Resident Evil 2

I tried and failed to play through Resident Evil 0 and Resident Evil 1 (HD remasters). I love me some retro gaming, but those titles are a house of pain. Banging my head against the unreasonably frugal save and inventory systems left me with a sour taste. But this remake of Resident Evil 2 fixes all my complaints. While you still can't save at will, the save locations are frequent enough and the game auto-saves when you really need it. Inventory is similarly not infinite, but it can be upgraded and items can be stored for later. Hallelujah.

And so, finally, I got to appreciate and enjoy the hallmarks of this series: tense survival horror, intricate level design, rewarding exploration, and a handful of puzzles. The anxiety about ammo is real, but careful aiming and knowing when to tuck you tail in and run away will keep you going with minimal frustration.

The story is a predictable and shallow zombie romp but it does a serviceable job of moving you through the game. Annoyingly, the series continues to gratuitiously sexualize its female characters. They are strong and capable but ... stilettos and sexy lingerie are not exactly the right fit for intense action. It's eye-rolling stupid and makes it even harder to take the simplistic story seriously.

The game looks amazing, by the way, and has raytracing and HDR, though the latter feature gave me some trouble and would sometimes turn off despite being marked as on.

Good times. Recommended. Just don't expect lofty storytelling.