Wednesday, December 15th, 1999 12/15/99 RESIDENT EVIL 2 Playstation --> Nintendo 64 Changes Author: marshmallow The idea of a two-CD Playstation game being ported to the N64 just seems downright laughable. That is, until Angelsoft studios, working closely with Capcom, discovered a new micro-code trick that would allow them to compress the minutes of FMV, pre-rendered backgrounds, voice, and other miscellaneous, space eating programs into a size that could be put onto an N64 ROM with a decent price tag. Of course, it's not just a straight port. They fixed a few things here and there...and I'm here to show you the differences. ======================================================================== REVISION HISTORY December 15th, 1999: ---------------------- * Added numbers 7, 8, and 9. ======================================================================== 1. Enhanced graphics all around. Everything, including the pre-rendered backgrounds, are in high resolution thanks to the 4MB Expansion Pak, and they look absolutely FANTASTIC! Character models have added detail due to the N64's larger bag of graphical tricks, everything has added polygons, and runs at a constant speed of 30 frames a second. The backgrounds are sharp, and quite smooth. 2. New controller configurations to fit the N64 controller's unique fit. After playing around with "1st person", for a few minutes, you just won't want to go back to the "3rd" person controls unless someone put a gun to your head. 3. Dolby Surround Sound, baby! It's just awesome to be able to turn around and blast a Zombie to pieces, with the only warning being the moans coming from your left speaker. 4. After beating a scenario, you can restart it and have an "item randomizer" option turned on, that will randomize all objects in the game. It's interesting, to say the least... 5. New files, reports, letters, and other notes have been added to link Resident Evil, Resident Evil 3, and Resident Evil: Code Veronica's stories together. 6. With the good, comes the bad. The FMV, although very impressive, is somewhat blurred due to the huge amounts of compressing. 7. In Umbrella's Secret Lab, the computer password for the fingerprint pad is "NEMESIS." In the PSX version, it was "GUEST." Thanks goes to Neo Darkshadow for this one. 8. Inside of the fingerprint room of Umbrella's Secret Lab, there is the corpse of a Hunter (enemy from Resident Evil 1). The PSX version lacked this. 9. The safe combination to receive the Police Station Map (and some ammunition) is now '4542.' ************************************************************************ Now, the question is...should you buy the N64 version of Resident Evil 2? Hmmm... - If you do not own a Playstation, then yes, buying it would be a good decision. - If the Playstation's controller makes your hands cramp up, or you just hate the controls regardless, then looking into this version might not be such a bad idea. Other than those, there is really no reason to buy it unless you're an absolute hardcore RE fan. If you own both systems, you might want to rent it just see the new files, the randomizer, and how different everything looks. If you hated Resident Evil 2, then you won't like it now, as they are both identical when you get down to the gist of it. Because this is not an overly serious walkthrough or FAQ, I will not put a legal section up. So, for all I care, you can put this in the next issue of Playboy. Well, OK, OK, you can't make money off of it, and I just have to add the following: Copyright © marshmallow 1999 All rights reserved Coming to the end, I must say that the future of the RE series is looking good, and I can't wait to get my hands on Resident Evil: Code Veronica, which is coming to the Dreamcast sometime next year. Now, if they can just make a decent villain, I'll be as happy as a hungry Zombie who has stumbled upon Rosie O'Donnel... :p Signed, marshmallow