Resident Evil 2 Remake: New Screenshots, Release Date, And What We Know So Far

After several years of waiting, Capcom has finally debuted its remake of classic survival-horror game Resident Evil 2. If you only watched its E3 2018 reveal trailer, chances are you have some questions regarding how it plays and how faithful it is to the 1998 original. There are still plenty of details that we don’t know, but Capcom has at least offered some clarity on its most curious changes.

To ensure you’re kept up to date on everything there is to know about Resident Evil 2 remake, we’ve compiled all the information we have on the game so far: how it came to be, why its camera is from the third-person over-the-shoulder perspective, its collector’s edition, and more.

To Clarify: It’s A Full-On Remake

While not explicitly titled “Resident Evil 2 Remake,” the game is in fact a total remake of the classic survival-horror game, and not a remastered version of the PS1 original with touched-up graphics–much in the same vein as 2002’s Resident Evil remake. You once again control rookie cop Leon Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield, who must escape Raccoon City after its citizens are transformed into zombies by a virus two months after the events of the first Resident Evil.

The project came to be after Capcom producer Yoshiaki “H” Hirabayashi took to Facebook on July 30, 2015 to ask the Resident Evil community if they’d be interested in a remake. The request was met with enthusiastic support, which prompted Hirabayashi to pitch the idea to his boss sometime later. The result of the pitch meeting was confirmed the following August when the game was formally announced by Hirabayashi in a special message to fans.

How It Plays

The Resident Evil 2 remake plays from a third-person over-the-shoulder perspective, similar to Resident Evil 4. If you’re worried this deviates too far from the original’s fixed-camera system, don’t let this get you down: the remake still emphasizes survival-horror above all else. You’re not given the same amount of power that the more action-oriented games in the series offer you.