Resident Evil 2 is coming, and fast. It's one of 2019's most anticipated games, but it's also one with some of the biggest expectations riding on it. After all, Resident Evil 2 is a remake of a genre-defining classic, one with loads of nostalgia attached for plenty of gamers.
So, what moments should the RE 2 remake preserve from the original? Well, some people would say that everything from the classic game should be updated for the remake, but we know that's not necessarily true.
These 10 moments, though, are some of the original's most memorable, and we sincerely hope Capcom's kept them all in their remastered game. Obviously, massive spoilers follow.
Sewer Gator
Resident Evil 2 brought the urban legend of alligators in the sewer to life in a big way... literally.
If you've played the original RE 2, you're definitely familiar with the sewer gator. The massive reptile chases you through the sewers of Raccoon city like something out of a SyFy original movie, closing in with every step, and giving you nowhere to run but ahead.
That's not a bad thing either; the sufficient dose of cheese the gator injects into the game is an element of the genre most fans find endearing, and it should definitely make a comeback.
Licker's Arrival
You've just escaped the zombie-infested streets of Raccoon City for the safety of the city's police department precinct. Things seem to be looking up, right? Well, when you happen upon a decapitated corpse and a suspicious pool of blood forming from drips from the ceiling, looking up is probably the last thing you want to do.
Your instincts are probably right because when you do, you're greeted by a skinless horror with an abnormally long and deadly creature. Guess those zombies outside weren't so bad, now were they?
Cue the Licker.
The Many Forms Of Birkin
Dr. William Birkin is responsible for the mess that Raccoon City became, both by helping develop the viruses that spread through the city and by actually spreading them himself (kind of).
Birkin was shot and mortally wounded while trying to protect samples of the T-virus and the G-virus. In an attempt to save his own life and retrieve the samples, he infected himself with the G-virus. The result was a monster that would eventually become the ultimate boss of Resident Evil 2.
Through the course of the game, you encounter Birkin several times. Each time you defeat him, the G-virus mutates him even more. Each time he arrives, it's a new and horrifying experience. The series of fights brings a sense of continuity to the game while hinting at just what you'll be facing in order to escape the city.
Mr. X Pulls a "Cool-Aid Man"
"OH YEAH!" Alright, he doesn't actually say that, but someone needs to mod that into the PC version of Resident Evil 2 ASAP when it launches.
Mr. X is the infamous precursor to Resident Evil 3's Nemesis, and he adds an extra dimension of tension to the game, with the player never knowing exactly when he'll show up.
The first encounter with this enigmatic character is easily the most memorable, with Mr. X unexpectedly bursting through a wall and blocking your path, scaring you half to death in the process.
Zombie Arms in the Raccoon PD Hallway
The Raccoon City police precinct is easily one of the more memorable settings in the entire Resident Evil series. It plays host to some of the best scares in the RE 2. The entire atmosphere of the building establishes that anything can happen at any time, whether you expect it or not.
Once such unexpected moment comes when you're descending deeper into the precinct. You pass by a series of boarded-up windows, and nothing happens. When you turn to pass those very same windows a second time, a flurry of undead limbs reaches out and grabs you. Seeing this one in full HD is just too good to pass up.
Kendo's Gun Shop Gets Overrun
Early in your adventure through the teeming streets of Raccoon City, Kendo's Gun Shop seems like a safe haven. You can stock up on supplies, and there doesn't seem to be any zombies around.
This must be your base of operations, right?
You couldn't be more wrong, and that illusion gets broken in the most dramatic fashion. The undead pour through every opening, tearing Kendo to shreds and forcing you to beat a hasty retreat into the very streets you came there to avoid.
Zombies in the RPD Autopsy Room
It's an autopsy room, something bad needs to happen. It's practically a horror law. RE2 handles the scenario very well and creates one of the game's best jump scares.
You're down there looking for the key card to open the armory. After one of the morgue drawers opens with an ominous creek, you know something's going to go wrong in a big way. After you pick up the card you were looking for, you find out exactly how wrong it goes.
Marvin's Death and Transformation
Like any supporting character in the horror genre, Marvin's days were numbered from the first time you saw him. That doesn't make his death and subsequent transformation any less tragic. Marvin is your guide early on, helping you navigate the situation in Raccoon City.
Once you outgrow your "training wheels," Marvin transforms into a zombie, forcing you to put your former friend out of his misery.
Ada's Apparent Sacrifice
Ada Wong appears to be just another supporting character that you encounter through Leon's campaign. She's supposedly there looking for her boyfriend, John. Of course, this isn't actually the case, and Ada is actually a spy from one of Umbrella's rivals, there to steal a sample of the G-virus.
She serves as Leon's partner for a good portion of his story, but she eventually chooses to sacrifice herself to allow Leon the chance to escape from Mr. X. She doesn't actually die, though, and goes on to appear in future games, but that doesn't make the moment less impactful.
Tofu Survivor
Now, for the most terrifying moment of them all... Okay, not really.
Back before you needed to buy 16 different DLC packages just to get a complete game, developers actually included bonus content for the most dedicated players. Tofu Survivor is Capcom's way of thanking fans of Resident Evil 2 who exhausted every drop the game had to offer.
After beating both Leon and Claire's scenarios with minimum rankings of "B" and "A", you unlock The Fourth Survivor minigame, where you play as HUNK, one of the original operatives sent to recover the G-virus.
After completing that, you unlock a significantly more ridiculous scenario, The Tofu Survivor, where you can play through HUNK's minigame as a block of tofu with a combat knife.
It's the hardest mission in the game, and it's the exactly the kind of classic insanity fans want from a remade RE2.
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Are there moments we missed that you want to see in the Resident Evil 2 remake? Let us know in the comments below!
Published: Jan 2, 2019 06:16 pm