Top 10 ‘Resident Evil 2’ Easter Eggs

Fans of the original trilogy of games in the Resident Evil series will remember Brad Vickers. The S.T.A.R.S. helicopter pilot abandoned his colleagues at the start of the original game, earning himself a reputation as a coward. He would later appear in a more prominent role in Resident Evil 3, only to be slaughtered by Nemesis.

In the original Resident Evil 2, a zombie version of Brad was hidden in the game. Finding him required making it to the police station without picking up any weapons or items. This spawns zombie Brad in the outdoor tunnel by the police station entrance, and killing him yields a special key to unlock alternate outfits.

The Resident Evil 2 remake includes an Easter egg for Brad in the same place where he appeared as a hidden zombie in the original. Players can only access the tunnel during a second run, revealing a hidden room inside. A S.T.A.R.S. recruitment poster featuring Brad Vickers hangs on the wall.

It’s a fun way to acknowledge the character’s hidden appearance in Resident Evil 2 while keeping him alive for a potential Resident Evil 3 remake.

Rebecca Chambers first appeared in the original Resident Evil as the youngest member of S.T.A.R.S. She’s featured prominently in Chris Redfield’s playthrough, and the character would later star in her own prequel game Resident Evil Zero. While not appearing in the flesh, however, Rebbeca also made it into the original Resident Evil 2 in the form of a photograph.

The Easter egg, Showing Rebecca in athletic gear and holding a basketball, is certainly the most well-hidden of all from the original game. Finding it required searching Albert Wesker’s desk 50 times before the photo finally came up. One has to wonder why Wesker has such personal photos of Rebecca on his desk, but that’s neither here nor there.

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The photo of Rebecca also shows up again in the Resident Evil 2 remake. Where can you find it? You guessed it—Wesker’s desk. Accessing it first requires developing the film that reveals a secret compartment in Wesker’s desk. You can then open a hidden drawer in the desk to find a weapon upgrade. Searching it again then yields the infamous Rebecca photograph.

There’s no on-screen prompt to search, but at least you don’t have to hit the button 50 times.

One of the most prominent non-playable characters in the game is Officer Marvin Branagh. In the original, a dying Marvin is found lying against a locker in the police station’s first-floor office. If you look at the name tag on the locker behind him, you can see that it has the name “JoJo.” While it might seem this means there is a Deputy JoJo in the RPD, this is actually a hidden reference to another video game.

When Resident Evil 2 was being developed, Capcom also worked on a video game adaptation of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Sneaking JoJo’s name onto a locker was merely a subtle reference to another title the company was actively working on. In the Resident Evil 2 remake, the very same locker can be found in the office, with even the JoJo name tag looking identical to the one shown in the original version (albeit with better clarity).

Resident Evil 3 takes place around the same time as Resident Evil 2, and players can even explore some of the same areas. However, the characters are all completely different, as the game stars Jill Valentine as its protagonist. Attempting to escape the doomed city, Jill meets a mercenary named Carlos from the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service (U.B.C.S.).

With Carlos are two other mercenaries, Mikhail Victor and Nikolai Zinoviev. While Nikolai turns out to be a villain, Mikhail is quite the opposite. Mikhail sacrifices himself with a grenade to save Carlos and Jill from Nemesis. He died a hero and was one of the most memorable characters from the sequel.

Remembering the fallen hero from Resident Evil 3, the Resident Evil 2 remake pays homage to Mikhail. Outside of the police station, players can see a nearby restaurant that serves Russian cuisine. What is the name of the restaurant? Mikhail’s Pierogis.

The voice acting and dialogue in the original Resident Evil game are certainly something special. Sure, it’s downright cheesy and impossible not to laugh at, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Perhaps the most memorable line of wacky dialogue from the game came after Barry Burton saved Jill Valentine from being squashed, joking that she was “almost a Jill sandwich.” The moment was later recreated in the 2002 remake, although the dialogue was slightly different (and far less humorous).

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In the years since, the infamous line of dialogue has long been a running joke for fans of the series, inspiring countless memes. Acknowledging the classic line is a note found on a bulletin board, which has the phone number for a place called Jill’s Sandwiches. Because the original Resident Evil 2 came out in 1998, the restaurant’s 555-1998 phone number also references the first game’s initial release.

Humorously, a similar reference was made in the original Dead Rising, as a restaurant in the game’s mall setting was named Jill’s Sandwiches. Speaking of which…

Capcom is legendary when it comes to zombie video games, as is evident with the Resident Evil series. Additionally, the company is behind another one of the most popular zombie game franchises ever, having developed Dead Rising and its many sequels. The original game starred photojournalist Frank West as the playable protagonist, and the popular character would reappear in some of the following sequels in the series.

The Dead Rising games have many references to zombie games and movies, and Resident Evil is no exception. The most recent installment in the Dead Rising series even gave players the option of wearing a Jill Valentine costume. Now, the Resident Evil franchise is giving Dead Rising a shout-out back with the RE2 remake, with a direct reference to its picture-taking protagonist, Frank West.

Outside, players can spot flyers advertising the services of a freelance photographer named Frank East. The play on words is clearly a tongue-in-cheek reference to Frank West.

One of the least-talked-about games in the Resident Evil series is 2003’s Resident Evil Outbreak. The game was very ambitious for its time, as it was the first game in the series to offer cooperative gameplay and online support. With a variety of characters with their own unique skills and backstories, players would attempt to survive the T-virus outbreak along with other gamers from the internet.

A standalone expansion, Resident Evil Outbreak File #2, was later released, featuring some new characters and scenarios. The game explores what happened at the police station in Raccoon City prior to Leon Kennedy’s arrival. A handful of surviving officers, including Resident Evil 2‘s Marvin Branagh, devise a plan to escape from the zombie-infested building. In the scenario, players can control another one of the officers in the group, a blonde woman named Rita Phillips.

Rita has not been seen or heard from since in the Resident Evil series following her one and only appearance in File #2. The character is now rather obscure and mostly forgotten, but that didn’t stop Capcom from referencing her in the new Resident Evil 2. Look at whose desk sits next to Marvin’s in the office. That’s right—Rita Phillips! Hopefully, Rita could escape with her life prior to the events of the game, as she initially did in File #2.

In 2015, Capcom officially confirmed the production of a Resident Evil 2 remake with an announcement video posted online. In the video, producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi opens his hoodie to reveal a shirt brandishing the oddly translated phrase, “We do it!” In addition to most fans finding it humorous, the slogan soon became an inside joke with the development team as well.

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As you can surmise, the infamous phrase can be found in Resident Evil 2. On a commemorative bust in the reception area, a plaque reveals that the Raccoon Police Department’s official motto is, you guessed it, “We Do It.” Resident Evil 2 might be a frightening game, but the developers clearly had some fun working on it.

Exploring the S.T.A.R.S. office in the original Resident Evil 2 was particularly fun for big fans of the first game. Among the many references was a framed photo on the wall of the entire S.T.A.R.S. team. The RE2 remake does carry over many of the same items from the original game, such as Chris Redfield’s trademark jacket hanging on the wall. However, the group photo framed on the wall before is now nowhere to be found.

That doesn’t mean the picture didn’t make it into the game. It’s just a bit more hidden than it was before. This time, you can spot it in the building’s dark room, where you can develop the film you find. Look in the tray, where you can see a developed photograph. It’s clear that it’s the very same picture of the S.T.A.R.S. team found in the original Resident Evil 2.

In the original Resident Evil 2, players can find an office on the first floor adorned with party decorations. Celebrating Leon Kennedy’s joining the force, the new officer’s colleagues planned to throw a mini-bash at the police station for the occasion. In addition to the party hats, drinks, and cups on Leon’s desk, a welcome sign hangs on the side. Looking closely, you can see that the sign is misspelled as “WELLCOME LEON.”

The infamous sign also makes its way into the new remake, misspelling and all. Although, it appears that the officers realized the error and fixed it before Leon’s arrival. Going into the same office shows that the message is now hanging from the ceiling, with a separate sign for each letter. Although “welcome” is now spelled correctly, a glance at the letters shows a space in the middle of the word where that extra “L” would be hanging.

So, if there was an extra “L” hanging up there before, where is it now? Simply shine your flashlight on one of the desks below the sign, and it will be easy to spot. The Resident Evil 2 remake is insanely faithful to the original, and even paying homage to this subtle spelling error is bona fide proof of that.