Capcom has reiterated that its Resident Evil 2 remake will indeed be just that; a full-blown remake, and not a basic high-definition remaster like some have feared.
"Seems to be a few people picking up a mistranslation in our own investor report. RE2 will be a full from the ground up remake NOT a remaster," wrote Capcom U.K.’s Senior Marketing Director, Stuart Turner, in a post on his personal Twitter account.
Capcom announced that Resident Evil 2 remake had been approved for development earlier this year, following years of requests among fans. As a result of the decisoin to rebuild the classic 1998 survival horror title, the Japanese software giant requested that Resident Evil 2: Reborn, a fan-made remake of the game using assets from Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, be shuttered after several months of development. However, it invited members of Reborn’s developer, InvaderGames, to discuss ideas for the official remake of Resident Evil 2 with Capcom bosses in Japan.
Resident Evil 2 was released on the PlayStation in January 1998 in the U.S. and is widely regarded as one of the best entries in Capcom’s zombie-killing franchise to date. Prior to Resident Evil 5’s release in 2009, the sequel was the best-selling entry in the franchise to date, with 4.96 copies shifted worldwide. Capcom later ported Resident Evil 2 to a number of other formats, including Nintendo 64, PC, Dreamcast, and GameCube, with various extra content such as the ‘Extreme Battle Mode’ included in latter versions, such as the ‘DualShock’ re-release on PSOne in 1999.
Set in fall 1998, Resident Evil 2 takes place a few months after the events of the original survival horror title, and sees Raccoon City completely overrun by an outbreak of the T-Virus, turning its residents into blood-thirsty zombies. Players control rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy or Claire Redfield as they attempt to survive against the undead hordes and other fearsome creatures as they venture through Raccoon’s decaying streets, a deserted police station, the sewers, and other such locations. The game offers two missions, ‘A’ and ‘B,’ for each character, with new puzzles, cut scenes, enemies, and items available depending on what scenario you are following at the time.
Resident Evil celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2016, and Capcom has a number of new projects in the works for the series, including Resident Evil Zero HD Remaster and Resident Evil: Umbrella Corps.