The digital delights of Sony’s scrumptious PlayStation Network service know no bounds. Aside from letting punters compete in online gaming, stream films, browse the Internet and more, its premier attraction rests in the copious supply of downloadable games ripe for the picking. From PSN exclusives to PSOne Classics, minis and plain old add-on content, Sony’s online space is chock full of goodies battling it out for your hard-earned digital dollars.
Welcome back to another installment of Inside PlayStation Network, where every Monday – Friday we’ll pluck a PSN release—be it new or old—and put it in the spotlight for a thorough dissection. Fancy getting a new PSN game but don’t know what one to plump for? Perhaps this feature will help. Didn’t realize that a game was available in your region until now? We’ve got you covered. Or, perhaps you were musing over what those lucky Japanese folk were tucking into over in the Land of the Rising Sun? You can be sure our coverage will extend to those rare regional exclusives as much as those firmly embedded on the public consciousness.
In our final entry, we scrutinize the all-time PSOne classic, Resident Evil 2.
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Developer: Capcom
Region(s) available: North America, Japan
Players: 1
Released in 1998 at the height of World Cup fever, Resident Evil 2 was a force to be reckoned with. Until 2009’s Resident Evil 5, it was the highest-selling title in Capcom’s illustrious horror franchise to date, selling over five million copies globally and cementing the Resident Evil brand as one of the most lucrative videogame IPs on the market. It remains to this day an all-time classic; a defining PSOne release that has gone on to top many Resident Evil aficionados’ ‘best of series’ lists some 13 years after launch.
Set in in late September of 1998, RE2 sees then-newcomers Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield battling for survival in a zombie-infested Raccoon City. The core gameplay adheres firmly to its predecessors compelling mix of puzzle-solving, exploration and blood-soaked combat, as gamers plough through a variety of locations from the R.P.D to the stinking sewers beneath the city. Both characters are able to obtain different weapons throughout their journey; for example, Leon gains access to the meaty Shotgun, while Claire gets to muck about with a Grenade Launcher.
Enemies come thick and fast, ranging from shambling undead (both male and female variety this time around), giant spiders to the now-iconic razor-tongued Lickers. Riddles meanwhile are the your typical RE affair, and range from shoving the usual keys and trinkets into various locks in order to access new areas and unlock hidden passages. Some brain-teasers are a little more incongruous than others given the surroundings however, especially when you find yourself fiddling with an elaborate electronic chessboard to unlock the city sewer entrance. Then again, it wouldn’t be Resi without a few eyebrow-raisers thrown into the mix, would it?. It works though, and helps punctuate atmospheric skulking around and spilling the blood of countless BOWs.
Speaking of atmosphere, RE2 doesn’t disappoint, and despite the archaic visuals the game still manages to perpetuate a firm sense of dread and uneasiness. The dramatic camera angles are a big help here, as is the stonking soundtrack, which offers up some of the most gut-wrenching ditties in the series to date. Value wise RE2 is easily the meatiest of the original trilogy, with two distinct campaigns to enjoy, each sporting their own alternate, ‘B scenario’ which offers new FMVs, extended ending sequence, tweaked item placement and new bosses. Check out the inexorable Mr. X for example, a hulking, Tryant-like beast that stalks you exclusively in the B scenario until the climax of the game. Aside from that, there’s also extra costumes to unlock, as well as infinite weapons and two mini games – The Fourth Survivor and the infamous ‘Tofu’ campaign.
That’s all from Inside PSN for now. We’ll be sure to revisit this again in the future sometime, but until then, we recommend having a butcher’s at the games we’ve covered and see if any of them tickle your fancy.