An Unexpected Love for Resident Evil 2
If you know me, or have been watching me on Twitch for a while - you know that I’m not a big fan of horror, particularly horror games. I’ve watched the original Halloween films (which I did enjoy) but couldn’t finish the 2018 film; one - because it was midnight and two - it was that horrible petrol station scene and I thought it was really gross. In terms of games, it took me a little while to get into the game Dead by Daylight once I learned how all the killers operated, but Michael Meyers still scared me every round. I think it’s because I hate the idea of the the spooky silences, goriness, and awful jump scares.
So believe me when I say that when I started playing Resident Evil 2, I was not expecting to enjoy it at all.
You’re probably thinking ‘why on earth would she go play Resident Evil 2 if she’s such a scaredy-cat?!’ And look, you’re not wrong. I have a friend of mine who may just be the world’s biggest Resident Evil fan. And after many months of casually (and not-so-casually) dropping the game into conversation and telling me to try it, I finally caved and bought it.
The first time I played it was during my very first charity stream - I had a slot allocated only for an hour of Resident Evil 2, and I told myself that was probably going to be the only time I would play the game. I should probably give a bit more context and say I have never ever played a Resident Evil game before, so I had no idea what to expect in terms of game-play and story. The only bit of the game I saw was when Capcom announced the Resident Evil 2 remake, and there was the side-by-side comparison video of the 2019 graphics with the original. I can’t deny that I thought the animation was just stunning.
The only thing I knew for sure to expect with this game (thanks to a whole lot of memes) was a character nicknamed ‘Mr. X’. I didn’t know who he was or what he was going to do, but in the back of my mind during the game, I was thinking about him and I was expecting him at any moment. It’s why when I first played it, I was quiet slow and I jumped at the smallest things, as well as focusing on things that weren’t worth worrying about! (See below!)
When I finally made the decision to keep playing it on stream, I had some really fantastic regulars and new followers who joined because of the game. They were so helpful and supportive as they gave me some tips and helped with puzzles. I honestly thought the Resident Evil series were literally just going to revolve around shooting zombies and the like, but the whole puzzle aspect of the game was so enjoyable. It was incredibly satisfying and rewarding to unlock certain doors to new areas, and finding clues to open and discover new items.
I do have to point out that the lead up to meeting Mr. X was not too surprising, thanks to the cheeky emotes and messages coming from my chat during the stream (and I say this in the most loving and humorous way!). As much as he was a massive pain to deal with and caused me major anxiety during the game, I really did enjoy going up against him. I learnt through the game that eventually once I had overcome the initial fear and panic I had towards any new baddies, I seemed to get through it just fine!
I’m not going to go into too much detail about the game itself as its not a review, but I do want to make note of a few things I really loved while playing it:
Leon, Claire, Ada and Sherry were all so fun to play. They all had something different to bring to the table and just made the game-play refreshing, especially in Claire’s second run where it could have potentially felt too identical to Leon’s.
Examining objects - I know this sounds pretty dumb, but discovering a random clue you pick up and finding that literal ‘missing piece of the puzzle’ by examining it and finding something another clue was so rewarding.
The dilemma of deciding what to take with you into a potential fight when you have limited inventory space kept things really interesting. I found myself having fun trying to prioritise things like keys, ammo and health to help me through a new section. I know it sounds really simple, but it just kept me on my toes.
I honestly don’t think I could’ve played this game without the company of my community on Twitch. I know it sounds quite cheesy and soppy, but it honestly felt like having a bunch of friends over so I felt like I wasn’t alone while playing! I honestly had a nightmare after the first night I played it (yikes), and I thought to myself “oh my god, I don’t think I can keep playing this” - but I’m so glad I did.
I do need to give a mention to my friend James who pushed me to play Resident Evil 2, and now I can happily say that I do love and enjoy the franchise. It was the last type of game I was expecting to enjoy and it has really made me more open to trying genres I wouldn’t usually pick up. Since playing RE2, I have played Resident Evil 3, Resident Evil: Resistance and am currently playing the first Resident Evil game from the ‘Origins Collection’. I’m eventually hoping to go through them all on stream to share my experience with those both new and old to the franchise.
If you’d like to see me play more and get scared, come watch and say hi at www.twitch.tv/stormiestreams where I am currently playing the Resident Evil games every Monday night!
