Resident Evil 2 Birkin Fight 1

Okay, let's be real. Resident Evil 2 is a classic. No argument here. But can we talk about something potentially controversial?

The Birkin Fight: Round One

I'm talking about the first fight with William Birkin. You know, the guy who really, REALLY needs to lay off the steroids (or, uh, G-Virus?). He jumps out. He roars. He’s got that pipe.

Everyone always talks about how terrifying he is. How hard the fight is. But is it really that scary? I mean, compared to some other Resident Evil baddies? I'm not so sure.

Hear me out! It's not that I think it's easy. Dying is definitely a possibility. Especially if you're like me and tend to panic and forget how to reload. But scary? More like… annoying?

The arena is tiny. You're crammed into that elevator shaft. Birkin is swinging that pipe like he's auditioning for a demolition crew. You're dodging, shooting, praying you don't run out of shotgun shells.

But honestly? After a few tries, you kind of figure out the rhythm. Dodge left. Shoot. Dodge right. Shoot. Repeat until monster man goes down. It becomes almost… hypnotic.

It's like a weird, violent dance. A dance where the prize is not getting your head smashed in by a mutated scientist.

And okay, yeah, the first time you see him crash through the wall, it's a jump scare. I'll give you that. My tea went flying. But subsequent playthroughs? It’s more like, “Oh, hey Birkin. You’re early.”

Maybe it's just me. Maybe I've played Resident Evil 2 too many times. Maybe I've become desensitized to giant, mutated creatures with exposed eyeballs. But I suspect I'm not alone in finding this fight less "terrifying" and more "mildly inconvenient."

Other Spookier Moments?

Think about other moments in the game. The Lickers in the hallway? Now those are scary. Especially when you're creeping along, trying not to make a sound, and then BAM! Tongue central.

Or the Tyrant, stalking you through the police station? The constant thump, thump, thump as he gets closer. Pure anxiety fuel.

Even the zombies themselves can be more unnerving. The way they shamble towards you, arms outstretched, moaning for brains. That’s classic horror.

Birkin in the elevator? He’s just… loud. And has really poor spatial awareness. Constantly banging into the walls and generally making a mess. Seriously, clean up after yourself, Birkin!

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the spectacle of the Birkin fight. The music is great. The visual design is suitably grotesque. It's a good boss fight. Just not… pants-wettingly terrifying, in my humble opinion.

It's more like a slightly stressful game of whack-a-mole. Except instead of a cute mole, it's a giant, angry mutant. And instead of a mallet, you have a shotgun. Okay, maybe that’s a little scary when you put it that way. But still! Not the scariest!

The Unpopular Opinion?

So, am I alone in this? Do I need to turn in my Resident Evil fan card? Is Birkin actually everyone’s biggest fear in the game, and I'm just a weirdo who finds Lickers more unsettling? Let me know! Maybe I just have a high tolerance for dudes with pipes.

But if you secretly agree with me, that the first Birkin fight is more "slightly tedious" than "utterly terrifying," then welcome to the club. We can compare notes on the best way to conserve shotgun shells and laugh nervously about our shared unpopular opinion. And probably still get jump-scared by dogs jumping through windows. Because those things are always terrifying.

And hey, at least Birkin isn't Nemesis, right? shudders That's a whole different level of horrifying.