Resident Evil 2 for PS4, Xbox One, and Windows PC is a reimagining of the 1998 PS1 classic by the same name. In it, you'll be controlling Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield as you hatch a plan to escape the zombie apocalypse in Raccoon City. There's a lot in Resident Evil 2's 2019 release that differs from the original such as how locks and safes work. So whether you're an old fan or a newcomer to the series, here's what you need to know to survive Resident Evil 2.
On your travels you'll come across maps of the area you're in such as the Raccoon City Police Station and underground labs. Going into the in-game menu shows you which regions you've explored and which ones are left for you to explore. Those marked in red are yet to be explored while those in blue have been picked clean by you. The map also shows off what items — such as first aid spray or bullets — you might have missed in a specific location.
In Resident Evil 2 you'll have to input the entire combination of a safe before trying to open it. What this means is, if a safe combination is 9 Left, 15 Right, 7 Left, you'll need to move your d-pad left nine times, then right 15 times, and then left seven times before pressing the button to confirm. This is unlike other games that usually have you pressing a button each time. Doing so here simply boots you out of the safe unlocking sequence.
Like past games in the series, you can't carry every weapon and item you find in Resident Evil 2. Rather, you'll be forced to make tough choices along the way. Pay attention to the items in your inventory. You'd want to keep those labelled as 'key items' as they're helpful in aiding your progress across the game's many levels.
Thankfully, you can store them at storage boxes that exist at the game's save points and with save points being aplenty, you're never far from getting what you need in a pinch. That said we'd recommend keeping at least one key item on you at any given time. You can permanently increase your inventory by using hip pouches found in each area.
Soon enough you'll notice that each enemy in Resident Evil 2 has its own unique sound. Lickers hiss and normal zombies emit loud moans and groans. Meanwhile, the Tyrant has loud footsteps that tend to shake the screen as he gets closer. You can use the noise of your enemies to your advantage by avoiding combat altogether in the case of the Tyrant or prepping the right items to take the fight to them such as well-placed headshots from small firearms for normal zombies and shotgun or grenade launcher for lickers. Speaking of which...
Claire and Leon have access to different weapons through their journey. Leon has a pistol (and later, a shotgun) and he can upgrade his weapons by adding grips to stabilise fire, expanding the amount of ammo they can carry, and so on. Claire on the other hand has a revolver and later, a grenade launcher. The latter can use different ammo types like acid, flame, and explosive rounds which can be obtained by combining different kinds of gunpowder found in Raccoon City.
Either grenade launcher or shotgun can be found in the weapons locker at Raccoon City Police Station by using a key card found in-game. They're great weapons for crowd control and we'd recommend getting them as soon as you can. You'll find it on the first set of tables immediately when entering the Art Storage Room on the first floor of the police station.
Will you be playing Resident Evil 2? Let us know via the comments.
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