Resident Evil 2

Resident Evil 2 (1998)

Resident Evil 2 is the sequel to the 1996 survival horror game Resident Evil. Moving the action from a remote mansion in the wilderness to the heart of zombie-infested Raccoon City, the two main characters are Leon Scott Kennedy, a rookie RPD police officer on the first day of his job, and Claire Redfield, the younger sister of the previous game's protagonist, Chris Redfield who came to Raccoon City to look for Chris. Other major characters introduced to the series include the enigmatic superspy Ada Wong, and Sherry Birkin, the daughter of Umbrella scientist William Birkin.

Unlike Resident Evil, there are two scenarios for each character, and four scenarios in total. Players start the game with the A scenarios of both Claire and Leon unlocked; playing through the A scenario of a player character unlocks the B scenario for the other player character, depicting the events that happened concurrently from the other character's perspective (the two complete storylines are thus Leon A + Claire B, or Claire A + Leon B). Actions taken during the A scenario playthrough can impact the events in the B scenario, such as affecting the the availability of certain items. Like Resident Evil, the two storylines are effectively parallel timelines; the two diverges when Leon crashes the police car front first or rear first during the opening cutscene.

Completing both scenarios with an A rank unlocks the minigame "The 4th Survivor", which depicts Umbrella Security Service operative HUNK trying to escape from the city. HUNK starts out with a limited arsenal and cannot find any more supplies through his escape. Completing any scenario under two and a half hours with a flawless "A" ranking unlocks "The Tofu Survivor", a joke nightmare difficulty version of "The 4th Survivor" that replaces HUNK with a chunk of animated tofu, who is only armed with a combat knife.

Later versions of Resident Evil 2 also feature "Extreme Battle," an unlockable minigame pitting different player characters with different loadouts against a long gauntlet of enemies. This mode uniquely features Chris Redfield (who is otherwise absent from this game), and comes with a unique Beretta 92FS Inox pistol. Some versions of the game feature "Arrange Mode," unlocked after beating the game once, which changes the placement of several items and weapons across the game. All weapon locations are stated only when Arrange Mode is disabled, as the locations are otherwise completely randomized.

A remake of this game was released on January 25, 2019.

The following weapons appear in the video game Resident Evil 2:

Overview

Resident Evil 2 overall has more firearms depicted than the previous title. New mechanics added include the ability to modify firearms, and the ability to use the fire-selector switches for several weapons.

Pistols

Heckler & Koch VP70M

The Heckler & Koch VP70M is Leon's primary weapon. It's also in Hunk's inventory in "The 4th Survivor". As with the real world handgun, Leon must locate the pistol's stock before the 3-round burst fire is unlocked; said stock can be found inside a locked desk near the RPD library. The gun does lower damage than Claire's Browning HP, but compensated by its larger 18-round magazine and later ability to fire in 3-round bursts. The VP70 and the Hi-Power share the same world model.

This is the very first upgradable weapon in the series, as well as the first to support 3-round burst fire. The damage from each shot remains the same, but the 3-round burst will always knock a zombie down.

Heckler & Koch VP70M with attached stock - 9x19mm

H&K VP70M as seen in RE2.

H&K VP70M upgraded with the stock. Note that the preview image clearly shows the stock set to semi-automatic mode and not 3-round-burst, as shown versus the reference image above

The unmodified VP70 in the inventory.

Leon aims his VP70M at approaching zombies.

Leon holds his VP70 as he converses with Kendo.

Browning Hi-Power Mark III

The Browning Hi-Power is Claire's primary weapon. Claire finds it in a police car glove compartment during the intro CG. The pistol is also used by Ada Wong during the short section where the player controls her. The gun does more damage than Leon's VP70, but hampered by its smaller 13-round magazine size and lack of any upgrades to compensate. It also appears to be the standard sidearm of the Raccoon Police Department.

Ada's Browning Hi-Power is held slightly at an angle and is fired faster than Claire's. Annette and William Birkin are also seen using the weapon during CG cutscenes.

Interestingly, the in-game description specifically states it's actually an FN Hi-Power, which is the exact same gun with an FN trademark.

Browning Hi-Power Mark III - 9x19mm

Browning Hi-Power as seen in RE2.

The Hi-Power in the inventory screen.

Maybe if you'd had your finger off the trigger, those U.S.S. dudes wouldn't have shot you when the thermos hit the floor. They still might have, but you never know.

William Birkin continues to point the Hi-Power around.

Claire holds the Browning Hi-Power from a walkway in the library.

In concept art included in the game, Leon holds a Hi-Power while on-duty.

Calico M950

The Calico M950 is a cut weapon that was originally supposed to be an alternate handgun for Leon, similar to Claire's Colt SAA. If the SAA is added to Leon's inventory via cheat engine or save editor, a fully-modeled Calico M950 pistol will appear, although Leon handles it exactly as he would his VP70. It is not known why the gun didn't make it to the final cut, although a likely reason is that Leon's upgraded VP70 filled any niche the M950 would have, rendering the gun redundant.

Calico M950 semiautomatic pistol - 9x19mm

The unused inventory icon for the Calico pistol. The gun appears to have a custom underside rail system that would have likely accommodated further attachments.

IMI Desert Eagle Mark XIX

Leon finds a nickel-plated Desert Eagle Mark XIX with custom wooden grips with an imbedded gold S.T.A.R.S. emblem in a guard shack next to a dead guard in Scenario "A" or in the S.T.A.R.S. weapon safe in Scenario "B". Later, Leon can find parts in the Underground Facility to enhance the already extremely powerful weapon. The upgrades gives the gun a blued slide and (matching) 10" barrel. However, the increase in firepower significantly increases the recoil and slows down Leon when firing it.

The weapon is chambered in .50 Action Express rounds, technically making it the most powerful handgun in the series until the Smith & Wesson Model 500 appeared six years later in Resident Evil 4. In-game, the weapon holds 8 rounds, despite the fact its real life model can only hold 7. This would only be possible in real life if a round is already chambered before inserting a full magazine (7+1); given how most players opt to reload by using the inventory menu, it's likely Leon locks the slide back on an empty chamber and manually loads in the eighth cartridge. The gun is extremely powerful, capable of instantly killing non-boss enemies in one hit and capable of destroying body parts, but extra ammo is scarce, so it's best reserved for boss fights.

R.P.D. Police Chief Brian Irons pulls a blued Desert Eagle on Claire twice in the game: when they first meet, and shortly before Claire enters the sewers. Although he was never depicted as having fired it onscreen, it is heavily implied that he used this gun to kill the Mayor's daughter just as Claire arrived in the area, as well as a police officer named Ed earlier as mentioned in his diary. HUNK also carries the original non-upgraded version of the weapon in "The 4th Survivor".

As an interesting side note, this Desert Eagle has become a series staple, appearing in the hands of U.S.S. and ECHO SIX operators in Operation Raccoon City (which takes place concurrent to this and Resident Evil 3), apparently as standard BSAA issue in Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil Revelations; Leon gets his hands on one again in Resident Evil 6. In all iterations after this, the Desert Eagle is called the Lightning Hawk.

MRI Desert Eagle Mark XIX - .50 AE

Tokyo Marui Desert Eagle .50AE "Biohazard 2 Model" - 6mm BB. This is a licensed replica of the custom Desert Eagle from Resident Evil 2.

Tokyo Marui Desert Eagle .50AE "Biohazard 2 Model 10 inch Custom" - 6mm BB. This is a licensed replica of the upgraded custom Desert Eagle from Resident Evil 2.

The Desert Eagle as seen in RE2.

Upgraded Desert Eagle as seen in RE2.

The standard Desert Eagle's description in the inventory.

Ignoring the mysterious timer above his head, HUNK aims the Desert Eagle.

Colt Single Action Army

Claire receives a Colt Single Action Army when she unlocks her second outfit. It is chambered in the standard 9x19mm pistol rounds which is odd for a revolver of this type as it was commonly loaded with .45 Long Colt, although this was likely done to streamline ammunition concerns. Claire fires the SAA from the hip, it has a fast rate of fire due to her fanning the hammer and reloads extremely quickly; which is unusual for the weapon as each shell had to be hand ejected one by one with the ejector rod, instead the weapon acts more like a modern revolver with a swing-out cylinder. Ada carries one in "Extreme Battle".

Colt Single Action Army - .45 Long Colt

Colt Single Action Army as seen in RE2.

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The Single Action Army in Claire's inventory.

Claire gives off her best Clint Eastwood stance as she gets ready to fan the hammer.

You want S.T.A.R.S.? I'll give you S.T.A.R.S.!

Beretta 92FS

In "Extreme Battle", special character Chris Redfield's sidearm is a Beretta 92FS Inox with wood grip panels just like in Resident Evil: Director's Cut. Overall, the handgun plays somewhere between Leon's VP-70M and Claire's Browning Hi Power, but has the added ability to score critical headshots, similar to the Desert Eagle, though these are granted randomly. Holds 15 rounds and for some bizarre reason the weapon's EXAMINE description cuts off in mid-sentence.

The weapon is uniquely held by RPD officer Marvin Branagh during the first scenario, who threatens the player with it after they refuse to leave him alone to his fate. This is referenced by bright silver color of his handgun, a feature that no other handgun in the game has, except for the Beretta, as all other handguns are either black or grey. Even after he is later encountered as a zombie and put down however, he does not have his sidearm on his person or in the ruined office he locked himself in.

Beretta 92FS Inox - 9x19mm

Beretta 92FS Inox as seen in RE2.

Chris's Beretta. The description cuts off after "One of a thousand".

He holds the wood-gripped Beretta Inox.

Submachine Guns

Heckler & Koch MP5A3

A Raccoon City police officer uses a Heckler & Koch MP5A3 submachine guns on the roof of R.P.D. Headquarters and accidentally shoots down a police helicopter when attacked by zombies in one of the CG cutscenes. The U.S.S. Squad also use MP5A3 submachine guns during the CG cutscene encounter with William Birkin. The weapon is not usable during game play. On a side note, the weapons do not appear to have been modeled with an ejection port.

Heckler & Koch MP5A3 with Navy trigger group - 9x19mm

U.S.S. commandos in the Umbrella facility with their MP5A3 submachine guns.

U.S.S. commandos raid Birkin's lab. Note the absence of the ejection port.

Close-up of the MP5A3 barrel.

Ingram MAC-11

The MAC-11 is first available to the player when they reach the police armory. Both Claire or Leon can take the weapon, but if the weapon is taken by one character in Scenario "A" the other character will not be able to get the weapon in Scenario "B" until very late in the game. Regardless of which character is chosen in Scenario A, it's advised to leave the MAC-11 in the police armory for Claire since she lacks a good mid-range weapon between the pistol and grenade launcher, a purpose covered with Leon by the shotgun. Alternatively, both characters start with an MAC-11 in their inventory if the game is started on easy mode.

Unlike the other firearms, ammunition is represented in percentage form, with 1% equal to 5 bullets fired; this means that the weapon has a rather astounding capacity of 500 rounds in a standard 32-round magazine. In the "A" Scenario, there is no extra ammo, making it useless after a point (similar to the Calico M110P in Resident Evil: Code Veronica).

In the "B" Scenario; there is a double fingerprint-locked room in the Umbrella factory which can only be unlocked by attempting to unlock it in "A" then having the "B" character unlock it by using their fingerprint as well, in this room will either be the only spare magazine for the MAC-11 (if it was left behind in "A" Scenario) or if the player had the "A" character pick up the MAC-11, a second MAC-11 for the "B" Scenario character which can be somewhat helpful though obtained extremely late. (This is the only way to either reload the MAC-11 or have both the "A" and "B" character get the MAC-11.)

The in-game description says the caliber is .380, signifying that it is in fact a MAC-11. It also features a rather large barrel extension with a perforated shroud around it, which the user grips when aiming the weapon. In-game, the weapon appears much larger than its real life counterpart, roughly about the same size as modern carbine. This also translates into the inventory, where it uses two inventory slots, a bit strange since even in-game its not any larger than Leon's shotgun (even with the extended upgrade) or Claire's M79, all of whom only use one slot.

RPB Industries M11A1 - .380 ACP

MAC-10 with similar barrel extension.

The MAC-11 as seen in RE2.

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The "MAC11" in Claire's inventory.

The MAC-11's location in the game's A scenario.

Another one found on a dead USS soldier in the B4F culture room in the NEST, accessible only in the game's B scenario.

With Sherry, Claire protects her from a very dangerous-looking wall.

Not satisfied, she attacks the other wall for good measure.

Shotguns

Remington 870

The Remington 870 appears in-game during Leon's playthroughs. It has a TacStar pistol grip and the barrel has been sawn-off with what's left of a raised vented sight rib on the rest of the barrel. An upgrade kit is available later in the game which converts it to a Remington 1100, however this would have been impossible in real life as the two models are based on completely different operating systems. Interestingly, when examined, the game specifically states that the gun is a "Remington M1100-P". The weapon itself is very powerful in close range and easily capable of clearing entire rooms due to it's unrealistically wide spread, although it's lethality quickly diminishes past point-blank range and requires frequent reloads due to it's small 5-round magazine.

In scenario A, its first seen at the hands of Robert Kendo, who aims it at Leon when he enters his gun store after mistaking him for a zombie, although he doesn't fire. The weapon can be obtained here after Robert meets his untimely death when a horde of zombies break into his store and devour him alive, although you'll likely have to kill his murderers first to get to it. If the weapon isn't obtained here, it will instead appear later in the game inside a weapons locker in the S.T.A.R.S. office. In scenario B, the weapon is found on the front desk of the police station's main lobby. Hunk also carries this weapon in "The 4th Survivor".

Short barreled Remington 870 with raised vented sight rib, Hogue Tamer pistol grip, and Pachmayr Vindicator foregrip - 12 gauge

Remington 870 as seen in RE2.

The 870 in the inventory, with the erroneous "M1100-P" description.

Robert Kendo racks the shotgun in Leon's face.

Leon brings the Remington onto public transport after acquiring it from his short-lived buddy Kendo.

Remington Model 1100

The Remington Model 1100 can only be obtained by upgrading the Remington 870 using an upgrade kit found on the nondescript body of a white-shirted zombie in the tunnels leading to the underground tram. This would have been impossible in real life as the two models are based on completely different operating systems, the 870 being pump action while the 1100 is self-loading.

The upgrade kit consists of a full stock, longer barrel, extended tube magazine that adds 2 more rounds for a total of 7 rounds, a self loading action (though the time between shots is almost the same, due to Leon being blown back a step from the recoil), and the power is upgraded to the point where it can blow away the upper torso of zombies, rather than just the head. Chris notably doesn't suffer from the added recoil, making his firing rate with the 1100 faster than Leon.

Remington Model 1100 Tactical - 12 gauge

Remington Model 1100 as seen in RE2.

A wood-stocked Remington 1100, carried by Chris in Extreme Battle Mode.

He tries some alternate methods of persuasion on an uncooperative cabinet.

Chris levels the shotgun in front of him if he's selected as the playable character in Extreme Battle Mode.

Launchers

M79 grenade launcher

The M79 grenade launcher is only available for Claire, the gun's stock is replaced with a pistol grip to make it compact. During scenario A, the gun can be found in the S.T.A.R.S. office's weapons locker. During scenario B, the gun is found on the desk in the main lobby of the police station.

The weapon fires an array of fictional rounds, with a choice between Cluster Bomb Burst Rounds, Sulfuric Acid Rounds, and Napalm Flame Rounds, all of whom have varying degrees of efficiency towards certain targets, although all of them are powerful in their own right.

M79 grenade launcher with pistol grip - 40x46mm

M79 as seen in RE2.

The M79's inventory description, along with its country of origin.

The M79's location in Claire A.

The M79's location in Claire B.

She holds the oversized M79 in the NEST monitor room.

FIM-92 Stinger

Either Leon or Claire uses a FIM-92 Stinger to dispatch the T-103 in their 'B' scenarios. The weapon lacks its IFF box antenna and erroneously functions as a conventional direct-fire rocket launcher; the FIM-92 is designed for use against aerial targets, not ground targets. That and using it in such close quarters is extremely dangerous on account of the backblast. The weapon however is never called a Stinger in it's description , and is simply known as the "Rocket Launcher". It is also carried by Chris in Extreme Battle Mode.

The weapon strangely has two shots with no need or way to reload (as if there's two rockets inside the tube). An infinite version can be acquired by getting S-ranks on both scenarios.

FIM-92 Stinger - 70mm

FIM-92 Stinger as seen in RE2.

The inventory description for the FIM-92.

Game Over.

A whole game early, Chris waits for the second Nemesis boss fight.

Machine Guns

Minigun

A three-barreled Minigun known simply as the "Gatling Gun" is a secret weapon with unlimited ammo that can only be acquired if the player completes the Scenario B game in under 2 1/2 hours without saving and gets a grade of A or B.

Minigun as seen in RE2.

Other

Bowgun

Available only for Claire. The bowgun is Claire's version of a shotgun, firing an astounding 3 bolts per shot in a conical pattern. It also has a "capacity" of 18 bolts, giving you 6 shots before needing to reload. The strangest part about the reload system is that Claire's animation has her loading presumably 3 bolts into the weapon, then fires as if it is a semi-automatic weapon, never needing to cock back the bowstring or loading any additional bolts into the weapon to fire again after a shot, despite the weapon not having a magazine or a mechanism that suggests this is a quick-fire repeating crossbow.

In terms of performance, the weapon is slightly weaker than the shotgun, but benefits from a higher rate of fire to allow it to still clean out rooms in a rapid pace. If playing Scenario A as Claire, the weapon is found either on Robert Kendo's body after his untimely death in a zombie ambush early in the game (with 3 bolts expended), or inside the RPD carpark cabin if obtained later. If playing on scenario B, the weapon can be found in the weapons locker in the STARS office.

The Bowgun

The inventory description for the bowgun.

The bowgun in Kendo's hand on the lower left side of the screen.

The bowgun's location in Claire A if it wasn't picked up from Kendo's corpse.

The bowgun's Claire B location.

Claire raises the bowgun in anticipation.

The bowgun's appearance in the 3D model viewer, accessed after beating the game with Claire.

Flame Thrower

Available only for Leon, is a portable chemical flamethrower found in the Underground Research Facility, is used primarily on the Ivy creatures. The flamethrower in-game is based on the M240 flamethrower used in Aliens (sans M16 carry handle).

M240 Flamethrower prop from the movie Aliens.

The Flamethrower as seen in RE2.

Spark Shot

The Spark Shot is a rifle-sized stungun-like weapon that shoots arcs of high-voltage electricity over a short distance (supposedly 10 feet according to the weapon's description), apparently being used to forcefully subdue B.O.Ws in the Umbrella factory. Only Claire obtains this weapon. In both scenarios, the weapon is found on the dead body of a white-shirted zombie inside the tunnels leading to the underground tram, similar to where the upgrade parts for Leon's shotgun is. The weapon itself is very powerful, particularly useful in taking-down bosses.

The weapon's ammo capacity is measured in percentage, but as it consumes 5% per shot, it can fire 20 rounds before being emptied. It cannot be reloaded due to the lack of extra ammunition for it, making it useless once empty. Additionally, its large size consumes two inventory slots.

Spark Shot

The Spark Shot in the inventory screen.

The Spark Shot laying on the floor next to its previous user.

Claire utilizes one of the most oversized tasers she could get her hands on.

BIOHAZARD 1.5

BIOHAZARD 1.5 is the well-known beta version of Resident Evil 2 that was abandoned due to the development team's dissatisfaction with it and because its ending would have concluded too much, leaving the possibility of sequels limited. It was significantly different plot- and setting-wise, including a more modern design for the police station and a completely different female protagonist in the form of motorcycle racer Elza Walker, among many other things. The game was reportedly 60-80 percent complete at the time of abandonment. It has grown a significant following among Resident Evil fans and playable builds can be found online.

M61 Hand Grenade

The M61 Hand Grenade was set to appear in the game. Whether other grenade types were to be featured is unknown.

M26 High-Explosive Fragmentation hand grenade

M61 hand grenade in BIOHAZARD 1.5.

Heckler & Koch HK51

The Heckler & Koch HK51 was set to appear in the original BIOHAZARD 1.5 for both Leon and Elza Walker before the game's rework, when it was replaced by the MAC-11.

HK51 - 7.62x51mm

The HK51 in Elza's inventory.

M202 FLASH

The M202 FLASH was set to appear in the original BIOHAZARD 1.5 before the game's rework, when it was replaced by the FIM-92A Stinger. It is the same one later used in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.

M202 FLASH - 66mm

Fake M202 FLASH from Commando: note the large rectangular sling loops, less curved corners, and thick rims at the front and rear of the launcher.

The M202 FLASH in Elza's inventory. Note the foregrip.