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And that's another mystery we might never get cleared up. There is an answer of sorts, however ....
You see, the Underground Lab was never jettisoned insofar as the concept for the overall game was concerned. It remained a part of it all the way through the development process. That's why it appears in both RE15 and RE2. It was just simplified by removing unfinished (P4 Arrival Area, P4 Shelters) and unwanted areas (Boiler Room Ladder Shaft Access, the whole "burning lab" concept), new camera angles/backgrounds were made, and other tweaks here and there were made (redesigning the P1/L1 Arrival area, for example) to turn it from RE15's version into RE2s. Of all the old RE15 areas that might turn up in "beta 1," that's the one that has the most evidence going for it. That also explains why all of its backgrounds are present and intact in the Trial, why clips of it were used in the game show video, and why a RE15 Underground Lab room (and not a Factory Room) turned up tucked away and "turned off" on the Trial. It was always going to be there. It just got reworked for RE2.
The same can't be said of the RE15 Warehouse District/Factory. Some of us believe that part of it was still playable in "RE2 beta 1," while some believe that the decision had already been made to jettison it for the Factory we see in RE2 - the Marshalling Yard; i.e. the one that includes the train turntable lift. That would explain why small pieces of the original RE15 version appear to have already been overwritten in the Trial. That would explain why we got an early alpha RE2 train turntable instead of an RE15 Factory room in that hidden "stage 7" on the PSM trial. Whether or not any of the original room data files (RDTs) of the RE15 Factory were still present in what we call "beta 1" or had already been trashed at that point - well, that's the big debate. There's just not enough evidence to be conclusive either way.
I guess that's why "RE2 beta 1," as most fans refer to it (sorry for continuing to use that title, Alzaire), is the one beta build that continues to intrigue hardcore RE2 fans to this day. We're seeing Capcom in the process of shifting gears in the "redevelopment" of this game. The Trial is as of this date the only form of that build - however incomplete it might be - that gives us a peek at that process. That's why the Trial (aka PSM/PC Demo, et al) is such an important part of the "RE2 beta 1" debate. Its our best piece of evidence as to what that particular build might have look like. A lot of us will continue to quibble over the exact details, but that's one thing on which all of us agree.
So, to go back to the original question of the thread - if you have the Trial, you've already got a form of "RE2 beta 1." It will probably be the only form we ever see - unless an actual copy slips out from under a rock somewhere.
You see, the Underground Lab was never jettisoned insofar as the concept for the overall game was concerned. It remained a part of it all the way through the development process. That's why it appears in both RE15 and RE2. It was just simplified by removing unfinished (P4 Arrival Area, P4 Shelters) and unwanted areas (Boiler Room Ladder Shaft Access, the whole "burning lab" concept), new camera angles/backgrounds were made, and other tweaks here and there were made (redesigning the P1/L1 Arrival area, for example) to turn it from RE15's version into RE2s. Of all the old RE15 areas that might turn up in "beta 1," that's the one that has the most evidence going for it. That also explains why all of its backgrounds are present and intact in the Trial, why clips of it were used in the game show video, and why a RE15 Underground Lab room (and not a Factory Room) turned up tucked away and "turned off" on the Trial. It was always going to be there. It just got reworked for RE2.
The same can't be said of the RE15 Warehouse District/Factory. Some of us believe that part of it was still playable in "RE2 beta 1," while some believe that the decision had already been made to jettison it for the Factory we see in RE2 - the Marshalling Yard; i.e. the one that includes the train turntable lift. That would explain why small pieces of the original RE15 version appear to have already been overwritten in the Trial. That would explain why we got an early alpha RE2 train turntable instead of an RE15 Factory room in that hidden "stage 7" on the PSM trial. Whether or not any of the original room data files (RDTs) of the RE15 Factory were still present in what we call "beta 1" or had already been trashed at that point - well, that's the big debate. There's just not enough evidence to be conclusive either way.
I guess that's why "RE2 beta 1," as most fans refer to it (sorry for continuing to use that title, Alzaire), is the one beta build that continues to intrigue hardcore RE2 fans to this day. We're seeing Capcom in the process of shifting gears in the "redevelopment" of this game. The Trial is as of this date the only form of that build - however incomplete it might be - that gives us a peek at that process. That's why the Trial (aka PSM/PC Demo, et al) is such an important part of the "RE2 beta 1" debate. Its our best piece of evidence as to what that particular build might have look like. A lot of us will continue to quibble over the exact details, but that's one thing on which all of us agree.
So, to go back to the original question of the thread - if you have the Trial, you've already got a form of "RE2 beta 1." It will probably be the only form we ever see - unless an actual copy slips out from under a rock somewhere.
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