Resident Evil 2 2019 Vs. The Evil Within 2, Who Did It Better?

Who wins this battle between survival-horror, The Evil Within 2 or Resident Evil 2 2019?

By Grayshadow, Posted 29 Jan 2019

Resident Evil 2 2019 recently released and it has been a smash hit. With 3 million copies shipped and over 1800 years worth of play time, a lot of gamers are enjoying Capcom's latest survival-horror title. However, how does it compare to The Evil Within 2, the franchise started by the director of the very first Resident Evil Shinji Mikami? Does The Evil Within 2 toppled Resident Evil 2 2019 or did Capcom's latest game showcase why Resident Evil is known as the king of survival-horror?

Resident Evil 2 2019,The Evil Within,The Evil Within 2,Bethesda,Capcom,

Zombies Vs. The Lost

The creatures in The Evil Within 2 and Resident Evil 2 2019 are radically different from one another. The Lost act with a bit more coordination and planning whereas most of Resident Evil 2's monsters charge without a care in the world. However, the humans of The Evil Within 2, as opposed to Resident Evil 2, provide a more enthralling adventure.

Many of the major foes in The Evil Within 2 are humans, with characters like Stefano and Father Theodore pulling the strings. The enemies in Resident Evil 2 lack this since most of them are mindless predators who say nothing and kill without mercy, but that works in the game's favor.

The human enemies in The Evil Within 2, while unsettling and create unnerving situations, lack the tension created by many of the enemies in Resident Evil 2. The Tyrant, Lickers, and many other horrible creatures create chilling experiences throughout the game. The Evil Within 2 does have its share of disturbing creatures that send you into a panic like Stefano's Obscura or Anima but these enemies are limited to specific sections. Resident Evil 2 has a consistent sense of tension throughout with both killable and immortal enemies.

This constant anxiety caused by the common enemies within Resident Evil 2 doesn't go away unlike The Evil Within 2. This is due to the game's upgrade system that gives the player more of an advantage to take on enemies, eliminating much of the stress of fighting them. In a survival-horror game, maintaining that sense of fear is hard but Capcom has successfully done this with just common enemies.

Winner: Resident Evil 2 2019

Resident Evil 2 2019,The Evil Within,The Evil Within 2,Bethesda,Capcom,

1 Campaign or Several?

Resident Evil 2 tells the same story from multiple perspectives. You get to see Leon and Claire take different paths along with HUNK's recovery of the G-Virus and in February we'll see 3 more survivors who don't make it. It's an extremely elaborate adventure full of branching paths that combine for one single nightmarish night.

The Evil Within 2 is a complete story of a father doing whatever it takes to save his daughter. Sebastion must encounter horrible monsters generated by the tormented and twisted minds of psychopathic killers. All leading up to a breathtaking conclusion that combines music and gameplay with emotional pressure.

Both Resident Evil 2 and The Evil Within 2 tell exceptionally well narratives but The Evil Within 2 is a step above Capcom's title. This is due to the many diverse characters within The Evil Within 2 that help generate a more entertaining story. The limited characters you meet in Resident Evil 2 are amazing but they don't have the same quality of characters like Stefano and Esmeralda. Most of the allies in Resident Evil 2 are given little information about who they are and mostly stumble into your adventure.

What really sets The Evil Within 2's narrative above Resident Evil 2 is the ending. The combination of gameplay and music as Sebastion attempts to escape STEM with his daughter while Kidman tries to rescue them creates such an exciting atmosphere that Resident Evil 2's ending does not. The final bosses within Capcom's title are phenomenal but The Evil Within 2  not only has a remarkable final boss but a finale that is unforgettable.  

Winner: The Evil Within 2

Resident Evil 2 2019,The Evil Within,The Evil Within 2,Bethesda,Capcom,

Save Your Bullets or Power Your Weapons

Despite being survival-horror games both The Evil Within 2 and Resident Evil 2 play differently. Resident Evil 2 focuses more on being frugal with your supplies, managing your inventory, and being evasive. The Evil Within 2 follows a similar pattern but allows the player to be a little more wiggle room when it comes to using supplies and choosing to kill your way through enemies.

Capcom has reinforced their enemies with extra damage resistance and more powerful attacks to encourage saving supplies. You don't kill zombies in the hundreds here, but instead, decide whether killing the 1 zombie in front of you is worth the bullets or healing items since supplies are precious. In addition, despite having more weapons and items by the end of Resident Evil 2 that feeling of being vulnerable never leaves. In The Evil Within 2, the opposite happens as you feel like you can destroy anything in your path.

The Evil Within 2 uses a combination of both action and classic survival-horror inventory management. Players can upgrade their skills to include a vast array of combat focused skills to kill enemies or focus on stealth and avoid them altogether. Because of this, players are given more options especially since enemies also drop supplies. This does have a downside to it.

While The Evil Within 2's combat is much more open-ended it eliminates much of the pressure. Fully upgraded players can plow through enemies, causing them to lose much of their terrifying nature. The once chainsawing multi-head monster, in the beginning, can become nothing more than another target against a fully upgrade Sebastion.

While the enemies of Resident Evil 2 remain a challenge throughout the movement of Leon and Claire is primarily a problem. Movement and shooting in Resident Evil 2 can become vexing whereas The Evil Within 2 it's a lot easier to move and shoot with Sebastion. This becomes a huge problem in Resident Evil 2 when you notice every creature moves faster than you and your only defense is either a one-time knife attack or grenades, all of which can only be used in frontal attacks.

The Evil Within 2 simply provides more options to defend yourself while also providing an excellent array of enemies. The stress of facing against enemies does eventually fade, unlike in Resident Evil 2, but the control Sebastion has in escaping and combat supersedes Leon and Claire. Making it a lot of fun to play as the former detective instead of either Leon or Claire.

Winner: The Evil Within 2

The Evil Within 2,NoobFeed,Bethesda,Tango Gameworks,

Winner: The Evil Within 2

Resident Evil 2 2019 is a terrific remake of the beloved 1998 game that captures and modernizes this outstanding and iconic survival-horror game. However, The Evil Within 2's combination of excellent antagonists and a breathtaking finale allows it to step above Capcom latest game. Coming face-to-face with the Tyrant and avoiding Lickers is always a terrifying thrill but eventually conquering the horrors of STEM to save Sebastion's daughter makes the entire adventure a worthy journey that Resident Evil 2's conclusion doesn't share.

Do you agree or disagree with us? Let us know in the comments below!

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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General Information

Platform(s): Xbox One, PS4, PC
Publisher(s): Capcom
Developer(s): Capcom
Genres: Survival-Horror
Themes: Survival
Release Date: 2019-01-25

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