Resident Evil 2

 PlayStation
User Score
9.3

Universal acclaim- based on 1168 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,092 out of 1168
  2. Mixed: 49 out of 1168
  3. Negative: 27 out of 1168
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  1. Backstrom
    Feb 20, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is one of the best games in the genre, and of the best games for the PS1 ever. It's slightly more action-oriented than the more scary RE1, but it doesn't make it lesser of a game. The action-horror atmosphere actually fits very well, but maybe it could have been slightly better if it was a teeny tiny bit more scary. Who knows. The music and the sound effects are excellent and gives the game an eerie atmosphere. The dialogue is kinda cheesy, but that's the way I like it. It has a lot of puzzle-solving which is a good thing, and it has interesting environments and characters. 2 separate characters with 2 separate scenarios each (granted the scenarios aren't very different from one another), and an extra mini-game with Hunk and Tofu gives this game a great replay-value. Plenty of interesting bosses including: alligator, Mr X., different mutations of William Birkin, G-Virus' "Offspring", the Moth (although not really a boss). 1-2 more boss-fights had been perfect though. I think Chief Irons had made a good boss, imagine a boss-fight with a human who isn't infected by some kind of virus, blasting away with a hunting rifle, and setting off traps (he enjoyed hunting) during the fight. A boss-fight against one of Hunk's team members would have been nice too. A G-virus mutated mercenary with a machine gun. Plenty of different monsters such as: a few different kind of zombies (but where are all the children zombies?), 2 kind of lickers, 2 kind of walking plants, spiders, dogs (where are all the cats though?), crows. Cats and snakes (there are only sissy snakes, and few of them) would have been cool. Some kind of different bird would have been nice, since there are only crows/ravens/whatever. Summary: A solid 10, it is everything that a Resident Evil should be, and I will NEVER get tired of this game. I still remember the first time I saw this game, it was when I watched my friend play the RE2 demo, which his older brother had got from his copy of RE 1 Dir. Cut. I was awe-struck and deeply fascinated when i watched my friend play it. It's more than 10 years later now, and the fascination of this game hasn't decreased,… Expand
  2. tsakiym
    May 21, 2015
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I do not have to say anything. But i need to write one hundred and fifty characters. i think my score can describe it.................................… Expand
  3. Maximo
    Sep 12, 2011
    8
    A king among survival horror game genre. A feast for those who like to be scared and a must buy for RE 1 fans. The atmosphere is brilliant, gameplay may not suit everybody since the control scheme is deliberately frustrating. Add to that constant strive for ammo, zombies and mutatns jumping out from nowhere and the creepy enviroments and you have a **** for making you constantly scared ****
  4. lxliNsAniTylxl
    Jun 2, 2013
    10
    To me Resident Evil 2 and 4 are tied for the best and my personal favorite, not just because Leon is awesome in both, but the gameplay was just wow. I literally can play these two games over and over and over. They're that addicting. I love them. Now focusing on 2. 2 starts out where Leon is supposed to go to the RPD for a party. First day on the job is always supposed to be the worstTo me Resident Evil 2 and 4 are tied for the best and my personal favorite, not just because Leon is awesome in both, but the gameplay was just wow. I literally can play these two games over and over and over. They're that addicting. I love them. Now focusing on 2. 2 starts out where Leon is supposed to go to the RPD for a party. First day on the job is always supposed to be the worst anyway, well yeah it was a bad day for Leon. The opening scenes put you in suspense and it never stopped. When it got quite I got real scared as a kid not going to lie. I was terrified, but I beat the game. I even bought it for my ps3. This game also really intrigued me. It was a long long campaign. I just love this game so much it's ridiculous. 2 and 4 of the Resident Evil franchise are my favorite games of all time.… Expand
  5. kyriores
    Aug 30, 2013
    10
    Long long ago, when the Resident Evil series was an adventure/horror series and not an action/shooter series, Capcom actually knew how to make good games. Resident Evil 2 is one of them. It's plot is simple, yet intriguing. The game is one of the most atmospheric games of this era and even though it's quite old, you can still tell that it is well designed. The gameplay is excellent asLong long ago, when the Resident Evil series was an adventure/horror series and not an action/shooter series, Capcom actually knew how to make good games. Resident Evil 2 is one of them. It's plot is simple, yet intriguing. The game is one of the most atmospheric games of this era and even though it's quite old, you can still tell that it is well designed. The gameplay is excellent as well. Need I say more? This game is a classic.… Expand
  6. RevilLand
    Sep 30, 2013
    9
    A great sequence of the first game, introduces others great characters, with a good storyline and graphics, this makes Resident Evil one big franchise in the world of games.
  7. elitefour
    Oct 21, 2013
    10
    Resident evil 2 is the best resident evil of franchise
    one of the scariest game of my childhood
    i love it
    is one my favourite games of ps1 and n64
    i love it
  8. fijiboy
    May 2, 2014
    10
    survival horror wise, this is the best game in the franchise. the scariest, the most challenging, and of course the tyrant, which isn't quite as cool as nemesis, but whatever. quite possibly the greatest survival horror game ever
  9. talos97651
    Aug 30, 2015
    10
    this ar one of of the best game of the original ps1 and one the best survival horror of all time i recomend it if you like the horror games and great classic games
  10. Barnes1987
    Mar 6, 2017
    10
    Capcom stepped up their game with Resident Evil 2 and created an amazing game that is one of the best if not the best in the series. A must play game.
  11. drlowdon
    Jul 28, 2013
    8
    For me Resident Evil 2 remains the best game in the series (other than arguably the fourth installment but that took the series in a different direction) and easily ranks amongst the best games of its generation. Building upon the foundations of the original very few titles to this day have been able to invoke such a sense of dread and isolation, the game making brilliant use of fixedFor me Resident Evil 2 remains the best game in the series (other than arguably the fourth installment but that took the series in a different direction) and easily ranks amongst the best games of its generation. Building upon the foundations of the original very few titles to this day have been able to invoke such a sense of dread and isolation, the game making brilliant use of fixed camera angles to make sure the play never knows what is around the next corner.

    Of course the graphics and some of the gameplay elements, such as 'bullet sponge' bosses and B-movie scripts, may be outdated now but if you own a PSone or PS2 this is still worth digging out for an idea of what a survival horror game should be like.    … Expand
  12. Thebigdeal324
    Jul 6, 2013
    9
    Gave the original Resident Evil a 9 also, but I do like Resident Evil 2 a little bit more. This game improves and builds on all the the greatness of the first. Still hate the controls.
  13. Rox22
    Mar 22, 2013
    9
    Absolutely fantastic. It improved on the original in every way and tried many new ideas that have yet to be topped. One of the few games that has successfully made me jump and kept me on the edge of my seat. Great story, fantastic characters, brilliant visuals and highly memorable gameplay. Overall: While it is my favorite of the series, it still isn't the best and does suffer from someAbsolutely fantastic. It improved on the original in every way and tried many new ideas that have yet to be topped. One of the few games that has successfully made me jump and kept me on the edge of my seat. Great story, fantastic characters, brilliant visuals and highly memorable gameplay. Overall: While it is my favorite of the series, it still isn't the best and does suffer from some minor flaws, but at least the voice acting has improved to tolerable levels.… Expand
  14. JackTbug
    Jun 23, 2016
    10
    re2 is a best ps1 game, it's made by capcom, in claire's quest you also control sherry birkin, she's a cutest character ever just like chris thorndyke from sonic x, in leon's quest you also control ada wong, i recommend re2.
  15. SkeletonBones
    Aug 9, 2017
    10
    The best part in the game series is Resident Evil in my opinion. This game was released in 1998 and still knows how to surprise and the most important thing for the genre of this game is to scare !!
  16. RECON-UK
    Oct 9, 2016
    10
    Not many franchises get sequels that improve on the first game in every aspect.
    This is what makes Resident Evil 2 so special. Improved visuals, sounds, voices, FMV's.
    2 entirely different characters to choose from, yeah that is what is available to you at the start of Resident Evil 1, but Resident Evil 2 links the two players together into Scenario A and Scenario B. If played the    Not many franchises get sequels that improve on the first game in every aspect.
    This is what makes Resident Evil 2 so special. Improved visuals, sounds, voices, FMV's.
    2 entirely different characters to choose from, yeah that is what is available to you at the start of Resident Evil 1, but Resident Evil 2 links the two players together into Scenario A and Scenario B.
    If played the conventional way (LEON A, then onto CLAIRE B) you will get the best experience from Resident Evil 2, however you are not limited to that way, you can Claire A and LEON B.

    For the more experienced gamer you are able to achieve an A rank (European & USA release only, JAPAN is far easier and gives an S rank)
    The rank is awarded to the player with the best play through of the scenario's, complete both play through's under 3 hours and you unlock goodies! you also get a 3rd scenario known as 4th survivor in which you control Hunk (the guy in the William Birkin FMV sequence who asks for the G-Virus sample where he injects himself)

    If you finish the game 6 times going from scenario to scenario you unlock TOFU which is a joke scenario where you play as a piece of Tofu.

    This sequel brought so much for us RE fans that it deserves number 1 spot in my mind.

    This game has excellent versions other than the original release too, and my personal fave being the Dreamcast release which is the PC port with the most features (if you exclude N64's EX files & gore changer)
    The Playstation got the Dual Shock edition which makes the Dual Shock controller compatible with RE2 and gives the rumble function, it also includes Extreme Battle mode.

    The DC release has an arrange mode like the Dual Shock edition except has Expert and Nightmare modes which are the hardest version of RE2 on any release bar the PC version (PC port to DC).

    For the best FMV quality you want either the Gamecube or PC SourceNext editions, however SN version is Japan only and the Gamecube version lacks game play features from the DC / PC releases.

    I hope you enjoyed this read, thinking of playing it? it's an experience you won't forget!    … Expand
  17. SkeM
    Jun 9, 2014
    9
    Check out top 10 scary moments and all bosses in Leon (A) scenario here:
    http://youtu.be/297OpjJl8mA
    About a game: it is easier than RE1, but it provides more action. Also you have 4 possible scenarios (Leon A, Leon B, Claire A, Claire B). No need to speak about atmosphere, it is as it should be; great! There are riddles that aren't hard, but give a nice touch to the game. In the    Check out top 10 scary moments and all bosses in Leon (A) scenario here:
    http://youtu.be/297OpjJl8mA

    About a game: it is easier than RE1, but it provides more action. Also you have 4 possible scenarios (Leon A, Leon B, Claire A, Claire B). No need to speak about atmosphere, it is as it should be; great!
    There are riddles that aren't hard, but give a nice touch to the game. In the police station, a place where you run into while being chased by zombies at a beginning, you try to find a shelter thinking it is safe, but how wrong can you be... I don't know what to say about this game and be original. It can't be written briefly, you simply need to play it by yourself to find out what's this game like.    … Expand
  18. redparadox85
    Sep 17, 2013
    10
    This was the first survival horror I played and it will always hold a place in my heart. The game overall was an instrument of perfection (well of course there's the cliche voice acting) and having multiple scenarios on multiple discs made this a thunderous experience. Most notable for introducing Leon and Claire, as well as the infamous Licker.
  19. solo-kreep
    Nov 16, 2013
    10
    i remember the first day i played this 15 years ago. i remember those exact words, (we finally beat it!) only 5 years old when i first beat re2 and 3. resident evil series will always be on my game list, even when ps5 and 6 come out. people gona play Cod Bo 3 and 4 while im playing games not for entertainment, but also to reminisce to. I will never forget who Capcom is.
  20. Ramiro1992
    Jun 4, 2014
    9
    The best survival horror and the best psx ever made.
    This is not a formal review, but i need to say that Resident Evil 2 was the best game that i played in my life, from my childhood, in my old ps1. and now years after i still loving that masterpiece, my score is 9.5, but i give it the 10, it's a shame that resident evil 6 is a disaster with no horror, those where the days. I am looking    The best survival horror and the best psx ever made.
    This is not a formal review, but i need to say that Resident Evil 2 was the best game that i played in my life, from my childhood, in my old ps1. and now years after i still loving that masterpiece, my score is 9.5, but i give it the 10, it's a shame that resident evil 6 is a disaster with no horror, those where the days. I am looking forward to play Biohazard Value Plus for the Dreamcast, this game make me love the ps1 and teach me what the true horror means. Thank you Capcom.    … Expand
  21. jelikey
    Sep 10, 2015
    9
    Jay D.... You gave this game a zero. Seriously. A zero. People like you who should've been born with no hands so they can't get access to a computer. The least you could do is give information as to WHY you feel this game deserves a 0. But no. You just say "the original is still the best" and slap a 0 on it. While I really think this game deserves a solid 9, I'm giving it a 10 becauseJay D.... You gave this game a zero. Seriously. A zero. People like you who should've been born with no hands so they can't get access to a computer. The least you could do is give information as to WHY you feel this game deserves a 0. But no. You just say "the original is still the best" and slap a 0 on it. While I really think this game deserves a solid 9, I'm giving it a 10 because every little bit helps to make up for your stupidity.… Expand
  22. foxviewchannel
    Jan 7, 2015
    9
    Resident Evil 2 elevated everything the original Resident Evil did with a better story, gameplay and better graphics. I always was at the edge of my seat while playing Resident Evil 2 because of its tense, well-made puzzles and satisfying gameplay.
  23. Joker92
    Oct 7, 2015
    10
    Loved this game when I was a child and it first came out, and I still love it now. A masterpiece and forerunner in survival horror. If for whatever reason you haven't picked this gem up, then you need to and find out what you've been missing out on!
  24. BigBossHayabusa
    Aug 26, 2015
    10
    Resident evil 2 has great graphics for the time including amazing cut scenes. Best game play of the entire RE franchise with 4 being a close 2nd. Tons of replay value with different scenarios and modes to try. excellent balance between you and your enemies including the lickers which are new to this game. The survival is difficult but not unfair. although it may be considered easier than 1Resident evil 2 has great graphics for the time including amazing cut scenes. Best game play of the entire RE franchise with 4 being a close 2nd. Tons of replay value with different scenarios and modes to try. excellent balance between you and your enemies including the lickers which are new to this game. The survival is difficult but not unfair. although it may be considered easier than 1 or 3, it isn't easy. The game has lots of atmosphere and scares to keep you on your toes through the entire experience. With all the awards and replay value this game will keep you coming back until you realize that this is not just an amazing game, but a legendary one.
    10/10    … Expand
  25. j0sete
    Jun 8, 2016
    10
    Mi primer viedojuego de miedo, que mal lo pasaba jugando, pero había algo que me hacía seguir jugando hasta el final. Lo jugaba en una tele pequeña de tubo en blanco y negro para más inri, creo que este juego es uno de los culpables que mi vista ahora sea regular, pero lo bien que disfruté matando zombies, los sutos que te esperaban en cada esquina y la resolución de los puzzles meMi primer viedojuego de miedo, que mal lo pasaba jugando, pero había algo que me hacía seguir jugando hasta el final. Lo jugaba en una tele pequeña de tubo en blanco y negro para más inri, creo que este juego es uno de los culpables que mi vista ahora sea regular, pero lo bien que disfruté matando zombies, los sutos que te esperaban en cada esquina y la resolución de los puzzles me engancharon. Una de las cosas que me gustaba era que el juego está vivo, tras ver algo que ha pasado en una zona de la ciudad, vuelves tras un tiempo, verás que las cosas han cambiado(me encantaría dar un ejemplo pero sería spoiler).
    Lo dicho, un gran juego que no puedes pasar la ocasión de jugarlo.    … Expand
  26. GLaDOS-b
    Feb 26, 2017
    10
    This is arguably the best Resident Evil in the entire series and one of the best horror games ever made. Everything is perfect in this game from the atmosphere, the level design, enemies, and soundtrack. If you are looking for an amazing survival-horror game, then this is a very good choice.
  27. TheoneTrueKing
    Nov 6, 2017
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This was my favorite Resident Evi game. The best monster, super tyrant has always been my favorite tyrant and he was obviously the inspiration for Nemesis. Claire is one of the best female protagonists in games and this is her debut. Love the idea of a loving sibling trying to save the hero sibling who saves everyone else.… Expand
  28. PiranhaG.
    Sep 13, 2003
    9
    Another resident evil good game. But the puzzles are so dumb and easy...
  29. ChrnoTodd
    Nov 4, 2011
    10
    One of the best gmes i've played. The Soundtrack, cutescenes, characters and history.... everything in this game is epic. Probably the best Resident Evil and one of the best games of Capcom.
  30. Peteypoo
    Feb 22, 2012
    10
    As ChrisM put so well this is getting a 10 for me to compensate for JayD abusing the rating system. Would have given it a 9 otherwise. This game frightened the crap out of me and despite a lot of very annoying issues with camera angles, movement, battle gameplay etc. the atmosphere and visuals made it one of the most memorable games on the playstation.
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Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best PS1 Game of 1998
3
#3 Most Discussed PS1 Game of 1998
7
#7 Most Shared PS1 Game of 1998

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. GMR Magazine
    90
    Zombies running amok in Raccoon City; more B-movie voice acting running amok on your speakers. Enough to fill two disks this time! [Feb 2003, p.97]
  2. PSX Nation
    97
    The sequel elevates what was so great about the first one to a complete new level of terror.
    Read full review
  3. TotalGames.net
    96
    One of the most clever, crowd-pleasing, tense, dramatic, beautiful and playable games ever conceived.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »