Resident Evil 2
Virgin Interactive
#49.99
It's all in a day's work, escaping from a gaggle of zombies and the odd mutated animal in Raccoon City. Where Resident Evil ended so its sequel begins, with another virus spread by the evil Umbrella organisation, transforming the good burghers of Raccoon into the shuffling, moaning undead who didn't make the cut for Michael Jackson's Thriller video.
Young policeman Leon and a curvy young creature called Claire (who has the swinging ponytail if not the pneumatic body of Tomb Raider's Lara Croft) have to battle their way out of the city avoiding the fate worse than death - undeath - at the flapping hands and chomping jowls of the zombies.
There are two discs, allowing the player to choose to tackle the adventure as Leon or Claire. Use both and explore the subtle differences the makers have given in the approach to the life or death dash by the male and female characters. The thinking is different and the reactions of others to them also have variations - if, indeed a zombie can react. It is more than deserving of its 15 certificate. The beginning gives a clear warning of scenes of explicit gore but the choice is yours to make. There are genuinely frightening moments when a 28-year-old playing it jumped out of his skin.
If the gore is incidental, however, and the game playing all-important there is very little in the way of challenges that weren't in the first game.
An impressive cinematic opening sequence is a fitting preview to the pin-sharp graphics and atmospheric backdrops of the city and police department building which is the main setting for Leon and Claire's battle for survival. Even discounting the bloodshed, Resident Evil 2 is an adult game. A fair bit of zombie-blasting is required but you won't escape without solving the puzzles which give access to the keys, gadgets, and weapons which pave your way out.
Fans of the first game may only be disappointed by the fact that the similarities mean the game is a lot quicker to finish. Switching the discs and playing again in someone else's skin is a clever way of lengthening the experience.
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