Rumors of a Resident Evil 2 remake were confirmed to be true during Sony's E3 2018 presentation, when Capcom announced that the project was indeed in development. While the news itself was buzz-worthy enough, E3 attendees were also treated to a playable demo featured at Capcom's booth, supplemented by an announcement trailer and a lengthy gameplay trailer.

Today, Capcom unveiled the new gameplay footage in stunning 4k resolution, showing a fully modernized version of the 1998 classic - smoother, better-looking, and scarier than ever seen before.

The presentation alone is proof enough of Capcom's ambition, the character models, environments, and soundtrack updated to 2018 standards. As terrifying as Resident Evil 2 has always been, playing through the game in such detail, and through a new over-the-shoulder perspective, looks like an absolutely paralyzing experience. Right up until the end, it's a thrilling re-imagination of one of Resident Evil's most memorable scenes.

The remake of Resident Evil 2 may have ditched the fixed camera angles and muddy graphics of yesteryear, but Capcom's new gameplay trailer is still a welcome return home for the beloved franchise. Leon is still rocking his late '90s hairdo and R.P.D. uniform, and the iconic Raccoon City Police Department looks better than ever. For a remake of a 20-year-old game, this is about as faithful as it gets.

Fans should expect light changes to level design, sequences, and dialogue. Make no mistake, this isn't a shot-for-shot remake, but instead a project built from the ground up, pulling from the source material when possible and updating the experience to best appeal to modern audiences where necessary.

Gameplay mechanics have evolved a lot over the 20 years since Resident Evil 2's release, and Capcom is keeping with the pace by adding new ways to play the game in 2018. In one instance, gameplay footage revealed a new method of dispatching zombies. By tactically dismembering the undead monsters, players can immobilize and destroy zombies using precision targeting and deliberate response timing.

Capcom has been more than generous about providing in-engine footage to eager fans, offering detailed glimpses into the remake's mechanics and presentation. It's about as much as can be expected for a game that was only just announced last week, although surely a playable public demo would be more than welcome.

The remake of Resident Evil 2 will release January 25, 2019.