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.
Horror was thriving so well in the 1980s that movies like Pen Densham’s The Kiss (1988) would understandably get lost in the shuffle, only to then gain their fans later on in life. Even still, this one Canadian-American curio has had a more challenging time than others, as far as contemporary reevaluations go, which is very likely due to the movie’s limited availability—at least as of this write-up.
However, the scarceness of The Kiss, while a bit annoying, makes it like catnip for ‘80s horror completists everywhere. Hopefully, a lot of them will walk away satisfied after watching this hidden gem.
Even though The Kiss was intended as the first of several horror collaborations between Astral Pictures and TriStar, as well as the first feature produced by Densham, Richard B. Lewis and John Watson’s Trilogy Entertainment Group, it ended up being the only one produced from that former union. Once the movie was released, TriStar’s distribution jitters—they opted for a regional rollout—did the $6-million flick no favors. TriStar’s cold feet toward horror releases have been well noted, but The Kiss still did a tad better than Night of the Creeps (1986), another genre outing that flopped due to its regional opening.
Shot in Montreal, but set in Albany, New York, The Kiss—which was still called The Host just a few months before its October premiere—concerns an average middle-class family and their forthcoming situation. The uncanny problem in store for them was, in fact, set in motion some years earlier. As that hot and dusty flashback to the Belgian Congo shows, a familial curse was set upon the two Dunbar sisters well before Meredith Salenger’s teenage character was born.
Meredith Salenger, Nicholas Kilbertus and Mimi Kuzyk in The Kiss
The Kiss, which was based on a story by co-writer Stephen Volk (Ghostwatch) and penned by both Volk and Tom Ropelewski, has the outward appearance of The Stepfather (1987). This movie, though, is anything but a gender-flipped retread of that classic domestic disturber. For starters, The Kiss is far less grounded in reality—that much is clear from its unsettling opening scene. There, a trusting girl (Priscilla Mouzakiotis) is the victim of her own deceptive aunt (Céline Lomez); the movie’s titular act, and the story’s first shock, becomes the means of transferring an ancient evil from one host to another.
In the present day, Salenger’s role of Amy Halloran, a religious schoolgirl, is dealt a harsh blow in life once her mother, Hilary Halloran née Dunbar (Pamela Collyer), suddenly dies in a freak accident. But rather than a complete stranger sweeping the Halloran widower (Nicholas Kilbertus) off his feet some months later, Joanna Pacula’s character is that chosen temptress. Here, Pacula plays the grown-up version of the afflicted girl last seen in the movie’s opener. Since Amy’s mother is insistent about there being no reunion between estranged sisters, and she even contemplates buying a gun shortly before her tragic demise, it’s presumable that Aunt Felice poses a threat to her family.
The Kiss isn’t a movie ever too concerned about its own predictability. The audience is indeed often one step ahead of the story here, but also keep in mind how every one of those steps is loud. Take, for instance, the death of Amy’s mother; the Halloran matriarch goes out in garish, gruesome fashion, as a supernaturally commandeered truck sends Collyer’s character through a store window first, then leaves her one leg short. The directorial enthusiasm truly comes out in horrific moments such as these.
The Kiss is always sure to revel in its characters’ ills and misfortunes. So if the plot doesn’t impress, then its lurid parts should. Amy’s mother’s exit scene was proof of an eager, first-time horror director proving his worth. Then, bestie Heather (Sabrina Boudot) survives to tell the tale of a bizarre escalator mishap that, despite showing relatively less gore, spikes viewers’ empathy meter. The wilder bits of this movie, however, commence with that inevitable hookup between Felice and Amy’s bewitched father; their kitchen coitus is paralleled by Amy’s feverish classroom terror. The outcome there is a disquieting cross-cut of sex magic and a young woman’s menstrual onset plus hallucinations.
Sabrina Boudot in The Kiss
From foam appliances to bladders, that parade of special effects in The Kiss casts its own spell on the audience. Felice’s familiar, a visibly malevolent cat, was realized here with several models, some more articulate than others. Admittedly, the demon cat’s not as convincing as most of the effects here, but accepting that artifice, as opposed to fighting it, will make the whole experience way more enjoyable. As for the makeup used to manifest Felice’s inner villainy, it is more minimal and subtle than one might like; yet the work done to turn Pacula into an antithesis of herself is nonetheless compelling.
The otherworldly perils and dreadful goings-on wouldn’t work half as well as they do in The Kiss without the story’s contrast effect. Finding frights in picturesque, extremely ordinary settings was something that took off in the ‘80s, thanks to that sweeping shift to locales like the suburbs. And Amy’s home, a replica of a real Montreal suburban house, is the ideal battleground for any proper good-versus-evil story. It’s also prime real estate for this movie’s satanic panic-inspired horrors.
Because of their ostensibly similar plots, The Kiss has been compared to The Exorcist (1973). Except in Densham’s movie, the sinister, non-Christian entity targeting a teen girl lies within something less apparent and, perhaps, more devastating upon its exposure. To an outsider, Pacula’s Aunt Felice is too beautiful and unobjectionable to ever suspect of being a monster. More suspicious is how quickly she rips into the fabric of the Halloran home. Felice’s mere presence upsets the “texture of family life,” according to the director.
The demon cat in The Kiss
Taking out Amy’s mother and best friend, and distracting her father, would suggest The Kiss is playing by a different set of rules. It is initially leaving its adolescent target unsupported in a rather grim scenario. In contrast, though, this story offers up a surrogate parent who does her best to fill in the holes of Amy’s eroding home life. Mimi Kuzyk does good work as that family friend and doctor, Brenda, who guides the lost child without also steering her in any one direction; she is naturally skeptical of Amy’s accusations until it’s almost too late to do anything about them. So although The Kiss does an admirable job of undoing the main character’s support system, it never leaves her without a lifeline. This dark movie, in spite of everything that’s transpired, doesn’t deprive itself of light and hope.
The Kiss is a potent mélange of familiar ideas. If not for the director’s surprise flair for horror, though, the movie would have been less effective. What a shame that Pen Densham didn’t continue with the genre. As for Joanna Pacula, she is, too, owed credit as the wicked vixen opposite Meredith Salenger’s pitiable Amy; she never fails to be unsettling in her role. Pacula makes Aunt Felice a sexy yet intimidating character.
For horror that steadily doles out madness and menace, while also delivering a flashy and ghastly conclusion, The Kiss is certain to please. Yes, it’s cheesy all the way, but most favorably, everyone involved plays everything straight. That kind of commitment goes a long way with this movie.
The Kiss
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