DISCLAIMERS:
- the demo was played on the Xbox One S using the version of the demo intended for United States audiences
Two weeks before the release of the full Resident Evil 2 (remake), Capcom released the RESIDENT EVIL 2 1-Shot Demo. The demo appears to be essentially the same as the one that was playable at E3 2018, with an added thirty minute timer that locks the player out of the game when time runs out. In this article, the reviewer will give their impressions of their first experience with Resident Evil 2.
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The main gameplay of Resident Evil 2 involves shooting and stabbing, solving puzzles, and managing the inventory. Leon (the only playable character in the demo) controls well, and his movement speed is fitting for the horror aspect of the game. Leon’s shooting also controls well, but the reticle is purposefully too large when Leon starts moving to increase the sense of panic when the player is attacked. There are many settings in the options menu that allow the player to choose how hard aiming should be. The knife also works well and is a good showcase of one of Resident Evil 2’s greatest gameplay additions. Shooting and stabbing zombies visibly damages them, and causes them to change their behavior based on which limbs they have remaining. Zombies also move unpredictably, adding to the challenge of aiming at the spots the player wants to. The reviewer did find that the dead bodies which attack you as zombies when up close were too obvious, but that is likely a result of the demo only being an early part of the game. The reviewer did not have much experience with puzzles, but what they did find were rather well executed, but nothing spectacular. The returning inventory management system from the original Resident Evil 2 is also executed rather well. Players have to consider the position of the items in their inventory, combine items to achieve the best possible result, and make decisions on what to keep when they discover item boxes and places to drop items.
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Again, Capcom’s RE Engine that debuted in Resident Evil 7 impresses. Resident Evil 2 is easily one of the best looking games of the current console generation, though it does not offer the same open environments that are commonly featured in many games in the current console generation. As all RE Engine games have so far, Resident Evil 2 also targets 60 FPS, but with less success. This is likely because the game features so many graphical effects and highly detailed objects in the environment. The base Xbox One and Xbox One S seem to suffer the most from this, frequently running not far above 30 FPS. The loading times also seem well optimized in this demo at least. The options menu features a rather extensive list of settings, with some of them providing increased immersion that also make the game more difficult.
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In terms of sound Resident Evil 2 also preforms rather well. There are, of course, remakes of some classic songs from the original Resident Evil 2 present. The lack of music in generally safe areas that quickly changes to suspenseful horror movie style music when zombies begin attacking Leon helps to heighten the player’s sense of panic when caught off guard incoming zombies. Voice acting is present, and every performance the reviewer came across in the demo was executed well.
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There is not really enough plot or world building in the demo for those elements to be worthy of being commented on, but the game seems to be rather faithful to the original Resident Evil 2’s story, though with greatly improved presentation and acting.
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The demo lets the player play it one time for thirty minutes, and then it can never be played again on that Xbox, PlayStation, or Steam account.
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Still, the demo is worth the 7.02 GB download (on Xbox One) and the one thirty minute playthrough, though people who plan to buy the game and don’t want to get spoiled on anything should probably avoid playing this demo.
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If you decide to purchase this game through one of the links below this blog will receive a commission.
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