Note: This Cloud Version of Resident Evil 2 was tested on 100MB UW Broadband over WiFi and wired ethernet cable, along with a 5G mobile connection.
Capcom is marching on with its plan to release its modern Resident Evil titles as cloud versions on Switch with Resident Evil 2, and while we approach every streaming-only version with a healthy dose of caution and scepticism due to the inherent caveats of the tech, we’re happy to say that this one is a fine new addition to the line-up that makes a strong case for the validity of cloud gaming.
The long-awaited remake of the 1998 classic, Resident Evil 2 takes place shortly after the events of the original Resident Evil and reintroduces us to two of the franchise's most iconic characters: Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield. Iconic locations from the original PlayStation / N64 title return here — including the fan favourite RPD station — but for this version, everything has been totally rebuilt and given a significant lick of paint, adding new details and implementing visual narrative cues that simply wouldn’t have been possible in the original release.
The gameplay is very much a mix of Resident Evil 4’s over-the-shoulder action with the more “classic” survival horror mechanics seen in the original trilogy and reintroduced in RE7: Biohazard and RE8: Village. Long-time fans will be pleased to hear that ammo in this remake is consistently scarce throughout, though the game throws you a bone by allowing you to use daggers to stave off the occasional zombie attack, taking cues from REmake’s own defensive abilities. Herbs can be gathered and combined into more potent mixtures to aid with healing, while classic key items from the original game, such as station keys, cranks, and medallions, all make an appearance here.
With two characters to choose from right from the start, the game effectively has four unique campaigns to go through: Leon A, Claire B, and Claire A, Leon B. Essentially, if you choose Leon to start off with, you can move onto Claire’s scenario once you’ve completed your playthrough, and vice versa. It’s a nice move that mimics the original structure, which is a good thing because a single playthrough can be done and dusted in just a few short hours if you know what you’re doing (first-timers might be looking at around 8-10 hours for a playthrough). Alternatively, you can bump the difficulty up to ‘hardcore’ to give yourself a bit more of a challenge; zombies attack with immense ferocity in this mode and you’ll need to collect ink ribbons if you’re looking to save your game, something that veterans will absolutely relish.
Extra modes are included with this release as standard (with a couple locked until completion of the campaign), so you’ve got several additional miniature campaigns starring the likes of Robert Kendo and HUNK, and these provide welcome changes of pace from the standard story. HUNK’s ‘4th Survivor’ mode in particular is a ruthless test of skill that we recommend leaving until you’ve completed the campaign at least a couple of times. It's brutal.
In terms of performance, we’re delighted to say that our time with Resident Evil 2 Cloud Version brought next to no significant cloud-related hiccups. Load times can be a bit lengthy when moving from the main menu into the game itself, but once you’re there, we had a smooth experience from start to finish. As noted at the top, we tested over WiFi and wired ethernet direct into our dock and found no discernible difference between the two. Controls were responsive, and the game looked good on the TV and on the handheld's screen.
Naturally, the visuals don’t look as crisp as they might do were the game running native on hardware with sufficient grunt to host it, with minor examples of artifacting evident in our screenshots throughout this review (also note that the server connection gauge in the top right corner is consistently at max level). However, given that this is the only option available for Switch owners, we were pleasantly surprised how the overall streamed experience held up compared to the PS5/Xbox Series X versions we've played.
It should go without saying that, like all cloud games on Switch, your own experience with performance may differ to ours based on your internet speeds, so keep that in mind and make sure to test the demo thoroughly before paying your money.
Conclusion
Resident Evil 2 is an absolutely essential experience for fans of survival horror. We’re not yet at the point where we can confidently recommend purchasing a cloud version of the game on Switch if you’ve got access to a native version on another platform (and as the old-school gamers we are, we may never reach that point), but given that we encountered next to no streaming-related hitches during our time with it, this is a more-than-acceptable choice if it’s the only one available to you. Fans waited years for a remake of Resident Evil 2, and it’s safe to say that the wait was well and truly worth it.
Comments 59
I'll just wait until it's natively available on Nintendo hardware in like 10 years or something. Still nice to hear it's a good game though!
The worst version of a great game.
Yea, it's a no from me dawg. Which is unfortunate, because I would've loved to play it.
I wouldn’t be caught dead playing this on my switch lmao.
Huh, seems Cloud gaming is getting there, improving little by little. Perhaps in the future it'll be more viable and available for more audiences, finally find its place next to physical games and digital downloads.
I wouldn't mind trying this through cloud if it's offer through a subscription but for full price, not a chance.
“Perhaps a tad short” is a positive here. RE2 is replayable on a yearly basis length and bless the game
Technically the best way to play this game on Switch is to play the original.
@SmileMan64 That's every new technology, really. Something is introduced, but for a long time it's too expensive, or impractical, or has some other shortcoming; then the technology improves, prices drop as production scales, whatever, and it eventually becomes viable. Five, maybe ten years from now we'll all be cloud gaming to some degree.
If I didn’t already open this elsewhere, I’d probably get it-which is more than I can say for most cloud versions of games.
As long as I know for how long I can play the game before the servers shut down, and I get to pay for that time only, cloud based gaming is a good idea. Either implement it like NSO, where I pay the same every year, but have a large selection of games to choose from, or let me rent each game separately and let me pay a few dollars a year.
@somnambulance I fully agree! Also, as a busy adult with little time to sink in to games nowadays, this was perfect.
I’d love to play through Persona 5, but I can’t imagine trying to get through a game that’s over 100 hours. And if it becomes a favorite, when would I find time to play it again?
I'm sorry I will never support Cloud gaming you can't defend how terrible it is you need strong Internet they did this with kingdom hearts and Guardians of the galaxy now Resident Evil whats worst they want to charge full price not worth your time and money. Easy skip anything Cloud Gaming related.
The trend towards unnecessary and overpriced cloud versions was one of my reasons for getting a Steam Deck.
@somnambulance I'm someone who prefers short games and was very happy with the length of RE2 and RE3 remakes. Obligatory "this runs great on Steam Deck" comment. 😜
That’s what I want to see more of. If you are gonna offer cloud… Make it work.
Wait only 8-10 hours? What happened? I loved the original on the Playstation and that too a lot longer than that, and secondary scenario with Mr X was just a precursor to 3:Nemesis
But to be fair I wouldnt touch this with an electronic cattle prod as its a Cloud version.
As some people have already said, this game plays super well on Steam Deck.
RE Engine supports Switch and has brought us some fantastic games like Monster Hunter Rise. That said, running RE2 remake on Switch would likely take way, way too many sacrifices. So I guess this is the only way to have RE2 remake on Switch. But in my opinion not every game needs to be available on Switch anyway.
@veesonic @mattesdude For sure! As an adult with a full time job, commute, two kids, etc, man, I’m always hoping for a quality title that I can play in a couple days because I can’t always commit to a long game. I’m already nervous about next year with all the big games I’ve preordered. Lol.
And right!? RE2 and 3 were perfect length. I’ve gotten in a couple arguments about RE3 in particular. I’d rather every minute of a game have importance than a game attempt to keep me busy for months at a time.
@Horace ...until they decide to take it down.
Seems like we're at the final stage of grief: acceptance lol
Worked really well when I tried it , I'd never buy a cloud game but was cool to play it portable although the switches joycons are absolutely terrible for aiming
I already have this on PS4, so no need for me to get this version. It's an excellent remake, and perhaps it's just nostalgia, but I still kinda prefer the original.
That being said, the Mr X in this game actually gave me nightmares haha.
READ CAREFULLY the Clause:
Note: This Cloud Version of Resident Evil 2 was tested on 100MB UW Broadband over WiFi and wired ethernet cable, along with a 5G mobile connection.
NA ISP cost $$$$ and so does Mobile Data. Cloud aka Stadia where is that now??? That's all one needs to know Cloud sucks goats in NA. And it has to be active connection so be ready for a whopper of Mobile Surcharges.
@Gwynbleidd The best case scenario would be to charge for rentals, a couple of quid for a week, £10 for a month or whatever. I’d actually appreciate having that as an option; as it is charging full price for access to the game for as long as they support the servers for it is and always will be a joke
I would never buy a cloud game unless it was heavily discounted no matter how well it ran but I will say this though, when I tried the RE8 demo on switch I used wired connection and it ran almost flawlessly.
@Bunkerneath it isn't trust me. That's because we were kids. I've beaten original recently, all four scenarios. First playthrough is longest because you need to familiarize yourself, but each repeated playthrough it needs you less time. You could easily finish your third and fourth playthrough in about three hours.
You know what? If they make this game the weekly trial sometime, I'll probably still try it for that week and maybe even try to finish it in that week.
Does anyone know if these cloud games go on sale? I cant add RE Village to wishlist after playing demo and j/c if itll ever go down from 40
I wanted to try any of the demos, but the games are not available in my eshop, so yeah, it's a no for me hehe.
@Bunkerneath The Remake is actually longer than the original. Plenty of old games are shorter or about the same length as their remakes. It's just due to other factors that give old games the illusion of being longer than they actually were.
I wouldn't want to try running away from Mr X if I can't rely on my internet! Absolutely loved this game on the Series X, my best game of that year.
Haha… no thank you
Would be nice to compare cloud gaming between the Switch and GeForce.
@Gwynbleidd Not everyone has a computer that can run Steam, so for some people it would be… “your” isn’t referring to you specifically.
@BabyYoda71 Surprisingly you can build a good pc that will run most latest games for 300-500$ USD. PC gaming isn't anymore expensive than the Ps5 or Xbox Series X.
Definitely my favourite resident evil game. Not this version though 👀
What a ridiculous notion. Reviewing something that will be completely different for every player.
@WaffleRaptor01 that's not even a little true, lol.
8/10? Looks like crap.
Shame it isn't available as a physical or a download. Sounds like I would have enjoyed it even without gyro aiming. The cloud related issues are a turn off and deserve to knock the score from 9/10 (what it reads like) to at best 7/10. Internet in this country isn't robust or reliable enough in many countries.
This is my favourite game on the PS4, a great game with high replay value
@somnambulance yep, it being short is a strength for me and I've already replayed it many times.
I’m glad Switch players can finally get to experience this game. It’s an incredible game but I do wish it wasn’t cloud. Though technology is vastly improving, I don’t think cloud is quite there yet. Glad to see it’s getting there though with this review.
When I tried the demo recently, the signal stability was fine, but there was this screen-door like effect of grime and dust over the visuals… and actually it worked quite well with the content matter. The demo is way to short though, I barely got to the first zombie.
Seems that Capcom got lazy and just done pulled a "Kingdom Hearts" on these games. If the Switch can do MK11 and Doom Eternal with slightly worse graphics, then why not the Resident Evils or Kingdom Hearts? Have Panic Button do the ports and same goes for the Kingdom Hearts games.
@WaffleRaptor01 But there’s lots of people who only have enough money to buy one console, and they may have chosen Switch. $400 is still lots of money
@BabyYoda71 Well I mean , then that's your choice. Saying you have no other option when you picked the product is no excuse.
The switch may appear cheap, but it's in same ballpark of price range for any other more powerful alternatives. The only advantage switch has is portability and first party exclusives.
Cloud gaming isn't your only option. It's the option you choose. That is the sacrifice you made when you purchased the switch.
I'd honestly rather have a blurry mess of a native port than a cloud version.
@DripDropCop146 I think you misunderstood what I meant… I never said it was an excuse, but if you can’t afford any other console and have a Switch, that’s your only way to play it. That’s just an objective fact, not an excuse
I didn’t read the other 55 comments before me, but I just assume it’s at least 48 comments along the lines of, “Nope,” and/or, “Please, no.”
Tired demo in handheld mode and worked really well for me. Was so surprised but I've no need of it as have it already on another console. Not a bad way to play if you have decent internet and no other option except price needs to be better.
I can buy it for half the price on other consoles
Who’s actually buying these cloud games?
literally wouldn't if my life depended on it. Cloud Version = No Version
Hate all these stupid cloud version, thats *****
I wonder how much work would be needed for native ports, now that the RE Engine has games on Switch.
@Herna : Good point. The UHD uploads on YouTube would likely look a hell of a lot better than the cloud version on Switch too.
@Gwynbleidd
It's for people that play games to experience them and aren't hung up on ownership.
This Resident evil 2 remake game looks so much fun. Incredible remake. Incredible beautiful Cloud version.
Removed - advertising
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