)Single-player

Resident Evil 2 is a 1998 survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation. The player controls rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield, who must escape Raccoon City after its citizens are transformed into zombies by a biological weapon two months after the events of the original Resident Evil. The gameplay focuses on exploration, puzzles, and combat; the main difference from its predecessor are the branching paths, with each player character having unique storylines, partners and obstacles.

Resident Evil 2 was produced by Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami, directed by Hideki Kamiya, and developed by a team of approximately 50 across 21 months. The initial version, commonly referred to as Resident Evil 1.5, differs drastically; it was canceled at approximately two thirds completion because Mikami decided it was inadequate. The final design introduced a more cinematic presentation.

Resident Evil 2 received acclaim for its atmosphere, setting, graphics, audio, scenarios, overall gameplay, and its improvements over the original game, but with some criticism towards its controls, voice acting, and certain gameplay elements. It is widely listed among the best video games ever made. It is the best-selling Resident Evil game for a single platform at more than 6 million copies sold across all platforms. It was ported to Windows, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, and GameCube, and a modified 2.5D version was released for the Game.com handheld. The story of Resident Evil 2 was retold and built upon in several later games, and has been adapted into a variety of licensed works. It was followed by Resident Evil 3: Nemesis in 1999. A remake was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in 2019.

Gameplay

A young police officer is defending himself against a group of attacking zombies with a shotgun. The scene takes place in a small room decorated with pieces of art.
Gameplay of Resident Evil 2, with Leon S. Kennedy engaging zombies in the police station

Resident Evil 2 is a third-person survival horror game which features the same basic gameplay as its predecessor, Resident Evil. Set in Raccoon City, a fictional town in the Midwestern Arklay Mountains, the game offers a choice of two protagonists - rookie police officer Leon S. Kennedy or college student Claire Redfield - as they attempt to survive a zombie outbreak in the city. The player explores Raccoon City while fighting monsters and solving puzzles. While the player characters may be equipped with firearms, limited ammunition adds a tactical element to combat, forcing the player to choose between engaging or evading encounters.

The game uses tank controls, meaning that pressing up moves the character forward, down reverses, and left and right rotates, independently of the camera perspective. On the status screen, the player can check the condition of the player character, view a map of the area, re-read obtained files, and equip or combine items. The characters' current health can also be determined by their posture and movement speed. For example, a character will hold their stomach in pain if wounded, and will limp slowly if on the verge of death. The player character will take damage whenever they are caught by an enemy or hazard, and if they take too much damage, they will die, causing a game over. Herbs and first aid spray can be used to heal. Safe rooms scattered throughout the city contain typewriters, where the player may spend ink ribbons to save their progress, and item boxes that can store items, which are necessary because the player characters can only carry a limited number of items with them.

Contrasting with Chris and Jill's different abilities in the previous game, Leon and Claire differ only in their starting key items (a lighter and a lockpick, respectively). The game introduces a "Zapping System" where the two player characters are each confronted with differing puzzles, plot threads, and encounters. After finishing the "A Scenario" as one protagonist, the player will unlock the "B Scenario" for the other, elements of which change to reflect the A Scenario's events, e.g. killed enemies, solved puzzles, and hazards caused by player actions. This results in a total of four unique playthroughs, two for each character, which increases the game's replayability. Each protagonist is joined by a support partner during the game. These characters accompany the protagonist in certain scenes, and are playable during short segments. Like the previous game, there are multiple endings, but unlike the previous game, which ending the player sees is determined solely by which of the four scenarios is being played.

The graphics are composed of real-time generated polygonal characters and item models, superimposed over pre-rendered backgrounds that are viewed from fixed camera angles.

After completing a scenario, the player is given a rank based on their playtime and the number of times they saved or used special healing items. Higher ranks may unlock additional weapons and costumes. Resident Evil 2 contains two standalone missions: "The 4th Survivor" and "The To-fu Survivor". In both, the player must reach the goal while fighting every enemy along the way with only the default item loadout. The PlayStation version requires the player complete both scenarios with high ranks in order to unlock these missions, while the Dreamcast version has them accessible from the beginning. All later versions, excluding the Nintendo 64 version, have an additional "Extreme Battle" minigame, where the player, either as Leon, Claire, Ada or Chris Redfield from the first game, must plant four antivirus bombs around one of three maps while fighting through a gauntlet of enemies with limited supplies.

Plot

Depending on which order the scenarios are played in, the player experiences one of two courses of events which mutually contradict each other. This plot summary covers only the path followed by playing the Claire A and Leon B scenarios, which was suggested by Capcom to be the canon version of events.

On September 29, 1998, two months after the events of the first Resident Evil, most citizens of the Midwestern American mountain community of Raccoon City have been transformed into zombies by the T-virus, a biological weapon secretly developed by the pharmaceutical company Umbrella. Leon S. Kennedy, a Raccoon Police Department officer on his first day of duty, meets Claire Redfield, a college student looking for her brother Chris. After being separated, Leon and Claire each make their own way to the Raccoon Police Station. They discover that most of the RPD has been killed, and that Chris has left town to investigate Umbrella's headquarters in Europe. They split up to look for survivors and find a way out of the city. While searching for an escape route, Claire meets a little girl, Sherry Birkin, who is on the run from an unknown creature, and Leon encounters Ada Wong, who claims to be looking for her boyfriend John, an Umbrella researcher from Chicago.

RPD Chief Brian Irons had been bribed by Umbrella to hide evidence of the company's experiments in the outskirts of the city. He concealed their development of the new G-virus, an agent capable of mutating a human into the ultimate bioweapon. Leon has multiple encounters with a Tyrant, a monster air-dropped into the police station by Umbrella to seek the G-virus. Irons tries to murder Claire but is killed by a G-virus mutant in the police station. Claire and Sherry escape through the sewers and become separated. After splitting up with Leon, Ada finds Sherry and picks up a golden pendant the girl loses while running away. Further into the sewers, Ada reluctantly teams up with Leon again, after he insists on his duty to protect her. They encounter a middle-aged woman who fires at Ada, but Leon jumps between them and takes a bullet himself. Ada ignores the unconscious Leon and follows the woman, who reveals herself to be Sherry's mother Annette and the wife of William Birkin, the Umbrella scientist who created the G-virus. In an attempt to protect his life's work from special agents sent by the Umbrella headquarters, he injected himself with the virus, which turned him into the malformed creature and is now chasing Sherry because of her genetic make-up. Annette recognizes her daughter's pendant and attempts to take it from Ada. A fight ensues, during which Annette is thrown over a railing. Ada learns that the golden locket contains a sample of the G-virus, and later – taken over by her emotions – returns to Leon, tending to his bullet wound.

Meanwhile, Claire is reunited with Sherry and discovers that William has implanted his daughter with an embryo to produce offspring. Leon, Ada, Claire, and Sherry advance through an abandoned factory connected to Umbrella's secret underground research facility. An attack by William leaves Ada heavily wounded, and Leon explores the laboratory to find something to treat her wounds. He is interrupted by a psychotic Annette, who says that Ada's relationship with John was only a means of getting information about Umbrella because Ada is a spy sent to steal the G-virus for an unknown organization. Leon does not believe her, saying he trusts Ada. Just as Annette is about to shoot Leon, the Tyrant appears, and she retreats. Ada returns to save Leon and battles the Tyrant, which falls into a pit of molten metal. Ada is mortally wounded from the fight; she and Leon confess their love for each other before Ada stops breathing. Meanwhile, Annette tries to escape with another sample of the G-virus but is fatally wounded by her mutated husband; before she dies, she tells Claire how to create a vaccine that will stop the mutations caused by the embryo within Sherry. After preparing the cure, Leon and Claire reunite at an emergency escape train and inject Sherry with the vaccine, which saves her life. En route, Leon is assisted in terminating the now-mutated Super Tyrant by an unseen figure; Leon briefly thinks it is Ada, but is unable to positively identify her voice over the noise. Grown to gigantic size, William follows Leon and Claire, but is destroyed when the train self-destructs. After escaping from the city with Sherry, Leon intends to take down Umbrella, while Claire continues to search for Chris. HUNK, one of the surviving special agents sent by Umbrella, completes his G-virus retrieval mission.

Development

Development of Resident Evil 2 began one month after the completion of its predecessor in early 1996. Resident Evil 2 was developed by a group of about 45 people that later became part of Capcom Production Studio 4. Director Hideki Kamiya led the team, which was composed of newer Capcom employees and over half of the staff from the original Resident Evil. In the initial stages of development, producer Shinji Mikami often had creative disagreements with Kamiya, and tried to influence the team with his own direction. He eventually withdrew into an overseeing role as producer, and only demanded to be shown the latest build once monthly. The game took more than $1 million to create.

Resident Evil 1.5

A young woman in a red and white racing suit is shooting at a pair of undead police officers, while two more enemies sneak up on her from behind. The office of the police station they are fighting in has sheets of paper scattered on the floor, and the whole scene features a bluish tint.
In Resident Evil 1.5, an early version of the game, players controlled protagonist Elza Walker. The interior of the police station was completely different, with a more modern design.
Main article: Resident Evil 1.5

The first footage of Resident Evil 2 was shown at the V Jump Festival '96 in July. This build, later dubbed Resident Evil 1.5 by Mikami, differed drastically from the final version. Its plot followed the same basic outline and features a zombie outbreak in Raccoon City two months after the events of the first game. However, Umbrella had already been closed as a consequence of its illegal experiments.

The development team sought to retain the degree of fear from the original game, and introduced two characters without experience of terrifying situations: Leon S. Kennedy, largely identical to his persona in the final build, and Elza Walker, a college student and motorcycle racer vacationing in Raccoon City, her hometown. Unlike the final version, the character paths did not cross, and each character had two support partners instead of one. Leon received help from fellow police officer Marvin Branagh and researcher Linda – an early version of Ada – while Elza was aided by Sherry Birkin and John, who appears in Resident Evil 2 as gun shop owner Robert Kendo. Mikami also revealed in 1996 that the sequel would have new monsters, and the number of onscreen enemies would be increased to "around seven or more" to produce "the sensation of terror as the monsters swarm around the character".

Real-world examples influenced character designs by artists Isao Ohishi and Ryoji Shimogama. For example, Ohishi based Leon on his bloodhound, and Annette Birkin on actress Jodie Foster. The police station was smaller with a more modern and realistic design. There were more encounters with surviving policemen, such as a superior officer of Leon named Roy. Enemy models used far fewer polygons, allowing many zombies to appear on the screen. The game employed dynamic music, and altered pre-rendered backgrounds in response to gameplay events. The playable characters could use equipment such as protective clothes to enhance their defense and enable them to carry more items. The character models were altered by costume changes and by damage received from enemies.

Believing the game's assets were good individually, but not yet satisfactory as a whole, Mikami expected that everything would coalesce in the three months leading up to the projected May 1997 release date. Soon after, Resident Evil 1.5 was scrapped at 60–80 percent completion. Mikami later explained that the game would not have reached the desired quality on time, and that the gameplay and locations were dull.

A photograph of a Japanese man wearing a baseball cap.
Producer Shinji Mikami withdrew from his hands-on role in development after creative disagreements with the director.

Development restarted

Mikami planned to end the series with Resident Evil 2. Supervisor Yoshiki Okamoto criticized the story, finding it too conclusive to allow for future installments. Instead, Okamoto proposed the creation of a fictional universe that would turn Resident Evil into a metaseries – similar to the Gundam and James Bond franchises – in which self-contained stories with common elements could be told.

During a period in which the team made no progress rewriting the scenario, Okamoto was introduced to professional screenwriter Noboru Sugimura, who was enthusiastic about the first game's story. Sugimura was initially consulted on a trial basis, but Okamoto was impressed by the ease with which Sugimara solved script problems, and soon asked him to compose the entire scenario for Resident Evil 2. One fundamental modification to the story was the reworking of Elza Walker into Claire Redfield, in order to introduce a connection to the plot of the first game.

To fulfill Capcom's sales plan of two million copies, director Kamiya tried to attract new customers with a more ostentatious and Hollywood-like story presentation. As Okamoto did not want to simply enforce the new direction, he had Sugimura discuss the plot revisions with Mikami and the development staff. The planners redesigned the game from the ground up to fit the changes, and the programmers and other remaining members of the team were sent to work on Resident Evil Director's Cut, which was shipped with a playable preview disc of the new Resident Evil 2 version in order to promote the sequel and to apologize to the players for its belated release.

Few assets from Resident Evil 1.5 could be recycled, as the principal locations in the final build had been made to look more extravagant and artistic, based on photographs taken of the interiors of Western-style buildings in Japanese cities. The environments were created on SGI O2 computers, and each background took two or three weeks to render. The maximum number of zombies displayed on the screen at one time was limited to seven, making it possible to use 450 polygons for the comparatively detailed models of Leon and Claire. The protagonists, instead of being given visible wounds, were made to limp slowly upon receiving heavy damage. Other than the graphics, one of the most important new features is the "Zapping System", which was partly inspired by Back to the Future Part II, a time travel-themed film sequel that offers a different perspective on the story of the original film. The voice-overs by the all-Canadian cast of Resident Evil 2 were recorded before the actual cutscenes were completed, with each of the actors selected from a roster of ten people per role. Thereafter, the full-motion videos (FMVs) were created by filming stop-motion animations of action figures, which were then rendered to completed pictures with computer graphics (CG) tools. Ada's movie model could not be finished in time. Thus, she is the only main character not to appear in a pre-rendered cutscene.

Regional releases required several changes. The North American version contains more violent game over screens, which were removed from the Japanese Biohazard 2. Resident Evil 2 was made more difficult (and thus longer-playing) than its Japanese equivalent to prevent short-term rentals from affecting U.S. sales.

Music

See also: Discography of the Resident Evil video game series
"Raccoon City" An 11-second sample of the composition "Raccoon City", demonstrating the game's use of music to create a specific type of atmosphere. In this particular piece, the leitmotif of the soundtrack is played by a trombone.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The music for Resident Evil 2 was composed by Masami Ueda, Shusaku Uchiyama, and Syun Nishigaki, except one track composed by Naoshi Mizuta. The music conveys "desperation" as its underlying theme. In his role as lead composer, Ueda provided the motifs, and Uchiyama provided the horror-themed music for the investigation and movie scenes. The main theme, a versatile three-note leitmotif, appears several times throughout the story, included in compositions such as "Prologue", "Raccoon City", and "The Third Malformation of G". Various musical styles, ranging from ambient horror to industrial, represent the different game environments. For example, the streets of Raccoon City are emphasized with militaristic percussion-based music, and the police station features ominous piano underscores. Key events of the story are supported with orchestral and cinematic compositions – a move that was inspired by blockbuster films.

Two albums containing music from the game were released in January and August 1998, respectively. The first, Biohazard 2 Original Soundtrack, is the main release and includes most of the significant compositions. The second, Biohazard 2 Complete Track, largely encompasses less prevalent themes, but offers an orchestral medley and a second CD with sound effects, voice collections, and an interview with the sound staff. The European version of Biohazard 2 Original Soundtrack has an identical CD, Resident Evil 2 Original Soundtrack. In the North American version, the opening theme "The Beginning of Story" is split into four individual tracks. Five orchestral arrangements were included on the Bio Hazard Orchestra Album, a live concert performed by the New Japan Philharmonic. Disc jockey Piston Nishizawa created electronic remixes for several of the compositions, which were later released as the album Biohazard 2 Remix: Metamorphoses.

Marketing

In Japan, marketing included a live action television commercial directed by renowned zombie film director George A. Romero. The commercial was filmed on location at Lincoln Heights Jail and starred Brad Renfro as Leon Kennedy and Adrienne Frantz as Claire Redfield. The game had a marketing budget of $5 million.

Releases

An image showing the Visual Memory Unit peripheral for Sega's Dreamcast console.
A port of Resident Evil 2 to the Dreamcast added support for the Visual Memory Unit, which displays the condition of the player character.

After its initial release for the PlayStation in January 1998, Resident Evil 2 was reissued and ported to other systems, many gaining new features in the process.

Dual Shock Ver.

The first re-release is the Dual Shock Ver., which supports the vibration and analog control functions of the PlayStation's DualShock controller. Other additions include a new unlockable minigame called "Extreme Battle", and a "Rookie" mode that enables the player to start the main story with a powerful weapon and infinite ammunition. The Japanese release of the Dual Shock Ver. contains a "U.S.A. Version" mode based on the difficulty level of Resident Evil 2's Western versions. The Dual Shock Ver. served as the basis for the majority of ports, such as the Windows 9x-based PC-CD version Resident Evil 2 Platinum. The PC version retains all previously added features and can be run in higher resolutions. A "Data Gallery" was added to the main menu, allowing the player to view movies, rough sketches, illustrations, and 3D models. In February 2006, a Japan-exclusive, Windows XP-compatible PC-DVD re-release was published. Developed by Sourcenext, it includes high-quality FMVs encoded at 640×480 pixels.

The Dreamcast version keeps the additions from the original PC release, and incorporates real-time display of the character's condition on the Visual Memory Unit peripheral. The Japanese edition of the Dreamcast port has the subtitle Value Plus and a playable demo of Resident Evil – Code: Veronica. An unmodified port of the Dual Shock Ver. was released for the GameCube. The initial PlayStation version was re-released on the Japanese PlayStation Network in 2007, and the service's North American counterpart received the Dual Shock Ver. two years later.

Nintendo 64

Released on November 16, 1999, the Nintendo 64 version of Resident Evil 2 is one of the few games released for the console to have FMVs, overcoming the limited storage space on the cartridge. The PlayStation version with two CD-ROMs of up to 700 MB per disc was faithfully replicated (with unique enhancements) on a 64 MB Nintendo 64 Game Pak. In the process, audio and video assets had to be more aggressively and creatively compressed, using novel techniques that shift the burden away from storage and toward the console's high real-time processing power. Across twelve months and with a budget of $1 million, Resident Evil 2 was ported to the console by a team led by nine full-time and one part-time personnel from Angel Studios. Further help was provided by ten staff from Capcom Production Studio 3 and Factor 5. This version offers features that were not included on any other system, such as alternate costumes, the ability to adjust the degree of violence and to change the blood color, a randomizer to place items differently during each playthrough, and a more responsive first-person control scheme. Additionally, the port features 16 new in-game documents known as the "Ex Files", written by Tetsuro Oyama. Hidden throughout the four scenarios, they reveal new information about the series' lore and connect the story of Resident Evil 2 to those of the other installments, including some that had not been released yet.

The Nintendo 64 version adjusts its display resolution depending on the number of polygonal models currently on screen, and supports the Expansion Pak accessory for a maximum resolution of 640×480 during gameplay. Other visual enhancements include smoother character animations and sharper, perspective-corrected textures for the 3D models. This is the only version to use surround sound, with the soundtrack converted to Dolby Surround by Chris Hülsbeck, Rudolf Stember, and Thomas Engel. The team reworked the sound set from scratch to provide each instrument with a higher sample rate than on the PlayStation, resulting in higher-quality music. Some features from the other enhanced versions based on the Dual Shock Ver. do not appear in the Nintendo 64 version, such as the "Extreme Battle" minigame. In 2018, Eurogamer called this "one of the most ambitious console ports of all time".

Other versions

A port of Resident Evil 2 for the Sega Saturn was developed at Capcom, with plans for it to use the console's 4 MB RAM cartridge, but technical difficulties led to its cancellation in October 1998.

Tiger Electronics released a black and white sprite-based 2.5D version for its Game.com handheld in late 1998. It includes only Leon's story path, and lacks many of the original game's core features, including cutscenes and music. This was the first Resident Evil game to be released on a handheld console.

In 2009, Capcom's Beehive Interactive subsidiary released Resident Evil: Uprising, based on the plot of Resident Evil 2, for BlackBerry and Windows phone devices. This version allows players to switch between Leon and Claire at anytime during gameplay.

In February 2013, an unfinished build of Resident Evil 1.5 was leaked onto the Internet.

On June 26, 2024, Resident Evil was released on GOG.com, with Resident Evil 2 released on August 27, and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis released on September 25. The titles were sold both individually and as a $24.99 bundle. The PC port will be based on the Dual Shock ver. and will include high-resolution character models and an art gallery.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
DreamcastGCN64PCPS
GameRankings80%63%87%80%93%
Metacritic77/10059/10089/100N/A89/100
Review scores
PublicationScore
DreamcastGCN64PCPS
AllGame
Computer and Video GamesN/AN/AN/A9/10(CVG)
(CVG.com) 9/10
Electronic Gaming MonthlyN/A5.5/108.62/10N/A9.375/10
EurogamerN/AN/A8/10N/AN/A
Famitsu34/40N/AN/AN/A37/40
Game InformerN/A8/108.75/10N/A9.5/10
GameFanN/AN/A261/300N/A291/300
GameProN/AN/AN/AN/A
GamesMaster91%80%90%81%90%
GameSpot7.9/105/108.9/10(US) 7/10
(UK) 9.2/10
(US) 8.9/10
(UK) 9.2/10
IGN8.5/105/109.1/106.8/109.3/10
Next GenerationN/AN/A
PlayStation Official Magazine – UKN/AN/AN/AN/A9/10
Official U.S. PlayStation MagazineN/AN/AN/AN/A
PlayStation: The Official MagazineN/AN/AN/AN/A5/5
Chicago TribuneN/AN/AN/AN/A

Resident Evil 2 received critical acclaim upon release. Its original PlayStation release holds an average aggregate score of 93% at GameRankings based on 25 reviews, and 89 out of 100 points at Metacritic for both the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 versions based on 13 reviews. The majority of reviews praised Resident Evil 2 for its atmosphere, setting, graphics, audio, and overall gameplay, but criticized its controls, voice acting, and certain gameplay elements.

Computer and Video Games magazine's Steve Key and Alex Huhtahla praised the gameplay, puzzles, horror, graphics, audio, and the scenario system's replay factor. Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine's four reviewers agreed it was better than the original game, and said almost everything about the sequel is "flawless", including the gameplay, graphics, layout, level of detail, sound, frightful atmosphere, suspenseful story, and scenario system. They criticized the controls and menu system, but said the controls were an improvement over the original. The game tied with the PlayStation version of Point Blank for their "Game of the Month". GameFan magazine's three reviewers praised the gameplay, tension, environments, graphics, voice acting, and scenario system. Game Informer magazine's three reviewers praised the concept, graphics, sound, playability, and entertainment. PSM magazine praised the puzzles, monsters, and weapons. Next Generation called it "the must-own title of the year", saying it made leaps over the original game in terms of longevity and graphics while retaining the original's core appeal.

IGN's Ricardo Sanchez said that the game's atmosphere was "dead on", and that " graphics, sound effects, music, and level design all work together to create a spooky, horror-filled world". Ryan Mac Donald of GameSpot shared the opinion, and found the game to be "like a product out of Hollywood". He said that it was "more an interactive, cinematic experience than a video game". Writing for ComputerAndVideoGames.com, Paul Mallinson considered the atmosphere, story, and film-like presentation its most outstanding features, and though he found its plot to be "far-fetched", he said it was "kept down to earth by clever scripting and gritty storytelling". GamePro staff writer Mike Weigand called the narrative "engrossing and dramatic", and the dialogue "well-written" and "spell-binding". IGN's Sanchez, GameSpy's Brian Davis, and Eurogamer's Martin Taylor praised the "Zapping System" for adding to the story and increasing the replay value. Mac Donald said that the idea of actions in the first scenario affecting the second was "cool in concept", but underused.

Resident Evil 2 was also praised for its graphics, which many critics said were a substantial improvement upon those of the first installment. Sanchez and Weigand said that the pre-rendered backgrounds were an impressive leap ahead of those in the original Resident Evil, due to their increased detail and interactivity. Next Generation said that the character models now stood out less from the backgrounds. Shawn Smith of Electronic Gaming Monthly found the rendered cutscenes far preferable to the live action ones of the original. Mac Donald praised the model animations for having reached "true realism", and commended the use of body language as a means of seamlessly communicating the condition of the protagonists' health. Allgame's Shawn Sackenheim awarded its graphics the highest possible score, as he found the backgrounds to be "rendered to perfection", the cutscenes "a work of art", and the animation "fluid and eerie". The audio was well received by critics. Weigand cited it as an "excellent accompaniment to the visuals". Sanchez went as far as to say that Resident Evil 2 "may have the best sound design yet for a console game". Next Generation said it had "the most precise and realistic sound effects ever heard in any game". Sackenheim described the music and sound effects as "spot on perfect" and the soundtrack "perfectly composed", and Mac Donald likened the use of audio to that of classic horror films.

A common point of criticism was the inventory system, which Sanchez called "a pain". He disliked the player's need to retrieve objects from item boxes, and Mac Donald criticized the system for being unrealistic, as the boxes are "" interconnected and all items take the same amount of space when being carried, regardless of their size. Furthermore, Mallinson and Mac Donald disapproved of certain puzzles, as out of place in a police station setting. Sanchez said that the puzzles were paced better than in the first game, but less interesting and too easy for experienced players. Next Generation praised the game's massive length and said that the differences between each character's scenario were great enough to make the replay value ten times greater than that of the original, which used a similar two-scenario system. Sackenheim said the game was brief, and remarked that the individual scenarios are not different enough to hold the interest of casual players until the end of the game. He found the controls to be "easy to pick up and play", and Sanchez said that aiming weapons was difficult. Some reviewers panned the voice acting, calling it "cheesy", "terrible", and "barbaric".

With the exception of the critically acclaimed Nintendo 64 version, most later releases of Resident Evil 2 have received slightly lower scores than the PlayStation version. Weigand advised players who already owned Resident Evil 2 to rent the Dual Shock Ver. for the "Extreme Battle" minigame, and recommended that newcomers buy the updated edition instead of the original release. The Windows version was praised for its additional content, but criticized for not allowing the player to save at will, and for lacking updated backgrounds to fit the higher in-game resolution. Eurogamer said that version's total elimination of CD-ROM load times make the game "extremely fun and simple". The Nintendo 64 version was widely commended for the technical achievement of fitting a two-disc game on a single 512-Mbit (64MB) cartridge. However, Taylor criticized this version for retaining scenes from the PlayStation version that were used to conceal its CD-ROM loading times – a technical disadvantage absent from cartridge. GamePro writer "The Freshman" was impressed with the enhanced graphics of the Nintendo 64 version, but was disappointed by its heavily compressed FMVs. GameSpot's Joe Fielder found the compression to be forgivable given the cartridge format, and that the new exclusive features made up for the lack of the "Extreme Battle" mode. Eurogamer said the Nintendo 64's unique analog control "works supremely well to the point where it's borderline game-breaking". IGN reviewer Matt Casamassina applauded the implementation of Dolby Surround support, and called the Nintendo 64 release the "best version of the game". In 2018, Eurogamer called it "one of the most ambitious console ports of all time".

The clearer sound effects of the Dreamcast port were received well by GameRevolution's Shawn Sparks, who also remarked that the character models look slightly sharper. However, Steve Key of Computer And Video Games disliked the Dreamcast release's low-resolution backgrounds, which he thought made the characters stand out too much from the environments, and thus lessened the atmosphere. GameSpot staff writer James Mielke said that the Dreamcast port was not "an essential purchase", but still a "great game" at an attractively low price. The GameCube release was heavily criticized for its high price and dated graphics. However, "Four-Eyed Dragon" of GamePro noted its superior in-game visuals compared to any other version. Davis and 1UP.com's Mark MacDonald were disappointed by the version's lack of features that were included in the Nintendo 64 release. Peer Schneider of IGN found the 2.5D version for the Game.com to be frustrating and only "partially faithful" to the original release of Resident Evil 2. Although he believed that its graphics and sound effects managed to recreate the original game's atmosphere to a certain extent, he thought that its controls were too "sluggish" to allow for an enjoyable experience.

Sales

Resident Evil 2 was promoted with a $5,000,000 (equivalent to $9,300,000 in 2023) advertising campaign. In Italy, the game reached 100,000 pre-orders, worth over 12 billion lire or $6,600,000 (equivalent to $12,300,000 in 2023). It became the fastest-selling video game in North America. On the weekend following its release, more than 380,000 copies were sold, grossing $19,000,000 (equivalent to $36,000,000 in 2023). It therefore surpassed the opening revenue of all but one Hollywood movie at that time and broke previous sales records set by the video games Final Fantasy VII and Super Mario 64. After one and a half months, the game's global sales had topped 3 million copies, with 1.9 million sold in Japan and over a million sold in the United States.

Weekly Famitsu named it Japan's best-selling game for the first half of 1998, with sales of 2.13 million units. By August 1998, 2,298,814 copies were sold in Japan. According to The NPD Group, it was 1998's sixth best-selling game in the United States. At the 1999 Milia festival in Cannes, Resident Evil 2 took home a "Gold" prize for revenues above €29 million or $33,000,000 (equivalent to $62,000,000 in 2023) in the European Union during 1998. With 4.96 million copies sold, the original PlayStation version of Resident Evil 2 was a commercial success, and is the franchise's best-selling game on a single platform. By March 1999, approximately 11 million units of all versions of Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2 had been sold worldwide, including 810,000 copies of Resident Evil 2: Dual Shock Ver., totaling 5.77 million copies for both PlayStation versions of Resident Evil 2.

In Japan, 17,973 copies of the Nintendo 64 and GameCube versions were sold, and in the United States, 326,397 copies of the Nintendo 64 version were sold, totaling at least 344,370 across Nintendo platforms. Total worldwide sales were at least 6,114,370 units across PlayStation and Nintendo platforms.

Accolades

Resident Evil 2 was a finalist at the AIAS' inaugural Interactive Achievement Awards for "Console Action Game of the Year" and "Console Adventure Game of the Year", but lost to GoldenEye 007 and Final Fantasy VII, respectively.

In Electronic Gaming Monthly's 1998 Gamers' Choice Awards, Resident Evil 2 was the runner-up for Best Adventure Game of the Year and Readers' Choice Best PlayStation Game of the Year, behind Metal Gear Solid which won in both award categories. The Video Software Dealers Association nominated it for Video Game of the Year.

Resident Evil 2 has been held in high regard in the years following its initial release, and was named the fourth best game on the PlayStation by Famitsu. It is listed as one of the 100 best games of all time by Electronic Gaming Monthly (62nd), IGN (58th), Empire (49th), Game Informer (34th), and Official UK PlayStation Magazine (6th). Readers of Retro Gamer voted Resident Evil 2 the 97th top retro game, and the staff wrote it was "considered by many to be the best in the long-running series". GameTrailers ranked it fourth on a list of the games that most needed remakes.

Controversy

In Italy, Resident Evil 2 was temporarily banned in 1999 following criticism from the political organization "Movimento Diritti Civili" (Civil Rights Movement) for its realistic depiction of violence, with the law enforcement agency Guardia di Finanza seizing over 5,500 unsold copies. Sony Computer Entertainment asked for a re-examination of the seizure decree, and the ban was lifted a few months later.

Legacy

Resident Evil 2 is the basis of several licensed works and later games. Ted Adams and Kris Oprisko loosely adapted it into the comics "Raccoon City – R.I.P." and "A New Chapter of Evil", which were released in the first and second issues of Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine in March and June 1998. The 60-issue Hong Kong comics Biohazard 2 was published weekly from February 1998 to April 1999. A romantic comedy retelling of the game's story, centered on Leon, Claire and Ada, was released as the Taiwanese two-issue comic Èlíng Gǔbǎo II (lit. "Demon Castle II"). Resident Evil: City of the Dead, a 1999 book written by S. D. Perry, is a more direct adaptation of the narrative, and is the third release in her series of Resident Evil novelizations, published by Pocket Books in 1999.

The mobile game Resident Evil: Uprising contains a condensed version of the Resident Evil 2 story, adapted by Megan Swaine. Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, an on-rails shooter released for the Wii in 2009, includes a scenario named "Memories of a Lost City", which reimagines the original Resident Evil 2 plot while retaining key scenes from the game's four scenarios. In 2008, Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi, who had previously worked on the series as weapons designer and graphics animator, alluded to the possibility of a full-fledged remake. Such a project had already been considered for the GameCube in 2002, but Mikami abandoned the idea as he did not want to delay the in-development Resident Evil 4.

Resident Evil 2 appears in the British sitcom Spaced in the episode "Art", in which a character hallucinates that he is fighting a zombie invasion. Spaced director Edgar Wright cited this episode inspired by Resident Evil 2 as the basis for his zombie comedy film Shaun of the Dead (2004).

The story arcs introduced in Resident Evil 2 continue in drama albums and later game releases. Kyoko Sagiyama, Junichi Miyashita, Yasuyuki Suzuki, Noboru Sugimura, Hirohisa Soda, and Kishiko Miyagi – screenwriters employed by Capcom's former scenario subsidiary Flagship – created two radio dramas, Chiisana Tōbōsha Sherry ("The Little Runaway Sherry") and Ikiteita Onna Spy Ada ("The Female Spy Ada Lives"). The dramas were broadcast on Radio Osaka in early 1999, and later released by publisher Suleputer as two separate CDs, Biohazard 2 Drama Album. Chiisana Tōbōsha Sherry begins shortly after the events of the game. Sherry is separated from Claire while fleeing from Umbrella soldiers sent to kill all witnesses of the viral outbreak. Raccoon City is burned down by the U.S. Government and Umbrella in an attempt to cover up the disaster. Sherry seeks refuge in the neighboring town of Stone Ville, and later escapes to Canada with the help of a girl named Meg, who vows to help her reunite with Claire.

Ikiteita Onna Spy Ada is set a few days after Resident Evil 2, and deals with Ada's mission to retrieve Sherry's pendant with the G-virus sample, which is said to be in the possession of HUNK in the backstory of the drama album. Ada intercepts the delivery of the locket in France, and kills HUNK and his men. As a consequence of an accidental T-virus leak in Loire Village, the destination of the delivery, Ada is forced to retreat to an old castle. Along with a unit of the French Air Force sent to burn down the village, she encounters Christine Henry, the Umbrella facility director who gave HUNK the order to deliver the G-virus to France. Jacob, the leader of the airborne unit, is revealed to be Christine's co-conspirator. However, he plans to keep the G-virus sample for himself, and shoots her. Philippe, another member of the unit, convinces Ada to give him the pendant, after which he injects himself with the G-virus to give himself the power to stop Jacob. Ada escapes and realizes her feelings for Leon, deciding to quit the spy business and return to him. The characters' story arcs are continued differently: Sherry is taken into custody by the U.S. Government immediately after the events of Resident Evil 2, and Ada keeps the pendant with the G-virus and resumes her activities as a spy. Hunk successfully delivers a separate G-virus sample to Umbrella.

Remake

Main article: Resident Evil 2 (2019 video game)

In August 2015, Capcom announced that a remake of Resident Evil 2 was in development. Capcom unveiled the game at E3 2018, with trailers and gameplay footage, and a worldwide release date of January 25, 2019 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The game uses the RE Engine, which is also in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, and replaces the tank controls and fixed camera angles with "over-the-shoulder" gameplay similar to Resident Evil 4.

Notes

  1. Ported to Nintendo 64 by Angel Studios, with support by Capcom Production Studio 3 and Factor 5.
  2. Known in Japan as Biohazard 2, stylized as BIOHAZARD 2 (Japanese: バイオハザード2, Hepburn: Baiohazādo Tsū)

References

Reference group a Reference group b Reference group c Reference group d
Reference group e Reference group f Reference group g
  1. "EuroGold". Gone Gold. Archived from the original on February 10, 2001. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  2. "New Releases of 1999". February 3, 2001. Archived from the original on February 3, 2001. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  3. ^ Major Mike (March 1998). "Resident Evil 2 Review (PlayStation)". GamePro. No. 114. GamePro Media, Inc. pp. 92–93. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
  4. ^ Mac Donald, Ryan (January 28, 1998). "Resident Evil 2 Review for PlayStation". GameSpot. CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
  5. "Can't Survive? Try This". Resident Evil 2 Instruction Manual. Capcom Entertainment, Inc. January 21, 1998. p. 14.
  6. "A eulogy for tank controls". PC Gamer. February 20, 2015. Archived from the original on March 5, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  7. "Status Screen". Resident Evil 2 Instruction Manual. Capcom Entertainment, Inc. January 21, 1998. p. 9.
  8. "Condition". Resident Evil 2 Instruction Manual. Capcom Entertainment, Inc. January 21, 1998. p. 11.
  9. Smith, Shawn (January 1998). "Zombies Ate My PlayStation". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 102. Ziff Davis. pp. 148–151.
  10. "Item Box". Resident Evil 2 Instruction Manual. Capcom Entertainment, Inc. January 21, 1998. p. 11.
  11. ザッピングシステム紹介 (in Japanese). Capcom Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on February 19, 2008. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  12. Pardi, Daniel. "Resident Evil 2 Strategy Guide: Character Strategies". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
  13. ^ Casamassina, Matt (November 24, 1999). "Resident Evil 2 – Nintendo 64 Review". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on January 16, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
  14. Pardi, Daniel. "Resident Evil 2 Strategy Guide: Ranking System". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on December 27, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  15. Pardi, Daniel. "Resident Evil 2 Strategy Guide: Secrets". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  16. ^ Langan, Matthew (January 13, 2000). "Biohazard 2 (Import) – Dreamcast Review". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
  17. Pardi, Daniel. "Resident Evil 2 Strategy Guide: Survival Guide". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
  18. GameTrailers. "Resident Evil Retrospective: Episode 2". YouTube. Retrieved March 7, 2022. Event occurs at 5:35-6:22.
  19. Capcom Co., Ltd (January 21, 1998). Resident Evil 2. Capcom Entertainment, Inc. Marvin Branagh: About two months ago, there was this incident involving zombies in a mansion located in the outskirts of this city.
  20. ^ Resident Evil Archives. BradyGames Publishing. November 9, 2005. pp. 117–121. ISBN 978-0-7440-0655-1.
  21. Resident Evil Archives. BradyGames Publishing. November 9, 2005. p. 253. ISBN 978-0-7440-0655-1.
  22. Capcom Co., Ltd (January 21, 1998). Resident Evil 2. Capcom Entertainment, Inc. Operation report 2: We're down to four people.
  23. Capcom Co., Ltd (January 21, 1998). Resident Evil 2. Capcom Entertainment, Inc. Chris's diary: August 24th: With the help of Jill and Barry, I finally obtained information vital to this case. ... We talked it over, and have decided to fly to the main Umbrella HQ in Europe.
  24. ^ Resident Evil Archives. BradyGames Publishing. November 9, 2005. pp. 39–58. ISBN 978-0-7440-0655-1.
  25. Capcom Co., Ltd (January 21, 1998). Resident Evil 2. Capcom Entertainment, Inc. Leon S. Kennedy: There's no reason for us to stay any longer than necessary. Let's split up, look for any survivors and get out of here!
  26. Capcom Co., Ltd (January 21, 1998). Resident Evil 2. Capcom Entertainment, Inc. Ada Wong: I'm trying to find my boyfriend. His name's John. He was working for a branch office of Umbrella based in Chicago, but he suddenly disappeared six months ago. I heard a rumor that he's here in the city.
  27. Capcom Co., Ltd (January 21, 1998). Resident Evil 2. Capcom Entertainment, Inc. Claire Redfield: So it's true, you have been working with Umbrella. Then you must know about the G-virus. What is it? Tell me! Brian Irons: It's the agent that can turn humans into the ultimate bioweapons. Superior to the T-virus in every way. ... The monster that's been tearing my place apart is yet another product of the G-virus, an ultimate bioweapon.
  28. Capcom Co., Ltd (January 21, 1998). Resident Evil 2. Capcom Entertainment, Inc. Annette Birkin: Where did you get that pendant? It looks exactly like the one I gave Sherry. Ada Wong: She dropped it. I've been holding onto it for her. Annette Birkin: Liar! Give it back to me!
  29. Capcom Co., Ltd (January 29, 1998). Biohazard 2 (in Japanese). Capcom Co., Ltd. Annette Birkin: あの女はある組織の工作員よ。G-ウィルスを奪うために送られたスパイさ! ... 研究員のジョンに近づいて、アンブレラの情報を盗み出していたのよ。 / That woman is an agent from the organization. A spy sent here to steal the G-virus! ... She got close to the research member John and began to steal information about Umbrella.
  30. ^ Resident Evil Archives. BradyGames Publishing. November 9, 2005. pp. 129, 137. ISBN 978-0-7440-0655-1.
  31. Capcom Co., Ltd (January 21, 1998). Resident Evil 2. Capcom Entertainment, Inc. Leon S. Kennedy: It's over. Claire Redfield: No, I have to find my brother.
  32. ^ Hodgson, David (1997). Resident Evil 2 Survival Guide. Gamefan Books. pp. 106A–108A.
  33. ^ "Resident Evil 2: New In-Depth Interview!". Tips & Tricks. No. 35. LFP, Inc. January 1998.
  34. "Production Studio 4" (in Japanese). Capcom Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on February 6, 2005.
  35. ^ "消えた幻の「バイオ」、1.5Version". Research on Biohazard 2 final edition (in Japanese). Micro Design Publishing Inc. September 1, 1998. p. 191. ISBN 978-4-944000-77-7.
  36. ^ "三上真司インタビュー". Research on Biohazard 2 final edition (in Japanese). Micro Design Publishing Inc. September 1, 1998. pp. 152–153. ISBN 978-4-944000-77-7.
  37. ^ "Capcom Logs RE2 Preorders". GameSpot. January 15, 1998. Archived from the original on September 30, 2000. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  38. Vジャン Vフェス'96ビデオ (Videotape) (in Japanese). Shueisha Inc. October 21, 1996.
  39. ^ "Resident Evil 2: The Horror Continues". GamePro. No. 101. IDG Communications, Inc. February 1997. pp. 36–37.
  40. ^ Resident Evil Archives. BradyGames Publishing. November 9, 2005. pp. 218–220. ISBN 978-0-7440-0655-1.
  41. ^ "The Horror Spreads in Resident Evil 2". Capcom Entertainment, Inc. November 25, 1996. Archived from the original on January 20, 1997.
  42. ^ Capcom Design Works (in Japanese). Enterbrain, Inc. August 1, 2001. pp. 22–30. ISBN 978-4-7577-0412-1.
  43. "Capcom: Video Game Legends Present Their New Challengers". Computer and Video Games. No. 178 (September 1996). August 11, 1996. pp. 82–7.
  44. ^ Pardi, Daniel. "Resident Evil 2 Strategy Guide: Resident Evil Facts". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
  45. "In der Mache: Resident Evil 2 – Das Böse kehrt zurück...". Das Offizielle PlayStation Magazin (in German). No. 2/97. WEKA Computerzeitschriften-Verlag GmbH. February 1997. Noritaka Funamizu: Wir haben zum Beispiel verschiedene Anzüge für die Spielfiguren integriert. So gibt es einen feuerfesten Overall und einen speziellen Kampfanzug, der das Mitführen mehrerer großer Waffen erlaubt. / For example, we have implemented different suits for the playable characters. There is a fire-proof overall and special combat gear that allows you to carry multiple large weapons.
  46. "History of Resident Evil". GameSpot. CBS Interactive Inc. November 2, 2004. Archived from the original on August 1, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  47. ^ "岡本吉起インタビュー". Research on Biohazard 2 final edition (in Japanese). Micro Design Publishing Inc. September 1, 1998. pp. 147–149. ISBN 978-4-944000-77-7.
  48. ^ Okamoto, Yoshiki (February 26, 2005). 訃報 (in Japanese). Game Republic Inc. Archived from the original on February 3, 2011.
  49. Devil May Cry Graphic Edition (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. December 2001. ISBN 978-4-04-707071-4.
  50. "On what grounds...?". Bio Hazard Perfect Guide: Inside of Bio-Hazard (in Japanese). ASCII Corporation. March 1997. pp. 2–7. ISBN 978-4-89366-659-8.
  51. インタビュー. The PlayStation (in Japanese). June 1998. (Translation)
  52. ^ "神谷英樹絵コンテ&インタビュー". Research on Biohazard 2 final edition (in Japanese). Micro Design Publishing Inc. September 1, 1998. pp. 131–146. ISBN 978-4-944000-77-7.
  53. ^ "An Interview With Shinji Mikami". Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine. No. 3. Image Comics, Inc. September 1998.
  54. "An Interview With Shinji Mikami". Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine. No. 1. Image Comics, Inc. March 1998.
  55. ^ Capcom Co., Ltd; Angel Studios; Factor 5, LLC (October 31, 1999). Resident Evil 2 (Nintendo 64). Capcom Entertainment, Inc. Scene: staff credits.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  56. Biohazard Sound Chronicle Best Track Box (Media notes) (in Japanese). Suleputer. 2005. CPCA-10104~09.
  57. ^ Greening, Chris (March 2011). "Interview with Shusaku Uchiyama & Takeshi Miura: A History of Resident Evil Music". Square Enix Music Online. Archived from the original on September 21, 2010. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  58. ^ Greening, Chris. "Biohazard 2 Original Soundtrack: Review by Chris". Square Enix Music Online. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  59. Biohazard 2 Original Soundtrack (Media notes) (in Japanese). Suleputer. 1998. CPCA-1001.
  60. Biohazard 2 Complete Track (Media notes) (in Japanese). Suleputer. 1998. CPCA-1011.
  61. Greening, Chris. "Biohazard 2 Complete Track: Review by Chris". Square Enix Music Online. Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  62. Bio Hazard Orchestra Album (Media notes) (in Japanese). Suleputer. 1999. CPCA-1034.
  63. Biohazard 2 Remix: Metamorphoses (Media notes) (in Japanese). Suleputer. 1999. CPLA-1001.
  64. "George Romero Returns to the Dead". GamePro. No. 114. IDG. March 1998. p. 32.
  65. Sarkar, Samit (July 17, 2017). "Watch George A. Romero discuss his Resident Evil 2 commercial". Polygon.
  66. "Bio Hazard 情報" (in Japanese). Capcom Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on March 23, 2008. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  67. ^ Dulin, Ron (March 26, 1999). "Resident Evil 2 Review for PC". GameSpot. CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
  68. ^ バイオハザード 2 バリュープラス (in Japanese). Capcom Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on January 24, 2001. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  69. "Biohazard 2 PC" (in Japanese). Sourcenext Corporation. Archived from the original on January 9, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  70. Funatsu, Minoru (January 24, 2006). "ソースネクスト、カプコンのサバイバルホラーをPC向けに再移植、Win「Biohazard 2 PC」2月17日発売". Game Watch (in Japanese). Impress Watch Corporation. Archived from the original on October 9, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
  71. ^ Mielke, James (January 28, 2000). "Resident Evil 2 Review for Dreamcast". GameSpot. CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on April 11, 2009. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
  72. "VM Status". Resident Evil 2 Instruction Manual. Virgin Interactive Entertainment. April 28, 2000. p. 13.
  73. ^ Marriott, Scott Alan. "Resident Evil 2 – Review (GameCube)". Allgame. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  74. Capcom Co., Ltd (December 26, 2007). Biohazard 2 (PlayStation Network) (in Japanese). Scene: title screen.
  75. Chen, Grace (November 19, 2009). "PlayStation Store Update". PlayStation Blog. Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
  76. Capcom Co., Ltd (November 19, 2009). Resident Evil 2 Dual Shock Ver (PlayStation Network). Scene: title screen.
  77. Meynink, Todd (July 28, 2000). "Postmortem: Angel Studios' Resident Evil 2 (N64 Version)". Game Developer. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  78. "n64.ign.com: Resident Evil 2". August 17, 2000. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  79. ^ Meynink, Todd (July 28, 2000). "Postmortem: Angel Studios' Resident Evil 2 (N64 Version)". Gamasutra. United Business Media LLC. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  80. 三並達也インタビュー. Dorimaga (in Japanese). Vol. 10, no. 5. SoftBank Creative Corp. April 2002.
  81. ^ "Angel Studios Interview: Resident Evil 2". Total! (in German). X-plain Verlag. November 1999. pp. 38–41.
  82. ^ "Features of RE2 N64 – Additions". Angel Studios. Archived from the original on June 9, 2002.
  83. ^ Linneman, John (August 12, 2018). "DF Retro: why Resident Evil 2 on N64 is one of the most ambitious console ports of all time". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  84. ^ "Features of RE2 N64 – Enhancements". Angel Studios. Archived from the original on June 9, 2002.
  85. "The Resident Evil 2 Comparison". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. June 21, 1999. Archived from the original on March 24, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  86. "Chris Hülsbeck im Interview". Total! (in German). X-plain Verlag. August 1999. pp. 62–65.
  87. ^ Fielder, Joe (November 19, 1999). "Resident Evil 2 Review for Nintendo 64". GameSpot. CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on December 28, 2008. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
  88. "Saturn Gets Resident Evil 2". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 105. Ziff Davis. April 1998. p. 26.
  89. Ohbuchi, Yutaka (October 21, 1998). "RE2 for Saturn Canceled". GameSpot. CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  90. "Resident Evil 2". Tiger Electronics, Ltd. Archived from the original on October 12, 1999.
  91. ^ Schneider, Peer (July 14, 1999). "Resident Evil 2 – Game.Com Review". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  92. ^ Aniel, Alex (2021). Itchy, Tasty: An Unofficial History of Resident Evil. London: Unbound. pp. 122–124. ISBN 978-1-78352-949-0. OCLC 1262572241.
  93. Phillips, Tom (February 18, 2013). "Resident Evil 1.5 fan project releases playable build". Eurogamer.net. Eurogamer Network Ltd. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  94. https://www.gog.com/en/news/reveal_of_the_rerelease_date_for_resident_evil_2
  95. https://www.gog.com/en/news/reveal_of_the_rerelease_date_for_resident_evil_3_nemesis
  96. McWhertor, Michael (June 26, 2024). "The original Resident Evil comes to PC, in all its unremastered glory". Polygon.
  97. ^ Sackenheim, Shawn. "Resident Evil 2 – Review (PlayStation)". Allgame. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  98. "Resident Evil 2 - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  99. "Resident Evil 2 - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  100. "Resident Evil 2: Platinum - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  101. "Resident Evil 2 - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  102. ^ Computer and Video Games - Issue 198 (1998-05)(EMAP Images)(GB)
  103. ^ Constantides, Alex (August 15, 2001). "Resident Evil 2 Review (PlayStation)". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
  104. ^ "Resident Evil 2 (1998) for PC". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 18, 2013. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  105. ^ Smith, Shawn; Kujawa, Kraig; Ricciardi, John; Hsu, Dan (March 1998). "Resident Evil 2". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 104. p. 124.
  106. Ricciardi, John; Boyer, Crispin; Hsu, Dan; Johnston, Chris (December 1999). "Resident Evil 2". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 125. p. 268.
  107. ^ "Resident Evil 2 for GameCube". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  108. Taylor, Martin (April 22, 2000). "Resident Evil 2". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  109. "Now Playing in Japan". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. June 15, 2000. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  110. Famitsu, issue 576, page 31
  111. ^ GameFan, volume 6, issue 2 (1998), pages 16 & 16-47
  112. "Resident Evil 2". GameFan. Vol. 7, no. 12. December 1999.
  113. ^ Anderson, Paul; Reiner, Andrew (January 1998). "Resident Evil 2 – PlayStation – Review". Game Informer. Game Informer Magazine. Archived from the original on September 10, 1999.
  114. ^ "Resident Evil 2 for Nintendo 64". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
  115. "Resident Evil 2". Game Informer. No. 120. April 2003. p. 89.
  116. GamesMaster, issue 244 (December 2011)
  117. ^ GamesMaster, issue 90 (January 2000), page 109
  118. Delaney, Roy (June 2003). "Resident Evil 2". GamesMaster. No. 134. p. 100.
  119. Woods, Dave (March 1999). "Resident Evil 2". GamesMaster. No. 80. p. 98.
  120. "Resident Evil 2 PlayStation Review". GameSpot. May 15, 1998. Archived from the original on December 14, 2000. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  121. "Resident Evil 2 Review (N64)". GameSpot. November 19, 1999. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  122. "Resident Evil 2 Review (GC)". GameSpot. January 21, 2003. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  123. "Resident Evil 2 Review (PC)". GameSpot. May 5, 2000. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  124. "Resident Evil 2 Review (DC)". GameSpot. January 28, 2000. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  125. ^ Sanchez, Ricardo (January 21, 1998). "Resident Evil 2 – PlayStation Review". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on May 13, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  126. "Resident Evil 2". IGN. November 25, 1999. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  127. "Resident Evil 2". IGN. January 29, 2003. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  128. "Resident Evil 2". IGN. March 23, 1999. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  129. Biohazard 2 (Import) - IGN Archived October 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  130. ^ "Raising the Dead". Next Generation. No. 39. Imagine Media. March 1998. p. 110.
  131. Fischer, Blake (December 1999). "Finals". Next Generation. Vol. 2, no. 4. Imagine Media. p. 108.
  132. Orlando, Greg (February 2001). "Finals". Next Generation. Vol. 4, no. 2. Imagine Media. p. 76.
  133. "Play Test: Resident Evil 2". Official UK PlayStation Magazine. No. Platinum Special. 1999. pp. 82–5.
  134. "Ratings at a Glance". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Vol. 2, no. 5. February 1999. p. 89.
  135. ^ "Resident Evil 2". PSM. March 1998.
  136. "Resident Evil 2 a chilling winner". Chicago Tribune. January 29, 1998. p. 60 – via Newspapers.com.
  137. ^ "Resident Evil 2 for PlayStation". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  138. "Resident Evil 2 for Dreamcast". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  139. ^ "Resident Evil 2 for PlayStation Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 12, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  140. ^ "Resident Evil 2 for Nintendo 64 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on February 11, 2009. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  141. ^ "Resident Evil 2 for Dreamcast Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  142. ^ "Resident Evil 2 for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 9, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  143. ^ Mallinson, Paul (August 13, 2001). "Resident Evil 2 Review (PC)". Computer and Video Games. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
  144. ^ Davis, Brian (January 31, 2003). "Resident Evil 2 Review (GameCube)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
  145. ^ Taylor, Martin (April 22, 2000). "Resident Evil 2 Review (Nintendo 64)". Eurogamer.net. Eurogamer Network Ltd. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
  146. Weigand, Mike (January 1, 2000). "Resident Evil 2: Dual Shock Version Review". GamePro. GamePro Media, Inc. Archived from the original on June 24, 2009. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
  147. ^ The Freshman (January 1, 2000). "Resident Evil 2 Review (Nintendo 64)". GamePro. GamePro Media, Inc. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
  148. Sparks, Shawn (February 1, 2001). "Resident Evil 2 Review for the Dreamcast". GameRevolution. AtomicOnline, LLC. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
  149. Key, Steve (August 8, 2001). "Resident Evil 2 Review (Dreamcast)". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
  150. ^ Four-Eyed Dragon (April 2, 2003). "Resident Evil 2 Review (GameCube)". GamePro. GamePro Media, Inc. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
  151. ^ MacDonald, Mark. "Resident Evil 2 Review (GC)". 1UP.com. UGO Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2010.
  152. ^ Vinci, Elsa (June 19, 1999). "Evil, stop al videogame: "Zombie troppo violenti" (Evil, stopping the video game: "Zombies are too violent")". la Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  153. Carrier, Rhonda (September 10, 1998). The Guinness Book of Records 1999. Guinness World Records Limited. p. 170. ISBN 978-0-9652383-9-7. Resident Evil 2 from Capcom Entertainment sold more than 380,000 units in its debut weekend – more than 60% of its initial production. It made more than $19 million, surpassing the revenue of all but one Hollywood movie for the same weekend. The game was released on January 21, 1998 for the Sony PlayStation, and broke records set by some of the industry's biggest video games, including Final Fantasy VII and Super Mario 64. Resident Evil 2 was supported by a $5-million advertising campaign.
  154. Mullen, Micheal (March 24, 1998). "Resident Evil 2 Scores". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 7, 2000.
  155. Ohbuchi, Yutaka (August 20, 1998). "First Half '98 Top Ten Japanese Games". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 2, 2000.
  156. "97年9月~98年8月" [1997.09~1998.08]. TV Game Ranking Databook: 1995.9~1998.8 (in Japanese). ベストセラーズ (Bestsellers). December 15, 1998. p. 19. ISBN 978-4-584-16090-9.
  157. "1998: The Golden Year". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 117. April 1999. p. 110.
  158. Staff (February 12, 1999). "Milia News; ECCSELL Awards Name Winners". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 30, 1999. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  159. "Business Strategies & IR Data: Platinum Titles". Capcom Co., Ltd. September 30, 2010. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  160. "Annual Report 1999" (PDF). Capcom. 1999. p. 8. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  161. "FY1999 Financial Results" (PDF). Capcom Co., Ltd. May 2000. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  162. "Game Search". Game Data Library. Famitsu. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  163. "Nintendo 64 US Sales (1995-2003)". Game Pilgrimage. The NPD Group. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  164. "The Award - Updates". Interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  165. "The Award - Winners". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  166. "1998 Gamers' Choice Awards". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 117. April 1999. pp. 107–114 (109).
  167. "VSDA Announces Nominations for 1998 Home Entertainment Awards". Video Software Dealers Association. May 12, 1998. Archived from the original on June 13, 1998. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  168. "Famitsu Weekly PlayStation Top 100". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. November 20, 2000. Archived from the original on August 5, 2011. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  169. "Your Top 100 Games (part one)". Retro Gamer. No. 8. Live Publishing Int Ltd. December 2004. p. 60.
  170. "GT Countdown: Top 10 Necessary Remakes". GameTrailers. MTV Networks. January 27, 2011. Archived from the original on January 6, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  171. Toniutti, Tiziano (May 12, 1998). "Caccia agli zombie, ma non in Italia (Hunting zombies, but not in Italy)". la Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  172. Angel Rogue (January 19, 2018). "Videogiochi controversi e l'Italia: i casi più eclatanti (Controversial video games and Italy: the most striking cases)". Lega Nerd (in Italian). Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  173. Adams, Ted; Oprisko, Kris (March 1998). "Raccoon City – R.I.P". Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine. No. 1. Image Comics, Inc.
  174. Adams, Ted; Oprisko, Kris (June 1998). "A New Chapter of Evil". Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine. No. 2. Image Comics, Inc.
  175. "Resident Evil 2". 生化危機2 (in Chinese). No. 1–60. King's Fountain Ltd. February 1998 – April 1999.
  176. "Resident Evil 2". 惡靈古堡II (in Chinese). No. 1. Ching Win Publishing Co., Ltd. January 11, 1999.
  177. "Resident Evil 2". 惡靈古堡II (in Chinese). No. 2. Ching Win Publishing Co., Ltd. February 12, 1999.
  178. Perry, Stephani Danelle (May 1999). Resident Evil: City of the Dead. Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-671-02441-3.
  179. Spencer, Spanner (November 15, 2009). "Resident Evil: Uprising review". Pocket Gamer. Steel Media Ltd. Archived from the original on November 25, 2009. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  180. Capcom Interactive Canada, Inc (September 8, 2009). Resident Evil: Uprising. Glu Mobile. Scene: staff credits.
  181. Barnholt, Ray (November 17, 2009). "RE: Darkside Chronicles Review". 1UP.com. UGO Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  182. "Developer Interview 2008: vol01.Jun Takeuchi". Capcom Co., Ltd. September 30, 2008. Archived from the original on September 9, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
  183. Reed, Kristan (November 13, 2008). "Resident Evil 5 Xbox 360 Hands On". Eurogamer.net. Eurogamer Network Ltd. Archived from the original on June 9, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  184. "Jun Takeuchi Interview II". GameTrailers. MTV Networks. February 27, 2009. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  185. 三並達也×三上真司 独占対談. ハイパーカプコンスペシャル (in Japanese). Sony Magazines Inc. June 11, 2002.
  186. "12 Killer Facts About Shaun of the Dead". Mental Floss. January 23, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  187. ^ Biohazard 2 Drama Album: Chiisana Tōbōsha Sherry (Media notes) (in Japanese). Suleputer. 1999. CPCA-1023.
  188. "バイオハザード2 ドラマアルバム – 小さな逃亡者シェリー" (in Japanese). Capcom Co., Ltd. March 1999. Archived from the original on December 11, 2004.
  189. ^ Biohazard 2 Drama Album: Ikiteita Onna Spy Ada (Media notes) (in Japanese). Suleputer. 1999. CPCA-1025.
  190. "バイオハザード2 ドラマアルバム – 生きていた女スパイ・エイダ" (in Japanese). Capcom Co., Ltd. April 1999. Archived from the original on December 14, 2002.
  191. Capcom Co., Ltd; Angel Studios; Factor 5, LLC (January 29, 2000). Biohazard 2 (Nintendo 64) (in Japanese). Capcom Co., Ltd. 指令書: ハンク特殊工作員に以下の指令を命ず: ラクーン市郊外にある我が社の研究施設に侵入し、ウィリアム・バーキン博士が所持していると思われるG-ウィルスのサンプルを奪取せよ。 ... サンプル入手後はロワール村にて受け渡しを行う。 ... フランス支部施設所長 クリスチーヌ・アンリ / Written orders: Special agent HUNK is assigned to the following orders: Invade the company's research facility on the outskirts of Raccoon City, seize the G-virus sample assumed to be in the possession of Dr. William Birkin. ... After the sample is obtained, it is to be delivered to Loire Village. ... French Branch Facility Director Christine Henry{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  192. Capcom Co., Ltd (November 11, 1999). Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Capcom Entertainment, Inc. Scene: Epilogue Files.
  193. Resident Evil Archives. BradyGames Publishing. November 9, 2005. pp. 120, 129. ISBN 978-0-7440-0655-1.
  194. Senior, Tom (August 12, 2015). "Resident Evil 2 Remake is in development". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on January 25, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  195. McWhertor, Michael (June 11, 2018). "Resident Evil 2 remake revealed, coming January 2019". Polygon. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  196. Romano, Sal (June 12, 2018). "Resident Evil 2 announced for PS4, Xbox One, and PC". Gematsu. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  197. Osborn, Alex (June 11, 2018). "E3 2018: Resident Evil 2 Remake Release Date Announced". IGN. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  198. Espineli, Matt (June 12, 2018). "E3 2018: Resident Evil 2 Remake Is Familiar But Terrifying In New Ways". GameSpot. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  199. "IGN's Top 100 Games of All Time". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. May 2, 2003. Archived from the original on October 28, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  200. "49. Resident Evil 2- The 100 Greatest Video Games Of All Time". Empire. August 15, 2014. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  201. "Electronic Gaming Monthly Presents Top 100 Games of All Time". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Ziff Davis Media Inc. Archived from the original on December 20, 2001.
  202. "Resident Evil 2". Official UK PlayStation Magazine. No. 108. Future Publishing Limited. March 2004. p. 28.
  203. Cork, Jeff (November 16, 2009). "Game Informer's Top 100 Games Of All Time (Circa Issue 100)". Game Informer Online. Game Informer Magazine. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  204. Baldric (June 4, 2004). "Resident Evil 2 Review for the PS". Game Revolution. AtomicOnline, LLC. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
  205. ^ Altman, John (March 28, 1999). "Resident Evil 2 Platinum Review". Computer Games Magazine. Strategy Plus, Inc. Archived from the original on May 24, 2003.
  206. "Resident Evil 2 for Dreamcast". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
  207. "Resident Evil 2 for GameCube". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 25, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
  208. Ryan, Mike (January 1, 2000). "Resident Evil 2 Platinum Review". GamePro. GamePro Media, Inc. Archived from the original on January 2, 2011. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
  209. Blevins, Tal (March 22, 1999). "Resident Evil 2 – PC Review". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on August 7, 2013. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
  210. Pierce, Matthew (April 1999). "Resident Evil 2 Review (PC)". PC Gamer UK. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on October 28, 2000.
  211. Weiss, Brett Alan. "Resident Evil 2 – Review (Nintendo 64)". Allgame. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
  212. Buchanan, Levi (November 18, 1999). "Review for Resident Evil 2". GameFan. Archived from the original on December 7, 2000.
  213. Varanini, Giancarlo (January 21, 2003). "Resident Evil 2 Review for GameCube". GameSpot. CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on February 3, 2009. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
  214. Casamassina, Matt (January 29, 2003). "Resident Evil 2 – GameCube Review". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
  215. Reed, Kristan (June 9, 2003). "Resident Evil 2 and 3 GameCube Review". Eurogamer.net. Eurogamer Network Ltd. Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2009.

Further reading

External links

Portals:
Resident Evil
Media
Video games
Main
Remakes
Revelations
Outbreak
Gun Survivor
Chronicles
Other games
Live-action films
Animated films
Television
Universe
Characters
& monsters
Locations
People
Development
Related
Games directed by Hideki Kamiya
Category
Rockstar San Diego
Video games
Smuggler's Run series
Midnight Club series
Red Dead series
Categories: