Resident Evil 2 is an absolute survival horror masterpiece surpassing its predecessor. Leon and Claire in a zombie-overrun Raccoon City, two interlinked campaigns, Mr X pursuing the player. Permanent tension, brilliant level design and effective narrative. A genre pinnacle on PS1.
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Category
Survival1 player16+
Description
Japanese release of the second Resident Evil where Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield survive a zombie-overrun Raccoon City. Survival by Capcom, released in 1998 in Japan. Zapping system with two intertwined scenarios Leon-hen and Claire-hen, mutant monsters, dual-disc release and urban puzzles. Original Japanese edition.
A scenario disc from the two-disc Japanese edition of Biohazard 2, where Leon and Claire's paths echo each other through the zapping system. This per-scenario presentation, specific to the Japanese release, shapes a set that enthusiasts seek to reunite complete. The interest springs from that original split and from the game's standing as the narrative peak of survival horror on the console.
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?
Released in 1998 on PS1, Capcom's project signed Hideki Kamiya consolidates the original's formula on the scale of a city consumed by apocalypse. The Leon and Claire dual campaign offers rare narrative replay value, the staging climbs toward grand horror cinema and the room by room reading keeps an intact tension. The art direction and the music by Masami Ueda and Shusaku Uchiyama remain magnificent. Tank controls have aged. Stays a major milestone, recommended for every survival horror devotee and for Capcom fans curious about the studio's late nineties peak on Sony's first home console hardware.
