Resident Evil 2 (Nintendo GameCube, 2003)

*(Possible Spoilers)*

First off, as you should already know, this is an exact port of the Playstation version of the game. That means that the graphics, sounds, and overall design of the game are not up to Gamecube standards. Even so, this should not stop you from enjoying what is quite possibly one of the best Resident Evil titles out there. This title would rank right behind Resident Evil 4 and the original Resident Evil (Remake) in the series for sheer enjoyment and scare factor.

RE2 expands on the RE universe in a way that, arguably, no other RE game has. It introduces three major characters in the web of deception that Umbrella Corp. has spun: Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, and Ada Wong. It also introduces William Birkin, one of the original developers of the T-Virus, and the mastermind behind the G-Virus. We also get to see a post-apocalyptic Raccoon City, overrun by the living-dead and various mutated experiments that run wild in the streets.

The gameplay is standard RE fare, with semi-clunky controls and the occaisional fetch-quest marring an otherwise stellar game. The Raccoon City Police department will soon become a point of semi-loathing on the player's part. (Why do I have to run all the way back here? Wait, who the heck puts death-traps in a police department anyway?!) Boss battles are few an mostly unmemorable, but it's the B-movie style plot that really drives the game.

There's not enough space here to really describe the chills you feel when you hear the zombies moaning outside and you've only got 2 bullets left in your gun. If you're a Resident Evil fan, you owe it to yourself to pick up this game. If you're a survival horror fan, you should definatly consider making this a part of your next purchase. If you like zombies in general and have an itch that can only be scratched by putting a bullet through a decrepid skull, go buy the Resident Evil remake, then buy this game. Either way, you wont be dissapointed.

Resident Evil 2 is the smash hit sequel to the original classic Resident Evil for Playstation 1. The Gamecube version is a direct port from the PS One version with many noticeable differences if you’ve played the original.

Graphics: The graphics have been noticeably smoothed out and are much more polished compared to the original version. While the characters still look boxy and somewhat comical in certain parts they still manage to look good and the monsters themselves still manage to give a scare.

Speed: The speed of the game has been ramped up to make for a much quicker and smoother game experience. The playable characters move way faster now which is good since all the monsters do as well. In certain situations zombies, lickers and dogs literally run full speed at your character which can make for some harrowing experiences.

A major blessing in the speed department is the load screens. The load screens for walking up steps, opening doors, climbing ladders and crawling through ducts have been sped up to the point where they take no real game play time away.

Sound: The sound has also been improved. One of the main selling points of the game is the sound since the constant creepy music and noises in the distance still create an atmosphere of dread and impending doom which adds to the scares when something comes crashing through a wall or window at you.

Game play: Overall the game play is still good and benefits from the faster processing of the Gamecube. As stated above the game’s newfound speed and smoother graphics really make it play much better than it did on its original Playstation One platform.

The only real negative I can point out about the game is it didn’t get the remake treatment like Resident Evil 1 for Gamecube. The storyline cut scenes somewhat suffer because of the graphics available at the time and what should be a frightening scene or a dramatic revelation sometimes becomes laughable due to the wooden and sometimes bizarre repetitive arm movements of the characters or the fact that nobody’s facial expression changes or lips move in certain cut scenes. You could get the same effect if you acted out a scene with GI Joe figures.

All in all I say the game is well worth the purchase and it has tons of replay value with the 4th Survivor Mini Game scenarios featuring Hunk and the insanely funny character Tofu as well as the special Extreme Battle Mode mini games which features Leon s. Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Ada Wong and Chris Redfield.

I highly recommend this game to anyone who’s a fan of Resident Evil or survival horror games. It’s a classic that still stands out as one of the best of the genre.

Resident Evil 2 takes place shortly after the events that transpired in the original game. Rookie police officer Leon S. Kennedy heads toward Raccoon City for his first assignment, only to find that the city has been overrun by zombies. Likewise, Claire Redfield enters the city on a quest to find her brother, Chris Redfield, who was a member of the S.T.A.R.S. team featured in the original game. You can play through the game as Leon or Claire in separate quests, but aside from a few areas involving secondary characters and some different story elements, the two quests are largely the same.
A great game for all resident evil fans however, this is nothing more than a port with no major improvements or contents of the original.
the good things about the game is that the controlers are better because of the fact that the gamecube controllers are more comfortable to play with.the game offers the arrange mode (which gives you unlimited ammunition and all of the powerful weapons right off the bat), so you can easily breeze through it in a few hours.
the graphics are the same with no aparent improvemnt other that if you have component cable you can have a better picture. A good advantage of this port is that you can play it with the gamecube or the wii for that matter which means is more accesible to old and new gamers. noot to forget the fact that you can cheat because of the action replay.however keep in mind that this game is by no means worth buying if you have to pay more than 30 dollars

this game, if anyone has just played the remake of RE1 and then plays this, is very pathetic and disappointing. You go from pure classic fear as the S.T.A.R.S. alpha team discovers their missing comrades and are chased into a creepy mansion infested with T-virus infected zombies to running around in a completely non-realistic police station for a few hours with some stupid rookie cop. forget jumping out of your seat when the zombie which you thought was dead busts through the door from another room. forget going through decrepit houses and abandoned scientific laboratories. forget finding your dead compatriates continuously throughout the game. you won't find any of the raw carnage of RE1 in this corny sequel. the only reason this game got so much hype when it came out was because it was a sequel to the awesomeness that is RE1 and had better graphics. that's it. but since the remake of RE1 has better graphics now and has had its corniness fixed, it's nothing anymore. i'd buy it just to get along with the storyline, but don't be expecting anything great.

First of all let me say that my introduction into the Resident Evil series was R.E.4 which is considered by many (so far including myself) to be the pinnacle of the series in spite of a few of its quirks. Also playing the Gamecube version of the original Resident Evil afterwards while not overall as good was still a fantastic game as far as giving me a good, girly scream inducing, scare. Sound design, graphics and sometimes unintentionally funny dialogs were what made these games good. Now it is true that starting with the best of the series unfortunately means that I have nowhere to go but down. However I didn't know that R.E.1 and 4 were the best at the time. That being said you can imagine my mix of astonishment and disappointment when I put in R.E.2 expecting an amazing remake like R.E.1 and get a slightly jazzed up PS1 game on the Gamecube. Now one might think that graphics aren't truly essential for a good horror video game experience and to them I'd say your right, to an extent. However the only (very) slightly upgraded graphics of R.E.2 on the Gamecube (arguably having some of the best graphics of the previous gen consoles) is like expecting to get a five star meal at a high class restaurant and receiving a plate of day old hamburger helper. The graphics make the humans and zombies look robotic the scenery look ugly and unfortunately the creepy atmosphere is diminished to the extent of me needing to turn off the lights and have Freddy Kruger standing next to me to feel scared sometimes. The sound design and surprise zombie attacks still are enough to make me jump out of my visually under-stimulated skin every now and then. The voice acting is still as funny as always due to it being so over the top it could jump over Mount Everest while still trying to be serious. As usual the game-play mechanics are slow and clunky and you never have control of the camera which I suppose is meant to aid in the fear that a super zombie could charge you at any time and you're caught unprepared with dwindling health and amo but after a while it is just irritating. You are also limited to the amount of items you can carry like weapons, health items, keys, amo, or even some piece of a puzzle. Right away this is annoying because if you get to a puzzle that requires an item you stored at the last save point then you need to run all the way back, get it and return to solve the puzzle while making the choice between health items and amo. I suppose that these are all elements that are standard for the series but even so they are annoying. The point I'm trying to get to is that this game is average. That being said if your looking for a game to give you a good scare then you could do worse but if a scare is what you really want then ignore R.E.2 and get something like Silent Hill 2. This is an ok game if you're a fan of the series (which I partially am) and if you are then I give a small recommendation. If you're just looking for any game with zombies then you'd get a better experience with Dead Rising, R.E.1 or heck just watch a George Romero film and play with the remote control. Now let it be known that in trying to write a review for a game I look at it not as a fan but as a level-headed person just looking for a game to play depending on interests so here is a preemptive "I don't care" to all the obsessive fan-boys (or fan-girls) and I will not be changing the score. It got an average score and it should be happy with that.