This was my first trip into the genre widely known today as survival horror and like many I was blown away by the exciting gameplay and the stunning visuals on the PS1. Though much has not changed, regrettably the visuals just can't stand up to current technology.
The game is a two-disk story and each disk centers around a different main character. Halfway through the game, you will switch off to using the other character and the order in which you begin will change the narrative, while leaving the ending intact. There are also bonus upgrades that you can access during the game, but these upgrades are only made available for one character per save file, so choosing carefully is advised.
Onto the good stuff:
The original Resident Evil was a masterpiece of slow and tense pacing, couple with a dreadful voice over track and a loosely put together plot, centering on the destructive bio-warfare program by the fictional company Umbrella Incorporated. The sequel, set mere months after the events of the first game recounts the adventures of two passers-by and greatly builds on the lore established in the series' first entry. With cheesy voice work and a more detailed plot, plus ramped up action and a longer campaign, it proved to be more popular than even the original.
Once you get the hang of the control scheme, it's easy to get sucked in to the action and watch as the heroes both go through their respective quests, while battling hordes of undead as well as the hideous creatures set on them by Umbrella. Where as the original focused on the tension of being trapped in a haunted house with little in the way of defence, Resident Evil 2 placed you in the city, overrun by the infected people of the outbreak and similar to the first game, forces you to take shelter in a large building full of traps and puzzles while you look for a way out. Different however, is that this time, there is plenty of ammo to be found and just as many enemies to confront.
Much like its predecessor, RE2 is geared around finding objects to solve puzzles and does involve a lot of backtracking. With the pace of the gameplay though, it's not as apparent as in the first game and does little to wear down the story or keep it from moving along quickly. The voice acting, on the other hand... well, that just might be enough to make you cringe. From the perspective of a b-movie, it's perfect, but as a big budget action movie, well it would flunk out of the box office and probably head direct to dvd.
To be honest, if it weren't for this game I might never have been interested in horror games, or Resident Evil at all for that matter and it's a welcome entry into a wonderful genre.