Resident Evil 2

The name "Resident Evil" was designed to sum up the basic premise of the game in two words. You're in a residence. It's filled with evil.

So what can you do to take things to the next level? Replace "residence" with "all of Raccoon City" and tack a "2" on the end. Which brings us to Capcom's semina… (more)

The name "Resident Evil" was designed to sum up the basic premise of the game in two words. You're in a residence. It's filled with evil.

So what can you do to take things to the next level? Replace "residence" with "all of Raccoon City" and tack a "2" on the end. Which brings us to Capcom's seminal work, Resident Evil 2 for the Nintendo GameCube.

Double the Heroes

Players assume the roles of two unwitting heroes in a fight for survival and answers to a corporate cover-up which extends beyond the city walls. Rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy arrives in Raccoon City for his first day on the job, only to find this quiet mid-western town overrun with zombies. He eventually runs into the coy Claire Redfield, who is searching for her missing brother Chris, the male hero of the first Resident Evil.

Together for only brief moments before wrecking a police cruiser, Leon and Claire are separated and surrounded by zombies. So begins your quest to survive the terrors of Raccoon City.

The Transition to the Nintendo GameCube

Blending conventional horror storytelling with zombie combat, item management and many puzzles involving cranks, jewels, lighters and chess pieces, Resident Evil 2 was an instant hit with fans when it was brought over to the Nintendo 64. Thankfully, everything that made the N64 version successful has been effortlessly ported over to the Nintendo GameCube.

As with most every other version of Resident Evil (except Code Veronica), players must control 3D characters through areas crawling with zombies, zombie dogs, killer crows and other nasty surprises. At the outset of the game, your character has been meagerly armed with a 9mm pistol and a combat dagger. You must find stronger armaments or face sudden extinction.

Zombies + Item Management = Survival Horror

Unlike other, more action-oriented games, Resident Evil 2 requires you to carefully manage which items you carry. Your character is only capable of holding a certain number of items and can only drop items within special item boxes. The struggle to choose between ammunition, health items and keys highlights the "survival" aspect of the Resident Evil series.

Players can only save at typewriters which have been strategically distributed throughout the game. Not only that, but players must also find ink ribbons (these are limited in supply) before they can even use the typewriter in the first place.

Puzzle solving often requires following clues to find and place items in the correct place. Fortunately, the game stores every document you've read in the item menu.

Each background has been pre-rendered with dramatic camera angles that serve to heighten the tension of each scene. Atmospheric music adds to the drama.

Great! Let's Do It Again!

Unique to Resident Evil 2 is the "character zapping" system. Once you beat the game the first time, you are given the option to complete the game a second time through with the alternate character.

Based on specific decisions you make the first time through (usually involving which health items/ammo you acquire), your second character is given or denied certain privileges. Just try not to be too greedy your first time through.

Resident Evil 2 also pioneered a number of other features, many of which have been featured in later games in the series:

# Rookie Mode - Designed for novice players, this mode starts the player off with the three most powerful weapons in the game (rocket launcher, submachine gun and Gatling gun) and unlimited ammunition.


# Damage indicators - As characters take on more and more damage it becomes increasingly difficult to escape from zombies. Players will see their character limp, stumble, and cringe from wounds and injuries.


# Hidden Characters - Play as Tofu and 4th Survivor in bonus minigames that can be accessed if the player completes and meets specific requirements.


# Hidden extreme battle mode - Offers three selectable levels with random enemy and item placement and four playable characters.


# Heightened interaction with game environments, mutant beasts, an arsenal of new weapons, and more mind-boggling puzzles.


Cult Classic

Resident Evil 2 is often considered the pinnacle of survival horror. Capcom has done a tremendous job in balancing action, suspense and horror elements in a single package. Relive the horror one more time, if you dare. (less)