Resident Evil II: A welcome return to a beloved franchise

Greg Price reviews the remake of a classic horror video game.

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows

Release Date: 25 January, 2019

Since its inaugural release in the year 1996, the critically acclaimed Resident Evil franchise – especially the early games – has revolutionized the survival horror genre with its unique gameplay and its uncanny ability to build tension. This is especially true of its earliest games, making the most recent remake of the classic Resident Evil II a title with much to live up to.

The game has accrued praise, from both critics and the public, for its update to the original game’s graphics

Much like the original 1998 version, the player can choose between the campaigns of two different protagonists, Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, as they attempt to escape Raccoon City, a desolate cityscape that’s become infested with ravenous zombie hordes.

Though the remake stays as faithful to the original as it possibly can, it eschews the patented fixed camera angles that made the early games so tense, instead opting for the more conventional, streamlined over-the-shoulder approach of the latter-day releases. The game has accrued praise, from both critics and the public, for its update to the original game’s graphics. Also, as with the original, the game excels at balancing action and tension.


In a nutshell: The 2019 remake of Resident Evil II is a solid, and most welcome, contribution to the franchise.