Hey everyone, today I’ll be showing you my first entry of many in a series we like to call “Resident Evil: The Nostalgia Diaries”. If you didn’t catch my last post, “Nostalgia Diaries” is going to be a series of blog posts, community discussion, and other fun little RE nuggets for you to feast on in preparation for the upcoming Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles . Darkside Chronicles covers content from Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil: Code Veronica, and a whole new story line that will be announced later on down the road. But in the meantime I’ll be playing through RE2 and RE:CV and presenting you with my recap and favorite scenes/moments from each game. This isn’t just about me talking to myself though, I want to hear what you, the fans, have to say, because after all you guys made these games what they are today! So without further adieu, Resident Evil 2: Chapter I…

The first time I played Resident Evil 2 was a little over 10 years ago. I loved games at the time, but I’d never really heard too much of the franchise, because I didn’t have a Playstation at the time to play it on. Another thing I loved back then was gaming magazines; the previews, the posters, the contests… I couldn’t get enough. To paint you a mental picture, my room and I looked something like this . A number of favorite magazines kept talking about how this Resident Evil 2 game was so different and how it was really pushing the idea of “survival horror” games, which also was a new concept to me unless you count Intellivision’s Night Stalker I guess. Anyways, I really wanted to check RE2 out so I managed to scrounge up a friend’s Playstation and rented a copy of the game.

Raccoon City Streets

The opening of the game was interesting, because I really wasn’t familiar with cinematic cut scenes. In my mind RE2 set itself up as more of an interactive horror movie experience than a game. I was used to bright colorful characters diving into pipes and collecting stars so it was definitely a change of pace. My first memorable scene from the game, and probably the first image that comes to my mind when someone says “RE2”, are the streets of Raccoon City. There are buses on fire, zombies everywhere, buildings that are falling apart, suspenseful music, and you’re dropped right in the middle of it all with just a pistol and knife to defend yourself. One big thing I liked about this so much was the idea that the game starts with you frantically running/fighting for your life. The scenery and atmosphere are memorable as it is, but add in the fact that you’re in “survival mode” from the very beginning and it really sets the stage for the entire game in that you’re not always going to be prepared/ready for what it brings you.

The Gun Shop

After a bit of playing you arrive at the “Gun Shop” scene, which happens to be my next point of interest for this entry. You finally find shelter in a gun shop after a confrontation with the store clerk. You breathe a sigh of relief because you’ve found a safe haven from danger, some ammo, maybe another weapon, but as soon as you get a minute to catch your breath, the undead smash their way in through the front window and rip the store clerk apart. It’s then your choice whether to dispose of the zombies or run like hell. The element of choice is another key thing that comes up in this game as well. Will I stay and fight? Do I have enough ammo? Should I run? Should I leave this item for the other character? These are a few examples of the choices that made the game fun for me while also enhancing the replay value of the game itself… which is a whole ‘nother story. But let’s head back to the Gun Shop scene for now. Like the Raccoon City scene before it, the Gun Shop scene is very cinematic and therefore making it easy for people to remember. If you got a chance to play our Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles demo at Comic-Con (lucky you!) you might remember going through the two scenes I mentioned above if you chose the RE2 campaign. I can remember that a large majority of people got noticeably excited/giddy when the camera panned around to the front display of the Gun Shop, so I know it’s not just me who remembers this classic scene.

Ive done some talking today about two of my favorite scenes from Resident Evil 2, but my choices are just that… my choices. There are millions of people that have played this game and have a different opinion on the matter, and you’re probably one of them. I invite you to either comment with your feedback and input or to join in our discussion in our newly created tribute thread . I look forward to hearing from YOU! There’ll be more of my favorite scenes/moments from RE2 in my next installment, so keep your eyes peeled for my next post!

Mike~