Resident Evil 2 turns 23 years on this year of the franchise's 25th Anniversary

 

One of the best selling games in the original PlayStation era and undeniably one of the greatest sequels ever has turned 23 - on the same year that the entire franchise celebrates its 25th Anniversary no less.

On this day on January 21, 1998 - Resident Evil 2 aka Biohazard 2 was released for the Sony PlayStation - bringing a new kind of Survival Horror adventure into the series by making a sequel that was twice as big as the first and put the story two months later where the entire midwestern town of Raccoon City fell to the T-Virus and the zombie outbreak that came along with it. New protagonists were introduced in rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield - the young tomboyish sister of RE1's Chris Redfield - as both embarked on a journey to survive and escape from the city of the dead while dealing will all sorts of biohazardous monstrosities unleashed by the machinations of the Umbrella Corporation.

To say RE2 was a monumental success is nothing short of an understatement - the game was actually reworked from the ground up after the original build set for a 1997 released (dubbed by fans as RE 1.5) was scrapped. Capcom and the first game's director Shinji Mikami wanted to redo the entire concept, and with future Devil May Cry and Bayonetta creator Hideki Kamiya at the helm that would prove to be a smart and wise choice. The turnout of the game became phenomenal, and would lead to several more sequels and spin-offs - including a remake of RE2 itself which was released on January 25, 2019 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

What better way to celebrate indeed as we gear up for an RE Showcase with news for Resident Evil Village and the rest of the franchise! Happy 23 years, RE2!