Resident Evil 2 Remake Celebrates First Anniversary

Capcom is celebrating first anniversary for Resident Evil 2 Remake by sharing key-moments of game development.

Only a year ago, survival horror genre got its long-due remake of an original PlayStation classic title Resident Evil 2 by Japanese developer/publisher Capcom on all major platforms with amazing reception after years of fan pledging.

A zombie-ridden Raccoon City was built from ground up for protagonists Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield to step in. Familiar menacing faces like Mr. X. and a mutated William Birkin made their most-anticipated return as well.

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Resident Evil 2 Remake Celebrates First Anniversary

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Now these days, almost every other fan-favorite game is being remade and we are even getting a Resident Evil 3 Remake in months but RE2 will always be one of the finest examples of how a studio should approach things for such projects.

From official announcement by Capcom to its first trailer reveal on E3 2018, enthusiasm for this 1998 classic from fans has been immense. Going back to a redesigned RPD Police Station was a major trip to nostalgia lane for many players.

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On one year anniversary of the game, art director Satoshi Takamatsu, composer Shusaku Uchiyama, director Kazunori Kadoi and producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi sat together recalling memorable moments from development.

Always been hearing from players of a remake, entire dev team struggled to figure out where to begin groundwork for reinventing an all-time classic like Resident Evil 2 and that time finally came a few years later when they were ready.

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Survival Horror Resurrected

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It even took some time for Capcom to come up with their "We Do It" announcement back in August 2015 as soon as they got this project greenlit because of their excitement and a relevantly small team begins development immediately.

As soon as they had their eyes on initial visuals of how gameplay will work with a shooting test on zombies and how their limbs can be taken off with precise gunshots, director Kazunori knew that this new design is special and would work.

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A Greenhorn Rookie

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Since a legion of players worldwide has already been devotees of original RE2, their biggest challenge in working was to stay true to its fundamental aspects while keeping things fresh and not to fail short on people's general expectation.

Art director Satoshi Takamatsu looks back at redesigning iconic characters as rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy, who made his series debut. His look, police outfit and other accessories are touched up, leaving shoulder pads behind this time.

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Redone From Scratch

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In case for college student Claire Redfield, slight changes are introduced to her original design to keep them modern yet realistic. Her love for bikes earned her a Harley-Davidson FXSTB Night Train and a redesigned red biker jacket.

Another prominent debutant mercenary Ada Wong posing as fake FBI agent has gone through more than a few rendition of her attire before settling on trench coat and dark glasses before taking six months to finalize her face model.

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New Look of Ada Wong

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Rather than being a cute little girl, Sherry Birkin got a bit of depth in her character than just a design upgrade. Same thing goes for her parents, Annette and William Birkin, who were former researchers for Umbrella Corporation.

From his entry scene to general design, the T-00 model Tyrant known as Mr. X has received his most striking form ever. His nigh-invulnerable nature in RE2 Remake and heavy footsteps has been reasons for players to be scared of him most.

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Iconic Monsters Return

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Composer Shusaku found his challenge in creating new score and sound design that would be a worthy improvement over original. Going back to the vibe of two decades back was not easy though but it was a memorable experience for them.

Director Kazunori admits not expecting to see an overwhelmingly positive response on E3 booth following official reveal, despite being just a remake of an old game and believes this is what has kept them on their toes to make RE2 great.

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Producer Yoshiaki remembers throwing a big party once Resident Evil 2 has gone gold and noticing each team members having an expression of an achievement that has finally lead them to that point of completion after so long.

All the hard work from every member of Capcom development team has paid off when Resident Evil 2 Remake received critical-acclaim from both critics and fans, selling over 4.7 million copies within a month as well.
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