More than three years later, Resident Evil 2 remains the blueprint for any developer looking to remake a classic title. Successfully modernising the 1998 survival horror game for fans and newcomers, there's no doubting its sustained quality. What we said in our Resident Evil 2 PS4 review rings true to this day, so our new verdict will focus purely on what's new in the recently released PS5 version.
The most substantial of which are two graphical modes: one implements ray tracing and the other boosts the frame rate beyond 60fps. You can't have the best of both worlds, and that's the most disappointing thing about the new native PS5 version: each graphical mode has its drawbacks to the point where there's no definitive option.
Resident Evil 2 was a fantastic-looking title on Sony’s last-gen console and throwing a native 4K resolution and ray tracing on top truly makes the game shine. The main hall of the Raccoon Police Department is staggeringly shiny, with reflections popping off all over the place. In a similar vein, the dark hallways shooting off the famous entrance plaza are still dripping with atmosphere, heightened on PS5 with crystal clear graphics.
The trade-off, though, is the frame rate. Having ray tracing active means the frame rate never remains consistent, constantly dipping and somewhat ruining the immersion. It's not too much of a problem whilst simply walking around the environment and exploring, but the more action-heavy the screen gets, the more the frame rate drops.
If you've no interest in ray tracing, then the other graphical mode is the one for you. Seemingly targeting 120fps (don’t quote us on that, we're not Digital Foundry), gameplay is so much smoother and crisp. Again, however, you must sacrifice something. The visuals take a battering should you wish to double the frame rate, and that goes beyond the general lack of ray tracing. Lighting takes a real hit and so too do the details making up character models and objects in the environment.
Thus, a situation has been created where the game is always having to compromise on one thing in order to enhance something else. Ray tracing makes Resident Evil 2 look better than ever, but it won't be a smooth experience as the frame rate routinely dips. You could instead opt to almost double that frame rate, but then the visuals aren't so hot. It's frustrating not knowing which one's best overall, creating circumstances where you know certain aspects would be better on the other side of the coin.
At least it's fairly plain sailing elsewhere. Lightning-fast load times will have you playing the game in a matter of seconds. After downloading our PS4 saves (and automatically unlocking all the Trophies), we were able to zip about all our save states across different playthroughs as Leon and Claire. It never took more than maybe three seconds from hitting the load button to the title being ready to play once again.
The PS5's adaptive triggers are also taken for a light spin; each weapon simulates resistance on the left trigger slightly differently. It's a very basic implementation, but welcome nonetheless. Haptic feedback is also listed as a supported feature on PS5, although we couldn't feel its utilisation outside of the standard rumble and vibration features.
Taken as a whole, this PS5 version offers some basic upgrades over the original PS4 edition — it's just a shame there's no definitive graphical mode to recommend. The game is still more than worth playing in 2022; its survival horror spark hasn't worn off in the slightest. Fans will love returning to the Raccoon Police Department with an extra layer of shine, and newcomers have the chance to experience one of gaming's greatest remakes. A cheap and cheerful upgrade doesn't ruin any of Resident Evil 2's quality.
Conclusion
Capcom hasn't gone to any great lengths with its updated PS5 version of Resident Evil 2, offering fans and newcomers two imperfect graphical modes to choose from. Very speedy load times will have you immersed in a flash, though, and the support for the PS5's adaptive triggers adds another extra wrinkle on top. Resident Evil 2 is still every bit as good as it was three years ago; this PS5 version simply gives you the chance to experience it all over again with further shine.
Comments (83)
Feel like all 3 upgrades were pretty unnecessary but a really nice gesture by Capcom. The updates are not massive or game changing by any means. But they are very welcome.
Shame they didn't use the haptics.
Would love to feel Mr.X's footsteps coming closer lol! tbh that would genuinely heighten the experience.
@rawzeku
I agree also as it a free upgrade it quite decent!
I said from the start that these upgrades where completely unneeded all 3 of these game looks absolutely stunning and run at a consistent 60 and apparently the upgrades have big drawbacks. Ah well they're free so F it 😅
I guess the real question this doesn't truly answer is... Are the graphics at least just as good as the PS4 Pro version when playing at 60 FPS? If so, I can live with that as long as the graphics don't end up being worse.
Yeah, it is disappointing that these at least don't use haptic feedback more to heighten the immersion. Oh well I guess.
"You could instead opt to almost double that frame rate, but then the visuals aren't so hot. It's frustrating not knowing which one's best overall, creating circumstances where you know certain aspects would be better on the other side of the coin."
This has been one of my biggest bugbears this past generation — when a game gives you the choice for only one or the other, surely it should be up to the devs to find a balance that accommodates both framerate and fidelity? That'd be like making a pizza for someone and saying "yeah you can have cheese, OR tomato — you can't have both".
@LiamCroft Quick clarification. Are there two NEW graphical modes or do these two replace the old ones? Seems weird that they would have just a locked 60fps mode, or do they?
The best part is that it's a free upgrade. If only more publishers would do the same when it's purely a graphical change.
For me personally this is worse than the original version. The only benefits are faster loading times and a slightly higher resolution. Ray tracing hurts the framerate too much but also those damn triggers. It’s now painful to keep trying to shoot compared to before. I hate that feature in PS5 games, I really do.
@Andee This is why I don’t care too much for the new standard of having graphic options. I got heat for it as ‘options are good’…but we’re also seeing more and more it results in the standard of optimisation dropping.
Playing at a (seemingly) locked 60fps without RT is my preferred option. Game still looks better than on PS4/Pro. 👍
Resi 7 holds up better with its RT. Lovely and smooth with some beautiful (well, as beautiful as the grotesque can be) lighting. And all with nary a blip or stutter.
Terrific games.
@themightyant The two new ones are the standard on PS5, but you can turn both ray tracing and the high frame rate mode off. I believe that puts the game in a default 60fps state, with just a better resolution over the PS4 Pro version.
From what I've seen on YouTube, ray tracing mode with VRR (supported these remasters) may be the way to go.
@LiamCroft Thanks. Makes sense.
@LiamCroft Good to know. I was waiting for the PS5 upgrade for (hopefully) better visuals on RE2, but it seems like if I don't want to sacrifice performance and don't have a 120hz TV, I should just play this PS5 version with the new options turned off. That's fine.
Haven’t tried this one yet but they seem to go further with Resident Evil 7. On my TV, an LG CX, the 60 FPS is very consistent and the ray tracing really makes a difference. And while 120 is nice, a smooth 60 is still great for these types of games. So you’re still playing at a high frame rate and getting the bells and whistles.
Did you test the high frame rate using a VRR display? I reckon that mode would be nice on my LG CX that supports it.
Also IIRC the knife damage is connected to framerate, so does high framerate make the knife the boss it is on the PC ver?
Played through a few hours of this last night and it's still a superb game.
Your review is a little deceptive by not at least acknowledging that both options can be turned off. It does make it sound like the only options are RT or High Framerate and nothing else.
Turning off both at least provides a higher resolution at a smooth 60fps. I am sure Digital Foundry would be able to provide a more detailed look at any non-RT-related benefits beyond resolution (if at all).
I played only a small amount of RE2 after the update (on Series X using a previous save) and there wasn't much RT benefit in the sewer section of the game (but it ran relatively smooth). Sounds like those opening moments are the most RT heavy given all the reflections in the police station (and the rain).
@LiamCroft did you get the chance to check out whether the ps5 vrr boost made a difference with the frame dips you were seeing in rt mode?
@AndyKazama I have an LG CX also, and it was incredibly smooth.
Mind-blowing that they still haven't fixed those aweful screen space reflections yet.. after all these years. Still pixelated af
I was going to grab these games for the ps5 (even though im terrified of anything horror related) but its sad to hear about the lack of any punchy haptics. As stated above Mr X's stompig footsteps could have been fed through the controller to give an idea of location and distance. Also more distinct fire arm resistance would have been cool. Would still like to run it through my C1 vith vrr as i stopped playing when Mr x came for me and i ***** my pants 😂💩
@awp69 regarding Gaming Tech on YouTube the framerate is not consistent in the RT mode but with VRR it should be ok unless it dips below 48 Fps.
@R1spam important to say: There is no „boost“ with VRR. Framerate is not magically increased with VRR. That’s very important to understand.
What VRR does is that it matches the framerate with the refresh rate of the display constantly, so framerate dips aren’t noticeable or at least way less noticeable than without VRR.
I imagine the RT performance could get patched; Sony may even demand it if there's a lot of bad press written about it.
@Andee This is standard for PC gaming and honestly i'm glad we get the choice as some people like the flashy visuals while others prefer the 60fps or higher framerate. If i had my way we would have way more settings and modes to pick from, being able you tailor the game around what you want is great.
@liamCroft
You totally left out the option of "ray tracing off" and "higher frame rate off".
That according to my tv gives you 4k 60.
Higher frame rate mode drops the game to 1080p and agreed Ray tracing is very unstable.
It's not a bad upgrade as it was never broke, on pro anyway.
Stupid question, but ...
If I buy the PS4 version (it's in Tesco for 12 quid), and play on my PS5, will I get the PS5 upgrades?
@WallyWest Yeah, but this is one of the reasons I'm not a PC gamer — Pro models aside, consoles should give you a consistent performance standard that means you don't need to balance a load of spec plates in order to comfortably run the game, without worrying that you're sacrificing one aspect of the experience for another.
@LiamCroft my man. Cracking TV.
@Reeneman I was using the framerate display on my LG CX and didn’t see any dips while I was playing but maybe it dips during bosses or cinematics. Do have VRR for those cases though so I will stick with 60 FPS with RT on RE7 at least. It looks great!
Is there no way devs could implement ray tracing when its apparent in certain locations, and then turn it off when its not visible,guardians of the galaxy for example doesnt need it in certain areas ,no idea if this is possible ,probably cause the game to fluctuate too much,ill shut up now ha ha
@tinCAT-zero Absolutely! 4k60 IS the definitive way to play. I'll wait on a ps5pro to really play games with RT that aren't Sony 60fps balance modes.
@CyberWolf yes mate. There isnt any native ps5 version. Just a free upgrade for owners of a ps4 copy.
@CyberWolf Yes.
@CyberWolf Yes. When you put the disc in there will be an option to download the PS5 version. You will still have to have the disc in to play though.
This is good have grand kids will get to play these at there best for the first time ! Some things are not only about us in life !
@KayOL77
I'd love a PS5 pro and PS5 slim in the future. Hopefully they'll both happen.
@Reeneman apologies, I know it doesn't boost the framerate but as you say, makes dips in frames above 40ish fps harder to see. Was interested to see whether it made a difference in this unsupported game. I switched this mode on for elden ring (also unsupported) for my LG b9 and in some areas, it made a real difference to observable dips and frame pacing.
Thanks for the honest re-review, I expected as much from a free upgrade!
@awp69 sounds great! Unjust saw gameplay from the Gaming Tech YouTube channel. He showed RE 3 and in the RT mode there were dips below 60 but it seemed that the game at least stays above 48 fps which is then totally fine!
Enjoy playing these great games!
I had always my issues with RE but I might give it a try in the future. At least moving and aiming at the same time should be a huge upgrade for me compared to the old versions.
Suprised no one is talking about the upgraded 3d audio in the ps5 version,its really immersive !!
@Keyblade-Dan
120fps makes a world of a difference, so for somebody like me it’s definitely needed if you have a good OLED TV. Unfortunately I didn’t expect RE2 to take a nose dive with its core visuals when Doubling the frame rate on PS5. I just expected the resolution to drop to 1080p instead of 1620p like you’d get on PS4 Pro and that’s that.
Why didn’t Capcom just create a 4K+60fps mode without raytracing so the frame rate will stay consistent?
why didn’t they just provide a locked 60 mode with 4K and no Ray Tracing. Seriously what were they thinking.
@tinCAT-zero
What a shame. I’m a big fan of 120fps, and I assumed the PS5 would be able to handle RE2, 3 & 7 at 120fps + 1080p without ANY compromises being made to the core visuals like inferior lighting, worse character models etc. guess l’ll have to wait for a PS5 Pro for the real deal…
A solid 120fps at 1080p with the core visuals in tact would of been awesome. But I might just have to settle with 4K+60 without ray tracing(RT causes a lower unstable frame rate so it’s useless in my eyes) while using my OLED TV’s black frame insertion setting to get higher motion resolution and less motion blur. 👀
Geez man, I’m over 60fps. With 120 on a good OLED display? You’re getting 4 upgrades in 1. 120 is so much more smoother, natural, eliminates a lot of motion blur etc
@bighal
Supposedly they did according to digital foundry, PS just didn’t mention it.
@KayOL77
Playing it at 120fps without any compromises being made to the core visuals would be the ultimate way to play, with gyro aiming
But alas we’re still stuck in 60fps land. Where’s a PS5 pro when you need one? In 2024, that’s where
@LiamCroft
120fps is the future amigo, it feels unnatural sifting back to 60fps. I’ve said this before but 120fps, aside from giving you buttery realistic smoother motion, also eliminates half the motion blur(huge deal) from 60fps, it increases motion resolution from 300p to 600p, and it knocks input lag down by half to 5ms(close to CRT)on modern LG OLEDs and Samsungs latest QD-OLED.
It’s just a real shame that 120 negatively effects the core graphics for RE2 aka lighting and whatever else. I was just expecting the resolution to drop to 1080 and that was that.
Guess I’ll have to test out the 120fps mode and 4K+60(without ray tracing) and see which one I prefer.
Another option for people that value good motion and that have a 2021-2022 LG OLED or better yet, Samsungs latest QD OLED would be to use the 4K+60fps setting(with no RT) for RE2 while using your OLEDs MotionPro aka black frame insertion setting.
BFI will get you up to 700p motion resolution and will reduce even more motion blur than 120fps. The downsides are a big loss in brightness, shadow detail crushing, double the input lag and some flicker 👀
Unfortunately this setting isn’t worth using on anything other than an LG G2 since it can retain more brightness due its heat sink OR Samsungs QD OLED…BFI causes too much brightness loss on th C1, C2 , especially the CX and G1.
99% of the people on push square probably don’t have either TV anyways including myself….yet 👌
@LiamCroft This is super helpful, thanks for clarifying
I've gone through the Hunk scenario and Claires game on Hardcore with RT and the worst performing area is the main hall and the East office, it should be noted that the lighting also benefits and it fixes the weird SSR artefacts the game had. With RT off it still looks significantly better than the PS4 version but as @LiamCroft says the Dualsense is underutilised, I did play a bit of RE7 and it's heavily used there
@bighal you can turn off RT and do exactly that.
@LiamCroft did you realise that you can simply turn RT off and have a locked 4K60FPS?
PS5 with RT on


PS5 with RT off
So yeah the lighting is also improved and the PS4 original looks quite a bit worse seen below
@KilloWertz they're much better than the PS4 Pro version
@WaveBoy
Tbh I didn't play/test the game that much. My tv will handle 120fps and for the bit I played I didn't notice any problems, either with the frame rate or picture quality at 1080p in higher frame rate mode. In ray tracing on mode I could see stutter. The other 2 modes looked brilliant and seemed buttery smooth to me. I didn't notice the picture taking a hit in higher frame rate mode, but I barely played it.
I play on a Sony X95H 65" TV.
@themightyant there are 3, you can have 4K60FPS with RT on or off, so off basically locked the framerate as far as I can tell and then there's the high framerate mode. Even without RT it looks significantly better than the PS4 version
@carlos82
How exactly does RE2 on PS5 look better than the PS4 pro version?
Maybe it’s a direct port of the better looking PC version? The PS4 pro version for example ran at 1620p + 60fps. You’re saying If I just run RE2 on PS5 at 4K+60(without RT) I’ll get improvements with the core graphics, higher 4K resolution aside?
I haven't put much time into the PS5 version of RE2 (already have the Platinum trophy) as I have been with the Series X version, but to me the Series X version runs smoother with ray tracing & VRR enabled. I kinda prefer the 120fps mode though, which still looks great visually on my LG C1 OLED.
I'm a big fan of the adaptive triggers on the Dualsense, so that's always a welcome addition. But Idk why Capcom (or most developers for that matter) refuse to add gyro support for PS4/PS5 games. 60 or 120fps with gyro aiming would be amazing! I love using gyro for shooters on my Switch. (Doom, Sniper Elite, Zombie Army, ect)
Most Playstation games don't include it, which makes no sense.
What an awesome service!
Own all 3 & all FOC!!
@WaveBoy much higher resolution for a start, screen space reflections have been improved with less of the halo effect and around characters and objects even wothout RT. The Pro version was image reconstruction for that resolution and this looks significantly sharper, it seems to have higher settings for volumetric lights and a few other things from what I can tell. I did post some screenshots above. The resolution is certainly the biggest difference overall without RT and with it looks better again with improved lighting too
@SCHONBOB You do realize there's an option to turn it off in the ps5 settings... right?
@get2sammyb probably my favourite game on the PS4, I spent much of yesterday on it and it's still amazing
@WaveBoy The 120fps mode is meant to be good. Also, I'm refusing to play 120fps modes until it becomes an actual norm. 60fps is plenty if you don't attempt to spoil it all the time with 120fps(Vr not included9
@DTfeartheBEARD
Because these developers are out of their minds thinking that jerky tank-like twin stick wiggling/aiming is the golden standard. I’ve been over that crappy configuration since 2006 ever since the wii debuted with the wii remote.
Gyro motion aiming with a gyro motion sensor bar would be amazing.
motion aiming is standard in VR at least and I’d much rather play RE2 on the VR2 than a 65” OLED at 120fps, even if it supported gyro aiming
@WaveBoy Agreed. For example, playing Metroid Prime Trilogy & Resident Evil 4 on Wii is by far the best way to play those games, with the motion aiming alone. I'm definitely interested In PSVR2 to play RE2 & RE Village with motion controls. I skipped PSVR, so I didn't get to try RE7 in VR...
@Nepp67 I actually didn’t know that. Thanks.
@Kidfunkadelic83 These are native PS5 versions, they even have their own trophy lists.
@SCHONBOB No problem, I prefer to have them on cause if it's implemented well it'll help me enjoy a game more like Warframe and I didn't like Warframe all that much
@DTfeartheBEARD
Oh man, Prime 3 was revolutionary when it came out in 2007. Those wii remote pointer controls + nunchuck when using the advanced option in the games setting, on a lag free motion blur-less Sony wega CRT tube tv with a set of component cables was pure bliss.👌
Still remains as my Favourite first person based game of all time. it completely blew me away thanks to the wii remote and nunchuck. It was like a religious experience. 😱 After that I couldn’t even go back to analog stick aiming. It was such an enormous step backwards for numerous reasons.
Unfortunately gyro motion isn’t up to snuff. Sometimes it can work well but it doesn’t have a sensor bar/reference. So aiming will lose accuracy quickly, your cross hair will drift or align incorrectly from where you’re pointing, where you’re then forced to press a realignment button. Talk about broken.
But when it works it works well for games like quake remaster, breath of the wild etc.
Oh, and the first half of RE7 in VR was excellent! A return to form. The out door areas didn’t look too hot, but once you get inside the bakers house it really starts to shine in VR. At times it felt I was trapped in a living breathing nightmare 👀 sometimes your imagination can get the best of you! especially the bakers basement where you’re introduced to the molden for the first time. Talk about dread inducing. Lol VR makes the experience 100x more immersive, visceral, engaging, scary and the head based motion aiming works amazingly well too.
I would just hold out for the VR2 and play RE7 VR on that instead for the much higher reasolition, 110d fov, improved OLED display(crossing my fingers for true blacks, higher brightness and zero motion judder) and the wealth of other upgrades.
Capcom had to compromise the environments, lighting and shadows unless I’m mistaken etc a bit to accommodate VR, but it won’t even matter. Because feeling like you’re IN the bakers house vs staring at a TV is worlds better imo.
Astro bot Rescue mission is still the holy grail of PlayStation VR. Platforming fans are doing themselves a major disservice passing this one up. To me, it did what Mario 64 did for 3D but for VR. It was an incredible and magical experience 😙
Pretty funny how the PC crowd is whining about the new updates to these RE games because it ramped up the system requirements and the games don't run well on their old PC's anymore. Plus more importantly for most of them, the big booby mods don't work anymore. I've never understood gaming with a low end PC, just go console at that point.
@PoopScoop
Seems like a ritual to get a PC game up and going. Ugh, I wish PS5 pro was an actual thing at this point. Even if I had to drop another grand to get it
120fps without any visual compromises and getting closer to 4K would be really nice
@carlos82 The ps4 version looks like the worst of both worlds lol!
Thanks for the share Carlos (isn't that the officer's name in the game?)
@WallyWest that was my fault and i completely worded it wrong. What i was meaning was any copy of the games, be it didital or physical would be eligible for the upgrade. I was having a moment 😂
@KayOL77
60fps has too much motion blur and only 300p motion resolution on an OLED. That’s a far cry from even 1080p. 300p motion is less than a standard def tube TV from 90s which whips out 480 by comparison. Plus that 300p is slathered in blur once the in-game camera starts rotating in a first or 3rd person-whatever.
In a nut shell, the blur and low motion resolution can be very distracting, it’s almost like gaming Through the eyes of a drunk tard. 👀🤪
Black frame insertion does wonders for this but comes with a handful of compromises. 120fps is the sweet spot imo. It clears up a lot of blur and gives you a few more advantages
@Kidfunkadelic83 Ahh i get you haha
@WaveBoy Now I think your just making stuff up 🙈
@WaveBoy I am under the impression that every 16.6ms an entirely new frame is drawn. I play old retro games on my TV and the movement is perfectly smooth to me. Pixel incrementation per frame for scrolling looks identical(CRT TVs literally keep 50% of the last frame on screen in interlaced form)
@KayOL77
It’s called the reality of sample and hold OLED motion lol
In order to reduce blur and increase motion resolution you have to use black frame insertion or brute force higher frame rates like 120fps.
As is, without using any of the two methods above the base motion on my LG C1 sucks compared to my CRT and even my Panasonic plasma
@carlos82 Thanks for the confirmation. I should have known they would look better on the PS5 automatically, but you never know. Some developers do half ass these things, but it's nice to see Capcom didn't really.
I'll probably just go with the regular 4K/60 mode, as while I do like RT when it's implemented really well, I think the high resolution and the steady 60 FPS will be good enough. That is unless some have exaggerated how much the RT drags down the framerate.
@Keyblade-Dan yeah I'm replaying resident evil 2 on my PS4 pro & it's just an absolutely stunning game & the frame rate is really smooth , still claimed the ps5 versions For when I eventually get one because why not
@KilloWertz as for framerate I will say I beat it on hardcore difficulty in RT mode with little problem and even 4th Survivor. The framerate is certainly noticable in and around the main hall which as the first main area maybe puts people off but outside of that I'd say it was solid for the most part.
@Would_you_kindly Yeah again they're free so exactly why not? But given that apparently the upgrades have these drawbacks and the original PS4 versions of 7 and 2R are pretty much perfect in my eyes I probably won't waste my PS5's storage space on these 😅
The Haptic feedback & adaptive triggers are disappointing really (I want it to be like Astro's Playroom. Well EVERY game be like Astro's Playroom. Feedback wise) & I wasn't really impressed with any of it(it was ok) I don't know people nowadays just get obsessed about all the graphics stuff. Brilliant game tho
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