Resident Evil 2

At the time of its release, Resident Evil 2 was a highly anticipated blockbuster title, following a genre defining predecessor inspired by classic Romero films.  It broke little ground in terms of gameplay, but was a masterful success in video game storytelling and visuals.

The visuals in this survival horror sequel were improved fairly dramatically over the original game, adding far more detail to the enivronment and exceptionally memorable characters.  The effects of the considerable amount of violence in the game were improved, graphically detailing physical reactions to bullet wounds and handling gore much more efficiently for a game centered around the concept.

The story in this game is also something of a marvel still today.  It features protagonists Leon Kennedy as he enters Raccoon City for his first night as a rookie police officer, and Claire Redfield as she comes into town searching for her missing brother.

While cutscenes and dialogue (which were improved over the campy voice work in Resident Evil) are often found few and far between, the effectiveness of the scenes really weigh in.  The game features two distinct scenarios between Leon and Claire, completion of either one offering you the chance to play through the game as the opposite character would have experienced things.  This all combines for a total of four unique scenarios, all of them at least slightly different from the other.

Gameplay wise, Resident Evil 2 is unchanged from its 1996 predecessor, featuring tank-like controls used to provoke an artificial sense of fear into the player.  Various essential items in the game, such ink ribbon (used to save the game) and ammunition are limited, forcing the player to sometimes avoid conflict with the undead when necessary. 

Like the original Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2 also features the across-the-field style of puzzle solving, often forcing you to run back to the opposite side of the overall play space in order to solve a puzzle and get access to areas that are required to move ahead in the game.  It doesn't feature quite as many of these nuisances, and it offers significantly more short cuts, but it's definitely still an irritating gameplay flaw.

Bottom line, Resident Evil 2 was a great success for its time, and still makes for a fun afternoon if you never got around to picking it up and playing it when it was originally released.  The dated visuals and control scheme may work to turn some away, but those that stick around are in for a treat.