Opinion is split on Resident Evil 2's terrifyingly omnipresent lurker Mr X: some hate him, and think he destroys the pace of the game. Others love him, because he's horrific and scary and this is horror, after all. Others still, like to turn him into Thomas the Tank Engine. But for those who can't abide the giant marching fellow, there's a mod to remove him entirely.

Created by MaVeRick, X No More does exactly what the title suggests. Best of all, it doesn't break scripted events, so during occasions when the old lunk is necessary to advance the story, the story will advance on its own via the help of a "friendly ghost". 

While the mod will definitely make the game easier, I've seen a ton of people complain about him: some don't like randomised encounters (RIP if they ever play Alien: Isolation), and I can understand why. There's one encounter in the Police Station that I'd happily see him removed from. If you count yourself among these folk, then with the power of PC gaming you can now bravely approach RE2 again.

Or perhaps you'd like to keep him, only with DMX playing upon his approach? Or perhaps you'd like to see what's under his trenchcoat? You do you. 

Cheers, DSOGaming.

It's a time of plenty for novelty Resident Evil 2 Remake mods: we've had DMX playing whenever Mr X arrives, Mr X in his underwear, Thomas the Tank Engine replacing Mr X, and now, every zombie in the game replaced with the human-sized STARS beret-wearing tofu from the Tofu Survivor mode. This one is the creation of Snipz (get it via Nexus), and while the concept is very simple, it leads to amusing instances of silly animation like this: 

The creator says it's an homage to the tofu mode in 2009's Wii game Darkside Chronicles. It can be surprisingly eerie, because in a lot of cases it gives away which bodies in the game will zombify, and which are just there as props, since not all the dead bodies in the game have been tofu-ised. Hence walking into a location and being faced with a sight like this: 

This is version 0.9 of the mod and has a couple of known bugs that I noticed upon trying it this morning: an enemy tofu model duplicated after I knocked a zombie down, while another one seemed to vanish. Naturally, too, the tofu will clip through environments and characters. Still, assuming you're not trying to play with this on your first run, it's entertaining—even when the zombies are making their usual howls, they're kind of funny to look at. 

It's easy to install: you just need to grab Fluffymanager first. More instructions can be found here. 

I love this damn game. 

If transforming Skyrim's dragons into trains from Thomas the Tank Engine wasn't enough for you, now you can also alter Mr. X's visage into that of a smiling demented Thomas. Following on from popular mods that made DMX play when Mr. X approached and the unforgettable one that showed us what he's wearing beneath that signature trenchcoat, the latest mod from the meme factory not only turns Mr. X into Thomas, it adds his theme music too.

It's the work of modders ZombieAli (who made the model for Thomas), and DJ Pop (who added the music, and previously made the X Gon' Give It To Ya mod). You can download the model here and the music and sound effects here. And of course, if you want to combine Thomas with DMX, that's an option too.

Mr. X, aka the Tyrant, is the breakout star of Capcom's Resident Evil 2 remake. The rest of the game is superb, but Mr. X is more than just scary. He's also gon' give it to ya, DMX-style. And as it turns out, he can be pretty sexy in a thong.

Mr. X's hunkiness aside, I wanted to know how Capcom designed RE2's most persistent foe. How does his AI really work? Can he hear my footsteps? Does shooting catch his ear from across the station? I asked Resident Evil 2 director Kazunori Kadoi for some of Mr. X's secrets, how his design differs from the Tyrant in the original game, and to address the fan theory that there are actually several Tyrants loose in Raccoon City. And, of course, what he think of the DMX mod.

PC Gamer: I find Mr. X's footsteps terrifying. They're so loud and ominous. Can you tell me how you created that sound—are they actual recorded footsteps?

Kazunori Kadoi: They aren’t actual footsteps since the average person’s height and weight doesn’t create the same impact and sound that Tyrant’s footsteps would make. As a result, we recorded a lot of different sounds and mixed them all together in order to create a specific sound that would carry that level of impact that someone of Tyrant’s build would create.

Does Mr. X's AI always operate in real time and space? When we hear his footsteps, does that mean his character is actually close by, or are the footstep sounds played separately just to make us think he's nearby?

The sounds aren’t played separately. If you hear Tyrant’s footsteps in the vicinity, you can definitely bet that he is actually in close proximity.

Once while I was playing Mr. X lost sight of me and returned to the Main Hall, and I stood on the balcony and watched him look around and then enter another room in the station. Is his AI actually "searching" for the player constantly?

If Tyrant loses track of the player, he is technically still searching for the player, but will walk in random routes. He basically acts the same as if a real person is tracking you down, checking each section of the area and meticulously moving from one area to another. However, if he hears something nearby or potentially catches a glimpse of the player in the distance, he will definitely start aggressively tracking towards the direction of the player.

In the police station, is Mr. X designed to "cheat" and find the player after a certain amount of time?

I don’t want to divulge details, but what I can say is that if Tyrant doesn’t discover the player after a certain period of time, his senses do start to grow more sensitive making it easier to track you down.

How does Mr. X find you? Will firing guns or solving puzzles alert him to where you are?

Fundamentally, gun fire will catch his attention the most. There will also be key moments in the game (such as finding an important item) that will force an encounter with Tyrant during those sections of the game.

In the new RE2, how does Mr. X's AI differ from how he worked in the original game?

From an AI perspective, they’re fairly different. In the original game, Tyrant wouldn’t break through rooms aside from very specific events. He mainly acted as a threat that stayed with you until you were able to successfully run and load into another section of the game. In this game, Tyrant will track you down regardless of being rooms apart from each other, so the fundamental components of his AI are vastly different.

Some fans theorize that there are multiple Mr. Xs chasing you in the story of RE2, because there are multiple deaths across Leon's and Claire's paths. Do you want to address that theory, and tell us how many Mr. Xs we're really encountering?

There’s only one Tyrant. When designing the game, we wanted whichever scenario the player is currently in to be representative of the main story arc. You could say that each scenario could be considered a parallel world, which is why you see Tyrant appear multiple times. 

Have you seen the mod that plays the DMX song X Gon' Give It To Ya whenever Mr. X is nearby? Please tell me your thoughts.

There are elements that we included (such as his hat) that we hoped would resonate and be a talking point with players, but we had no idea that people would enjoy Tyrant to this degree, so it honestly makes the development team as a whole really happy to see things like this. It’s always unpredictable what will truly resonate with fans no matter how much you aim for something particular, but it’s always a pleasant surprise when fans walk away from a game with a positive experience and have something to share with their peers.

During the fleeting moments the Resident Evil 2 remake wasn't reminding me that I'm a prisoner in a fleshy mortal cage, I kept wondering why I wasn't super horny yet. For reasons Capcom refuses to explain, Leon, Claire, Ada, Mr. X—all the hot adult stars of RE2 arrive fully clothed and stay that way throughout the game.  Lucky for us, modders have already made a healthy assortment of sexy outfits and nude mods to make up for Capcom's glaring omissions. Finally, Mr X. and Leon can play cat and mouse throughout a metropolitan police station in their undies as they were always meant to.

Before getting started, you'll want to download the Fluffyquack mod manager. It's a simple tool that makes managing multiple mods in RE2 a breeze. Be sure to check the installation instructions that accompany each mod just in case. 

But let's not scroll too far down just yet. This article is very much not safe for work. Don't click those links in a public space. 

PG-13

For anyone that isn't into outright nudity, the first batch of alternate outfits are out there. Ripped Leon with a little cop thong, Mr. X in an Umbrella piece to match. Claire's still waiting on hers, but she does the sexy detective look justice. Personally, I won't rest until Mr. X gets some Daisy Dukes. 

Sexy Leon

This mod replaces Leon's sheriff outfit with skin, muscle, and a tiny swatch of cloth. 

Beachboy X

Replace Mr. X's stupid clothes with fewer clothes! This mod gives the big guy some flip-flops, sunglasses, and an Umbrella branded thong. Make it mandatory, Capcom. 

Claire Noir with Transparent Shirt

This one's a fun one for the boob fans out there. What better way to remember where Clarie's boobs are than occasionally glancing at the bra visible through her white shirt? A thrill. 

Adults only

Unfortunately, there are no nude mods for Leon or Mr. X yet. I'm guessing modeling a penis isn't easy, but we must trust in modders to do what is right. Expect Leon and/or Mr. X genitals in the near future. For now, Claire and Ada are covered—er, uncovered. 

Claire Nude mod

It does what it says! If you prefer to keep the pants on, there's a topless mod too. 

Ada Nude mod

It's super secret FBI dress code, Leon, we swear. Trust us. 

Claire Noir with Transparent Shirt, Adult Version

Will Claire solve the case of the missing bra? Unlikely. This one's for the the boob-likers want to strain their eyes to see the dreaded nipple.