I have a confession to make: despite considering myself a dedicated fan of the Resident Evil franchise, there are still significant gaps in my gaming history. While I spent time with several titles during the Xbox 360 era, my true rekindled passion for the series began with 2021's Village. I fell in love with its masterful blend of modern horror and action, which left me wanting to explore more of what the series had to offer.

Finally Exploring Raccoon City

One notable omission in my repertoire was the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2. Having never touched the original and failing to find the right time to start Leon Kennedy's journey on other platforms, I let the title slip by. However, that has changed with Capcom's surprise release of the Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4 remakes on the Switch 2. The convenience of portability served as the exact motivation I needed to finally dive into Raccoon City.

Witnessing the evolution of the series into its current run-and-gun format has been a fantastic experience. The tension involving Leon and Claire's ordeal is palpable from the opening moments, especially with the constant, terrifying threat of Mr. X pursuing you. This dynamic remains just as intense on the Switch 2 as it has been on any other hardware.

Performance and Portability

Capcom deserves praise for its technical work on these ports. While the visuals are inevitably softer and blurrier compared to more powerful hardware, the games still maintain a crisp, modern aesthetic on the handheld. Some might argue it's a less visually impressive way to experience the games, but for those with only one console, the ability to play these titles anywhere is an incredible luxury.

Key performance takeaways include:

  • Frame Rate: The games largely target 60fps, which is impressive given the visual ambition of the environments.
  • Stability: While they hit that 60fps target frequently, frame rates can occasionally dip into the mid-50s during particularly chaotic sequences.

It is worth noting that players can now enjoy the entire journey from Resident Evil 2 through Resident Evil 8 on a single device. Considering the Switch 2 has been on the market for just over a year, Capcom's commitment to supporting the platform so quickly is commendable.

If you have been waiting for the right moment to jump into these remakes, the Switch 2 versions are an excellent way to do so. In my experience, they are truly top-tier portable horror machines.