Released on November 16, 1999, the Nintendo 64 port of Resident Evil 2 is one of the few games released for the console to feature full-motion video cutscenes, overcoming the limited storage space on the cartridge.[78][79] The PlayStation version with two CD-ROMs of up to 700 MB per disc was faithfully replicated (with unique enhancements) on a 64 MB Nintendo 64 Game Pak. In the process, audio and video assets had to be more aggressively and creatively compressed, using novel techniques that shift the burden away from storage and toward the console's high real-time processing power.[80] Across twelve months and with a budget of $1 million,[80] Resident Evil 2 was ported to the console by a team led by nine full-time and one part-time personnel from Angel Studios.[80] Further help was provided by ten staff from Capcom Production Studio 3 and Factor 5.[81][82] This version offers bonus features that were not included on any other port, such as alternate costumes, a randomizer mode (which places items differently during each playthrough), the ability to adjust the degree of violence and to change the blood color as well as a more responsive first-person control scheme.[13][82][83][84] Additionally, the port features 16 new in-game documents known as the "Ex Files",[13][83] written by Tetsuro Oyama.[56] Hidden throughout the four scenarios, they reveal new information about the series' lore and connect the story of Resident Evil 2 to those of the other installments, including some that had not been released yet.[13][83] This is also the only version to use surround sound, with the soundtrack converted to Dolby Surround by Chris Hülsbeck, Rudolf Stember, and Thomas Engel.[82]
The Nintendo 64 version adjusts its display resolution depending on the number of polygonal models currently on screen, and supports the Expansion Pak accessory for a maximum resolution of 640×480 during gameplay.[85][86] Other visual enhancements include smoother character animations and sharper, perspective-corrected textures for the 3D models.[85] The team reworked the sound set from scratch to provide each instrument with a higher sample rate than on the PlayStation, resulting in higher-quality music.[87] Some features from the other enhanced versions based on the Dual Shock Ver. do not appear in the Nintendo 64 version, such as the "Extreme Battle" minigame.[88] In 2018, Eurogamer called this "one of the most ambitious [and impressive] console ports of all time".