Resident Evil 2

Playtime: 33.0 Hours

This game was both the first Resident Evil game I played and the first Survival Horror game I have played. And boy is it good!

I've never played the original PS1 Resident Evil games, so I can't compare this game to the original, what I can say, is this game is fantastic and making you feel hunted.

This game has some truly great gameplay. It mixes in combat with a need to explore in order to solve puzzles, find items and find better gear to better defend yourself. Along the way, you will run into zombies and you have to make decisions on how to best approach difficult situations. Do you use up your ammo to clear the way or do you save it for later for a boss fight? The locations themselves are very well made, especially the Police station. I do think the sewer section can drag on, but if you know what you are doing, you can get through those areas very quickly on subsequent playthroughs.

There's also some very unique enemies to fight against as well. In particular, Mr. X is probably one of the most interesting enemies I have ever had to face. There is some brilliant sound design that lets you know when he sees you and it fills you with an overwhelming sense of fear and urgency.

While the story is weaker than Resident Evil 1 (Gamecube/PC version). The characters, (the few that are in this game), play off each other very well. Leon S. Kennedy is one of the coolest characters in fiction, and while he is not there yet, it is very interesting seeing him change into the man he becomes in Resident Evil 4.

Overall, for the genre that it is for, this game delivers one of the best survival horror experiences, on par with Dead Space and Alien Isolation. I highly recommend this game if the Survival Horror genre interests you.

Give it a shot!