Set to release in late January, Resident Evil 2 is perhaps one of the most anticipated releases of 2019. A ground-up rebuild of the survival horror classic, the game will include the familiar characters, enemies, and locations that Resident Evil fans have come to know and love. However, not everything is staying the same for the remake. One of the major changes will be the addition of microtransactions, proving that even the classic series isn’t immune from this modern gaming trend.
Resident Evil 2 will include microtransactions
The ESRB recently finalized Resident Evil 2’s rating (M for Mature), a rating based on the game’s inclusion of strong language, blood, gore, and intense violence. In other words, it’s everything Resident Evil fans have come to expect from the series. The rating also mentions, however, that Resident Evil 2 will include in-game purchases in the form of microtransactions.
So far, Resident Evil 2 appears to be a single-player only experience, so it seems unlikely that microtransactions will pertain to a multiplayer experience of any kind. That said, Resident Evil is no stranger to multiplayer, such as the fan-favorite Mercenaries mode included in several titles or the less-popular Agent Hunt mode in Resident Evil 6. Perhaps this does hint at there being some type of multiplayer component involved in Resident Evil 2.
It seems more likely, however, that the microtransactions will pertain to campaign-mode goodies. Several unique DLC weapons and skins have already been confirmed for certain pre-order editions of the base game, so cosmetic and vanity items seem like the most likely candidates for these mysterious microtransactions. Capcom has given no official word on the subject, so it’s likely that players won’t know for sure what these transactions entail until the final game is released.
Otherwise, the official rating from the ESRB does tease a typically Resident Evil experience:
This is a survival-horror game in which players assume the roles of a policeman and/or a college student battling a zombie outbreak in the fictional Raccoon City. From a third-person perspective, players explore environments and use pistols, shotguns, tasers, explosives, and flamethrowers to kill mutant creatures and zombies. Combat is highlighted by realistic gunfire, screams of pain, and large blood-splatter effects. Cutscenes also depict instances of intense violence and gore: a character’s throat ripped out by a mutant’s teeth; a man’s body cut in half, leaving entrails dangling from his torso; a man’s head crushed by a zombie’s hands. Some areas also depict mutilated corpses/zombies with exposed organs and viscera. The words “f**k” and “sh*t” are heard in the dialogue.
Based on this official ESRB statement and the already released trailers, Resident Evil 2 promises to be one of the most intense games in the series.
Resident Evil 2 is slated to release January 25, 2019 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
