Resident Evil 2
Reviewed by Jordan Houston
The Resident Evil series finally makes it to the Nintendo 64 and the wait
was well worth it. I was amazed at the technological feat this game
was. Not only did they manage to cram all the information into a
cartrige that it took two CD's to hold on the Playstation but they
were also able to include all of the computer generated FMV
movies as well (I may be wrong but I think that's a first on the
Nintendo 64, at least it's the first I've seen it). Factor in expansion
pak enhanced hi-res graphics and rumble pak support and you've got
one awesome game.
Graphics 9 out of 10
The graphics on this game are excellent, even without the expansion
pak. All the backgrounds are pre-rendered(like outside the Temple of
Time on The Legend of Zelda 64) which makes for added realism. The
polygonal characters look good and the blood effects aren't half bad
either. The FMV scenes look a little blurry compared to the Playstation
version, but the fact that they were included at all makes that seem
negligible. I haven't seen the frame rate drop once yet, but if it ever
does I'm sure it wouldn't affect game play.
Music and Sound 8 out of 10
The Nintendo 64 version gives us something the Playstation version doesn't
in the sound department, Dolby Surround Sound, which makes all the
creepy effects even creepier. Every thing from the zombies moans,
to the sound of their foot dragging on the ground to the gunshots are
enough to make you jump out of your skin. Little effects like the
crunching sound when you walk over broken glass help add to the
atmosphere and the the tense music when something unexpected jumps
out at you can easily make you feel like you heart popped into your throat.
The one not so good thing is that during the FMV movies the sound is
tinny like there are talking through an aluminium can and some-not all-the
in game voices sound funny like they're muffled or something.
Game Challenge 9 out of 10
This pak has 2 difficulty modes, easy and normal. The first time I
tried the game in normal mode my pride took a boot the the head. I
died within 10 seconds. Things didn't go much better for me the next
few tries either, so I switched to easy mode. Even in easy mode it
was still a challenge.
Game Play-Fun 9 out of 10
There's enough zombie blasting' puzzle solving' and object finding' to keep
you busy for quite some time. One thing I found a little tedious at
times was walking from one side of an area to another and back again
and back and so on but it wasn't so bad once I got used to it. Other
than that it was fun enough to keep me up 5 AM on a workday.
Frustration
Like I mentioned before walking from one side to another several
times was a little frustrating, plus the normal difficulty was a little
hard to start with but other than that it wasn't that frustrating.
Replayability 10 out of 10
With the 2 original characters plus the 2 hidden characters plus
the fact that after you beat it when you play it again the items
will be moved to different locations the replay factor is high.
Game Value 10 out of 10
I am happy with my investment in the game. I got more than a
few scares out of this one. I think it is definitely worth the
money for the fun it provides.
Overall 9.5 out of 10
This is one of the best games I've played since I bought my Nintendo 64.
I would recommend it to a friend.