With my place in the minority opinion, it would be for the better to not step out of line, I’ll try not to, but man… do I have a bone to pick with this game. As it pertains to taking up the name of its venerable counterpart, Resident Evil 2 attempts to bring back an aged classic and weave it new threads, as any remake is ordained to do. I have gone on record in saying that creative license can not only be taken, but is welcome, and it can breath new life into an already hearty piece of work.

However, where the mainstream comes up short in how it evaluates remakes, and adaptations too come to think of it, isn’t in how they reinterpret works, or what they do to introduce it to new audiences. No, what’s worth spotlighting is the way those things eek into the collective unconscious, if you don’t mind my manner of saying, in turn practically replacing what came before it. It may not be the mentality but it is what comes about it. Aging is not an inherent sign of weakness, whether it be in people or in things; sometimes aged things are better off. The older the wine, the tastier right? The older the person, the wiser?

When molds are established, it would only serve to cast iron out of them. Smelting it, processing the metallurgy into the finest shape. They are built upon over time. That’s why genres are a thing, they had to come from somewhere to be what they are, to classify certain styles. But lest we not forget the first that came or we won’t have the base to improve on.

Case and point: This remake. Marketed as more of a “reimagining” whatever the fuck that means, this games set out to take the base of the original and build upon it to suit contemporary fancies. Make it prettier, make it play better, the works. But to whomever reads this, which is probably no one, is there not a chance to lose sight of what made the original work as much as it did? I think so, but even in cases where I feel like such a thing happens, and I agree with the consensus around it, I can still let bygones be and enjoy the work on its own, even with that thought of the lost gnawing at me.

So it is with this game that not just part, but chunks of what made the original game so good, and special to me, was either watered down, or outright stripped away. Does it ruin the game? Not by any means, it’s still a solid game, but I’m sorry to say, it is also a bastardization. Sure, it wasn’t to the same extent of RE3 and that is a whole ‘nother can of worms I’m not willing to crack open right now. I’m not saying there wasn’t love poured into the seams of this game, there was, it’s still a blast to play and has the staples you’d come to expect. But it feels so compromised, and for no good reason.

Plot points, characterization for the cast, structuring, they have been ran through like a bull in a China shop. Things that defined the original are husks of what they used to be, take for instance, the A/B scenarios, or lack thereof. In place of which being second runs that were so hamstrung they created continuity errors that weren’t there before. The zapping system being tossed in the bin, meaning no way to spice up each play-through, making an important layer of decision making gone.

It hurts because there are things here that were welcome additions. Even if I prefer the classic formatting and control scheme, and wish AAA devs went back to those design conventions and improved upon them rather than leaving them at the curb, there are pluses to the over-the-shoulder perspective. Tactical shooting and the detailed dismemberment adds to the gameplay in a way that wouldn’t have been possible at the time. Even if you can’t avoid being bitten once grappled, the handy set of knives you can find are a viable form of self-defense that expend and have their limits because of their durability.

That’s just gameplay, I also liked the fatherly role they gave Bob Kendo, if ever so briefly, and how they portrayed Marvin. Even though the story of the original is stronger, they had stronger presences here than they did then. Not to mention the carry-over from this game to the remake of RE4, where the double-edged stiletto Leon uses is the one Marvin entrusted him rather than being the random one he deployed with like it was in the original RE4. It’s good shit. But at the same time, the good is met in equal measure with the, not quite bad, just not as good.

The downfall of the Birkin family, the revelation of Chief Irons, the build up of the relationship between Leon and Ada, hell, the lack of one between Leon and Claire even, it’s all just worse. Seriously, Leon and Claire barely talk to each other and they only really interact at like, three places: at MIZOIL once they cross paths and head to the station, the courtyard near the back entrance of the RPD, and the second run ending. They had more interplay and on-screen time together than that in the original, c’mon. It’s like they missed the steps to making the through-line for the story being earned the way it was in the original.

It’s still pretty good, but it's a pale imitation that doesn’t reach the heights it should have. The game just feels unfinished, it may not be but I just can’t shake it. At the end of the day that’s what it feels like. As for the game itself, yeah it holds up. Again, it is a solid modern survival horror game, but I just don’t see how this is the worthy remake that improves on the original that it’s generally made out to be.

Oh, and to clear things up, I know what it says on the description: "The game was not developed with the intent of improving the original, but rather a reimagining of the original story with redesigned maps, characters and story elements." If that is the case, then I would be easier on the game, but it does not come off that way from the litany of reviews I've read from major publications and minor Joe-Shmoes alike. Even if that were the case, it kind of falls short of those things too, at least compared to the original. The original the original the original THE ORIGINAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fuck. Alright maybe the rose-tinted glasses are fogging up my vision, I won't deny that, but still, OG > RE, sorry, not sorry.

What Tetris is to the droves that played it, is what Bubble Bobble is to me. Nothing but bubbly feelings (haha) arise from playing or thinking back on this game. Not being one for reminiscing, rather wanting make what I have right now count, I can’t help but look back on playing this game and Bust-A-Move with my mom back when we were in San Juan and feeling melancholic about it; will I ever recapture that feeling again? Likely not, but I’d like to think so.

The series itself is just unbelievably fun and addictive too, and just like Tetris, deceptively simple in its inner workings. Sure, being the proponent of games as an art form that can remold over time, and being the votary of storytelling that I am, I usually need more out of games than just the fun factor, and am even open to games defying what fun is, but this type of game is just untouchable. The mold had to come from somewhere, and games of this ilk, like Galaga, Defenders, Space Invaders, and so on are the mold. The industry wouldn’t be where it is now, for better or worse, without these games.

Looking back on them, they may be considered primitive, philistines whomever does consider them such, and change was bound to happen, as change is the constant of the universe, but greatness comes from small beginnings. Sic Parvis Magna baby. Classic games being the way they are and coming from the time they did brings greater appreciation for the games we have now and seeing how far the medium has come. Bubble Bobble forever.

For every reason this game is dragged, it picks itself up for me. It having constraint, giving you little control in the first half, deemphasized exploration, with points of no return and frequent save points. These parts of the game are considered flaws, but they are deliberate design choices that make it so the game gradually opening up closer to the end feels more earned. It’s not a bug, it’s a feature. Stay with me here, but it abides by the ludic contract it signs. Striking the gauge of player engagement in ways that games from turn of the century and the sensibilities that came from it don’t live up to. Metroid Fusion is masterful at utilizing gameplay to tell the story, as well as enriching it.

Whether it’s the best Metroid game or not is up in the air, every Metroid game shares enough to make it so any one of them could be the linchpin of the day. Being as consistent as the series is, that is if we don’t talk about Federation Force or Other M… cough, that means that no one game toughs the other out. They all have merit and are of equal footing even if they do things slightly better than the others. Metroid (1986) setting motion what we would come to know now. Metroid II: Return of Samus underpinning the baseline for what makes Metroid what it is. Super Metroid revolutionizing the industry. Metroid Fusion interlocking each one of its strands and offering the most cohesive narrative experience. Metroid Dread doing literally everything right the rest did, but I guess it has the weakest soundtrack and atmosphere or something. That is patently incorrect but those happen to be recurring points against it for some reason. They are all masterpieces basically.

Metroid Fusion is, or wait no, it was my favorite because of the above. Metroid Dread came and cleaned house but Metroid Fusion still reserved its special place in my heart. Outdoing the active threat that is the SA-X, which packs the same arsenal that you do, coming across all manner of grotesqueries, uncovering the secrets of the B.S.L. Research Station, and coming out the other end saving the galaxy once again. It was an unforgettable experience. Oh, and it only came in underpowered pocket form when technical advancements in the console space were the craze, on the SAME DAY AS METROID PRIME! It’s like they wanted to kill 2D Metroid man what the hell.