Resident Evil 2 Remake - Official DEMO thread

[Jonipoon]

I thought we could have a separate thread for this, since the final version will play different compared to this demo. For example there might be variations in some puzzles and how doors open. So we need this thread for sharing tips in order to avoid confusion with the full game.

So, have you tried it and what are your thoughts? How far did you come? Did you like the one-shot idea of limiting the playthrough to 30 minutes, or did you find it to be frustrating? Share your thoughts below.

Personally, that was probably the fastest 30 minutes of my entire life. Good lord, I'm actually quite disappointed. Not by the game itself, but the whole one-shot thing. It didn't work for me at all, since it made me stressed out and worried about the god damn timer during the whole playthrough. I just couldn't relax and enjoy the demo. I made it as far as the upper stairs of the building, but then my screen faded into blackness and that annoying text popped up - "Thank you for playing".

 

[KevinStriker]

I don't like the idea of a timed demo if it's always online and you're forbidden from trying it again, I'd rather it encourage you to play it over and over, getting a little further every time until you reached a scripted sequence (like Marvin radioing Leon back to the front hall for a final cutscene).

As it stands, once those 30 minutes are up, it just becomes a 7 GB teaser trailer.

 

[Hel]

After completing the demo, I'm even less fond of the time limit. When I start a new game, I usually take my time looking around, exploring everything, looking at my character, and reading the documents, none of which I could do while playing this demo because Steam achievements kept reminding me that I'm running out of time.

As for the game itself, I can at least say that I immediately felt at home. Despite a few changes to the RPD's layout, which even led me to get lost a few times, it's still a faithful reimagining of the original, yet different enough to feel like a new experience - just like a remake should be. And can we talk a little about how adorable Leon is? When I first heard the news of the remake, I was afraid that Capcom's favouritism would result in Leon seeming much more badass than he really was at the time, but the opposite is the case: With that round face, he looks a bit like an oversized toddler, and while exploring his dark surroundings, he occasionally talks to himself to calm down. While his reaction to a living person being bitten in half right in front of him left a little to be desired, I'm still pleased with his representation overall.

The controls are quick to get used to, it's just the character movement that feels a little slow, even "running" is basically just faster walking, and it makes me wonder how this cop ever passed his training considering that he starts panting after just a few steps. I once tried to attack a zombie with the knife and never again, because by the time Leon had his thing out and was getting ready to play, the zombie was already going for the homerun. It annoys me that headshots no longer kill; I tried shooting the kneecaps instead as advised by a few early reviewers, but that seemed to take even longer. How aiming assistance is supposed to help, I'm not sure either - aiming felt the same as always even with it activated.

Well... It's a shame I can't explore this any further, because even though the demo did make me want to play more (in part because I wasn't even allowed to fully explore the portion I was given), I'm still not entirely sold on the game. Capcom have managed to achieve what was probably their intention - making me feel helpless. The problem is that I don't like this feeling at all, and although the demo wasn't so hard, this is also just the beginning. I can already see myself unintentionally killing many, many poor Toddleons on my way through the RPD alone.

 

[Jonipoon]

@Hel
^So you actually managed to complete the demo in just 19 minutes? Damn, good job for a one-shot. But technically that means Capcom did include a scripted ending point to the demo. How embarrassing, if advanced players are able to complete the one-shot demo faster than the limit of 30 minutes, they should've scratched the whole one-shot idea completely. Just like you I prefer to take my time looking around and explore the area.

However, from a gameplay perspective I agree with you. The controls are smooth and makes you feel right at home. I found the knife to be pretty useless as well, especially since it gets stuck in the zombie's body after using the scripted melee attack. Manually aiming with the pistol felt remarkably smooth, I didn't even bother using aim assistance so that's a huge plus. And I actually really like how it takes more than one headshot to kill them, and I'm sure you'll get more powerful weapons later in the game that'll enable you to blow up any zombie with a single bullet.

When it comes to the scare factor, I can't say I felt helpless at any point in the demo. I'm not a huge fan of the camera angle at this point, I'd prefer if the camera was a little bit more closer to Leon's shoulder. Also, like you said, this is just the beginning. I'll probably play as Claire in the full game in order to increase the sense of helplessness.

 

[Hel]

I'll probably play as Claire in the full game in order to increase the sense of helplessness.

(Thank Odin I know we're talking about RE here, or else I would have screamed sexism. :razz: )

But I really wouldn't call Claire more helpless than Leon. He might be the one with the professional training, but let's be honest, she is the one with the balls. This new version of her especially gives me the impression that she was once quite the tomboy, pulling pranks in her youth and making her teachers cry, while Leon sat at home doing extra homework. As we know, this changes throughout the overarching story of the games, and Claire may be faced with bigger obstacles such as running from Mister X while protecting a little girl, but knowing her, I'm pretty sure she will manage both just fine.

 

[Jonipoon]

@Hel
^Let's see, because my biggest issue is the camera angle and I haven't played as Claire yet. For me its a bit to far away, and it makes it less scary. Since they're using the same engine as REVII I can't help but feel this engine was crafted with first person in mind, and the over-the-shoulder perspective is an afterthought. Then again I wouldn't want a first person mode either...

 

[Gar Bageman]

@Hel
^Let's see, because my biggest issue is the camera angle and I haven't played as Claire yet. For me its a bit to far away, and it makes it less scary. Since they're using the same engine as REVII I can't help but feel this engine was crafted with first person in mind, and the over-the-shoulder perspective is an afterthought. Then again I wouldn't want a first person mode either...

Did you toy with the FOV settings at all?

 

[Turo602]

I personally don't mind the one shot idea. It's meant to be a tease to make people want to buy the game and the game is so close already. I personally had no interest in exploring every inch of the demo and would have rather stayed away from it since the game is almost here. I prefer to take my time with the game when it's out, instead of feeling like I want to get that portion over with for having done so in the demo already.

However, I was weak and I caved in and played it. Though, my goal was more to just get a feel for the game than to explore everything and finish the demo. So I just wandered around and played recklessly until I died and called it a day.

I was really excited for this game and I got to say, the demo didn't really leave me with the best impression. Leon feels reeeeeally slow when moving and aiming, the camera doesn't feel right, even when you do the 180 degree turn something feels off. The knife feels cheap and useless when using it to attack and I don't like how running needs to be toggled by clicking the stick. It makes me feel like I'm less in control of the character. The reticle always becoming unfocused is really annoying too and I also don't like how Leon can just push through doors like nothing.

It's honestly a little disheartening. The last time I felt like this about a Resident Evil game was when I played the RE6 demo and was in complete denial of how awful it felt. RE5 and Revelations 2 really had the gameplay right. They just felt so perfect despite the kind of games they were overall. Leon feels heavy here, but so did Chris in RE5, but RE5 controlled so well and didn't make me feel like I was slow nor did the camera wobble around so much. It's like RE2 is in an awkward middle ground where it feels like classic RE gameplay, but also feels weird and unpolished like RE6.

I really hope I feel differently after messing with some of the settings and spending more time with the game when it releases, because I really do want to like this game, because everything I've seen and heard, especially from the data mine recently, has really got me so pumped up for Resident Evil again.

 

[Jonipoon]

Did you toy with the FOV settings at all?

No, I didn't know that was an option. Besides I was too focused on exploring as much as possible during my 30 minutes, no time for playing around testing different controls.

 

[Jen]

I played the demo yesterday. I didn't try to finish it, I just tried to get a feel for things, tried out shooting zombies and soaking in the atmosphere.

I experienced some of the things that Turo mentioned above in terms of gameplay. I thought Leon appeared a touch too big on the screen, and I'm not a fan of pushing in the stick to run. The target reticle didn't really work for me either - I found it a little annoying how it suddenly focuses in and out all the time.

However, I do have to say that I liked the general atmosphere of the game. I'm hoping that the things I didn't like are things that I get used to while playing the full game. And I like that zombies chase you through doors; that definitely makes you feel like you're not safe anywhere.

EDIT: In regards to the demo being a one-shot, I can see where Capcom is coming from in that it leaves you wanting more. However, to fully get a feel for it, I feel like making it a two- or three-shot demo may have been better so that you can explore different aspects. As I was focusing on how the game felt, it meant that I didn't really explore the surroundings too much. Also, in your first play, there's a definite element of running around like a headless chicken, wondering where to go, what to do, what items you require etc. that really eats into the short time you're allotted. I think to really leave you wanting more, you should be able to experience that little bit more to truly give you the taste for it.

 

[Springhosen]

So I finally played the demo last night while the fiance watched and I liked it. I didn't try to finish it by any means, I wasn't going to run around like a chicken with my head cut off just because of time restrictions so I did get cut off before the end, which was extremely annoying. I would have much rather the demo be a one shot without the time limit so that I could explore all of what I was able to on my one playthrough but it is what it is.

The atmosphere was amazing and there were definitely startling moments that got both of us. I liked the changes to Leon and I loved the changes to the script. Definitely more realistic and I actually didn't want to even make fun of it.

The changes to the RPD were pretty awesome too. I like that the way we're used to going isn't necessarily the path to take in this version. Makes it feel different and new.

Leon did feel very slow, though, and like everyone else, I didn't really dig pushing the analog stick to run. (I even found myself holding the 'x' button, even though it doesn't do anything.) Wasn't too fond of the aiming either. It really messed me up in terms of shooting but I hope I get used to it with time.

 

[Mr.R]

Well, I played it too yesterday and I just loved it. The atmosphere is on point, the RPD seems pretty faithful to the original while actually looking like a police department this time and as the overall presentation, I found it to be excellent.

I liked the gameplay too. I found Leon to be pretty easy to control. I struggled for like...5 minutes and then I got the hang of it. I do prefer the running to be on "toggle", because I find it impossible to use on "Hold", but maybe it's just me. Combat was really fun. The zombies are buffed, but your aim is pretty precise (if you actually keep your cool and shot one bullet at a time) and the knife is pretty much for self defense or to slash downed zombies, just like we used to do (I do think knives breaks in the game? It had a bar under its icon in the menu and I picked up a second one during the demo).

The only thing I didn't liked was the control scheme. I hope in the final version of the game there's a scheme to aim and fire with L1 and R1, which is the most normal for me (I never got used to aim and fire with L2 and R2)

Anyway, I got out of the demo with a very positive attitude and I think I'm gonna enjoy this game a lot (Okay, I still enjoy RE6 so....don't come at me! hahaha!). Really, I'm just happy to see one of my favorite games getting such a careful treatment (on my POV, of course.).

 

[WushuKnight90]

Been playing the demo almost non-stop (ALMOST), and it's been pretty addicting. This is funny coming from someone who doesn't favor horror games. Here are my videos

 

[Roku]

I didn't want to play the demo, since the full game is going to come out soon, but I couldn't resist.

I'm not mad about the time limit (which is funny since I normally hate everything with a timer), because it stopped me from spoiling too much (without the time limit I would have ended exploring and memorizing the first part of the police station, and I'd rather do that in the full game, without having to rush it because 'I've already done it in the demo').
I want to be surprised by the full game, which is why I used the time of the demo getting used to the control scheme instead.

It took me 5 minutes to get used to it (5 minutes were I risked my life), but after that I had no problems.
The zombie are hard to beat, but I like it, I always thought that the original RE2 was too easy (probably the easiest of the saga imo), so the added challenge posed by the standard enemy was welcome.
Hitting them in the head didn't do much (well, not with the gun, with the shotgun I've blown more than a few head off), so I've started shooting their legs off and hitting them with the knife (at first it was kinda hard to do so, but after a bit of practice it become both easy and fast to do).
I like the controls and the visuals, my only problem is with how slow Leon is tbh.

All in all this game seems to fix the elements that I disliked in the original RE2, I always thought that the design of the police station was flat/boring, but I love the version of the reimagination, it felt very atmospheric (which is another thing that I felt the original lacked), the demo felt easy but even so, I had to think about my every move during each encounter which I liked.

I'm not saying that the reimagination is perfect, it's frankly too soon to form an opinion, but I'm happy to see that the things I've got more problems with were fixed for this remake.
I also really liked the audio.

Also, Leon is precious and I want to protect him (and Claire scares me, I wouldn't want to be in the shoes of that particular Tyrant).

While I liked it, and liked the one-shot element of the demo, I have to say that I don't think that it was a good idea to release it, not now.
The first approach of most players will be this, which means that most will end up thinking that the gameplay is a mess (even though it isn't, because the time limit will make most unable to explore it in details, 30 minutes aren't enough for people to learn every shade of the gameplay, especially if they want to explore too and sure aren't enough for people to master it)
.

 

[JujuLodestar]

Played it earlier.

Atmosphere was great, movement felt really good, sound design, graphics, effects, everything was solid.
The enemies sounded pretty dumb and honestly immersive breaking for me though, what are essentially decomposing humans sounding first, that loud and somewhat demonic was uhhhh.

I'm still a bit iffy on the redesign to Leonardo Di Caprio, it just strikes me as a bit odd, and the actual writing is okay, not too amazing, but serviceable. Interactions are great though. Even if the words spoken sounds sometimes phoned in.

And that's all I got since I didn't have the chance to properly scrutinize anything else in that 30 minutes.
Overall, game looks to be great, but I can see it having a few hiccups.

Finally, I'm not sure if I'm remembering wrong, but before you could only take 3 hits before hitting dying status, now they increased it to potentially 4, which is nice.

 

[Hel]

I understand that many people here decided to take the slow path, letting the atmosphere sink in rather than rushing through the game trying to get to the ending point. I went about it the other way, first trying to see as much as possible of what the demo has to offer in terms of story and cutscenes and worrying about the details later when I'm playing the full game. I finished it in roughly two thirds of the allotted time, which technically gives me ten more minutes to explore, but I guess I don't really want to see every little thing beforehand and then get that "been there, done that" feeling while playing the full game. Although, if we get to choose who to play as first, I'll probably go with Claire anyway, so there's that.

You know what? Maybe I should just get it over with and preorder the game already. My fear of not being good enough to play it aside, we all know I'm going to buy it anyway, and that I won't be patient enough to wait for the Steam summer sale. :razz: What do you think? Have any of you completely changed their minds about getting or not getting the game based on the demo?

 

[Springhosen]

@Hel I was getting the game before the demo, like as soon as I saw game trailers. I don't care if I'm good at it or not - cause I know Mr. X is going to kill me a million times, lol. I already pre-ordered the deluxe edition because I'm a huge DLC junkie and bae and I are both taking half a day at work so we can experience first day gameplay together.

 

[Turo602]

Honestly, I'm not too worried about the game's difficulty. Had I actually tried in the demo, I could have easily completed the demo, but of the zombies I did kill, they weren't really tough. I feel like this game is gonna be really generous with ammo and other pick ups.

As for Mr. X. Although he looks a whole lot more intimidating than Jack Baker, the fact that I'm even making that comparison worries me because it's obvious Jack Baker was the ground work for the way Mr. X works here. Mr. X didn't originally roam the station, but because Jack did in RE7, they're going with that for this game. Which worries me because Jack Baker wasn't really tough and was very easy to get away from and lure away from places you wanted to go. I get the feeling it's gonna be the same here and like Mr. X is gonna be easy to drop or simply run from.

 

[Springhosen]

Mr. X didn't originally roam the station, but because Jack did in RE7, they're going with that for this game.

Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but Mr. X did follow you in the original B scenarios. Sure he might have more freedom to go in places he didn't before but I don't think that's indicative of any bosses in Resident Evil VII, more a result of new technology and the advancements made in gaming and programming in general.

 

[Mr.R]

MR.X only appear in scripted moments in the B Scenario of any character. Technically, canon-wise, he is roaming the station and following the player, but he only appears on fixed moments. Which might be the case on the remake, he just maybe follows you around with more intent, kinda like Nemesis. We'll have to wait and see.