Resident Evil 2 Remake: 9 Tiny Details Fans Will Love
THIS is how you do a remake.
Capcom's aiming to redefine what it means to take on a remake (yet again) in 2019, using none other than the sequel to Resident Evil's pioneering original as the catalyst.
Responsible for elevating the franchise from niche sub-genre to mass market success, Resident Evil 2's bigger, bolder and oh-so-gorier followup has an equal number of admirers, new and old, itching to guide Leon and Claire to safety. But, regardless of whether you're visiting Raccoon City for the first or fiftieth time, Capcom's stowed away surprises galore for all generations to enjoy, not least in its iconic main attraction.
The police station, still housing familiar landmarks like the main hall, has had its labyrinthine corridors and connecting rooms scrambled to keep newcomers and veterans on an even keel. Some reference the layout of the original sequel's infamously scrapped prototype, but others are crammed with homages to Resident Evil 7's Baker family, plus a certain protagonist from RE spin-off, Outbreak.
Even more so than its tremendous REmake, Capcom's pulling out all the stops to ensure Raccoon City's revival isn't just a modern take on a classic, but a love letter to the series and its fans, drowned up to its eyeballs in blood, guts and secrets so well hidden you'll need a magnifying glass to find them.
9. Rita Phillips
Capcom deciding to recreate Resident Evil 2 from the ground up gives it the rare opportunity to make some retroactive changes for the sake of continuity. A whole lot of sequels and spin-offs followed in the original's wake, some of which elaborated upon the established canon, resulting in inconsistencies like Rita Phillips.
Hailing from 2003's oft-overlooked Resident Evil Outbreak, Rita, along with a handful of other survivors, was a police officer stationed in Raccoon City at the time of the outbreak who, with our boy Marvin's help, purportedly escaped the station - and the city - alive.
No mention of Rita's existence or hopeful escape is ever made in Resi 2, but some of the lucky few to have played an early demo of the remake have stumbled across a nameplate with her name engraved on it.
Whether she'll show up in the flesh, so to speak, remains a mystery, but if nothing else, Miss. Phillips has at last been canonized in Resident Evil lore.