Port of the all-time classic RE2, still razor sharp a decade later. Raccoon City falling apart, Leon and Claire's intertwined A and B scenarios, unstoppable pacing. Visuals show their age but the writing and staging haven't aged a day.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player16+
Description
Leon Kennedy battles G-virus mutations in this Capcom GameCube Biohazard 2. Published by Capcom, released in Japan in January 2003. Port of original Resident Evil 2 with Leon and Claire exploring infected Raccoon City, gripping survival horror and varied G bosses.
Biohazard 2 review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
The GameCube port of Resident Evil 2 preserves the horror aesthetic of the 1998 masterpiece: prerendered backdrops of the Raccoon City police station gnawed by the outbreak, sewers and an underground lab, bathed in wan light and menacing shadows. The art direction sets a cinematic survival horror that became canonical. A timeless visual atmosphere.
Resident Evil 2's score, by Masami Ueda and his team, orchestrates fear with a proudly B-movie craft: anxious pads, strings that screech during attacks, and a soothing save-room theme that became a cult favorite. The music alternates constant tension and rare breaths, matching the flight through Raccoon City. A sonic pillar of survival horror.
Leon Kennedy's first day on the force, Claire's arrival in search of her brother: the night Raccoon City falls to the outbreak. The two-character story, with interlocking scenarios, blends survival, the Umbrella conspiracy and memorable encounters, from Ada Wong to little Sherry. Efficient, poignant storytelling, the template of the zombie saga.
Biohazard 2 is the Japanese edition of the GameCube port of Resident Evil 2, distributed by Capcom in the line of the Biohazard sub-series on the console. Collector value comes from the limited local print and from this GC port being one of the console versions most faithful to the original PS1 version.
Memorable bosses
Across Raccoon City, the same foe keeps returning, ever more monstrous: William Birkin mutates with each encounter, from clawed colossus to unrecognizable mass of flesh. That biological escalation, paired with a Tyrant who hunts without pause, raises the tension from one duel to the next. The grotesque decay of a boss who refuses to die remains a peak of '90s horror.
Is Biohazard 2 still worth playing in 2026?
A GameCube port of Resident Evil 2, this title offers the best traditional console version of the entry before the modern remake. The Raccoon City precinct is still a textbook playground for survival horror, and the Leon and Claire double campaign retains real replay value. Tank controls take a little getting used to, yet the tension of narrow corridors and scarce ammunition still holds up remarkably well. A solid recommendation for revisiting the episode in its classic form before the recent remake today.
