Resident Evil 2 (Original)
What a blast from the past? Now over the years I’ve played this game dozens of times and still know it like the back of my hand and I learned this one is an absolute comfort game for me at this point. Getting lost in it was so easy. While the first game will always have a special place in my heart and so it will always be my personal favorite of the original trilogy I feel RE2 is objectively the best entry in the original trilogy and I feel this still holds up well today. Only exception would be the dreaded tank controls but for me it’s like riding a bike. But I will add the tank controls are smoother with faster running and faster room to room animations that greatly improves the pacing from the first game.
I always felt this wasn’t as cheesy as the first game but it’s really not too far off. My favorite is Claire telling Leon not now while Sherry is unconscious when Leon is just asking what’s happening like she couldn’t just say she’s infected but I gave her the antidote. I don’t know that just made me laugh.
The puzzles hold up well along with the horror. I always enjoyed the puzzles in these games but to be honest I learned them from watching my brother play when we were kids and I wonder how I would do if I encountered them by myself even today. Looking at some of them I feel I may actually have a somewhat difficult time. Exploring all around figuring out where to use specific items but also where to find items as not all of them are clearly showing.
And with the horror elements, I feel the atmosphere and jump scares are still effective today. Like the anticipation of the arms reaching out in the hallway still has me hug the wall instinctively when running through that hallway even when I know it isn’t happening and when energy burst through windows or walls or vents. That still made me jump.
Of course the music is classic with some of my favorite tracks being the police station main hall theme and the factory theme as well as the rocking finale at the end credits of the B scenario. Which with that said the nostalgia and remembering of when first beating the game to then save and see it save instead as Clair who I played first, but as Leon B, scenario 2nd. That was such a wtf moment back in the day especially compared to the first game where you can play as Chris and Jill but in separate stories where they didn’t connect. With that I feel the original does a lot better job than the remake with how the two scenarios play out as oppose to having too much overlap in what’s done especially in the boss battles.
I recommend this game as with all the classic RE games to anyone, especially horror fans because this one especially is a big part of horror game history. When it came out everyone played it and it inspired so much.