Ah, January 21st 1998... The video game "Resident Evil 2" was released for the PlayStation. At the time, it had cutting-edge graphics, a great storyline, wonderful voice-acting (as opposed to its predecessor), and had a re-playability unmatched by most. I remember playing this game younger, and I recall the nostalgic moments I had as I evaded Mr. X, and navigated the tedious halls of the Raccoon City Police Department. That game is (still to this day) one of the scariest/greatest video games I have ever played!
I recently picked up this game over the PlayStation Network for ten bucks. It had been quite a while since the last time I had played, so I was naturally a bit rusty. It was just as great as the last time around. I felt like I was visiting my youth when I was terrified by a Licker crashing through a window. Or perhaps a bit paranoid since I knew what was coming, but I didn't want to get scared. I'm proud to say that nostalgia didn't cloud my judgement on this one.
It really makes me desire a REmake. Being an avid fan of the Resident Evil franchise, I've enjoyed every game. Although, the more recent ones have really deviated from their original games. Such core game-play, and atmospheric attributes of the previous games have been almost completely scrapped. I really detest this change. I don't mind change, as change can bring about great things; but, it can also lead to horrible things. Not to say Resident Evil 4 & 5 are "horrible" games per-se, they're simply attempting to appeal to another audience. Now, to the players who've been around since Resident Evil 1 (such as myself), it kinda felt like a jab at us.
Anyway, let's return to the topic at hand. Would you pay sixty dollars for a Resident Evil 2 REmake? Usually people tend to feel as though great games shouldn't be remade, but I disagree. Capcom seemed to handle Resident Evil 1's REmake very well adding additional areas, new creatures, extra background information on the story, and even going as far as altering some puzzle solutions to throw us veteran players off. Also, what added to Resident Evil 2's re-playability was the option to play as both Claire and Leon.
***I won't talk about Hunk or Tofu. Tofu was basically a silly parody, and Hunk was just one thing. Claire/Leon were the bulk of the video game, so I'll give that the most attention.
As I'm sure most of you know, when you played through one character's storyline, you had the option of switching over to the opposing character's these different experiences were referred to as the "scenarios". Now, which one you played was determined on the previous game's scenario. The default scenario is Scenario A. Once you complete scenario A, you have the option of playing as the other protagonist. The twist is that everything you did in your previous play-through has an effect on their struggles to survive. It literally encouraged you to replay the game, and you wouldn't be disappointed. There were monster differences, dialogue differences, different areas were opened to exploration, and etc. On top of that, if you met certain requirements upon game completion you unlocked two more additional scenarios, infinite ammo, or brand-new weapons.
Now, imagine all that coupled onto two disks, and given the "REmake" treatment. How do you suppose it would go? Would you be willing to pay sixty dollars for it? I know I would!
