Ironically, I planned to play Resident Evil 2 Remake after I finished Resident Evil 2 on Dreamcast. Then… I got distracted.
First amazing fact that I have to admit: real time graphics from 2019 look better than CGI from 1999.
Calling it a remake though is probably incorrect. It is it’s own game, that shares some of the key characters, but changes everything else. From how Leon and Claire meet at the gas station, to Leon exploring the part of the police station that was boarded in the original. This also includes RE4 style controls: over the shoulder camera, aiming, fast reload, no need for typewriter tape (unless you enable it) and autosaves.
The only other bit they kept from the original is a very small discrete inventory, that can hold only 8 items, no matter how small (a single key) or big (bunch of planks) they are. But there are now multiple inventory expansions available instead of just a single one.
Rules for zombies have also changed. In the classic games, I would always trade health for ammo: I would prefer a zombie to bite me, if I knew I’d pass it only once, instead of wasting half a clip on it. But now they are much quicker to grab you, and you go down in a couple of bites. Knives are now Last of Us shivs: you can use them up to 3 times to escape a grab, but then you need to find a new one.
Another interesting change: Lickers, the eyeless monstrocities, are actually blind now. They were always eyeless, but other than that, it didn’t affect gameplay of the original.
