CONSOLE REVIEW; Resident Evil II (Virgin) PlayStation

Matt Jenkins
Friday 08 May 1998 23:02 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Video games have become very big business and, if anyone felt inclined to doubt this, Resident Evil II would quickly settle the matter, with worldwide sales reaching almost 3 million just six weeks after launch. Now, this might be a depressing indication that games are going the way of Hollywood blockbusters, were it not for the fact that Resident Evil II is not just good, but absolutely fantastic.

The player takes control of either Leon, a rookie cop, or Claire, a young woman searching for her brother, as they pitch up on the zombie-infested streets of Raccoon City. You have to guide them to safety through locations such as the police department and the sewers, while solving puzzles and bumping off monsters along the way.

This may sound rather close to the format of the original Resident Evil, but everything has been cranked up to produce a truly immersive experience. The lush graphics enhance the genuinely scary atmosphere and the plot (which involves genetic experimentation and shady corporations) drags you along. The mutating monsters are also suitably gross.

There is a downside, though, for the puzzles are ridiculously simple to solve and the whole game does not take long to complete. However, there are still things to do, since once you complete the game using one character, you can load up the "B" version of the other character, which provides a different route through the game and puts a huge corporate thug on your trail.

Resident Evil II may be over far too quickly, but it's arguably the best game available for the PlayStation.

On release, pounds 44.99

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in