Capcom raised some eyebrows when they recently polled fans about what they would want from the long-demanded remake of fan-favourite survival-horror game, Resident Evil 2. At the time, the survey was billed as being purely hypothetical, but now, Capcom has made a special announcement today, revealing that plans are now underway to develop a full-blown remake of Resident Evil 2 for modern platforms!
It should be noted that this ‘remake’ is actually a true remake in this case, not simply an HD remaster of a game that was already realized on prior platforms, as with this past January’s Resident Evil remake’s HD remaster, and next year’s upcoming HD remaster of Resident Evil Zero, both simple HD touch-ups of games that were originally designed for the Nintendo GameCube. Resident Evil 2 is being entirely redesigned and rebuilt from the ground up however, to take advantage of the full capabilities of modern HD gaming platforms. It will be an experience similar to the GameCube remake of the original Resident Evil then, which completely overhauled the visuals and gameplay in contrast to the original 1996 release, only this time, for Resident Evil 2 instead!
The Resident Evil 2 remake is only now entering the early stages of development, and Capcom cautions that it will be a while before we hear another update on the project. The project is confirmed to be overseen by Yoshiaki Hirobayashi however, who served as lead producer of the HD re-release for the Resident Evil remake this year. Beyond that, nothing is known, including which platforms the game is in development for, though it’s a good bet that it’s being planned for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, given the series’ recent stomping grounds.
Resident Evil 2 originally released for the PlayStation back in 1998, where it went on to become one of the most beloved Resident Evil games and PlayStation games of all time. Less than a year later, an enhanced ‘Dual Shock Edition’ was released for PlayStation, which added in support for the then-new analog sticks in the PlayStation’s upgraded Dual Shock controller, as well as an easier difficulty setting, with this version now being sold on the PS One Classics line of the PlayStation Store for $5.99, where it’s playable on PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita. Resident Evil 2 also saw ports for PC, Nintendo 64 and Sega Dreamcast, as well as a drastic downscaled edition for Tiger’s ill-fated handheld, the Game.com, and the game most recently released for the Nintendo GameCube in 2003, if you don’t count the emulated PlayStation Store release of the original PlayStation build.
Resident Evil 2 unfolds with two separate character campaigns, one for college student, Claire Redfield, and one for rookie cop, Leon S. Kennedy, each of which is contained on a separate disc in the flagship PlayStation release. The game involves a widespread viral outbreak across the fictional burg of Raccoon City, with players forced to try and survive hordes of zombies and mutant creatures as they try to flee the city, while hopefully also uncovering the mystery of why the dangerous T-virus was unleashed in the first place. Originally, the game was planned to be the series finale, though its climactic prototype was re-tooled when Capcom didn’t wish to abandon the series so early, with Resident Evil obviously still being one of Capcom’s most lucrative and successful franchises today.
Keep fleeing to Eggplante for all news and updates on the Resident Evil 2 remake, and other developments in the Resident Evil series.