The GOG PC re-release of OG Resident Evil 2 is out later this month

GOG has announced that their PC re-release of Capcom’s 1998 classic Resident Evil 2 will be available on August 27, 2024. I mean the original version of Resident Evil 2, not the 2019 remake. Of course. Just clarifying.

While Resident Evil 2 is often best remembered as a PS1 title, it was also released on other platforms, including Windows. Unfortunately, PC games from the era can be extremely finicky on modern platforms. There’s plenty of voodoo you can do to pull it off, but for those who don’t want to bother, GOG’s re-release will be pretty tempting. Rather than simply re-introduce the original Windows version back into the wilds, they’re going the extra mile to make sure it’s more comfortable on our futuristic super-computers.

The list of improvements shows items that are both necessary and hilarious. They include things like “Issue-less game exit” and “Improved game registry settings” among the audio fixes and improved subtitles. Then there are fewer must-haves like The 4th Survivor and The Tofu Survivor being available from the beginning.

The re-releases of the original versions of the first three Resident Evil games were announced this past June, along with the sudden appearance of the first title. 2 and 3 were left pending without a given release date, though you could buy the full trilogy in preparation. We’re still waiting to hear when we’ll see Resident Evil 3.

For my money, Resident Evil 2 is easily the best game in the series. While I have a strong fondness for the 2001 Resident Evil remake, I find that the infested police station is a much better setting than the Spencer Estate. The Resident Evil 2 remake is fantastic in its own right, but something gets lost when you remove the tank controls and fixed camera angles.

The PC re-release of Resident Evil 2 will be available on GOG on August 27, 2024.