One of the biggest announcements at E3 2018 was the news from Capcom that Resident Evil 2, one of their most successful titles of all time, was in development for current consoles. Taking place in the metropolitan area of Raccoon City, Resident Evil 2 was a revelation when it came to the PlayStation in 1998. Featuring everything the first game had and much more, RE2 is often cited as a touchstone for fans and the game that truly catapulted it to blockbuster status.
Tank controls, slow zombies, jump scares galore, and vaseline-lens pre-rendered backgrounds – it’s all here in its 32-bit glory. As you can imagine, remaking this game is going to be a daunting task for Capcom but one that the company is taking in stride nonetheless.
Though we have almost everything we need to know about the game to get hyped, there are a few missing bits of information about RE2 that we’d like to speculate upon, chief among them being a potential VR version of the game. While Capcom translated Resident Evil 7: Biohazard into VR, do they have similar plans for their remade magnum opus in the Resident Evil series? The UK’s Daily Star tackled this and other questions concerning the Resident Evil 2 remake that is due to hit store shelves and digital stands in January 2019.
One thing that the developers were certain to emphasize with the press when they announced the game is that the storyline will largely follow what is established in RE2 with some updates here and there.
Those gamers expecting something different in the narrative might be disappointed by that news but every indication at this point signals more of everything so gamers should be heartened by the promise of learning more about one of their favorite titles.
Gameplay revealed so far seems to blend the updated RE7 gaming style and the mechanics introduced in Resident Evil 4.
One thing that struck many in the gathered E3 audience that watched Leon Kennedy make his way through the Raccoon City PD was how much more immersive the game is. No more pre-rendered backgrounds – RE2 Remake’s fully realized world is breathtakingly scary and beautiful at the same time.
Such photo-realistic visuals make one immediately question whether or not Capcom is going to put this on VR because not doing so seems like a lost opportunity given the levels of graphical fidelity in this game. The game, like RE7, really sticks to its horror roots and even seems destined to amplify those inspirations in the re-imagining of this classic title.
All of this, of course, makes the RE2 Remake the perfect candidate for a virtual reality edition and we expect that Capcom is going to take full advantage of their hard work (and spent cash) by making sure that RE2 has a VR edition shortly after or right alongside the regular version of the game.
Again, we wouldn’t feel as comfortable with this prediction if we didn’t have RE7’s virtual reality game out there in the wild. We feel confident that, given its immersion and seemingly perfect narrative, RE2 is not only going to be one of the best games of 2019 but also probably one of the best VR titles ever released.
