Resident Evil 2

RETRO NEWS

Hello retro friends! We end the Halloween month with a classic game today. I hope all your Halloween plans are going well and that you’re enjoying the season. It’s pumpkin carving day for us, so I can’t wait for that.

Today's retro news takes us swimming with deadly wildlife, digging through Taito's arcade history, and getting excited about a possible new Capcom collection.

Tehkan's 1982 arcade game Swimmer has joined Arcade Archives 2, bringing its unusual combination of swimming, treasure hunting, and avoiding hungry piranhas to modern consoles.

Meanwhile, Taito Milestones 5 has been announced for Nintendo Switch, packing ten arcade classics into one collection, including Space Invaders, Hat Trick Hero, and two games making their Switch debut.

But perhaps the biggest news comes from Korea, where 29 classic Capcom games have appeared in new ratings listings. With titles like Breath of Fire, Demon's Crest, Mega Man, and the Final Fight trilogy included, speculation is growing that a new NES and SNES compilation could be on the way. Nothing is confirmed yet, but that's one collection I'd love to see!

PRESS START

An Introduction To Today’s Game

Last year I wrote about the original Resident Evil to start Retro October Fest. For this year, it felt like ending the month with the sequel was the right thing to do.

Resident Evil 2 is one of my favorite experiences playing the original Playstation back in the 90’s. The graphics, the presentation, the music, the sound fx, the story… perfect. The tank controls… meh. But I still love this game dearly and it remains my favorite entry in the Resident Evil series.

And while I love the Remake that came out a few years ago, the original still hits for me. Friends think it’s weird when I say The Thing is a comfort film for me. This game gives me the same feeling. There’s still something about the PS1 Resident Evil era that still makes me very happy and I had a blast going back to this game for this article.

BEHIND THE PIXELS

Let’s Dive Into The Game

Imagine showing up for your first day as a police officer only to discover that practically everyone in town wants to eat you. My first day working at Blizzard was pretty close to this.

That's Leon Kennedy's introduction to Raccoon City. Claire Redfield has equally terrible timing, arriving to search for her missing brother.

Both end up trapped in a city overrun by zombies and other biological nightmares, and getting out alive means exploring creepy buildings, solving bizarre puzzles, and occasionally wondering why the police department needs so many elaborate locks.

If you're coming from modern games, the controls might be your first real enemy. Resident Evil 2 uses fixed camera angles and tank controls, meaning your character moves like they're operating a forklift.

It feels awkward at first, but eventually becomes second nature. The real challenge is managing your limited supplies. Every bullet matters, healing items are precious, and your inventory never seems big enough.

Even saving your game requires an ink ribbon, so you can't just mash the save button whenever something looks suspicious. Sometimes the smartest move is to run past a zombie rather than waste six bullets discovering it still isn't dead.

One of the game's coolest ideas is the zapping system, which connects Leon and Claire's adventures. Complete one character's A scenario and you'll unlock the other's B scenario, which shows another side of the same disaster.

Certain decisions carry over between scenarios, including which supplies you leave behind, giving you a reason to think about your choices. There are four scenarios altogether, although Leon A and Claire B form one connected story, while Claire A and Leon B form another.

The B scenarios also introduce the relentless Mr. X, a massive Tyrant who apparently has nothing better to do than ruin your afternoon. Between the different characters, weapons, and story events, there's plenty of incentive to return after your first escape.

And then there's the presentation. Capcom used polygonal characters against detailed prerendered backgrounds, creating environments that still look fantastic today.

The camera angles make every hallway feel like something terrible is waiting just outside your view, while the soundtrack knows exactly when to make you uncomfortable. The police station's haunting music is especially memorable.

The voice acting? Well, let's just say nobody was winning an Oscar. But that's part of the charm. Resident Evil 2 knows when to be terrifying, when to be ridiculous, and somehow makes both work together.

Analytics on Live Data Without Leaving Postgres

When analytics on Postgres slows down, most teams add a second database. Then come the pipelines, the sync jobs, and a copy of your data that's always a little behind.

TimescaleDB takes a different approach: extend Postgres instead of splitting away from it. Hypertables partition your data automatically as volume grows. Hypercore compression cuts storage up to 95%. Continuous aggregates keep dashboards live without re-querying everything.

CERN runs Postgres this way for sensor data from the Large Hadron Collider.

No split architecture, no pipeline lag, no new query language to learn. Same SQL, same drivers, same tools.

Start on Tiger Cloud and get $1000 in credits.

Get $1000 Credit

GAME INFORMATION

WHERE TO PLAY

• Steam, PSN, GoG

• Original Copies of the Game (All prices in USD)

  • Loose: $45

  • Complete: $75

  • New/Sealed: $1,200

COVER ART

Your Search Bar Is Haunted

Shoppers type exactly what they want and get “0 results found” back. They don’t complain. They just vanish to a competitor.

Gladly understands what shoppers mean, typos and all, and turns dead-end searches into product recommendations.

See how Gladly brings search back to life

Turn Dead Ends Into Sales

GAME OVER

Why You Should Play This

So, should you play it today? Absolutely. Resident Evil 2 remains one of the best examples of classic survival horror, and thankfully, you no longer need to dig an old PlayStation out of the closet to experience it.

The original is available on PS4 and PS5 with modern conveniences like rewind, quick saves, and visual filters. It's also included with PlayStation Plus Premium. PC players can find it on GOG and Steam, so there are plenty of ways to revisit Raccoon City without paying collector prices.

Just remember that this is a game from 1998. The controls take practice, the inventory will drive you crazy, and you'll occasionally spend twenty minutes searching for a key that was practically staring you in the face. But stick with it. Once everything clicks, you'll understand why so many horror fans still hold this one in such high regard.

And if the original feels a little too old-school, there's always the excellent 2019 remake. Just don't let it replace the original entirely. Both deserve your time.

SUPPORT

This is a passion project made with love, and every open or read means the world.
If you’d like to show extra support, you can use the button below.

RETRO HARDWARE

The Miyoo Flip V2 is a tiny clamshell retro handheld that lets you carry a whole library of classic games in your pocket. With a bright screen, solid controls, and the nostalgic flip design we all remember, it’s perfect for quick gaming sessions anywhere. Click the picture to check it out. My readers can use the following code for a 12% discount: NY12