Resident Evil 2 Co-op

Real Immersion

There’s a certain ambiance the developers of Resident Evil 2 were going for. It’s one of dread. Of quiet, creeping terror. The eerie silence of the R.P.D. station, broken only by the distant moan of the undead and the squelch of something unpleasant under your boot.

What they didn’t account for was my cousin Damian.

Our playthrough wasn't a survival horror experience; it was a two-man, panic-fueled comedy show. We started with brave resolve. "Alright, Leon's got this," I said, confidently. "It's just a few zombies. We can be sneaky."

Spoiler Alert: We are not sneaky.

It all fell apart in the West Office. I was checking a desk for ink ribbons when Damian, on "zombie watch," let out a strangled gasp.

I spun the camera. A zombie was inches from Leon's neck. What left my mouth was not a yell, but the sound of a tea kettle achieving lift-off.

By the end, my throat was raw, my sides ached from laughing. We hadn't made much progress, but we had successfully turned one of the most terrifying games ever made into a slapstick routine.

So, if you're in Raccoon City and hear two guys screaming, then laughing, then screaming again, don't worry. It's not a new zombie variant.