Resident Evil 2 Remake Main Discussion

[BG_painter]

yeah... legit....

 

[Mog]

 

[LCDR_McGarrett]

I can't describe how excited I am for this. I legally cried and almost screamed at the trailer (was 4:30 am where I live, didn't want to wake up the entire neighborhood). Will pre-order as soon as Gamestop in my country reveal the deluxe version on their site, cause I'm not sure which version they've put up yet.

 

And Leon is so cute and adorable in this version  

[Aranea Highwind]

Rely on Horror interview with the RE 2 remake producers.

 

After many years of anticipation, Capcom finally revealed the Resident Evil 2 remake during Sony’s E3 2018 press conference. It was a bit of a surreal moment for me as a fan seeing a treasured game from my childhood remade for a modern platform, and I wasn’t the only one that felt that way. Capcom gave me the opportunity to interview producers Yoshiaki Hirabayashi and Tsuyoshi Kanda, and they had a surreal moment of their own during the reveal when they could finally show the world all the hard work they’ve put into this remake. I was more than a little excited to sit down with them and chat all about the project.

Rely On Horror: Resident Evil 2 is not only arguably the most popular game in the series, but one of the most beloved games for the original PlayStation. Was there any apprehension in remaking it just based on how revered it is and the expectations that come with that fan adoration?

Yoshiaki Hirabayashi: We spent a lot of time talking about how we as RE2 fans ourselves on the team could take our memories of playing the game 20 years ago and we think we have that same perspective a lot of veteran fans do too. We really love this game, and our job is to respect the original whilst also bringing a sort of freshness to the reimagined version that lets not only veteran fans enjoy it but new players as well. But there certainly was a lot of pressure involved, lots of long debates and discussions with the team.

Rely On Horror: How about the response to the reveal trailer, has the reception been pretty positive for you?

Tsuyoshi Kanda: We were pleasantly surprised with how great and positive the reaction was. You mentioned the trailer opening with the first person perspective of a rat crawling around. This opening was a bit of strategic misdirection on our part, we wanted people watching the Sony conference to have some doubt as to what they were actually seeing. ‘What game could this possibly be?’ and then the hints begin to pile up ‘is this Resident Evil? Could it be?!’ then to have that moment where Leon appears and hear gasps and cheers from the audience as the trailer went on was really great for us.

Rely On Horror: Are there any members of the development team that actually worked on the original Resident Evil 2? If so, do they offer any special input on the remake since they were there for the original game’s development?

Yoshiaki Hirabayashi: Yes we have two artists on the team that worked on the original game, and in fact one of them even worked on the very first Resident Evil and has worked on multiple titles in the series. So they’re quite specialized and experienced, and they’ve been very valuable team members. Also, from a top down direction, our boss Jun Takeuchi is an old school Resident Evil 2project manager. So we get a lot of advice/instruction from him.

Tsuyoshi Kanda:  Also on the sound team, Shusaku Uchiyama is working on the new title and he was there for the original game as well.

Rely On Horror: Since Resident Evil 2‘s release, Resident Evil has had several action-heavy focused entries such as Resident Evil 4. From what I played of the demo this remake is a faithful and pure survival horror game. Was there any point in development where you considered making the remake more action focused?

Tsuyoshi Kanda: I’m very pleased you got that impression from the demo, ’cause right from the start our goal was respecting the original’s horror atmosphere and gameplay. Resident Evil 4 and that sort of middle series of games had a more of an action/set piece focus where you’re always moving forward almost like a roller-coaster ride. That’s not what this title is, always from the start we wanted to keep it about exploration, backtracking, metroidvania style of gameplay with stages you can come and go in. You can of course use the latest technology to update that experience in lots of ways, but we never considered that this project would become an action game.

Rely On Horror: The original game had 4 different scenarios with Leon A/Claire B and Claire A/Leon B. Will Leon and Claire’s scenarios mesh more into one overarching story this time around?

Yoshiaki Hirabayashi: One of the great things about the original was this sort of two character system where you could get a different perspective on events. Either as Leon the rookie cop, or Claire as a student—the ‘zapping’ system as it was known where there was A parts and B parts to each character. We still want to replicate that feeling of seeing two sides to the same story through both character’s perspective in their own way. So for that reason we have a Leon campaign and a Claire campaign, they’re separate and you can choose which one you want to play first. We did simplify it a bit and make it more elegant by eliminating the A/B distinction and sort of meshing together what happens to the character’s A and B scenarios into one story. I think players today, they want these sort of deep/intense experiences with the story, and by stretching it across 4 scenarios the story gets spread a little thin and create a sense of repetition by going through the game multiple times to see everything. So for that reason we went with two campaigns that still show all the events of each character’s story rather than have it all split up.

Rely On Horror: Will there be other camera angles/modes with an ability to switch between them? Follow up: were tank controls and fixed camera angles considered at all?

Tsuyoshi Kanda: We’re really focused on our new over the shoulder camera, so we’re not really thinking about alternative camera options. It’s not going to be a ‘shooter’ over the shoulder game, it’s going to be a tense claustrophobic camera that still really brings the horror experience even though it’s a new style for Resident Evil 2.

 

Yoshiaki Hirabayashi: Looking at the series history so far as a sort of options on the table for what we could’ve done for a new game: we have the classic fixed camera, a third person camera, and even a first person camera with Resident Evil 7. So all of those are the sort of things we could’ve considered and they all have their pros and cons, none is a sort of clear winner for any particular game. But our concept was these up close and personal claustrophobic encounters with more terrifying than ever zombies, and I wanted to see the ‘biter’ and the ‘bitee’ on screen at the same time [Laughs]. With a first person camera, you see the zombie but not yourself; and with a fixed camera you see both but it’s more zoomed out and not as intense. For me the over the shoulder camera gives you that intense struggle between both the character and the enemy.

Rely On Horror: Resident Evil 2 has a lot of iconic enemies like Mr. X, William Birkin, and the Lickers. Did you have to update enemy mechanics to suit the OTS playstyle and combat?

Tsuyoshi Kanda: Yes, we had to reconsider the space that the characters are in with the new camera angles. Taking the Licker for example, you first meet it in the ‘Licker corridor’ and while the CG movie plays it’s on the ceiling, then when it goes back to gameplay the Licker immediately drops down to the floor so you can aim down and shoot it. With that sort of camera the Licker can’t really jump around from different angles, but with the new over the shoulder perspective the Licker can move around a 3D environment and introduce 360 degree action. So the Licker will be much more able to utilize the entire space around you because you can see the entire corridor from any angle. It allows for much more elaborate and interesting enemy AI and behavior.

Rely On Horror: How did they consider the fact that the game takes place in the ’90s and did they intentionally try to keep that aesthetic?

Yoshiaki Hirabayashi: We’ve re-imagined the game but we aren’t rebooting it in the modern era, it’s still set in the same 1998ish period that the original came out in. So there needed to be care taken that objects in the game make sense for that time period. So even the music you might hear on the radio, we want to make sure none of it sounds modern or not of the era. Just before I left for E3 I was driving in my car and Nirvana came on, grunge was obviously very popular in the 90s and I was reminded how important it is to use objects or sounds to help establish a certain period of time.

Rely On Horror: You have an Elza Walker costume. Are there other ideas from Resident Evil 1.5making it in?

Yoshiaki Hirabayashi:  The digital deluxe edition does include an Elza Walker costume for Claire, which was a fun little touch to do because some fans might’ve seen Resident Evil 1.5 and wanted to experience bit of that. In general though, apart from that we haven’t included 1.5 stuff just because people don’t have memories of that or nostalgia for it.

 

Rely On Horror: Resident Evil 2 is very special to a lot of people, myself included, do you have anything you’d like to say to all the fans that’ve been waiting many years to get their hands on this remake?

 

Tsuyoshi Kanda: I really think that your readers and all the fans that’ve waited so long for Resident Evil 2 to be remade will love this reimagined version. Playing this beautiful looking new game whilst having your memories of the original flash back to you as you’re playing is quite special. We are fans too, and we’ve been really excited to bring this to you. It’s been a long time coming, so look forward to our updates between now and January and I really hope you all enjoy the game.

 

Yoshiaki Hirabayashi:  So we’ve kept you waiting, huh? Yes, I’m speaking as a producer right now, but my first game on PS1 was Resident Evil 2 as well. I know how much everyone loves it because I love it as well, and I’m also confident this is what you’ve been waiting for and you’re going to enjoy this new reimagined version.

We extend our thanks to Hirabayashi-san and Kanda-san for their time. Keep a look out for my hands-on preview within the coming days!

 

http://www.relyonhorror.com/in-depth/interviews/e3-2018-interview-resident-evil-2-producers-yoshiaki-hirabayashi-and-tsuyoshi-kanda-explain-how-they-do-it/

Edited June 17, 2018 by Aranea Highwind

[Senbon Kaguya]

The game looks really good, amazing in fact. I just want the damn demo already lol. Watching so many people play it hurts my soul, and January can't come fast enough.

[Aranea Highwind]

Another interview with Resident Evil 2 producers has been published.

 

One of the things about “Resident Evil 2” that really grabbed my attention growing up was George Romero’s involvement with “Biohazard 2’s” marketing in Japan. What struck me as I was playing this remake of “Resident Evil 2” was that the tone and tenor very much reminded me of the Romero “Dead” films, including the ramp-up of the gore. “Resident Evil” has always been a pretty graphic series, but never like this, especially with the abdominal dismemberment in particular (editor’s note: this is a zombie movie trope in which a character is torn apart at the abdomen/torso, one of the more gruesome motifs in horror films), which are sort of quintessentially George Romero. So I was wondering if that lineage had any influence on the direction you’re taking with the remake, and where you’re coming from with this.

 

Yoshiaki Hirabayashi: You know your stuff, with the Japanese adverts. Since the original games were influenced by the Romero films, indirectly, that influence may come into play here. But our main goal is taking the original, classic title and trying to reimagine it for an entirely new audience.

 

What do you think are the defining elements of “Resident Evil 2”? In the series it is sort of unique, and the series radically reinvented itself repeatedly over the course of subsequent games with “Code Veronica” and then “Resident Evil 4.” What’s special about “Resident Evil 2” that needs to be captured in this remake?

 

Tsuyoshi Kanda: I think the game has a really great essence. It’s a survival horror experience, but it’s also got this kind of storyline and drama going on, and it’s got entertainment aspects that aren’t just about constant horror. It’s got a combination of factor, and the blend of those aspects really make it what it is. We’ve tried to respect and recapture the feel of that with the reimagined game.

 

Is this a lot of the same team that worked on “Resident Evil 7?”

 

YH: The team is really mixed in terms of their experience with previous games in the series. We do have some “Resident Evil 7” veterans, including Kanda, who was producer on the title, and myself, I’ve been working on the series since the Gamecube remaster. The directors, one of them was a “Resident Evil 2” staffer, one of them has been on the series since the original “Resident Evil,” a lot of members have been involved in various “Resident Evils.”

 

 

“Resident Evil 2 Remake” is obviously very different from “Resident Evil 7,” it’s going for something very different. And I feel like the series has a tradition of doing that. Do you think it’s important to the series that it change identity and do something different with every game? And why is that important?

 

TK: The series has changed a lot, as you mentioned. The original three games had fixed camera perspectives, and it seems like every three games or so there’s a sea change in perspective and style. We always consider as we move through the series, what is “Resident Evil,” and what is the essence of the experience we want players to have? As time moves forward and technology advances and new graphical capabilities become possible we’re always able to challenge ourselves as to what “Resident Evil” really is and things that flourish under that will be a camera system or a gameplay system. But I think the ongoing change is a constant, ongoing reexamination and reinterpretation of the essence of “Resident Evil” as a series. Especially now, when it comes to this “Resident Evil 2” title, that has an original that it’s based on, and everyone can see it and compare it, it’s really important for us to again look inside and ask “What is the essence of ‘Resident Evil 2,’ and how does it relate to the series as a whole?” And how can we make a reimagined version of that that’s faithful and respectful to that legacy and that serves as an evolution for “Resident Evil?”

 

Speaking to the increase in graphical fidelity, this feels like the goriest of the “Resident Evil” games by far. Was there any discussion about how far might be too far, or concerns about censorship in certain territories?

 

TK: There’s a certain level of grotesque things or gore that I think is always going to be necessary in a “Resident Evil” title, because it’s just the genre. When you’re trying to present horror it’s one of the most effective tools at your disposal. It’s one of the ways we try to express our creativity with these games. Now that we’re using our internal RE engine, which we used in “Resident Evil 7,” it’s a really beautiful looking engine and it makes these photorealistic environments really pop and come to life. When you put that in the context of a horror game and it’s set in an area that you can really explore and backtrack through, Metroidvania style, and have an adventure in it, we have a gameplay experience in mind, and part of that is going to be, amongst the adventure, these pulses of horror, shock and gore. We have in mind this idea of what it is and how it should be, and it gives us a good guideline as far as how far we can go with gore, and whether need to draw a line and say “This is enough to get the effect we need, we don’t need to go any further.”

 

 

YH: We want people to enjoy the game at the end of the day, so it’s not an endless parade of disgusting gore, because that wouldn’t be fun.

 

Some people might be into that.

 

YH: (laughs) The goal is that people will have a shock and then a release of that tension. That’s why a lot of people enjoy horror in general. So we’re challenging ourselves to push it as far as we can, but we’re not going to go to the extent that it starts to spoil the rest of the experience, because we want to have an overall enjoyable entertainment experience.

 

There are a lot of remakes and remasters that vary in the degree to which they are faithful to the source material. This very much feels like a completely new game, from top to bottom. Why the dedication to revisiting this material in this way? What is it about “Resident Evil” that warrants that sort of treatment? It feels very respectful, and successful, based on my time with it so far, but it is far above and beyond what most developers are doing with these remasters and revisitations.

 

YH: We’re fans of the original game, and it’s got a really special place in my heart as an almost perfect piece of entertainment. When we want to bring a game back to people, we want people to experience the way we did. We loved it so much we wanted to give it to other people, and we want to figure out how to do that. When a game is 20 years old, it might be difficult for the current generation of gamers to see past the limitations or frustrations present in a game that old, to get to the core, the meat of the experience. They might put the controller down before they get to the parts that we want them to love because they can’t get over the frustration. It could even be old fashioned controls. So we don’t just want to remaster it and have a copied version of it, slightly updated. I think the best way to bring that experience and that feeling we had to more players was to make a cutting edge update, a reimagining using the absolutely latest technology. It may look different, but the feeling is there. Whenever people play this, they should get the same feeling we got back in the day, even though the outer layers are different. And the fact that it’s got to feel like “Resident Evil 2” is our firm concept. That’s not going to change.

 

 

“Resident Evil” as a series has seen a number of these revisitings, going back to “Resident Evil: Director’s Cut” and “Resident Evil” for Gamecube. What do you think it is about “Resident Evil” that lends itself to this kind of revisitation as a series? Because it’s done it repeatedly and it’s done it pretty successfully.

 

TK: I think, personally, that it lends itself to being revisited because the players also like to revisit it, and they have with each game. Some people have said “RE2” was their first game in the series, and they played it and it was scary as hell, and when they finished it, a few months later they’d say they wanted to go back and relive those thrills and that experience. It’s a series that lends itself to even the same game having a certain amount of replayability, it isn’t a one and done thing. I think with that in mind amongst the playerbase, a version of the game that lets you revisit it and find new things, or have additional experiences with new parts, that’s a proposition that’s a really good match with the players.

 

One of the things that seems to be apparent as companies try to go back and reboot or remake games from, say, the Playstation era, is that a lot of those games were really ambitious, and the scope of them doesn’t necessarily make a cost-effective remake viable now. The thing that occurs to me here is that Leon and Claire were separate playable characters, and things you’d do as one character would reverberate for the other and make for a very different game. Is that being retained? And is that something that’s difficult to do with a modern game and modern budgets?

 

YH: Just to say up front, I don’t think we need to compromise on anything. We’re not compromising because it’s more expensive to make a good-looking game these days. But regarding having two stories – in the original game you had the A-B story with Leon and Claire – that was a choice made at the time to bring a unique storytelling experience that hadn’t been done before. But in the modern context, in 2019, in order to bring you the kind of intense and deep storytelling experience we want you to have, given that this is something that has evolved since the first game came out, we do want to streamline the approach. We’re not compromising because it would cost too much to recreate this game photorealistically, but more because we’re making decisions as to how to get that experience across to you in the best way. They called it the “zapping system” at the time, because it had two different versions of the same story.

 

 

It was a unique way to get two characters’ unique perspectives on a story across. But it inevitably led to repetition as you had to go through multiple playthroughs to see multiple things. We want to have a more efficient way of having players see everything in the game. So we have kind of mashed up and combined the A and B stories of each character into one, so you can choose from Claire’s campaign or Leon’s campaign and see both parts of the story that way. It’s a creative decision but it’s complicated because you have to find a way not just to recreate the structure of the original game, but to look at what that structure was achieving in terms of experience and emotion, and to retrace that back and figure out how to get that same experience today with this structure.

 

https://variety.com/2018/gaming/features/resident-evil-2-interview-1202848886/

[kidson2004]

So now that RE2 is getting remastered, is it wrong for me to say I hope they remaster RE3? 

[Rune2303]

Well the game certainly did not look like what I was expecting all those years ago when it was first announced (Thought it would be more akin to the remake of RE1) but I gotta say this game really does look awesome in my humble opinion.

 

A little sad there is no fixed camera angels or door opening animations as I did feel like those added a certain nostalgic flavor to the RE1 remake (even if I did never actually play any of the originals) but I do understand why they made these changes and honestly don't think it'll really make the game any worse, just makes the game more of a reimagining than a remake like others have already pointed out.

 

The only thing I'm actually a little sad about is the games crosshairs. Would have preferred the laser sight used back in RE4 and RE5 as I both felt this was bit more immersive (less hud) and also a bit harder to use (at least in the beginning until you got used to it). All in all I'm just very happy to see this announcement as I was honestly starting to think this game had gone the route as games like Rockstars "Agent" which was announced at some point but then got lost in development hell never to be heard of again. 

 

Easily one of the best announcements at this years E3 if you ask me  

[ddracarys]

52 minutes ago, kidson2004 said:

So now that RE2 is getting remastered, is it wrong for me to say I hope they remaster RE3? 

 

Not at all, in fact I’m expecting a Resident Evil 3: Nemesis remake / remaster after this Resident Evil 2 remake dies down a little bit. It’ll obviously be some years off, heck it might even be for the PlayStation 5 system, but I would like to think a remake / remaster of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is eventually going to be a thing.

 

After that though, I think Resident Evil should stop remaking and remastering games, so that we can focus on getting new installments. If a remake / remaster for Resident Evil 3: Nemesis eventually happens, that would make every numbered title in the series playable on the PlayStation 4 system (or PlayStation 5, if that’s where it ends up). That looks like a good place to stop, at least in my eyes.

[Ptirle]

https://screenrant.com/resident-evil-2-remake-deleted-scenes-characters/

 

Sooo... a lot of scraped things from 1.5 will be seen in re2, like Mr X's hat, Ada in the trenchcoat, redesigned main hall of RPD etc.

Figures, since the fans that helped with re2 development  are hardcore fans of the 1.5. 

Well I'm not, original re2 was enough for me, with this it seems as the original game was incomplete lol, but more things they add the better I guess...

Edited June 18, 2018 by Ptirle

[NullRay85]

These screenshots and trailers are making me love it even more every time. Here's hoping it's a great remake.

[Aranea Highwind]

Frames per second is really important these days. It was confirmed today that we will have the option to play at 4k/30fps or 1080/60fps.

 

 

[K_Groove_NL]

On 15-6-2018 at 6:59 PM, BG_painter said:

yeah... legit....

 

?

[ziggypossum]

 

 

1998 - 2018, well, that was so fast, damn... 

[Dav9834]

1 hour ago, ziggypossum said:

 

 

1998 - 2018, well, that was so fast, damn... 

Scarily so. And depressing :'(

[Undead Wolf]

1 hour ago, ziggypossum said:

 

 

1998 - 2018, well, that was so fast, damn... 

 

Those PS1 CG cutscenes still look so charming. 

[Bloodytears1666]

Recently watched video, before RE2 revival, with comparison PS1 and HD remake of Resident Evil, and thought that this work looks impossibly great. Only if I knew what will Capcom show next.

[ziggypossum]

 

 

5 hours ago, Bloodytears1666 said:

Only if I knew what will Capcom show next.

Resident Evil 3 Remake, please!

[LeonScottKenedy2]

I think what a lot of people don't understand, and I'm not sure if this is the reason, but I believe that they have made the game the way they would have had they had this technology 20 years ago. Love it or hate it, all you guys will still buy it. I myself am keen why play the exact same game with updated graphics when it has the option to be so much more.

[Pumpkin Head Cthulhu]

I will give them credit for admitting that this is not a Remake but a Re-Imagining. Most would just keep saying it is a Remake which is not true, it is also not a remaster as it uses none of the original coding or assets.

 

I will continue to watch this but if i buy it, it wont be until the GotY edition and then probably used. It looks like it might be the best of the Revelation style games though.

Edited June 20, 2018 by DarkHarmonixer

[Bloodytears1666]

2 hours ago, DarkHarmonixer said:

the best of the Revelation style games though.

 

I'm really really hope there will be Raid mode instead Mercenaries, not against the last, but Raid mode it the best addition to Revelation style game. Or at least upgraded Nightmare from 7. Because nothing charming more than customization of gameplay abilites, loadout with upgrades and boosted enemies.

 

[Pumpkin Head Cthulhu]

6 hours ago, Bloodytears1666 said:

 

I'm really really hope there will be Raid mode instead Mercenaries, not against the last, but Raid mode it the best addition to Revelation style game. Or at least upgraded Nightmare from 7. Because nothing charming more than customization of gameplay abilites, loadout with upgrades and boosted enemies.

 

i hated mercenaries but enjoyed Raid mode. I am still kind of bummed that we are not getting a remake, I was hoping for REmake2 but we are getting REImagining2. I just find it odd they kept saying they were making this due to how well REmake sold and for the older fans. Now they are saying they are making it for a New Audience.

 

Apparently they are keeping the Alligator (might have been posted here already). The real question is how much are they going to butcher the game for "dlc". At this moment all the known costumes are "dlc" what about the Mini-gun, Magnum and Infinite Rocket Launcher? will they even be in the game anymore and if so will they be regulated to "dlc"?

 

EDIT:

Oh may god the stupidity on GFAQs boards for this game is INSANE, I have had to add so many to the block list over there. That is why i prefer the people over here they are actually respectful and will give Valid points to an argument. Over there is is just " Im right your wrong"

Edited June 20, 2018 by DarkHarmonixer

[Bloodytears1666]

3 hours ago, DarkHarmonixer said:

Apparently they are keeping the Alligator (might have been posted here already). The real question is how much are they going to butcher the game for "dlc". At this moment all the known costumes are "dlc" what about the Mini-gun, Magnum and Infinite Rocket Launcher? will they even be in the game anymore and if so will they be regulated to "dlc"?

 

I think here they will twist in new style of 7. Probably whole basic game will be there, and DLCs could be minigames, challenges, or even new stories of RC 1998. For me Samurai Edge and Albert is nice touch.

 

Can't imagine Resident Evil without magnum, infinity rocket launcher and 'course helicopter. Doubt their trump cards would change at any moment.

[Pumpkin Head Cthulhu]

time will tell, i believe they confirmed Tofu and Hunk's 4th Survivor to be included in base game.

[ziggypossum]