Editorials
‘Resident Evil 2’: Whose Campaign is the Best?
As with the beloved 1998 original, the Resident Evil 2 remake presents you with a key decision right off the bat: will you start as Leon or Claire? To the uninitiated, this might seem like an arbitrary selection, one that won’t make too much of a difference in the long run.
However, your choice will have a sizable impact on your experience. Although there is a decent amount of overlap between the two campaigns, they branch off in some major ways, featuring heavily altered puzzles, unique set-pieces, and separate character interactions.
In order get the “True” ending you will need to finish both of them, so you don’t have to worry too much about making the wrong decision. That being said, I thought it’d be fun to compare the two and rank them accordingly. To make this judgment, I’ll be looking at the four areas where they deviate the most: Story; Weapons; Boss Encounters; and Level Design.
Story
Let’s not beat around the bush, the narrative is hardly Resident Evil’s strong suit. With the exception of RE:7. the writing quality in this franchise ranges from marginally self-aware (the fourth one), to endearingly-inept (the first one), to just plain awful (the sixth one). The original RE:2 fits snugly within the middle camp, thanks to its hokey plot and cheesy one-liners, and the remake admirably tries it’s hardest to elevate things.
It does this by taking the premise a bit more seriously, inflecting proceedings with a comparatively grounded tone and making the characters feel a tad more realistic. Emphasis on all the qualifiers in that sentence by the way. Because make no mistake, the story remains the weakest aspect of RE:2, even with the slicker execution.
Picking the best narrative is therefore rather difficult, as they’re both quite flawed, especially when it comes to developing relationships. For example, the hurried romance between Ada and Leon blossoms over the course of approximately 10 minutes, and in that period the pair only ever discuss plot machinations or deliver expository dialogue. They don’t really get to know each other or share any meaningful moments, yet we’re expected to care about them all the same. Likewise, Claire becomes unreasonably invested in Sherry’s welfare after a solitary meeting with the child.
Despite this, her plot is still the strongest because it has the tighter, more relatable focus, chronicling a straightforward and personal mission to reunite with a family member. It’s certainly more engaging than Leon’s far-fetched investigation into Umbrella, as it doesn’t get bogged down in all the silly espionage claptrap, jettisoning the out-of-place spy organizations and elaborate corporate intrigue. Maybe it’s just me, but I always felt like that juvenile nonsense detracted from the horror, so I’m glad whenever it’s downplayed.
Additionally, Claire is so darn likable and easy-to-root-for too. She deals with her circumstances by deploying sardonic humor, displays genuine warmth towards Sherry, and frequently remarks on how disgusting everything is. In other words, she is portrayed as a believable human being, rather than a one-note action hero. Leon, on the other hand, has an aloof demeanor that makes him feel kind of detached and oddly bland.
Verdict: Claire is the more affable protagonist and her intimate narrative feels appropriate for this kind horror title.
Weapons
More so than any other criteria here, this one is subject to personal taste. After all, Leon’s firepower has a blunt quality that’s appealing for those who like close quarters combat, with the Shotgun, Magnum and Chemical Flamethrower all providing a high damage output. Meanwhile, Claire’s arsenal feels more tactical and precise. The submachine gun is ideal for dismembering zombies and the grenade launcher allows you to switch back-and-forth between acidic and incendiary rounds, in order to exploit the weaknesses of each opponent.
In the end, it all comes down to your individual playstyle. Do you like to tackle combat with caution and pick enemies off from a distance, or do you prefer to get up-close-and-personal with heavy artillery?
Speaking for myself, I felt like I got the most out of the SMG and became quite reliant upon it for clearing rooms. There’s just something incredibly satisfying about how accurately it cuts through undead limbs, making it an ammo-efficient tool that I sorely missed when playing as Leon. And whilst his weapons might ostensibly be more powerful, I honestly favored the grenade launcher anyway. It’s a dependable life-saver, especially when it comes to dispatching Lickers, as a single flame round can be enough to take them out of the picture.
So I guess I lean slightly towards Claire but, to reiterate, this is a divisive topic (I’ve even seen some fans assert that her weapons are next-to-useless). And you know what, that’s a good thing. It means that, no matter how you choose to play, Capcom has something to suit you.
Verdict: For the sake of argument, let’s call it a draw.
Bosses
The deck is stacked against Claire in this round, as she only encounters different iterations of the exact same boss. Granted, each time she fights G he takes on a new form, but they’re all visually similar and the strategy never evolves past ‘’Shoot the big pulsating eye’’.
Leon on the other hand, has varied enemies to contend with. Sure, he goes toe-to-toe with Birkin on a few of occasions himself, but he also takes on a Giant Alligator and has a final showdown with Mr. X. The former is an enjoyable, Crash Bandicoot runner segment – which makes for a nice change of pace – whereas the latter is an electrifying climax that surpasses every other confrontation in the game.
The Tyrant has a sophisticated move-set, your arena is restricted and claustrophobic, and you’re trying to hit a super-speedy target under pressure. A tense and worthy conclusion to RE:2, finally getting to obliterate that dickhead is also very cathartic after everything he put you through.
Verdict: Leon not only has more boss fights than Claire, but they’re more diverse and memorable.
Environments
This is the single biggest difference between the two campaigns and it’s where the gap in quality is most pronounced. After escaping from the RPD, each character goes down a diverging path, taking them to an exclusive location that their counterpart will never set foot in. Following this, they then reconvene in the sewers.
For Claire, this means embarking on a perilous journey through the streets of Racoon City – including some familiar spots from the PSone game- before taking an atmospheric tour of a shady orphanage. It’s one of the absolute highlights and features brand new material that wasn’t there in the 1998 version. There’s some creepy backstory to unpack, an intense stealth sequence, and a clever (albeit brief) escape room puzzle to solve. It’s top-notch stuff, showcasing a perfect blend of nostalgic callbacks and exciting original content.
That’s a high bar to meet. So, what does Mr. Kennedy have to offer then? Well, he gets an extended stay in the fucking Sewers of course! Here the drabbest part of the game gets stretched out even longer and, to rub salt in the wound, you also have to play as Ada using that bloody EMF device. Yay!
Verdict: This one was a no-brainer: Claire. Even when you’re in the police station, she gets access to more striking rooms, like that taxidermy gallery.
Overall Winner: Speaking as a RE:4 fanatic who automatically selected Leon, I have to admit that Claire offers the superior playthrough. Her final boss fight might not be as climactic, but in most other respects she comes out on top. Having said that, each campaign is phenomenal and you really ought to experience them both.
Which was your favorite campaign in Resident Evil 2? Let us know below.
Editorials
Before ‘The Blair Witch Project’, ‘Alien Autopsy’ Showed How Real Found Footage Could Feel
The line separating artist from con man is a lot thinner than you might initially believe. While I think we can all agree that lying for the sake of profit is actively malicious behavior, isn’t it also true that the faux documentary aspect of The Blair Witch Project is half the reason why that film became such a cultural phenomenon? After all, if there’s one thing filmmakers have in common with stage magicians, it’s that misleading and misdirecting audiences is simply part of the job.
That’s why I’ve developed a habit of mostly ignoring the moral quandaries behind many of film and television’s biggest “hoaxes” in favor of appreciating the narrative elements that drive productions like Mermaids: The Body Found and even Animal Planet’s highly underrated The Cannibal in the Jungle. However, if there’s a definitive case of a highly publicized broadcast fooling the world into taking it seriously, it has to be Fox’s infamous 1995 TV special Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction.
It’s been over three decades since that eerie footage first haunted television screens right at the peak of the ’90s ufology craze, and in that time, the video has taken on a life of its own. From countless parodies and references in everything from The X-Files to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (as well as John Dower’s recently released tell-all documentary The Alien Autopsy Scandal, which I’d highly recommend to genre fans everywhere), there’s no denying the legacy of the Alien Autopsy video. However, I rarely see the tape discussed as what it truly is: a highly convincing found footage film directed by a passionate stage magician and brought to life by masterful practical effects work.
That’s why I’d like to invite readers to join me on a deep dive into one of the most infamous broadcasts of all time in an attempt to reevaluate the footage as a fascinating narrative experience rather than a complete hoax.
The TV Special That Convinced Millions It Was Real
Ray Santilli next to Extraterrestrial replica in ‘The Alien Autopsy Scandal’
For starters, regardless of whether or not you believe that there was in fact an extraterrestrial crash in Roswell during the summer of 1947 and that some form of autopsy was performed on the victims, the producers behind the black & white recordings, Ray Santilli and Gary Shoefield, insist that their video was a “restoration.” Though I’d argue that the proper word is “remake”of genuine footage that was too damaged to air on television. That’s why the duo went on to recruit filmmaker and eccentric magician Spyros Melaris and sculptor/monster designer John Humphreys to bring their version of the autopsy to life and sell it to the highest bidder.
This is where the story of the Alien Autopsy as a narrative experience really begins. Melaris claims that his approach to the faux recording consisted of striving for extreme period accuracy in both shooting equipment and setting while also planting subtle details that would initially seem like mistakes but could later be revealed to actually fit the time period. That being said, the filmmaker was under the impression that the short would be released for free as a PR stunt, with the team later producing and selling an informative documentary chronicling exactly how the footage was faked and commenting on how easy it is to manipulate public perception with a good old-fashioned magic trick.
This obviously isn’t how things went down, and that’s likely the reason why Melaris has since distanced himself from everyone else involved with the project. Yet, no amount of behind-the-scenes drama can undermine the genuine effort that went into making the short as impressive as it is. From the sourcing of real animal organs from a local butcher to make the organic part of the creature more lifelike to the highly detailed sculpt that made use of a hollowed-out underlayer that could be filled with fake blood and assorted viscera, there’s a reason why so many Hollywood specialists are still impressed with the artistry on display here.
Of course, the believability is only half the story, as I think that the best part of the autopsy is how Melaris builds on the existing tension by obscuring certain details and often embracing the chaos of what a real examination of extraterrestrial life could feel like. The camera often goes out of focus at just the right time to make certain effects hit even harder, and we can only speculate as to what the hazmat-suited doctors are gesticulating about during the operation. There’s a real air of mystery to the whole thing that almost makes it feel like a cosmically terrifying, cursed film containing forbidden knowledge that civilians were never meant to see.
So when Fox’s Fact or Fiction brings in the specialists to comment on the film and its otherworldly subject, it’s no surprise that we end up with one of the most memorable mockumentaries of all time – albeit one where the participants are unaware that the footage they’re commenting on is basically a large-scale practical joke. A joke that the network was obviously in on, as many participants claim that the TV special cut out significant portions where guests point out that they believe the footage to be an elaborate hoax.
The Lasting Impact of the Hoax Turned Cultural Event
Regardless, I remember going to bed terrified after watching reruns of the special and thinking about the respected pathologist who claimed that the body was almost certainly inhuman, with even effects maestro Stan Winston commenting on how difficult it would be to recreate some of these visuals through practical puppetry. That’s not even mentioning Jonathan Frakes’ dramatic hyping up of the disturbing imagery as if he was talking about the tape from The Ring, with his spooky demeanor here likely being responsible for his later role as the host of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction a few years later.
Personally, I’d argue that the Alien Autopsy phenomenon had just as much of an impact on me as a horror fan as The Blair Witch Project, a film that was almost certainly influenced by the success of this immensely popular hoax (to the point where they even produced their own TV special commenting on Heather’s found footage). Even if Fox didn’t intend to produce a narrative feature about the aftermath of the Roswell crash, the end product still holds up remarkably well as a highly entertaining mockumentary exploring the idea that we may not be alone in the universe.
While neither Santilli nor the rest of the production team has ever commented on this, I also think it’s very likely that the idea of a faux Alien Autopsy could have been influenced by Dean Alioto’s The McPherson Tape/UFO Abduction. I’ve already written about how this granddaddy of found footage was co-opted by rogue ufologists who began selling bootlegs of the tape at conventions as if it were real evidence of a close encounter, so it’s not that much of a stretch to imagine that Santilli and company could have heard about this phenomenon and been inspired to come up with their own highly profitable hoax.
At the end of the day, it’s unlikely that the Alien Autopsy film is recreating any real footage from Roswell, but I can still appreciate the short and the accompanying television event as a standalone horror story that still influences the way we see found footage to this very day.
After all, the possibility that something could be real is often much scarier than finding out for sure – and that’s why I think Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction is still worth revisiting three decades down the line.
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