Video: Digging Deep Into Resident Evil 2 On N64, One Of The Most Remarkable Ports Of All Time

Ah, those were the days, when we could get AAA third party games on cartridge in full. Capcom can learn much from... oh, right...

I have the N64 version. It also included additional content. It had a brown folder called ‘Ex files’ where additional files were stored. These included a file found in the STARS office which was a report on the events of RE Zero from Rebecca. Zero was originally planned for N64.

"lest we forget, also made it onto the Sega Saturn"

Thanks for that line. Really. I hate when people say "Resident Evil (PC and PlayStation)". It was one of my favorite games on Saturn, and I own it since those days.

Apart from that, it's funny how a technically superior machine couldn't handle a game as well as PlayStation, right?

Anyway, I can't buy the original Resident Evil 2 in N64, PlayStation or Dreamcast. Too expensive these days and let's face it: it has been almost in the last 10 years. I'm glad it comes as a remake, because I'll be able to finally enjoy it on Xbox One.

@Moroboshi876 I've got both the Saturn and the PS1 versions. Apparently the Saturn version displays the backgrounds at a higher resolution to the PS1. I've no idea if there was any extra detail visible though!

I have the Dreamcast version of resident evil 2.

"Two CDs on one 64MB cartridge? Madness!"

To be fair a lot of the data on those two discs were copy pasted. The game wasn't really 2x650MB large. The data on each disc didn't even take that much space compared to what could be stored, I think scrubbed isos of the dual shock version are about 400MB per disc and then, again, you've got all the repeated data on both discs for all the backgrounds that are the same across both scenarios.

That still doesn't take anything away from the wonderful work pulled off by Angel Studios though. Also there were other stuff that they don't mention in the video that they used to further save space, I think parts of the FMVs are missing, just tiny small parts, like some scenes cut a second or two before the end, some scenes that were different across both discs are now the same in both scenarios, that sort of thing.

RE1, which was a one disc game and had black & white cutscenes to boot in its original, non director's cut release, could have fit on a cartridge too, using the same techniques, perhaps even with less sacrifices. Maybe RE3 too which didn't have all that much CGi cutscenes in it compared to RE2. A lot of the story was told through still images in that one. Aaaah all the things that COULD have been but which we'll never know about.

@Moroboshi876 "Apart from that, it's funny how a technically superior machine couldn't handle a game as well as PlayStation, right?"

it was not so much the tech specs that mattered in this case, but more storage space which was the biggest deterring factor (650MB discs vs 64MB MAX cartridges and those largest N64 cartridges were, like the largest Switch cartridges these days ironically, prohibitively expensive at retail). Only three games come to mind which shipped on cartridges of that capacity. RE2, Conker's Bad Fur Day and the PAL release of Paper Mario, which had to be larger to accomodate all the different language options for on-screen text.

Then the N64 didn't have dedicated audio hardware, all audio duties had to be programmed to be handled by the RSP, which was a sub-part of the GPU, the reality co-processor. Off the top of my head, you had to sacrifice roughly 1% of the processor's time per audio track you wanted, so the richer the music, the more you had to sacrifice on some of the processor's ability to handle the game's graphics.

And then to make matters worse, the N64 didn't have any hardware decoder for FMV either, like the Playstation did. The PS1 was an overall less capable system, but arguably better thought out to handle all sorts of things in hardware that progammers had to handle in software on N64. The N64 was better suited than the playstation for pure 3D things as long as you were willing to reprogram the base microcode of the Reality co-processor to reach polygon numbers comparable to what the PS1 could crunch whereas the PS1, for rendering pre-rendered stuff, FMV and high quality audio, was more up to those tasks. But then you still had to content with the N64's weaknesses: a measly 4KB of texture cache which meant you couldn't have large textures with a lot of detail unless you were willing to sacrifice a lot of time devising compression techniques or tinkering with color-depth to get the most out of those 4KB... and, again, the cartridge storage limitations got in the way.

All of this tells you why the N64 version is worse in more than a few areas... but still a damn fine achievement because they pulled it off and it was still very playable and nice to look at for the time.

@RudyC3 Wow, what a thorough technical explanation. Thanks.

It's a shame, though, that the N64 is nowadays often mocked as a faux pas on Nintendo's part. I don't agree with that.

The Capcom back then would have brought us a native version of RE7 for Nintendo Switch.☹️

@MrBlacky Well, Capcom didn't bring it to N64 themselves, Angel Studios did, under contract from Capcom.

If the heads at Capcom were willing to enlist Panic Button, these days... I think there's a lot to be said about the similarities between the Angel Studios of back then and the Panic Button of today

The sad point is that we still need studios like them to play a downgraded version of RE2 Remake on Switch.

@kobashi100 you've got the master version. infinite ammo when you just put in the cheat from inventory. So simple and slight better graphics and original voice when you press start. RESIDENT EVIL 2. Evilish way. Gamecube version they changed that voice and was less scary to me. Dreamcast all the way

They did, however, fail to port the original Resident Evil due to a bug in Jill’s Sandwich...

I had this game, and I could remember the sheer weight of the cartridge lol. I think it was the largest (memory-wise) and heaviest N64 cartridge, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

I don't know how it compared but Xenosaga 1 and 2 got ported to the DS in Japan.
That's 18 GB (or so? I think it was 1 dual-layer DVD, and two presumably single-layer DVDs) remade into a 64 MB card.
I'm going to guess the movies were replaced with novels (aka endless text scenes).

Incredible technical achievement even if it did feel a bit rough around the edges. Thank God that 90s obsession with bad quality CGI is over.

Shame RE2make isn’t on Switch but then RE2 didn’t make it to the GBC either.

This really has me clamouring for re2 on switch. Having just finished revelations 2 I've got that re itch again like i did way back. Capcom has been supporting switch early in it's life cycle so why the hold out on re2 remake coming to switch? We already have other franchises and even some of the re series on switch. It makes no sense to me but im sure someone can tell me why the re2 remake isn't possible on switch? I loved re1 to death, zero was cool too. But I never got to play re2. Ill admit, when the remake got announced for ps4, I immediately preordered it from Amazon but the truth Is, if it's not on switch its not convenient enough for me to devote 20-30 hours into it. With that said, I may cancel my preorder for ps4 and opt for re1,0, and 4 which are coming to the switch, Thankfully. Man, just thinking about great it would sell on switch.... 🤑

I can never forget that game. Used to play it with my brother, scared to bits of it.

I remember one night, out parents were asleep (they didn’t know we had been playing such a gory piece of media), and it was almost midnight.

It came the part with those bloody dogs. Then we stared at each other and went together to our shared bedroom! I don’t even recall saving the game!

Nice memory that one.

@Moroboshi876

not having a disc drive basically killed it imo.

the switch can survive because now we just download it all but back then losing square and final fantasy was a death blow that N still hasn't recovered from.

@KingMike Xenosaga DS isn't straight port, but rather full remake into 2D sprites style graphics like SNES-era JRPGs. It's a very different thing than the PS2 version(s).

@Moroboshi876
To quote myself during my days working in a local video store that did not carry Saturn games for rent (note: this is 100% a true story) --

Customer: Why y'all don't carry no Sega Saturn games?
Me: Because Sega Saturn sucks.
(Customer and his friend pause, realize they have no retort, and walk out of the store)
(I laugh and resume fiddling in the store's computer system to give my friends' accounts multiple free rental credits)

@Moroboshi876 I love the system and still play it most weeks. The Japanese system is definitely the best way to go for the games.

@YANDMAN You mean Saturn or N64? I agree in both cases. On Saturn I've been buying Japanese games lately, mostly because of the prices, but on N64 I think I have my needs covered -not the system I play the most, I gotta tell you-, and I'm not much into screwing the lids in order to fit Japanese cartridges anyway.

I’m pretty sure that cart was 256 megs.

@WaveBoy in my opinion PC version was better than PSX and i played it with keyboard controls. Developers should replace ALL cutscenes with images on N64 and save resources for the main game.

@Moroboshi876 I was talking about the 64, but yes the Japanese Saturn library is also fantastic.

@YANDMAN

The Saturn and PC Engine/Turbo were like stigmatic twins
when it came to being either the kings of their generation or giant turd sandwiches - all contingent on whether or not someone had access to the Japanese library.