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Resident Evil Wiki
Summary
Plot
Gameplay
Development
Marketing
Reception
Credits
Gallery
Translation errors
Further notes

This article is about the 1998 original. For the 2019 remake, see Resident Evil 2. For other uses, see Resident Evil 2 (disambiguation).

Resident Evil 2, known as Biohazard 2 (バイオハザード2 Baiohazādo Tsū?) in Japan, is a survival horror video game that was originally released for the PlayStation in 1998. Developed by Capcom as the second installment in the Resident Evil series, the game's story takes place two months after the events of the first game, Resident Evil, and is set in Raccoon City, a Midwestern American mountain community. The city's residents have been transformed into zombies by the t-Virus, a biological weapon developed by the pharmaceutical company Umbrella. As they escape from the city, the two protagonists, Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, encounter other survivors and are confronted by William Birkin, the mutated creator of the even more powerful G-virus, a variation of the t-Virus.

The gameplay of Resident Evil 2 focuses on exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat and features typical survival horror elements such as limited saves and ammunition. The game's main difference from its predecessor is the "Zapping System," which provides each playable character with unique storylines and obstacles. Developed by a team of 40 to 50 people over the course of one year and nine months, Resident Evil 2 was directed by Hideki Kamiya and produced by Shinji Mikami. The initial version of the game, commonly referred to as BIOHAZARD 1.5, differed drastically from the released product and was scrapped at a development stage of 60-80 percent after being deemed "dull and boring" by the producer. The resulting redesign introduced different settings and a more cinematic story presentation supported by a soundtrack that employs "desperation" as an underlying theme.

Resident Evil 2 received critical acclaim, with praise for its atmosphere, setting, graphics, audio, scenarios, and overall gameplay, as well as its improvements over the original game, but with some criticism towards its controls, voice acting, and certain gameplay elements. It has appeared on a number of lists of the best video games ever made. The game has become a million-seller and is the franchise's most successful title on a single platform. Years after its first release, Resident Evil 2 was included in several lists of the 100 best games. Following its initial success on the PlayStation, it was ported to Microsoft Windows, the Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, and Nintendo GameCube and was released as a modified 2.5D version for the Game.com handheld. The story of Resident Evil 2 was retold and built upon in several later games and has been adapted into a variety of licensed works. A remake of the game was released on January 25, 2019.

Cast[]

Character Voice actor
Leon Scott Kennedy Paul Haddad
Claire Redfield Alyson Court
Ada Wong Sally Cahill
Sherry Birkin Lisa Yamanaka
William Birkin Diego Matamoros
Annette Birkin Jennifer Dale
Brian Irons/Robert Kendo Gary Krawford
Marvin Branagh/Ben Bertolucci Rod Wilson
HUNK TBA

Version history[]

The release history log includes all releases relating to Resident Evil 2, including various versions, guidebooks, and albums.

Release date Image Title Console Publisher Release location Features
01998-01-29January 29, 1998 Biohazard 2 PlayStation Capcom Co., Ltd. Japan
01998-08-06August 6, 1998 Biohazard 2 DualShock Ver Biohazard 2 Dual Shock Ver. PlayStation Capcom Co., Ltd. Japan DualShock-enabled, Extreme Battle, ranking system for minigames, Easy Mode.
01998-11-11November 11, 1998 Resident Evil 2 - Game.com front cover Resident Evil 2 Game.Com Capcom Co., Ltd. North America Limited graphics, gameplay, and scenario.
February 1999 Resident Evil 2: Platinum Windows 98 Capcom Co., Ltd. DualShock additions, Gallery Mode, Hard mode.
01999-12-22December 22, 1999 Bio2 DC Biohazard 2 Value Plus Dreamcast Capcom Co., Ltd. Japan Windows additions, "VMU" monitor, and demo of Code: Veronica.
02000-01-28January 28, 2000 Bio2 N64 Biohazard 2 Nintendo 64 Capcom Co., Ltd. Japan "EX-Files," item randomizer, violence controller, first-person controls, different costumes, no Extreme Battle mode, Hunter cameo, surround sound.
02003-01-23January 23, 2003 Bio2 GCN Biohazard 2 GameCube Capcom Co., Ltd. Japan DualShock features, skippable cutscenes, higher quality scenes.
2006 Biohazard 2 SOURCENEXT Windows XP Capcom Co., Ltd. Default DualShock/PC features with uncompressed FMVs.
02007-12-26December 26, 2007 Biohazard 2 PlayStation Network Capcom Co., Ltd. Japan
02009-11-19November 19, 2009 Resident Evil 2 PlayStation Network Capcom Co., Ltd. North America
02012-02-29February 29, 2012 Resident Evil 2 PlayStation Network Capcom Co., Ltd. Europe

Sources[]

  1. Resident Evil 2 (1998) PlayStation credits. MobyGames. Retrieved on 2015-03-12.
  2. BIOHAZARD 2 (Korean). grac.or.kr. Retrieved on 2023-06-02.

External links[]

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