Resident Evil 2

No introduction needs to be made for this absolute classic game. Devolped by Capcom and joint published by Capcom and Virgin Interactive, Resident Evil 2 was released on the Dreamcast on April 28, 2000. Produced by survival horror master Shinji Mikami, it was the sequel to the groundbreaking Resident Evil on the Playstation, and it took survival horror and visuals to the next level, building on the fantastic gameplay that had been such genius in the original.
Readers will have to excuse my near fanboy ramblings that may crop up in this 'review' because Resident Evil 2 is one of my most favourite titles in the gaming world. (Not to mention one of my most played, clocking up well over 50 playthroughs and counting.)
It all kicks off on September 27, 1998, as the citizens of Raccoon City have been turned into zombies by a biological weapon known as the T-virus. Leon Kennedy turns up on his first day at work as a rookie Racoon Police Department officer to find the city in chaos, and no doubt thinking to himself, 'Hm this wasn't in the brochure!' Alongside him is the ever versatile Claire who has come in search of her brother Chris, a member of the S.T.A.R.S team who has disappeared.
A battle for survival through hoards of zombies, mutant Lickers, leprous dogs, giant spiders and the persistant (but unnervingly cool) Birkin monster ensues and it is truly a hard-to-put-down game. From deserted streets to distant moans from zombies this has a unique atmosphere, making it truly plausible that armageddon has arrived.
It is a 2 disc affair and players get to battle through as both Leon AND Claire, not only that but both characters have 2 scenarios (A & B) so there is a huge replay value here and to get to know the entire story, which is all intertwined, you must play through every scenario. Its a touch of class and as you play through one characters story, you see it affecting the others scenario. Brilliant!
When I first got this game (albeit for Playstation) I couldn't put it down for months, I was hooked immediately by its gorgeous looks and immersive story/atmosphere. Sure the controls are not 100% fluid but personally they have always been more than satisfying for me despite gripes from other critics.
Also each character has a NPC to look after: Leon has the sultry Ada Wong whilst Claire has the token child-in-need Sherrie Birkin (daughter of Dr William Birkin who evolves into Birkin Monster the games ultimate baddie.) Some non player characters can be annoying and accident prone but in Resident Evil 2 they were no problem and followed without hazard.
Everything feels right in this fabulous title and I am not alone in its praise. And added bonus for Dreamcast owners is the enhanced visuals which to this Dreamcast/Resi Evil 2 fanatic is the added cherry on top of an already outstanding trifle!
Later chapters in the series (RE4 & RE5) have discarded the classic shuffling zombies in favour of plague infected models capable of sprinting and in doing so have stripped away the zombie element which made it such a brilliant game. But they are certainly present here, from police zombies to shuffling dead girls in sport sneakers and shorts. This is Resident Evil at its very best and only a fool (or a zombie) would choose to ignore it.
On auction sites and depending on the platform, Resi Evil 2 can be bought for anything inbetween £7 to £15 (I recently payed £8 for my copy on Dreamcast) but even at the higher prices its still chump change because this is one of the best installments in the survival horror genre and certainly has tons of replay value. Go on, take a bite!! Outstanding.