Resident Evil 2

The Good
How often does a sequel capture the splendour of the original? This first sequel in the long running horror gaming series lets you control not one, but a variety of characters in multiple scenarios and a few sub-games, which add to the already intense, nail biting plot. This was one of the first games I really dived into, and I rarely feel that way with any other game outside of this universe. Leon, Claire and Ada have got to be the most intriguing video game characters of all time. The hidden goodies made me want to play it again and again. My only gripe with that is that it obviously makes the game too easy for ya.

The Bad
It wasn't as hard as the original. A lot of it felt like a retread. But there was never a dull moment. It kept my interest all the way.

The Bottom Line
It is one of the greatest games you will ever play. If you like the horror movies of yesteryear, this is one game you won't want to miss.

The Good
I was looking forward to this game, because I liked the first one. It was cool being in Resident Evil again with a new location to wander around in but it just was too similar to part 1. Capcom didn't decide to revamp any of the areas of part 1 which flawed it. I love the music in this game though, as well as part 1. They do well there. RE2 was a definitely worth a rent or 2 or 3 but I didn't think it was worth a buy.

The Bad
Inventory system still sucked, the player control was still difficult. The view still sometimes left you blind-fighting with a monster out of the view, very frustrating. I thought there was still a lack of ammo. Saving system was identical to RE1, which was not a good thing. The resolution on the PC version was terrible, very grainy and you couldn't adjust it. I thought the PS1 version had much better graphics.

The Bottom Line
Pretty fun, worth renting (back when it was released, probably could find it for 5 bucks now though) Worth owning now days but not back then. Fun for RE fans.

The Good
Resident Evil 2 took the best material from its predecessor, whipped up a fresh new story, and plugged it all in with some amazing new ideas. It works quite well, and if you liked the first one, the second one will knock your eyes out.

It's not entirely the same. The first game took place in a mansion in the woods... a much more claustrophobic setting. THIS one takes place all over the CITY, although much of the first half of the game is confined to the zombie-infested police station.

This game, like the first one, offers you the chance to play it as one of two different characters -- cop Leon or biker chick Claire -- which, in many ways, makes it two different games. Furthermore, once you've played once as Leon and then the second time as Claire, if you save the game, and then play again as Leon, you will find that the plot has developed some SUBSTANTIAL changes... which carry over into the second play as Claire... which basically means you're getting FOUR similar-but-different games here...

The Bad
The voice acting, again, is horrible. Odd puzzles that didn't seem too out of place in a weird mansion in the woods don't quite work, logically, in an urban police station. What's the deal with the secrets hidden inside statues? For that matter, how many statues do you normally find in an urban police station? Once again, make sure you have that gamepad peripheral handy to hook up to your PC. It's a Playstation port, and that means control problems...

The Bottom Line
Third-person survival horror zombie shootout in the apocalyptic streets of Raccoon City! Go to it!