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Resident Evil 2 (Japanese: バイオハザード２, Biohazard 2) is a survival horror game by Capcom originally released for the PlayStation in 1998 and the second instalment in their Resident Evil series. It was later ported to the PC, Nintendo 64, Sega Dreamcast and Nintendo GameCube.

Plot Synopsis

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Set shortly after the events in Resident Evil 1, this title's plot revolves around the devastation of Raccoon City after Umbrella fails to confine the virus to the lab. Leon S. Kennedy, a rookie police officer on his first day, and Claire Redfield, a college student looking for her S.T.A.R.S. brother Chris, arrive in Raccoon City and must survive the horror long enough to get back out.

Supporting cast on this outing includes Dr. William Birkin (the scientist responsible for spreading the virus); police chief Brian Irons (the inside operative for Umbrella); a Chinese woman named Ada Wong (a foreign spy who works for the "Agency"); lost child Sherry Birkin; and Sherry's searching mother, Annette Birkin. There are also two hidden characters named Hunk and Tofu (see below). Only Hunk is featured in the game's normal storyline, as Tofu is a joke character.

Development history

After the surprise success of the original Resident Evil, Capcom immediately began the development of a sequel. The first public showing of Resident Evil 2 was at the Tokyo Game Show '96, only a few months after the originals release. Resident Evil 2, in contrast to the original, would take place in the more urban setting of a police station. The main characters were to be Leon S. Kennedy, a police officer, and Elza Walker, a college student.

Resident Evil 2 was initially scheduled for a March, 1997 release but as the release date approached, producer Shinji Mikami and the development staff were unsatisfied with the direction the game was taking. Rather than release a game they were unsatisfied with, Capcom took the risk of cancelling the nearly-completed version of Resident Evil 2 (dubbed Resident Evil 1.5 by fans) and started again from scratch.

Yoshiki Okamoto hired Japanese TV writer Noboru Sugimura as a story consultant. Sugimura had formed Flagship with Okamoto and wrote most of the Resident Evil games up until the release of Resident Evil 4. Several changes were made to the storyline, the most notable being the replacement of Elza Walker, considered unlikeable by Sugimura, with Claire Redfield, sister of protagonist Chris from the original game.

Since revamping Resident Evil 2 delayed the release of the game by several months, Capcom compensated the public by releasing an updated version of the original Resident Evil titled Resident Evil: Director's Cut, which came packaged with a Resident Evil 2 demo.

Resident Evil 2 was finally released on January, 1998 in North America and Japan and garnered generally positive reviews from the press.

Gameplay

The biggest difference between Resident Evil 2 and the original was the addition of the Zapping System. Like in the original, the player has the choice between two characters: Leon and Claire. Unike the original, where both characters' scenarios were self-contained, Resident Evil 2 allows the player to play through the first scenario with either character and then play the second scenario with the other character. Although, both scenarios take place simultaneously storywise, some of the actions performed by the player during the first scenario will affect the player's surroundings in the second scenario (including access to certain areas). As a result, player can play through one of four possible scenarios depending on the order of characters they choose (Leon A and Claire B, or Claire A and Leon B).

The game also features a grading system based on speed of completion, and the type of healing items used. To achieve an A grade, the game must be finished in less than three hours, and no healing sprays can be used. Using any special weapons or saving more than twelve times reduces the grade by one. The highest grade, S, is even more difficult to achieve, requiring a completion time of an hour and a half, and the use of only one green herb for healing.

The differences between both characters are more balanced out in Resident Evil 2. Both characters can hold the same amount items (eight by default) and have their own advantages and disadvantages. Claire can use a lockpick to open desks and simple locks (like Jill in the first game), while Leon has a lighter as his default item. The weapons available to both characters are different. Leon gets possession of conventional firearms such a shotgun, a Desert Eagle and a Flamethrower (along with upgradable custom parts), while Claire receives a grenade launcher (with various type of ammo), a rail gun and a crossbow.

The gameplay remained largely unchanged from the first game, although the player can now determine their character's status by their body language. If the player is in the Caution state, their character will be covering their stomach with their hand. In the Danger state, the player becomes limp (and unable to run). In this installment, the player's character also reacted to their environment by looking up or down at enemies (usually inspecting the corpses of creatures the player had slain).

The 4th Survivor

After the player completes the entire game with an A grade in both scenarios, an unlockable mini-game titled The 4th Survivor becomes available through a save file. The player controls HUNK, a surviving member of the Umbrella Secret Service that was sent to retrieve the G-Virus (as seen during one of the game's FMV sequence). The objective is to reach the extraction point on the roof of the RPD Precint from the sewers. Standing between HUNK and his goal are the hallways and corridors of the RPD, all filled with the remaining mutants and creatures from the outbreak. The player must defent their character with only the limited ammunition that is initially provided at the start of the mini-game.

A harder version of the same mini-game, titled The 豆腐 (Tôfu) Survivor, becomes available after the player completes the main game thrice, with an A grade each time on both scenarios. Instead of HUNK, the player controls a joke character named TOFU, a giant piece of tofu armed only with a knife.

• 1998 computer and video games
• Dreamcast games
• GameCube games
• PlayStation games
• Resident Evil games