Resident Evil 2

Resident Evil 2 (バイオハザード２, Baiohazādo Tsū?, Biohazard 2) is a survival horror game by Capcom originally released for the PlayStation in 1998 and the second installment in the Resident Evil series. It was later ported to the PC, Nintendo 64, Sega Dreamcast and Nintendo GameCube. Contents [show] 1 Summary 2 Gameplay 3 Cast 4 Development 4.1 Regional Differences 5 Versions 6 Reception 7 Trivia 8 Cover Art 9 Sources 10 External links edit SummaryThe story is set on September 29, 1998, two months and five days after the events in the original Resident Evil. The t-virus has been released in the sewer system of Raccoon City and has infected rats, which then spread the virus to the city's population, which includes animals as well as humans. As the outbreak begins, two figures make their way into the city: Leon S. Kennedy, a rookie cop on his first day, and Claire Redfield, a college student looking for her brother, Chris, of the S.T.A.R.S. unit. The two coincidentally meet as Claire in, in Ellie's Diner, thinks quickly and runs to a door across the way. Leon and Claire quickly find themselves fighting for their lives against massive hordes of zombies in the search for a way out of the city. However, a much deadlier threat than the undead lurks in the darkness... edit GameplayResident Evil 2 follows the same play mechanics as its predecessor. As in the original Resident Evil, the game's graphics are composed of polygonal character models and items superimposed over pre-rendered graphics and fixed camera angles. The player must travel through a variety of locations, solving puzzles and fighting numerous mutated creatures in order to complete the game. The player's character can arm themselves with a variety of firearms (although ammunition is limited). The game features an improved graphics engine over the previous game, allowing for more zombies to appear on-screen (up to seven at one point). In addition, the player can now determine their character's health based on their walking animation and body language. A character in the "caution" stage will cover his or her stomach with his or her hand, while a character on the verge of death will begin to limp. The game over screens are also more gruesome this time, featuring the player's character being horribly mauled by the creature that killed him or her, and three splats of blood hitting the screen. The main addition to the gameplay is a two-scenario system officially dubbed the "zapping system". As in the original Resident Evil, the game offers a selection of two playable characters, each with their own scenario. However, after finishing one character's scenario (referred to as the "A" game) and saving the clear data, a second scenario (the "B" game) is unlocked in which the same series of events are depicted from the other characters perspective. Actions taken by the player during the first scenario affect the player's surroundings during the second scenario. In addition, one character also has access to one area in a B game that they normally wouldn't had access to in an A game. There's a total of four scenarios, two for each character. Similar to the original game, the player is awarded with unlockable weapons and other bonuses after completing a scenario under certain requirements. This time, a letter-based grading system has been implemented in which the player is graded based not only on the amount of time taken to complete one, but also on the number of times the game was saved and the number of first-aid sprays used by the player. Several hidden minigames can also be unlocked, these being The 4th Survivor which features special Umbrella agent HUNK, and its spoof/harder version The Tofu Survivor which puts players in control of a block of bean curd. In some ports, there is also a third bonus minigame called Extreme Battle which is longer than the other two and features Leon, Claire, and Ada from the main game as well as Chris Redfield from the original Resident Evil. edit CastLeon S. Kennedy - The male protagonist. A graduate from the police academy who has been selected for the Raccoon Police Department's newly established Select Police Force. He arrives late for his job after making the mistake of oversleeping, not leaving for Raccoon City until after sunset. He has a deep passion for the safety of others and wants to assist as much as possible and is very cautious. In the game, his main arsenal is comprised of a VP70 Handgun, an M1100-P Shotgun and a Desert Eagle, which are all upgradable with their corresponding parts. A handmade Flamethrower is also available for Leon, but cannot be upgraded and has no replacement ammo. His personal item is an oil lighter (which Claire has to procure separately). Claire Redfield - The female protagonist. A student and motorcyclist who arrives to Raccoon City in search of her brother, S.T.A.R.S member Chris Redfield (the protagonist of the first game). She is a very optimistic, outgoing, and strong minded young woman, and for a typical civilian survivor she is shown to be very self-confident, collected, and brave. Revealing herself to be somewhat of a mother figure as well after finding the wandering Sherry Birkin, Claire is seen to take the role of protecting the abandoned young girl very seriously. Her main weapons are a Browning Hi-Power, an M79 grenade launcher, a bowgun and Umbrella's experimental Spark Shot. Her personal item is a makeshift lockpick like that of Jill Valentine; Leon must find Small Keys to open the drawers Claire's lockpick unlocks. Ada Wong, an Asian-American woman who claims to be searching for her missing boyfriend, John. Ada is briefly playable twice in Leon's scenarios. She is equipped with only a handgun, ammo, and a first aid spray. She also holds a picture of herself with John. Sherry Birkin, a 12 year old girl who is hiding in the police station at the request of her parents. She is briefly playable in Claire's scenarios, twice. She is only equipped with one item, a First Aid Spray. Her personal item is a family photo of her and her parents. edit DevelopmentResident Evil 2 began development in 1996 shortly after the original game and was scheduled for a March 1997 release. However, as the game was approaching its release date, the developers were unsatisfied with the resulting product. Rather than releasing a game they were unhappy with, the developers took the risk of developing the game from scratch. This scrapped version of the game was later dubbed Resident Evil 1.5 by the internal staff of Capcom. This prototype version of the game starred Leon S. Kennedy from the finished game and Elza Walker, a prototype of Claire Redfield. Like Claire, Elza was a motorcyclist and college student, with the only difference being her appearance and the fact Elza had no ties to any established character from the previous game. Other supporting characters from the released game also appeared in Resident Evil 1.5. For example, Marvin Branagh, a minor character who gets killed off early in the finished game played a major role in the prototype, helping Leon and Ada escape. The settings of the game were also significantly changed, with the police station in the original prototype having a more contemporary design. There were dozens of sketches done for the main boss of the game, G, and there were even final bosses planned before him, entitled "Zeiram" and "Gorgoda." When they were scrapped, their designs were incorporated into G's, however, little remains of their original appearance. Some of the sketches of G differ so drastically from the used version that they appear as if they could be entirely different creatures. The actual finished version of Resident Evil 2 was preceded by a demo version of the game that came bundled with Resident Evil: Director's Cut. [edit] Regional DifferencesIn Japan, where Resident Evil 2 was titled Biohazard 2, the game was released a week after the North American release. The game was made easier for the Japanese market with changes in item and enemy placement, increased firepower for weapons and the auto-aiming feature turned on by default. In addition, the game over scenes are less violent and edited in the Japanese version, as zombies and other creatures do not devour or eviscerate the player's character on-screen like they do in the North American and PAL versions. edit VersionsVersion Platform Date of Release Alterations Resident Evil 2 PlayStation Jan.-May '98 - Resident Evil 2: DualShock Version PlayStation Aug. Nov. '98 DualShock-enabled, Extreme Battle, Ranking system for Minigames, Easy Mode Resident Evil 2 Game.com Nov. '98 - Resident Evil 2: Platinum Windows 98 Feb.-Apr. '99 DualShock additions, Gallery Mode, Hard mode Resident Evil 2/Biohazard 2: Value Plus Sega Dreamcast Dec. '99 - Dec. '00 Windows additions, "VMU" monitor, Demo of Code: Veronica Resident Evil 2 Nintendo 64 Oct. '99-Feb. '00 "EX-files", Item randomiser, violence controller, FP controls, Different costume, no Extreme Battle mode, Hunter cameo, surround sound Resident Evil 2 Nintendo GameCube Jan. - May '03 DualShock features, skipable cutscenes, higher quality scenes Resident Evil 2 Windows XP '06 uncompressed FMVs Resident Evil 2 PlayStation 3 Dec, '07 - Also Resident Evil 2 for the GameCube allows a cheat, If you go to the button layout and highlight "AIM" then hold R and press Z ten times allows infinite Ammo. edit Reception[show] Reception Aggregate scores Aggregator Score Metacritic N64: 89% (12 reviews)[2] PS1: 89% (13 reviews)[3] MobyGames PS (original): 92% [4] GC: 62% [5] N64: 88% [6] PC: 85% [7] Review scores Publication Score 1UP.com GC: B-[8] PS: B+[9] Allgame PS: [10] N64: [11] DC: [12] GCom: [13] GC: [14] Computer and Video Games PC: 6/10 [15] PC: 9/10 [16] PS: 9/10 [17] The game was given high ratings in all ports and versions apart from the GameCube version, where critics felt that there was no attempt whatsoever to improve upon the game. The GameCube version was the same as the updated PlayStation version, meaning that any improvements released after it were discarded. edit TriviaIn the 1.5 prototype of the game there was a female character named Elza Walker. She was also a college student, coming back to her home town for vacation. She wore an orange leather biker outfit and could wield such weapons as machine guns and Leon's shotgun. Inside the XAS Voice Directory of the BIOHAZARD 2 Trial Disc, are the unknown screams and an unheard conversation between Leon and Marvin Branagh; the black police officer who dies early in the final cut of Resident Evil 2. The screams are most likely earlier versions of those heard by Leon and Claire when attacked or killed, and were possibly removed from the final cut due to them being too unrealistic for the most part. edit Cover ArtBiohazard 2: Value Plus Dreamcast Japan December 22nd, 1999Resident Evil 2 Dreamcast PAL April 24th, 2000Resident Evil 2 Dreamcast NTSC December 6th, 2000 Add a photo to this galleryBiohazard 2 GameCube Japan January 16th, 2003Resident Evil 2 GameCube NTSC January 16th, 2003Resident Evil 2 GameCube PAL May 30th, 2003 Add a photo to this galleryResident Evil 2 NTSC October 31st, 1999Biohazard 2 Japan January 28th, 2000Resident Evil 2 PAL February 9th, 2000 Add a photo to this galleryBiohazard 2 Japan February 19th, 1999Resident Evil 2 NTSC February 28th, 1999Resident Evil 2 PAL June, 1999 Add a photo to this galleryResident Evil 2 NTSC December 31st, 1997Biohazard 2 Japan January 29th, 1998Resident Evil 2 PAL May 8th, 1998 Add a photo to this gallery