Resident Evil 2 PC mods keep coming, and they are changing the game in unique and sometimes expected ways. Like most games with a large audience, there are people in that audience that like to alter game mechanics, aesthetics or even just cosmetics. Sometimes it remains a quaint addition, only for those who are dedicated to trying every iteration of the game possible. Others become so enormous (or so practical) that its hard to separate the vanilla game from the mods, and before long its been downloaded and used by a vast majority of players, fundamentally changing things from what the developers and designers intended. In that way, it’s a double-edged sword, as fans get (sometimes) great fan-service experiences that a company would never dare try; on the other hand (or edge) is the possibility of the developers losing control of a creation they fully intended to update, or getting distracted by what the players say they want instead of focusing on the original plan– which, don’t get me wrong, is not always a bad thing.
The first mod, and merely cosmetic, is that someone made Resident Evil 7‘s version of Chris Redfield playable as a character. The interesting aspect on this is that the character skin appears to be in the Resident Evil 2 files, and players can use those assets for Leon’s “Noir” costume. However, multiple people have stated that the mod has issues when in use, mainly a problem with equipping weapons.
Next, and probably both more expected and wanted, is a mod to bring back the glory days of Resident Evil‘s fixed-camera angles. Some players swear by this decision, insisting that the fixed-angles create more tension by hiding things off-screen or around corners. This tension is then usually ratcheted up by the sounds the player can hear, warning them that there is something nearby even though it is out of sight. It also makes for some interesting shooting mechanics, as head-shots become much more challenging to perform. Mix this mod with the classic tank-control scheme and your officially back in the 90’s. That’s extreme! Unfortunately, the creators have no plans to make it available to all, as the changes to the game needed to incorporate it would be too drastic– namely, more lighting, which would break down the intensity built by the camera-angles. So for now, it remains a concept, though there will undoubtedly be one in the future.
Finally, and maybe most importantly, is a mod for those who enjoyed Resident Evil 7‘s perspective shift. Created by a modder named “praydog”, the RE2 Mod Framework moves the camera behind Leon or Claire’s eyes. While staying mostly in first-person, if the player toggles this mod on, the camera will switch to 3rd-person during certain moments, like when the player is grabbed by a zombie. Player’s will want to avoid this one if they are looking for a more classic experience, though it probably means a mod for VR may not be too far behind (pure speculation, of course).
Like normal, these are only available to those who purchased the game on PC. Those of us with consoles will miss out, though I wouldn’t be too concerned– it seems like Resident Evil 2 will be getting more stuff to do in the near future, not to mention the extra modes already present at launch. Who doesn’t want to play as a giant knife-wielding block of Tofu?
Do you plan on downloading any mods? Or do you think the game needed the changes? Let us know in the comments!
Resident Evil 2 is out now on Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
