Some cool 1.5 exclusive screenshots ;)

[biohazard_star]

That's what puzzles me though, wouldn't Leon be puzzled to see a bike smashed through the front gate of the RPD? Little things make you wonder why they changed it around in the end.

Given Leon's great view of the surrounding streets from the helipad, and the fact that both scenarios start at exactly the same time, I'm pretty sure he's more than aware that someone has crashed their bike into the lobby. It would also explain his "That's just friggin great..." opening line. Though honestly, I'm more puzzled as to why the entrance shutters weren't lowered to begin with, what with the zombie horde looming the streets outside.
As a side note, I think the van crashed into the rear of the RPD probably has something to do with Elza crashing into the RPD lobby.

[randomwab]

Speculation, but I always presumed that Leon probably saw Elza crash through the shutter in the opening FMV. Where he's standing in the Complete Disc video is overlooking the street, I believe. It's also pretty cool how he starts at the top of the station and has to work his was down and out through the basement, while Elza begins on the first floor and has to work down to the basement and then up through the upper floors to the roof. I wish we knew more about the puzzles and each characters path.

[Guest]

I always preffered the look of 1.5, even back in the day when new magazines came out showing the new version of RE2 I was gutted that they had changed it, and I still am to this day. I liked the colour tones in 1.5, everything had this sort of blue and red hue to it with moonlight and emergency lights shining through the windows, it looked really vibrant and atmospheric. The modern styled buildings, with reception rooms, offices and squad cars made it look more realistic to me, with that ultimately more scary. As nice and extravagant as RE2 is it's very bland looking, the lights are always on for starters, there's nothing much to fear in the RE2 RPD other than the zombies and BOWs them selves. 1.5 looks like even walking around the RPD would scare you and that's not including the hoards of zombies who literally come running after you.

[Marvin]

yeah, R.P.D. is scarier in 1.5. I love the helipad too. The distant buildings with lights from windows give feeling that whole thing just turned bad, and there are countles of survivals in city escaping, fighting... Horror...

Really scary stuff... and the blueish hallways of cold hunger for blood. No escape.

though: there's nothing much to fear in the RE2 RPD other than the zombies

I was scared to guts Nemesis running after me in R.P.D.

[Sly]

I think the shooting speed and the inconsistency of shotgun blasts is part of the "Too different" side of the 1.5 cancellation argument. That combined with the larger arsenal available to both characters, the addition of body armour and the massive amounts of zombies in a given encounter makes the game feel more action packed and different than the original game. There's also the idea that many things that became series staples with their return in the second game, such as herbs, ink ribbons and item boxes, weren't there as we know them in 1.5. The game seemingly abandoned so much of what made the original so popular and unique (even if it did emulate a ton of horror movie/literature and even other video games).*

I can also see why they'd argue the game was too similar to the original; despite the completely different location and setup, most of the environments are very plain and pretty boring. I think it's telling that the first area to be worked on, the station itself, was the most radically redesigned and, seeing as we saw very little of it beyond the first floor and some of the basement areas, still stuck unfinished late in development. As much as I like the look of that more modern looking station, it does have a problem of being very sterile and uninteresting, something it looked like they tried to fix as development went on with redesigns and added touches to rooms like bloodstains and such.*

I think the most interesting thing in regards to 1.5 and the reason I'm so interested in it is that I consider 2 to be the best game in the series and arguably the best sequel in gaming. 1.5 looks like an awkward stop gap in that development cycle, where they didn't expect the success the first game received and had trouble nailing down what made it so popular. It really is just fascinating to see them refine the whole game to a near perfect state over the development period. I want to experience their failures to even better appreciate their success.

You nailed it, spot on. This situation kind of reminds me of the Dino Crisis series. With DC2, they pulled a "1.5" on the series, but this time, they did not cancel it, and it became a kick-ass action game. Sadly, it also meant the end of the series (let's just forget the third please). Maybe the same thing would have happened to RE if 1.5 had been released back then...
It is also very funny to see some raving 1.5 fans claiming how 1.5 is the one and only sequel to RE1, real survival horror and stuff, and spit on RE4, when you realize that 1.5 may have been even more action-oriented than any old school RE.

doriantoki : Zombie models were remade from scratch in RE2 because 1.5 models were simply horrible. They wanted RE2 to be a graphical prowess, and it showed. They created much more detailed zombies, thus decreasing their numbers per room. RE3 kind of reused 1.5 assets (including the fat cop and the women), that's why RE3's zombies are less detailed than 2's. It allowed them to fill entire rooms with "low quality" zombies, just like 1.5.

geluda : RE1's mansion was very brightly lit as well, and it didn't make it any less scary. I do like the blue and red vibes from 1.5 but RE2 is so much more detailed and beautiful.

[Guest]

yeah, R.P.D. is scarier in 1.5. I love the helipad too. The distant buildings with lights from windows give feeling that whole thing just turned bad, and there are countles of survivals in city escaping, fighting... Horror...

Really scary stuff... and the blueish hallways of cold hunger for blood. No escape.

though: there's nothing much to fear in the RE2 RPD other than the zombies

I was scared to guts Nemesis running after me in R.P.D.

That's a good way of putting it! 1.5 does look very cold and chilling, everything seems disordered and it gives you a sense that a real emergency going on. RE2 just seems very calm, in fact I'd probably feel quite safe in the RPD assuming the Nemesis wasn't around. Not a chance in 1.5, I'd be too busy thinking about getting the power back on and figuring out how to get the f**k out of there.

[SonicBlue]

Looks like Marvin got injured in the way to the lab

[Darkside05]

Could he have gotten injured while fighting Birkin in the Factory? There's a screenshot of Leon, Ada and Marvin inside the elevator from the factory and has Ada/Linda shooting from the door. Bit like how Leon and Ada were shooting at the cable car's roof.

[Guest]

So is the encounter with Birkin in the factory the only boss battle in the game?

[biohazard_star]

Nope.

RPD: Gorillas in parking lot for Leon, meeting room for Elza
Sewers: Apparently, giant alligator like in final
Factory: Birkin boss fight in warehouse, before entering the lab
Labs: Birkin boss fight in power room/subfloor area, while powering up the train, and on the train itself

For the most part, the locations of the bosses seem to mirror that of the final.

[Guest]

RPD: Gorillas in parking lot for Leon, meeting room for Elza
Sewers: Apparently, giant alligator like in final
Factory: Birkin boss fight in warehouse, before entering the lab
Labs: Birkin boss fight in power room/subfloor area, while powering up the train, and on the train itself

Is there any pictures of the other boss fights? I've seen the gorillas and I'm sure there's no pictures of the giant alligator, what about Birkin in the labs?

[SonicBlue]

Maybe, from here he looks fine.



But this?

Also, how then Leon ends in the train with Annette? Where Linda and Marvin has gone?

[Carnivol]

Also, how then Leon ends in the train with Annette? Where Linda and Marvin has gone?

It has long been speculated that RE1.5 might've had a mix and match of survivors, just like RE1 had. So they might be dead in the shots we have ... or just somewhere else?

[biohazard_star]

Second pic is presumed to be Elza shooting at the alligator, though it's hard to truly tell. Last picture is presumably either a cutscene, or the Annette AI glitching, similar to how John is just standing there in the first pic.

[doriantoki]

Wouldn't it be funny if the partner AI hadn't been implemented yet and while they followed you around at parts, didn't actually shoot at enemies? They'd just be standing there, while you're running and fighting for your life. Would be pretty hilarious.

Zombie models were remade from scratch in RE2 because 1.5 models were simply horrible.

I understand that, and have heard similar things. However, no matter how "pretty" they looked in the game, RE2 for all intents and purposes had 2 unique zombie models. A tall, skinny, 7-foot tall one that had its textures swapped (police uniform, casual dark shirt, casual light shirt, casual ripped shirt (very similar to the light shirt), naked, lab coats, surgeon), but basically all looked the same, oh and some chicks here and there, almost exclusively outside the RPD. Would take more variety of models over textures that weren't all that exciting or different. But that's just me.

Oh, and we had that little discussion earlier in the thread. I think some of my sentiments resonated in what you said about it being too different, too action oriented. It would have changed the series more towards that RE4 became. I think that's what I was trying to express, in some ways. It wouldn't really have ended the series, but taken it in a new direction, and perhaps the developers weren't comfortable with that, at least so early in the series.