After Capcom remade the original Resident Evil game with great success, fans of the franchise were hopeful that other classic games in the series would get a similar treatment. Nearly two decades passed before Capcom moved forward with a proper Resident Evil 2 remake, but many would agree that the survival-horror hit from 2019 was well worth the wait. Resident Evil 2 earned widespread acclaim at the time of its release and stands as one of the most-celebrated horror games on PS4 and Xbox One.
Resident Evil 2 updates the classic survival-horror game for modern audiences, ditching the fixed cameras of the original for a Resident Evil 4-style over-the-shoulder view. Resident Evil 2 also upgrades the graphics significantly, while tweaking some other gameplay elements. However, Resident Evil 2's most significant upgrade is arguably the inclusion of Mr. X, who has been revamped for the remake to be even scarier than he ever was before.
Resident Evil 2's Mr. X is unpredictable, capable of popping up when players least expect it and capable of doing significant damage to heroes Claire Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy. Mr. X stalks players through the Raccoon City Police Department in a manner not unlike the Xenomorph from Alien: Isolation, where he isn't completely scripted and is therefore more threatening than he would be otherwise.
Mr. X in Resident Evil 2 is easily the scariest aspect of the game, but there's plenty of other things that will terrify players when they explore zombie-ridden Raccoon City. The Resident Evil 2 remake's lickers are used for some of its most well-timed jump scares, plus the game ensures that even basic zombies pose a significant threat. As far as Resident Evil games go, the Resident Evil 2 remake is quite possibly one of the scariest to date.
Even those that played through Resident Evil 2 when it first launched may want to consider picking it back up for Halloween. Besides the opportunity to replay the game as a different character, Capcom also reached The Ghost Survivors DLC the month after launch, completely free of charge. For the uninitiated, The Ghost Survivors DLC adds new missions about various characters in the game, showing non-canon versions of their stories.
The success of the Resident Evil 2 remake saw Capcom give Resident Evil 3 a similar treatment in a game that came out earlier this year, and there are rumors that a Resident Evil 4 remake is in development as well. And if fans are lucky, maybe Resident Evil Code: Veronica will get its much-deserved remake, too.
Resident Evil 2 is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.