As Resident Evil 2 turns 20, Hideki Kamiya remembers its turbulent development
"I started drinking brandy on the rocks every night…"
To coincide with the 20th anniversary of Resident Evil 2, the game's director Hideki Kamiya took to Twitter to reveal some cool tidbits about the game's turbulent development.
Resident Evil 2, which came out on 21st January 1998 for the PlayStation, wowed fans with its cinematic storytelling, multiple playable characters and cool graphics. According to Capcom, Resident Evil 2 has sold 4.96m copies. It was a massive hit.
But its development was not plain sailing. Kamiya, who was 25 when Capcom thrust him into the position of Resident Evil 2 game director, spoke about how he and his team scrapped a huge amount of work and, essentially, restarted development. This ditched game became Resident Evil 1.5, which fans have been working to restore ever since.
Kamiya also discussed the English voice over recording for the game, including this juicy anecdote:
Then there's the revelation that Kamiya forced the game to come on two discs because he introduced the zapping system, which let you play each of the two playable characters in two different scenarios, thus showing events from the other character's perspective.
Resident Evil 2 sounds like it was a particularly brutal development, with a crunch that forced Kamiya to drink and sleep in the office.
Ultimately, Kamiya sounds proud of the work he and his team did on Resident Evil 2.
In a Twitter encore, Kamiya remembered the day he was chosen to direct Resident Evil 2:
Why was Kamiya chosen to direct such a high profile release? He's not sure, but he does know this:
Kamiya would go on to direct Devil May Cry, Viewtiful Joe, Ōkami, and co-found Bayonetta maker Platinum, but Resident Evil 2 was where his illustrious career kicked off. Happy birthday!