Welcome to a new edition of Retro Corner and I wanted to take a break from Ghosts N Goblins and look at another Capcom classic. Resident Evil 2 which is considering the best one in the series by many is a follow up from the Original. If you were unaware, Resident Evil 2 was also ported by Angel Studios to the Nintendo 64 two years later in 1999. It's considered a technical feat that Capcom was able to take a two-disc game and put all of its content onto a 64 Megabyte cartridge. Not even the biggest games on the Nintendo 64 like Zelda: Majora's Mask or Paper Mario was over 32 Megabytes. They also added exclusive features not found on two of the PlayStation One's releases or the other versions. Gameplay With the success of Resident Evil 1 on PS1, Nintendo wanted in on the series as well. In 1999, Capcom ported the original released game to the Nintendo 64 two years later. The N64 port did come off superior to the PS1 versions, and it's because the controls weren't clumsy when I used the controller's analog stick. It’s like this type of game was made for the analog stick of N64 which many titles on the system have already proved. The problem I had with the first PlayStation Dual Shock controller was how tacked on its controls were with some of the earlier releases on the system. Just try Resident Evil: Director’s Cut and the Dual Shock edition of RE2, and it's apparent these games were never originally designed for these controls. The new features of changing the blood color and setting the violence to low or high levels were really fun to play around with. Yeah, in a way they don’t impact the gameplay, but it's funny to kill an enemy with no gore and blue blood pouring out. The Arrange mode was a nice addition and would switch the items in the main game around. It was a better feature to have because that made the game more challenging to find these items in different places across the two scenarios. This version also supports the Rumble Pak and the Expansion Pak that adds a better frame rate and textures compared to the PS1 versions. The two scenarios are also included as the player can pick to play as either Leon or Clair in any order. One of my favorite features is I didn't need a memory card to save the game since it has a battery pack inside the cartridge. The cartridge format helped the game load faster which is something that always took the PS1 editions a good couple of minutes. For any issues, it would have to be that some of the newer gameplay mechanics from Resident Evil 3 like dodging enemies weren't added. If Capcom asked Angel Studios to do an N64 port while developing RE3, then they could've at least told them to add these new mechanics too. There is no excuse for this since both the N64 version and RE3 had at least a year and a half to develop. It would’ve made the gameplay so much better by having dodge mechanics, moving up a set of stairs smoothly and perform a 180-degree turn. Even though the gameplay mechanics from Resident Evil 3 were not designed in, the N64 version offers superior controls and exclusive features. Rating: 8.5/10 Graphics/Presentation The Nintendo 64 version looks similar to the PS1 editions, but there were a couple improvements to the graphics as well. Angel Studios was able to add all of the CGI cutscenes and voice acting from both Leon’s and Clair's scenarios. Unlike the other versions, the N64 title has slightly improved graphics that shows sharper and smoother detail in the pre-rendered backgrounds. The characters and enemy models also have a slight improvement with the texturing and have less jagged edges sticking out. Another improvement was a better screen resolution compared to the PS1 versions' 320 by 240. It's doubled on the N64 by using the Expansion Pak which sets the resolution at 640 by 480. Most titles in the fifth gen weren't even supported by this as the 320 by 240 was the usual standard used for any game’s resolution. The presentation was just as good as the PS1 versions, but here its supports surround sound which wasn't offered in the other ports. The songs and sound effects were better thanks to the Expansion Pak and the tech of the N64 console. The voice acting compared to the original was a vast improvement as each personality from the characters felt more organic rather than forced. Sorry fans but you will not experience the peak of horrible voice acting as that of the “Jill Sandwich” in this installment. The voice acting is the same quality from that on PS1 with no changes done. The only thing that was an issue was the quality of the CGI cutscenes which had an apparent dark tint. I know Capcom had to use compression techniques to fit the CGI cutscenes on a 64 Megabyte cartridge. That still can’t be a good excuse to use which shows that Capcom gave Angel Studios a deadline to meet. Another issue (which is minor) is when there are enemies on the screen in large numbers with the screen resolution moving back to 320 by 240. So despite the fact, this game is running on a powerful console with the Expansion Pak, they still had to scale it down because of there being too many enemies. Apparently, there is no excuse once again as I’m sure Capcom needed to give Angel Studios more time to fix this issue. Rating: 8.5/10 Story Capcom didn’t change anything from the original release as the story plays out the same regardless what scenario you play in any order. As for the story its self, it was pretty good for its time, and expanded on the lore with how the T-Virus came into existence. It's interesting to find out that someone like Ada Wong was involved with John (a guy that wrote a note at the end of the first game) who was dating him only to get information from Umbrella. The best thing about the plot has every character connected between Sherry, Ada, Brian Irons, or Annette Birkin to William, the co-researcher to Albert Wesker. My favorite interactions were between Ada and Leon, and I just love how they eventually came together in trusting each other. Despite Ada’s deception, they still fell in love with each other even when she supposedly dies In front of him because of the Tyrant. Clair’s scenario was the least interesting to me, but her interaction with Sherry was still great. They had a mother and daughter type relationship which showed Clair was a strong-minded woman doing anything to protect her. It wasn’t too surprising to find out that the Chef of the RPD Brian Irons was secretly working for Umbrella as this type of corruption exists in reality. It was good to find out how he slowly went insane in his journal in the course of a few months between the first and second games. Probably the only thing I had a problem with was the main antagonist of a mutated William Birkin as it was a step down from Wesker himself. However, he could have come off a little more self-aware of his plot while at the same time going insane. Then again Resident Evil 3 was done in a similar matter too with Nemesis as its sole purpose was to kill all S.T.A.R.S. members by Umbrella. The last thing about the story comes from the EX files that the player finds which are only found in this port as an exclusive easter egg. This helped add more detail to the backstory of some of the characters like Rebecca and Billy as it gave mention to the plot of Resident Evil 0. If you are unaware, Capcom initially developed RE0 for the N64 in 1999, and it was scheduled to release in 2000 as an exclusive game. However, due to the delays throughout 2000, they scrapped the project. The concept got moved as a new game to the GameCube as a system exclusive along with the remake of the first entry. It still was a great easter egg to add for the upcoming entries in the series. It’s even more interesting they also added Jill’s monologue from RE3 in here as well. Rating: 8.6/10 Features/Content Much like the Dual Shock version, this port would have its own set of exclusive content and features. The newly added content is the EX files that give more of a backstory on the series. These files did give some connection to the plot for Resident Evil 0. Anytime something like this is included it’s usually done to expand on the lore of the series. Even though, Billy isn’t the most important character, but the fact it was an easter egg to Resident Evil 0 only added to the lore. Another thing also added were two more extra outfits for Leon and Clair that are exclusive and become unlocked in the same manner. The Arrange mode really did add more variety to the challenge and helped differentiate it from the hard mode. The only thing that was a big disappointment comes from not including the Extreme Battle. That mode helped give more replay value to the Dual Shock edition, and it was so stupid of Capcom to decide to leave such an idea out. I use to play for countless hours as both Chris and Leon because of the weapon types they had. It also had the best battle mode of the entire series because of the similar level design structure to the original game. The battle modes proceding this one wouldn't have the previous design anymore but rather would time the player in a small area against waves of enemies. It still sucks that Capcom left this out of the port which would have benefited the N64 version easily. Rating: 9.0/10 Impressive Final Rating RE2 on the N64 offered the same experience that's found in the original release with exclusive features and content. The gameplay and its functions were easier to get into than the previous installment. Whether it was the controls or the level design, the gameplay is what you should expect a sequel to improve on. Even the story saw an improvement with no forced personalities, and the characters sounded realistically in their situations. For the features, it offered more than the first game by having extra weapons and additional modes. Even though there were improvements, I also found some flaws that were still left in from the PS1. With Resident Evil 3 getting released that year, Capcom should have let Angel Studios put in the gameplay mechanics from that game. The biggest problem of the presentation was the apparent dark tint left in because of the video files that had the CGI cutscenes compressed. Another disappointment came from the lack of the Extreme Battle Mode which devalues the replay value a little. Other than that Capcom handled this port with a lot of effort that showcased better visuals and was a technical marvel in this industry. Gameplay: 8.5/10 Graphics/Presentation: 8.5/10 Story: 8.6/10 Features/Content: 9.0/10 Rating: 8.8/10 Great
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Retro Gamer has over 25 years of gaming experience and played many classics since the Golden Age. She has been an avid fan since the day the NES graced her life and changed it forever.
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