I bought the Resident Evil 2 remake despite the fact that I really DO NOT enjoy horror in any form of media.

There have been a few exceptions over the years, but not many.

For games; I’ve played a few.

  • I played Resident Evil 4 but never finished it.
  • Resident Evil 5 was really fun, but you are never alone in that game (it’s co-op) so there is a lot less tension. It’s also more of an action game in a horror setting than an actual horror game
  • I played Until Dawn (great game) with my girlfriend. Having someone there eases the tension quite a bit.
  • Season 1 of The Walking Dead from Telltale Games (R.I.P.) is a must play, interactive experience.

For Movies and TV:

  • I watched a few seasons of The Walking Dead, mostly because that first episode is amazing. Never really found this show scary.
  • The Thing (1982) is one of the better films I’ve seen. I would say this is more about tension than horror.
  • 28 Days Later & 28 Weeks Later are creepy as hell, but fantastic.

Other than those examples, that is really it. I remember watching my friend play Resident Evil 2 on the original Playstation at his house back in 1998. There was something about it that kept me interested in it, even though my heart would race as I watched.

I had a demo of Silent Hill 4: The Room back on PS2 and it creeped me out enough that I didn’t turn it on ever again (or buy the game).

So what am I trying to say? I guess that; I’m a bit of a baby when it comes to horror.

So why did I buy the Resident Evil 2 remake?

I was curious since it was getting fantastic reviews. Plus, I really wanted to play a fantastic looking game on my PC rig (best looking game I’ve ever played).

I titled this blog Love & Hate, because that’s sort of my relationship with this game. Since I turned it on and started Leon S. Kennedy’s campaign, I’ve simultaneously wanted to keep playing and turn off the game because it’s too much. No, really. I play about 20 minutes to a half hour at a time, tops because I can’t handle any more. My heart races while I’m playing but it is all I can think of off after I quit the game. I’m sort of addicted to both. I have not had this feeling in a very long time.

I’ve been taking my time with Resident Evil 2. Maybe it’s the wrong way to play, but I’ve been searching each room, taking out all zombies so I can freely get around the police station. At about 5 hours in, I’m starting to realize this may be a mistake.

I didn’t have an ammo problem until my last play session. I cleared out some zombies and was left with no ammo for my 9mm Matilda or my Shotgun. Unlocking some new paths around the police station and revisiting some old rooms with some newly found keys, I thought this wouldn’t be a problem. I would run to these new rooms and they would surely be filled with ammo for me. Boy, was I wrong!

On my way to these rooms, I was faced zombies who decided they weren’t previously dead from our first encounter and a brand new licker. By the time I finally found some ammo, I had used all my flash grenades and only had knife left.

The tension is real and I think that’s what is so great about this game. It’s the first time that a video game has actually made me feel like my shot shots matter. A shotgun blast to a dog didn’t kill it the first time? Shit. A zombie swayed out of the way of a head shot? Great, only 5 bullets left. Let’s not start about The Tyrant.

What I find most fascination about Resident Evil 2, is that there are really insane ways of playing this game. There is an achievement/trophy for never using a healing item and another for never opening the item box to store an item. I don’t think that would be something I would enjoy attempting, but people are doing it.

I think the most fascinating way of playing Resident Evil 2 is speed running.

I’ve never had an interest in speed running a game myself. When I hear that phrase, I think of people glitching their way through a Zelda game to beat it as fast as possible. I’ve now learned that’s not always the case.

This morning I put on uhTrance’s Resident Evil 2 Remake – Leon A Speedrun since it popped up in my suggested videos as I drank my coffee (I’ve been reading and watching anything RE2 related since it came out).

From the title, I was shocked to see that someone beat this game in under an hour!

In my current game, I’m 5 and half hours in and uhTrance made it up to the same part in 18 minutes…wow.

Maybe I am playing this game the wrong way, but boy am I having fun. I guess we’ll see how that changes in Part 2, when I have more Mr. X to deal with.

Have you finished Resident Evil 2 remake? What do you think of speed running video games? Let me know in the comments!

Be on the look out for Part 2 and my new blog series 2018 Holiday Round-Up, where I go over my favorite hobbies from 2018.