For some, Resident Evil 2 is the best game of the series. It took everything great about the first game and ratcheted it up, making more mutations that belonged in nightmares. It upped the gore as well, not being afraid to have both players and creatures die in the most awful of ways.
The remake made that even more noticeable with its superior graphics. There are times that it goes a little overboard though, even by the standards of typical horror games.
10 Chief Irons Manhandling Sherry & Almost Beating Her
Even with a game that can get as graphic as Resident Evil does, it’s always uncomfortable to watch violence of any kind being inflicted upon children. It’s especially hard for players that have children of their own, but even those that don’t often find it difficult to watch a character intentionally hurt a child.
Having someone do physical harm to either a kid or a dog is a surefire way to make them the most hated character. That’s certainly the case for Irons, who no one feels bad for once he receives his just desserts.
9 The Larva Bursting Out Of Irons’ Chest Felt Like Something Out Of Alien
There are few things more gratifying than when a hated character meets their end and Irons went out in a grotesque fashion. It didn’t take long for the large larva Irons got implanted with to stir and eventually relieve itself of its host’s body.
The entire scene felt like something out of one of the Alien movies, from the violent shaking to the chest-bursting. It’s a horrific way to go and one that’s not for the squeamish to watch.
8 Mr. X Brutally Getting Torn Apart By William Birkin
Mr. X was a cool character, from the way he dressed to the menacing presence he had whenever he showed up. As the precursor to Nemesis, he did a good job of putting fear into the player. That’s why it was somewhat shocking that he was taken out the way he was.
After pinning Claire and Sherry in an elevator, it looked like he had them dead to rights until William Birkin shows up and tears away the entire left side of Mr. X’s stomach.
7 The Transformations Of Birkin Get More & More Gross As The Game Goes On
The franchise is filled with plenty of horrific and ugly-looking creatures. It’s part of what makes Resident Evil such a good horror series. Players never know what they’re going to run into from one moment to the next.
But nothing from the series compares to the transformations that Birkin continually underwent throughout Resident Evil 2. His body was in a constant state of change, teeth and eyes growing where they shouldn’t, making him look like a horror version of Mr. Potato Head.
6 The Many Times Claire Gouged The Eyes Of Birkin
Birkin died and evolved a couple of times during Resident Evil 2, fitting into his whole unstoppable monster motif. How they went about it made it seem as if he was never going to die either. What’s worse, many of his deaths involved Claire gouging out one of his many eyes.
Claire shot a few of them during a battle at the lab and jabbed a pole directly into them during the final encounter on the train. Anything piercing an eye is always going to make someone squirm.
5 Mr. X Squeezes The Eyeballs Out Of Ben
As far as ominous arrivals go, Mr. X had one of the best in the series. During the cut scene between Ben and Leon, players can hear screeching noises in the background of something slowly approaching.
Both the player and Leon expect them to show up down the hall, but the game throws you for a complete loop by having Mr. X come through the wall and latch his hands on Ben’s face so tight that it squeezes his eyeballs right out of their sockets.
4 Leon Blowing Away The Upper Half Of The Mr. X’s Body
There was no way a villain as cool as Mr. X was going to get taken down in a cut scene, even if the game makes you believe Birkin kills him for good. His return to torment Leon at the end of the game felt perfect, allowing for a badass moment for Leon and a relatively fun boss fight between the two.
After throwing the kitchen sink at Mr. X, it seems like nothing Leon does will put him down. That’s until Ada saves his bacon again, handing over a rocket launcher that Leon uses to blow away the entire top half of X’s body.
3 The Entire Intro Shows What A Horrific State Racoon City Is In
Few game introductions show how apocalyptic the setting is quite like the intro does. Almost every single police officer you run into is killed in equally awful ways.
The first has his neck ripped out by a zombie bite right in front of Leon, and that’s tame considering the next cop Leon meets has his entire lower body pulled away. It all immediately sets the survival horror tone, letting players know that they don’t ever want to let those zombies get too close.
2 All Of The Player Death Animations Go Above & Beyond
In survival horror games like Dead Space or Resident Evil, some of the most gruesome deaths are always the ones that happen to the player character rather than the creatures chasing them.
Resident Evil doesn’t shy away from that trope, having Leon ripped to shreds by a giant zombie alligator or munched on by the final mutant form of Birkin. That’s not to mention the many neck rips that come if players let one of the zombies get in too close.
1 One Of The Bodies Claire Finds Has A Face That Looks Like It’s Made Of Chewing Gum
Even before Leon/Claire tried to move the police officer’s head, players knew it was going to be grotesque. His jaw was torn apart, dangling there against his face.
It only got worse when they pulled his head up, showing that his bone and muscle had been torn apart so badly that it may as well have been chewing gum. It’s made worse by how long the camera lingers on it, showing off the mushy remains for as long as they can.