News
This Mod For ‘Resident Evil 2’ Makes Mr. X a Bit More Like Nemesis
In the short time that it’s been out, Resident Evil 2 has already become the ultimate playground for modders and has seen some ingenious alterations. From jokey redesigns to gameplay tweaks, and even loving homages to the PSone original, RE:2’s passionate community has clearly having a blast with the remake.
One aspect that has been subjected to repeated customization is the now-infamous Mr. X. Arguably the scariest thing about the game, it’s no surprise to see that modders have zeroed in on this hulking stalker, overhauling his soundtrack, subjecting him to cloning and (most bizarrely) stripping him of his clothes. Whatever floats your boat I guess.
It was only a matter of time then, before someone did the obvious and reskinned the enemy to look a bit like his more famous, and significantly upgraded, counterpart: Nemesis. That’s right, thanks to the efforts of forum-user ZERO, the titular villain from the franchise’s third entry can now (sort of) be found prowling the Raccoon Police Department like it’s 1999 all over again (though not as many S.T.A.R.S. to be found, unfortunately)
As aforementioned, this is basically just a reskin of Mr. X, so don’t expect him to exhibit any idiosyncratic behaviors, or to brandish his iconic rocket launcher. Still, he looks undeniably impressive (if not quite there yet design-wise) and the modder has lifted his intimidating sound effects from the original, along with the theme music, making the whole thing feel very authentic.
With an RE:3 remake rumored to be in the pipeline (to be honest, it’s practically a given now) we might not have to wait too long before we get to see a proper recreation of Nemesis in his own game. Until then, however, this is a fun little extra that should satisfy fans.
The mod can be accessed here and if you want to see it in action, BeastGamingHD has put together this cool little preview:
Let’s start with the good news. Lockbox looks far better than its misleading marketing materials suggest, a supernatural horror movie so darkly lit and color graded that you’ll have to squint your way through jump scares. It’s also anchored by reliable genre performers. That’s also about where the good news ends with this rote adaptation of Knifepoint Horror Podcast story “Winthrop.”
The empathetic Carla Gugino gives her all as Ellen, a saint of a woman with boundless patience who takes on life’s hard luck with a kind smile. After giving up her career as a fashion designer to become caretaker for a dying mother, she’s then forced to reinvent herself once more when her caretaker role ends. That catches us up to the events of Lockbox, where Ellen is asked to take in a cousin she hasn’t seen in quite some time who’s dealing with severe PTSD.
Just as Ellen finally establishes a real connection with Winthrop (Lou Taylor Pucci), it’s interrupted by the arrival of peculiar neighbor Vahna (Katharine Isabelle), who spells clear trouble. When Vahna shows up dead, it sets in motion a supernatural battle of possession.
Image Credit: Aura entertainment
Director Daniel Stamm (The Last Exorcism, Prey for the Devil) and screenwriter Justin Yoffe approach Lockbox in the broadest of brushstrokes, dooming it from the start with clunky storytelling and woefully underdeveloped themes of heady topics like PTSD. Winthrop is a character that comes loaded with emotional baggage and trauma that’s piled on throughout his tragic life, but much like its title, his interiority and history are treated like a tightly guarded secret meant to prolong the supernatural mystery.
The problem here, though, is that Lockbox is too sparse to sustain mystery at all, and it instead robs Winthrop of characterization. It winds up trapping the talented Pucci without anywhere to go, toggling between wounded animal and mentally disoriented.
From there, Lockbox bounds through plot developments without any sense of stakes or purpose, peppered by a smattering of haphazard paint-by-numbers jump scares. The only unwavering constant is Ellen’s resolute faith, and Stamm seems to leave it entirely to Gugino to guide confused audiences through this inconsequential story right up until its supernatural climax.
Image Credit: Aura entertainment
To give more credit, Lockbox at least injects an unconventional exorcism here; just don’t expect much in the way of explanation. When the film finally reveals the meaning behind its title, it dangles a fascinating carrot it has zero interest in delivering. More than a severe lack of fleshing out its characters beyond plot drivers or devices, this faith-based flick also seems terrified to offer any worldbuilding whatsoever.
Yoffe’s script stretches the short story beyond its means instead of fleshing it out, and Stamm fills out the gaps with cheap CGI scares and overwrought performances; Isabelle’s Vahna is beyond cartoonish in her villainy. It’s also pretty nonsensical, treating only Ellen’s faith with the utmost sincerity and largely squandering its typically reliable talent. So much so that the final imagery, pure sunkissed saccharine sentimentality, leaves you with the feeling that this horror movie might be better suited as an entry in Chicken Soup for the Soul.
Lockbox releases in select theaters on July 3, 2026.
You must be logged in to post a comment.