Resident Evil 2

Resident Evil 2 is a complete remake of the classic 1998 survival horror by Capcom, whose enhanced version for Xbox Series X and S runs in higher resolution and with a smoother, more stable frame rate than the original 2019 release. As police officer Leon Kennedy or student Claire Redfield, the player makes their way through a zombie-infested Raccoon City and a sprawling police station, solves puzzles based on collecting keys, medallions, and other items, and conserves limited ammunition and healing herbs against dangerous enemies including the practically indestructible Tyrant known as Mr. X, who relentlessly pursues the player throughout the building. An over-the-shoulder camera replaces the original's static shots and fixed angles, giving the game a more modern, tenser, and more intimate pace.

On Xbox Series, the remake benefits from faster loading and stable performance even in more demanding sections with dense zombie populations and extensive smoke and fog effects, while the dark, claustrophobic environments of the police station, sewers, and underground laboratories, along with the accompanying soundscape of footsteps and monster growls, remain faithful to the atmosphere of the late-1990s original. The handling of light and shadow, typical of Capcom's modern RE Engine, heightens the sense of danger at every step and adds to the tension even on a repeated playthrough as the second playable character.

The Resident Evil 2 remake was praised on release as a model example of how to sensitively rework a classic without losing its essence and atmosphere, and helped kick off an entire wave of successful remakes of other entries in the series, including Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil 4. On Xbox Series, it retains its reputation as one of the best survival horror games of its generation thanks in part to the faster performance, and is still recommended today as an ideal entry point into the world of Resident Evil for new players.

Why play it: Anyone looking for a model survival horror with faster performance on Xbox Series will find in the Resident Evil 2 remake an ideal entry point into the whole series, and proof of how sensitively a classic can be reworked.