This page covers the differences between the preview and final version of the game. The Preview I'm using is called Resident Evil 2 Preview (also known as Biohazard 2 Trial in Japan) and was included with Resident Evil: Director's Cut. For those who care, I used the PAL version.

General differences

Preview	Final
The preview has a different background at the title screen, and the title uses smaller letters. It also only has the options for new game and sound.

Preview	Final
Going on sound in the preview taken you straight to a simple toggle between stereo and monaural. In the final the sound options are with a bunch of other options in a separate menu.

Preview	Final
The only FMV sequence in the preview is for the Capcom logo, so for the intro, a short text-only explanation is used. The final version has a couple of FMVs explaining what happened in the first game along with showing Leon arriving in Raccoon City.

Preview	Final
The inventory screen has a few differences. First of all, Leon's profile picture is different, as is the font for his name and the box around the picture is thicker. There are some very slight color differences with the shading in certain places. Most of the item pictures are different (see below for comparison pictures).

Preview	Final
In addition to the maps having different colors, there is no marker showing where Leon is in the preview, but a green arrow was added for the final.

Preview	Final
This background is the first one to feature any differences. At the back left corner, the wall is different. The lighting on the shop door is also different, look below for why:

Preview	Final
Kendo's gun shop doesn't have a light above the door in the preview. The final version does have one, which changes the lighting over the door and reflects off the car's back window. The shop has a slight difference as well -under the word Kendo there are some objects in the preview which were taken out of the final.

Preview	Final
There are some differences with items in the shop. The preview features two boxes of handgun bullets, which are behind the counter next to each other. The final has one box behind the counter and another on a box in another corner of the room. The preview also has a first aid spray on a shelf, which was taken out of the final game.

Preview	Final
There's a typewriter on a box in the preview, as noted above, this was replaced with handgun bullets in the final. If you look closely at the preview screen, you can see some ink ribbons next to the typewriter, but these can't be collected -you can't save in the preview anyway.

Preview	Final
The cutscene where the zombies smash through the window is different. Kendo oddly waves his hand at them in the preview, despite the fact that he's holding a shotgun in his other hand. In the final game, he at least has the smarts to fire the shotgun, although it doesn't do him much good.

Preview	Final
If you check this background after the zombie attack, some smashed glass was added to the floor in the final version.

Preview	Final
Heading out of the backdoor of the shop has you in the alleyways, where the are a lot of differences with the backgrounds. This one has a building with a window in the top left corner, the final version gets rid of the window and also changes the color of the pipe.

Preview	Final
There's no building in the middle top section of this background, one was added for the final game.

Preview	Final
This background has several differences. The zombies don't start hitting the fence in the preview, but they will in the final. The door here is part of the background in the preview, but in the final version it's a separate object which the zombies will hit open once you've gone far enough past it. The door doesn't open in the preview for reasons that will be explained below. The graffiti on the wall is different (it's in the final game, but on the opposite wall which can't be viewed in this preview), and the building in the top left corner had a few changes made to it for the final version too.

Preview	Final
This background had a section of wall removed for the final game.

Preview	Final
This bird's eye view background also had some changes made to the wall on the left. Unfortunately due to an oversight, the final version's background didn't move the flower pots back far enough, making them look like they're floating.

Preview	Final
Here's one of the biggest differences in the preview. You'll come across a dumpster here which you can climb over and head on. In the final version, there's a van blocking the way, which has some handgun bullets in it. At this point the zombies on the basketball court will have hit down the door, so you can go back and go on a different path no present in the preview. In addition to the dumpster there are some other differences with this background, notably you can see the bus at the far back is different. You can see less of the building at the back left in the preview than you can in the final, due to the wall in the lower left being different.

Preview	Final
In the preview, after you've climbed over the dumpster, you'll reach a barricade. To reach the same point in the final version you will have just stepped out of a bus. These backgrounds between now and entering the police station's grounds are very different from each other.

Preview	Final
A bus in the preview was replaced with a fire truck in the final. There's a fire in certain parts of the background in the final version, whilst there isn't in the preview.

Preview	Final

Preview	Final

Preview	Final

Preview	Final
When you first enter the police station, there is a brief cutscene showing the main hallway. This is the only time you get to see the third floor in the preview. There's no light above a door in the preview, one was added for the final.

Preview	Final
This background shows a difference in the top right corner. The preview doesn't have the part of the wall for where the unicorn medallion is kept for the B scenarios.

Preview	Final
This door has a message about it being off limits in the preview. You can't enter it straight away in the final version because it's electronically locked.

Preview	Final
This background shows a few differences: -the statue is slightly different -there is no space to place the unicorn medallion in the preview (see below) -the door in the top left corner is different -no emergency ladder is in the preview yet.

Preview	Final
As mentioned above, the statue is slightly different between the preview and final, but the bigger difference is that the preview doesn't have the space at the front where you have to place the unicorn medallion. It seems this was thought up later in development, as there is a difference mentioned above regarding the space for the medallion being missing on the second floor.

Preview	Final
Here's a better look at the missing emergency ladder. There's a light there instead.

Preview	Final
The reception has several differences: -There are no ink ribbons in the preview, some are next to the typewriter in the preview. -The preview has a box of bullets on the desk at the back, the final moved to a different desk at the front. -The computer has a slightly different display. -There's an extra chair in the preview that was taken out of the final. -The door at the back is different, and was flipped for the final game.

Preview

The preview has a background which was removed from the final game. If you move close to the computer, the background will change to the above.

Preview	Final
The light on the right here in the preview was taken out of the final, to make way for the emergency ladder. Other differences include a missing shadow above a light in the preview which was added for the final. Oddly, the final version makes a mistake with the computer display here -if you look at the background above this, note how the display image is flipped.

Preview	Final
As this door was flipped, you can see the doorknob for it in the preview for this background, whilst you can't in the final.

Preview	Final
Nothing too different with this background, other than you can see the doorknob for the door on the right in the preview, but you can't in the final. This door requires a key to open in the preview, but is electronically locked in the final.

Preview	Final
This room is very different between versions. In the preview, when you come in here you can explore the full room straight away, there is no cutscene. When you first enter here in the final, there's a cutscene where you meet Marvin, a cop who's been injured by zombies. You can't fully explore the room until later on in the game, once you've got the diamond key. The background has some color differences, plus the damage to the wall next to the door and one of the chairs is different.

Preview	Final
In the preview there are a few enemies to fight in here, but in the final there is only Marvin. This background has more coloring differences, such as on the upper right wall. The floor has some different colors too. The desk has a box of handgun bullets in the preview, but has a note to Leon in the final. Some of the bottles are different, with the labels being changed in the final. One of the lockers at the back has a shotgun in it in the preview, in the final it has some handgun bullets.

Preview	Final

Preview	Final
You get a closer look at the changed bottles on this background, but the biggest change are the wall colors.

Preview	Final

Preview	Final
In addition to the color differences here, the preview has the P key on the table. In the final there's a different key here, the spade key.

Preview	Final
The keys are different in the preview, and feature letters on them. The final version went with card suits.

Preview	Final
More color differences. The preview also lacks the green herb that the final version has.

Preview	Final
There's no item box in this room in the preview, one was added for the final version. There's also next to no files in the preview, so there's a missing diary on the couch which was added for the final game.

Preview	Final
These drawers were given a redesign for the final game.

Preview	Final
This hallway was changed quite a bit for the final game. Some colors here are slightly different.

Preview	Final

Preview	Final

Preview	Final
The preview doesn't have the box next to the windows. In the final version, you can use some wire on this box to activate the shutters. This was clearly thought up later on in development, as the preview is also lacking the shutters.

Preview	Final
Further on into the hallway, there's no glass here in the preview, some was added for the final.

Preview	Final
More missing glass.

Preview	Final
As there are no FMVs in the preview, the licker will just drop down with in-game graphics rather than the fancier stuff the final has. However the FMV has some continuity errors -if you look, the shutters and box where you put the wire in are missing in it.

Preview	Final
If you let the licker kill you in the preview, Leon has a death animation where the licker will repeatedly smash his head into the ground. Apparently this was a bit too violent as from what I can tell, it was removed from the final game. Leon will just fall to his knees and then collapse instead.

Preview	Final
In addition to the missing glass and window shutter, the preview is also missing a green herb the final has here.

Preview	Final

Preview	Final
The vending machine originally featured a red can on it and text that possibly reads "Cha Cha Cola" at the bottom. Given the close resemblance to Coca Cola, the final version changed the picture to a black can and made the text much darker, to the point where it's very difficult to read at all. However, the Japanese final version does still have these unchanged Coca Cola images. The alleged story is that the Coca Cola Company threatened legal action against Capcom if they didn't remove these from the game, so for any version released outside of Japan, they were changed.

Preview	Final
Another look at the "Cha" cola difference.

Preview	Final
There's a box of handgun bullets on a desk here in the preview version that the final version took out.

Preview	Final
Nothing too different here other than the vending machine differences mentioned above.

Preview	Final
There's no file here in the preview, in the final game you can find the operation report 1 on the desk at the back.

Preview	Final
This whiteboard has an additional document on it in the preview, which was removed from the final.

Preview	Final
You can't really see this that well in this screenshot because the zombie is in the way, but the door at the back is different... let's go in for a closer look...

Preview	Final
...and you'll see that in the preview, this is a sliding style door. It's a regular door in the final version. The little poster next to this door is in different positions between versions too.

Preview	Final
There are no herbs here in the preview, two green ones are present in the final.

Preview	Final
This save room has no ink ribbons in the preview, in the final there are some next to the typewriter.

Preview	Final
As well as there being some shading differences with the cabinet and item box, the preview lacks the operation report 2 you can read in the final version.

Preview	Final
The item box has a box of handgun bullets and a first aid spray in the preview, whilst in the final you get nothing. There's more space between "no" and "item" in the preview than there is in the final.

Preview	Final
The statues you can move were given darker shading in the final version.

Preview	Final
This green bit of stained glass was removed from the final game.

Preview	Final
The picture of the team members in the S.T.A.R.S. office is different. The background features different trees and the helicopter itself has a few changes. Pretty much every team member was changed in some way, mainly their faces were altered or their weapons were edited. The final version of the picture swaps Wesker and Kenneth around, for whatever reason. Edward was moved closer to the other team members in the final version. I may as well mention this whilst I'm here: nobody knows who the guy crouched at the far left is (he's next to Enrico). He wasn't in the first game at all, but he still got edited between the preview and final versions of this picture.

Preview	Final
The preview has the L key on this equipment, whilst there's no key there in the final version. The preview doesn't let you check the cabinet to the right, in the final you can do this and find a shotgun.

Preview	Final
After you pick up the L key in the preview, Ada will appear and fire at Leon. He turns around and the camera slowly pans up to show Ada, but then the screen fades out. This scene is in the final game, but happens in the parking lot. The preview then ends here. Of course, in the final version things are just getting started. After you pick up the unicorn medallion, a cutscene will start where Claire arrives.

Item differences

Preview	Final

Text differences

Preview	Final
An old fountain. It's bone dry.	An old fountain. Something is written here. "To obtain the key to open your heart I'll wait for the Unicorn, the beautiful beast."
When you look at this in the preview, the background doesn't change like it does in the final version, so you get a better look at the front of the fountain.

Preview	Final

Preview	Final

Preview	Final

Preview	Final

Preview	Final

Preview	Final

Preview	Final

Preview	Final
The fireplace seems to be in working order. There's an oil painting above it. The title is: "Sacrifice in the Hellfire".	It's a fire place. An oil painting hangs above it. The title is: "A Sacrifice to the hell fire."
The preview doesn't change the background to get a better look at the painting like the final does.

Preview	Final

Preview	Final

Preview	Final

Preview	Final
Something is written here. "Please maintain silence around the meeting room!"	"Please keep quiet while meetings are in session!"

Preview	Final

Preview	Final

Preview	Final
The knob turns, but the door won't budge.	The knob turns, but the door won't budge. It seems to be sealed from the other side.
Note how there are some really small spacing changes before the but in the final version. The , is spaced a little different too.

Preview	Final

Preview	Final

Preview	Final

Preview	Final
This text layout change is present for all locked doors, so I'll only list it once.

Preview	Final

Preview	Final

Preview	Final

Preview	Final

Preview	Final

Preview	Final

Preview	Final

Preview	Final
In addition to the text changes, the folders are very slightly different too -a few pixels were edited for the final version.

Preview	Final
You obtain items in the preview, this was changed to them being taken in the final.

Voice differences

Notes

-Leon's handgun has a capacity of 15 bullets in the preview, for the final, this was increased to 18.

-The shotgun has a capacity of 7 shells in the preview, for the final, this was decreased to 5.

-Kendo's shotgun has 7 shells in it when you pick it up in the preview, in the final, it only has 4.

-There are many things you can examine in the preview that you can't in the final. Examples include the stove in the reception, two different boards in the briefing room and some equipment in one of the first floor corridors, which hints at the power generator basement puzzle seen in the final game. However there are a few things in the preview you can't examine that you can in the final.

-The music features different tracks used in certain rooms in the preview. Some rooms have no music at all. One of the final game's best tracks, the 1st floor police station theme, doesn't appear to be in the preview.

-A couple of backgrounds have these really minor shading differences, such as this and this.

-The white font has bigger capital letters in the preview, they were made shorter for the final game.

-The preview lacks the hidden ammo spots that the final version features, such as behind Wesker's desk. Although these hidden items aren't present in the final Japanese version.

-The hidden picture of Rebecca Chambers you can find by searching Wesker's desk 50 times in the final version isn't present in the preview.