Capcom is one of my all time favorite game makers, so I'm always looking to see what they'll come up with next. We're in the first quarter of 2019 and Capcom is looking to thrill gamers with a punch-kick combo of new installments from two of their biggest franchises! Here are my first impressions of the Xbox One Demo versions of the Resident Evil 2 Remake (sometimes nicknamed as REmake 2) and Devil May Cry 5.
In the world of art, video games might be the only medium where remaking can greatly improve on the original. People would cry foul if a sculptor decided to make his own David out of Play-Doh or how about when Gus Van Sant decides to do a shot-for-shot remake of Psycho. I've been a bit more fortunate to see some great game remakes in my lifetime: Super Mario All Stars, Metroid: Zero Mission, Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded and the Resident Evil Remake for GameCube were all remarkably well done. From the two runs I've had with the First Shot demo, REmake 2 is looking to join that company.
In the world of Capcom, fans have been asking for --or at least have been expecting-- a REmake of Resident Evil 2 for many years now. The last REmake came out in 2002 for the GameCube, so it's been a long time coming! Resident Evil 2 was the first of the series I played, so I do have some nostalgia towards it. It was the first video game directed by Hideki Kamiya, we got see Raccoon City for the first time, it introduced beloved characters like Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield, the controls felt more refined and, overall, it expanded the lore established in the first game.
Resident Evil 2 sold well and was liked, but there's always room for improvement. 21 years between the original and a re-imagining seems fair to me. See, I find the tank-like controls of the past to be very outdated by today's standards. I can tolerate them by putting myself in the mindset of "these were action adventure games from the late 90's", but I don't think they would click with modern gamers. So instead we have an over-the-shoulder perspective that hearkens back to Resident Evil 4, with a menu layout that's reminiscent of Resident Evil 7 vibes. The new perspective and Leon's flashlight that turns on when you're holding your gun combined with the lighting and shadow effects are looking amazing enough to send chills down our spines!
Like REmake 1, REmake 2 looks to update the old game environments and some of the old puzzles but put a new twist on everything. Though the storyline is still about Leon and Claire's battle to survive the zombie outbreak of Raccoon City, there's modifications to the script, and the voice acting and cinematics are all completely redone.
The One Shot demo reminds me of those messages from Mission: Impossible. "This demo will self-destruct in 30 minutes". With only 30 minutes to play, and the odds being against us, the One Shot demo is tense and nerve wracking! Online, I'm seeing people compete to see how far they can get and are trying to speedrun the thing on YouTube. Overall, it's a great demo and I'm terrible at it, but would give it out as a general recommendation. We're just one week away from release, people!
Between these two Capcom demos, I'd say I enjoyed the REmake 2 demo the most. Both were still fun however and I look forward to picking both games up soon!
