Resident Evil 2

Developer: Angel Studios, Capcom Publisher: Capcom

Rated: M Release Date: October 31, 1999 10/10

The monumental nature of Resident Evil 2 on the Nintendo 64 is twofold: the technical marvel that is its existence on a cartridge-based medium, and the genre-defining genius of the game as a whole. In the formative years of survival horror, which essentially started with the release of the original Resident Evil, no other game, except perhaps the first Silent Hill, is more integral to the style than Resident Evil 2. Following on from the classic haunted house setting of the Spencer Mansion and later, the clinical and cold surroundings of its underground laboratories, RE2 brings new playable characters and future series mainstays Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield to the heart of Raccoon City in the midst of a zombie outbreak.

I had a STARS member named Leon, he died, he died.

Offering a decidedly urban setting even with the familiar gothic trappings of labyrinthian hallways, secret passageways, and locked doors opened by ornate, hidden keys, one of RE2’s biggest changes to the still-burgeoning franchise is the greater human element. Skittish shop owners, frightened civilians, and previously unaffiliated cops fill out a greater cast of characters that also includes corporate spy Ada Wong, corrupt police chief Brian Irons, and the Birkin family — William and Annette, Umbrella researchers who developed the dangerous G-Virus, and their young daughter, Sherry. Interacting with each of these characters really fleshes out the world of Resident Evil and legitimizes the peril brought about by both corporate and personal greed.

All FMV sequences remain intact from the PS1 original, albeit intensely compressed — these are never going to look good, but getting the scenes played with full dialogue is a huge part of the storytelling.

On a more mechanically focused note, Resident Evil 2 retains many of the gameplay devices that would remain characteristic of the series: inventory management, puzzle-solving, exploration, and, of course, combat, administered via the divisive tank-style control method. That being said, it would be asinine to suggest that functionally, Resident Evil 2 is any less than perfect, both in a general sense and in regards to its translation to the N64 and its controller. And as mentioned before, the mere fact that it exists at all is nothing short of miraculous.

The fixed camera shots that necessitate the series’ tank controls produce really impeccable shots of the front-facing character models, and getting a delayed reaction of what they’re seeing as enemies cross the camera lens, as seen here, makes for plenty of exciting moments as you gain a feel for each new area you enter.

It bears repeating that the 10-person team at Angel Studios — an early choice of Nintendo themselves to produce first-party published titles which would ultimately become the Ken Griffey baseball games — faced an impossible task in converting a cutting-edge, content-rich two-disc PlayStation title to a single cartridge. Busting out every trick in the book, so to speak, to fit the game down from essentially over a gigabyte of data to a 64MB cartridge, from drastically reduced frame rate in cutscenes, to completely reworked sound design, to Herculean feats of audio and video compression, the game works brilliantly with almost nothing missing. The extreme battle mode is essentially the only thing cut out, but it’s made up for with some extra goodies like extra costumes, more files to build lore with, and most excitingly, a randomizer mode that rearranges items and enemies, maintaining the tension of exploration on subsequent playthroughs.

The juxtaposition of the police station and streets of Raccoon City in the early game contrasts with sterile lab environments in the homestretch — a reflection of the same progression from the first game.

Resident Evil 2 easily stands as not just one of the best games on the N64, but of an entire era of gaming that still influences countless titles in its genre. Many would argue its position as the pinnacle of the series’ early era, if not the franchise as a whole. And while it has its competitors and other entries from the series on other consoles like the PS1 and Dreamcast, it’s particularly notable on the N64 as one of the only tastes of horror in the entire library — at least they made it count.

Continuing Legacy

Resident Evil 2 is one of the few notable examples of a title that has aged phenomenally well, being accessible, enjoyable, and still borderline perfect under a modern lens — and yet still every bit deserving of a remake. 2019’s Resident Evil 2 is also nearly perfect, but in a tangibly different way to the original such that both, not one or the other, are must play titles for fans of the series and horror games as a whole. Most notably amongst its changes to the original would probably be added scenes with Sherry Birkin and Chief Irons that really serve to villainize the slimy cop even more than in the original.

Additional Information

Saves: Cartridge

Players: 1

Compatible With: Expansion Pak, Rumble Pak

Print Guides: Prima, BradyGames, Versus Books, GameFan, Sybex

Aggregate Critical Reception (GameRankings): 86.77%, based on 19 reviews

Other Releases: JP, January 28, 2000, as Biohazard 2

EU, February 9, 2000

My Streams

Commercials and Print Ads

TV commercial, note the use of live action footage towards the end, taken from one of the earlier PS1 commercials, but not the one made by George Romero