Box Art
Game: Resident Evil Outbreak
First Released: December 11, 2003, PS2
Developers: Capcom
Platforms: Playstation 2
Rated: M, for Blood, Gore, and Intense Violence
First Released: December 11, 2003, PS2
Developers: Capcom
Platforms: Playstation 2
Rated: M, for Blood, Gore, and Intense Violence
How I Came To Play This Game
Kevin kicks a Zombie
My little brother got this game on my recommendation one year when he was spending his birthday money. I recommended it even though I didn't have any idea how the game looked or worked. When he played it for the first time, we were stunned at how different it was from the other Resident Evil games. A few years later, I bought a copy of Star Fox and traded it for the game even though I didn't even have a PS2 at the time. I was already familiar with it when I got a PS2 because of how much I played it on my brother's.
STORY
The story of Resident Evil Outbreak follows the original story laid down by Resident Evil 2 and 3, but is split into several chapters, or levels, called scenarios. Each scenario happens during the outbreak and stars one canon protagonist. The other characters that appear in each scenario as well as the order in which the scenarios happen is up to the players to decide for themselves.
Outbreak
Cindy is the canon protagonist.
All eight characters are present in J's Bar when all of a sudden, a weird customer comes into the place. Will, the bartender, goes to check on him and is bitten by the customer. Will pushes him outside, closes, and locks the door just as more people appear outside. The people realize they are zombies and make a desperate attempt to escape the bar. They go through the back and climb up onto the roof where they jump to the building next door. They take an elevator back down to ground level and exit to the streets. There they find Raymond, a police officer. After setting up barricades, the survivors fought off the zombies while Raymond used a Shotgun to break open a locked gate. Once through, Raymond let his guard down as he scoped the surroundings and was attacked by a zombie. He tells the others to ignite a nearby oil tanker with his lighter, just as he was killed. The survivors did so, and jumped into the sewage canal to avoid the explosion. They went through the sewers and climbed out just outside the Apple Inn. There, they and other survivors were given a lift by a police officer named Dorian, but there were too many roadblocks to continue. Moving forward a bit on foot, they crossed a bridge only to find a huge swarm of zombies. They spied police officers Eric, Elliot, and Harry tried to set up a bomb to destroy them all, but the zombies broker through the barricades and killed two of them. Harry, the only survivor, tells the group what to do. They gather the parts for the detonator, and successfully blow up all of the zombies.
All eight characters are present in J's Bar when all of a sudden, a weird customer comes into the place. Will, the bartender, goes to check on him and is bitten by the customer. Will pushes him outside, closes, and locks the door just as more people appear outside. The people realize they are zombies and make a desperate attempt to escape the bar. They go through the back and climb up onto the roof where they jump to the building next door. They take an elevator back down to ground level and exit to the streets. There they find Raymond, a police officer. After setting up barricades, the survivors fought off the zombies while Raymond used a Shotgun to break open a locked gate. Once through, Raymond let his guard down as he scoped the surroundings and was attacked by a zombie. He tells the others to ignite a nearby oil tanker with his lighter, just as he was killed. The survivors did so, and jumped into the sewage canal to avoid the explosion. They went through the sewers and climbed out just outside the Apple Inn. There, they and other survivors were given a lift by a police officer named Dorian, but there were too many roadblocks to continue. Moving forward a bit on foot, they crossed a bridge only to find a huge swarm of zombies. They spied police officers Eric, Elliot, and Harry tried to set up a bomb to destroy them all, but the zombies broker through the barricades and killed two of them. Harry, the only survivor, tells the group what to do. They gather the parts for the detonator, and successfully blow up all of the zombies.
Below Freezing Point
Yoko is the canon protagonist.
Yoko leads a band of survivors underground to the Raccoon City Underground Laboratory. The go in through the emergency exit and are attacked an Umbrella Corporation employee named Monica. She was trying to steal a sample organism from the lab, but couldn't get into the lab due to high security. So she forces Yoko to give her ID Card to her. She then goes into the complex. The survivors follow and find the lift broken, so they go inside through a ventilation tunnel. Here the survivors are split into two groups. Some on an upper floor and some on a lower floor, both continuously attacked by zombies. The ones on the upper floor thaw a frozen wrench in a sink with warm water and use it to open a panel to find a Valve Handle. They use it to open a door that leads to a ladder, which leads to the lower floor where the other group is. Meanwhile, the group on the lower floor find a giant plant named Plant 43 that has blocked the ladders leading to higher floors with its vines. They read files and figure out how to make V-Jolt, a BOW plant killer. They succeed and use it to kill the plant. The groups meet up and climb up to the higher floors. On one floor they crawl through a crawlspace and run down a long tunnel to a computer room infested with Baby Moth Larva. The read a file and manage to set up an guest account into the computers for them to use. The go back and climb higher. They find the area to be frozen and cold, many creatures frozen in their tracks can be seen. They pass them to find a large chamber home to a Giant Moth. They fight it off and continue on. They find a train on top of a giant elevator used to carry the train to different floors, but the elevator won't work due to the frost. So with a blow torch, they thaw out the Temperature Controls and increase the temperature to normal. However, this also thaws out the creatures, which turn out to be MA-125 Hunter Rs. The survivors fight these creatures all the way back to the elevator. Just then, Monica limps into the room with an empty capsule in her hand, indicating the specimen escaped. She then faints, and the elevator takes the survivors up to the surface. Meanwhile, the specimen, ending up to be a G-imago, breaks from Monica's chest and crawls up the elevator after them. Once it reaches the surface, it grows into a G-Adult. The survivors defeat the G-Adult and escape in the train.
Yoko leads a band of survivors underground to the Raccoon City Underground Laboratory. The go in through the emergency exit and are attacked an Umbrella Corporation employee named Monica. She was trying to steal a sample organism from the lab, but couldn't get into the lab due to high security. So she forces Yoko to give her ID Card to her. She then goes into the complex. The survivors follow and find the lift broken, so they go inside through a ventilation tunnel. Here the survivors are split into two groups. Some on an upper floor and some on a lower floor, both continuously attacked by zombies. The ones on the upper floor thaw a frozen wrench in a sink with warm water and use it to open a panel to find a Valve Handle. They use it to open a door that leads to a ladder, which leads to the lower floor where the other group is. Meanwhile, the group on the lower floor find a giant plant named Plant 43 that has blocked the ladders leading to higher floors with its vines. They read files and figure out how to make V-Jolt, a BOW plant killer. They succeed and use it to kill the plant. The groups meet up and climb up to the higher floors. On one floor they crawl through a crawlspace and run down a long tunnel to a computer room infested with Baby Moth Larva. The read a file and manage to set up an guest account into the computers for them to use. The go back and climb higher. They find the area to be frozen and cold, many creatures frozen in their tracks can be seen. They pass them to find a large chamber home to a Giant Moth. They fight it off and continue on. They find a train on top of a giant elevator used to carry the train to different floors, but the elevator won't work due to the frost. So with a blow torch, they thaw out the Temperature Controls and increase the temperature to normal. However, this also thaws out the creatures, which turn out to be MA-125 Hunter Rs. The survivors fight these creatures all the way back to the elevator. Just then, Monica limps into the room with an empty capsule in her hand, indicating the specimen escaped. She then faints, and the elevator takes the survivors up to the surface. Meanwhile, the specimen, ending up to be a G-imago, breaks from Monica's chest and crawls up the elevator after them. Once it reaches the surface, it grows into a G-Adult. The survivors defeat the G-Adult and escape in the train.
The Hive
George is the canon protagonist.
George and other survivors are vulnerable out in the streets, so they run to the Raccoon General Hospital for shelter. They go to the 3rd floor to hide, when a doctor named Dr. Harsh comes in. He tells them that the hospital isn't a good choice for a hiding place as it may look, and that they should all get out of there. The survivors go to the elevator to leave, but the power is out. They search around and are attacked by a strange leech creature known as the Leech Zombie. This creature is made of hundreds of leeches attached to the body of a doctor that somehow control the body. The survivors escape and find Dr. Harsh. He restores the power to the elevator, but is attacked by a swarm of leeches, turning him into a Leech Zombie. this Leech Zombie would follow the survivors everywhere through the ventilation system, and attack them whenever it could. The survivors used codes to unlock more floors the elevator could go to. They find a chamber in the Basement Floor 2 that can change the temperature inside. They used a blood pack to lure the Leech Zombie into the chamber, and turned up the temperature. Unable to survive in such conditions, the leeches all died, leaving the body of Dr. Harsh. The survivors took his Key Card from him and used it to find a boat. They used anther Key Card to find the key to start the boat and used it to escape the hospital through the sewers. However, the passage was blocked by the Leech Queen, a giant bloated leech in command of the other ones. Together, the group defeated it and escaped outside through the sewers.
George and other survivors are vulnerable out in the streets, so they run to the Raccoon General Hospital for shelter. They go to the 3rd floor to hide, when a doctor named Dr. Harsh comes in. He tells them that the hospital isn't a good choice for a hiding place as it may look, and that they should all get out of there. The survivors go to the elevator to leave, but the power is out. They search around and are attacked by a strange leech creature known as the Leech Zombie. This creature is made of hundreds of leeches attached to the body of a doctor that somehow control the body. The survivors escape and find Dr. Harsh. He restores the power to the elevator, but is attacked by a swarm of leeches, turning him into a Leech Zombie. this Leech Zombie would follow the survivors everywhere through the ventilation system, and attack them whenever it could. The survivors used codes to unlock more floors the elevator could go to. They find a chamber in the Basement Floor 2 that can change the temperature inside. They used a blood pack to lure the Leech Zombie into the chamber, and turned up the temperature. Unable to survive in such conditions, the leeches all died, leaving the body of Dr. Harsh. The survivors took his Key Card from him and used it to find a boat. They used anther Key Card to find the key to start the boat and used it to escape the hospital through the sewers. However, the passage was blocked by the Leech Queen, a giant bloated leech in command of the other ones. Together, the group defeated it and escaped outside through the sewers.
Hellfire
Mark is the canon protagonist.
Mark leads a group of people into the Apple Inn, a famous Raccoon City hotel. They are immediately greeted by an explosion from the boiler room. They go inside to check it out to find two firefighters, Len and Charlie, dead from the explosion. This explosion also sets the hotel on fire and blocks the way they came in from, so they have to leave through the front. The group splits into two. One goes the path on the main floor while the other climbs a ladder to the floor above, both are attacked by Zombies and Lickers along the way. The group on the main floor find a Gold Key while the group on the upper floor find a Key Card and regroup with the other group. They use the Gold Key to open the door to the generator, where they turn the power on. They check through all the rooms they can and find a Silver Key. They use that key to open a door to find a red jewel. They find a hidden door and use the jewel to open it. They climb down the emergency ladder to the ground level and try to leave through the front entrance. However, they are attacked by Lickers and a creature known as the Suspended. The Suspended appears to be a Licker in the early stages of transformation from a human. They easily kill it and are rescued by a firefighter named Danny. They report the deaths of Len and Charlie.
Mark leads a group of people into the Apple Inn, a famous Raccoon City hotel. They are immediately greeted by an explosion from the boiler room. They go inside to check it out to find two firefighters, Len and Charlie, dead from the explosion. This explosion also sets the hotel on fire and blocks the way they came in from, so they have to leave through the front. The group splits into two. One goes the path on the main floor while the other climbs a ladder to the floor above, both are attacked by Zombies and Lickers along the way. The group on the main floor find a Gold Key while the group on the upper floor find a Key Card and regroup with the other group. They use the Gold Key to open the door to the generator, where they turn the power on. They check through all the rooms they can and find a Silver Key. They use that key to open a door to find a red jewel. They find a hidden door and use the jewel to open it. They climb down the emergency ladder to the ground level and try to leave through the front entrance. However, they are attacked by Lickers and a creature known as the Suspended. The Suspended appears to be a Licker in the early stages of transformation from a human. They easily kill it and are rescued by a firefighter named Danny. They report the deaths of Len and Charlie.
Decisions, Decisions
George is the canon protagonist.
George finds a letter written to him by his friend Peter telling him to come to the Raccoon University. He and a group of survivors go there, only to find him dead. The files that Peter last wrote indicated a vaccine for the T-Virus called Daylight that can be synthesized with a machine on the third floor. The three ingredients are V-Poison, P-Base, and T-Blood. They input a code into a computer to activate the elevator. The survivors split into two groups, one to go get the V-Poison and one to go get the P-Base. The first group have to fight through swarms of Giant Hornets to get the V-Poison, while the second group has to fight MA-124 Hunter Gammas to get a sealed container. They fill it up with P-Base and regroup back in the university. Meanwhile, outside the place, a group of UBCS mercenaries encounter the Thanatos, a Tyrant created by an Umbrella researcher named Greg. A supervisor named Nicholai shoots a capsule to take a sample of blood, but the Tyrant goes on a killing spree and kills all of the mercenaries. Back at the university, the Thanatos jumps in through a window and attacks the survivors. They lure him into an electrical wire and stun him. They grab the T-Blood sample. They take all three ingredients up to the synthesizer, but the power gets cut. They go forward and find Greg. He tells the survivors he will use them as targets for the Thanatos to kill, when Nicholai kills him with a shot to the head from the ceiling. Nicholai also placed bombs throughout the building and sets them all to blow up. The survivors turn the power back on and synthesize enough Daylight for themselves and keep some samples with them. They escape the university with the Thanatos in hot pursuit. The university explodes with the Thanatos still inside it. A helicopter flying nearby, piloted by firefighters Danny and Gill, see the explosion and go to check it out. They try to pick up the survivors, but the Thanatos in a heavily mutated state appears. The survivors fight it off. They get ready to be picked up by the helicopter when the Thanatos-R comes back again. This time they kill it for good by shooting Daylight directly into it with a capsule shooter. They all get into the helicopter and fly to safety. The Daylight samples are given to doctors to make vaccines for everyone.
George finds a letter written to him by his friend Peter telling him to come to the Raccoon University. He and a group of survivors go there, only to find him dead. The files that Peter last wrote indicated a vaccine for the T-Virus called Daylight that can be synthesized with a machine on the third floor. The three ingredients are V-Poison, P-Base, and T-Blood. They input a code into a computer to activate the elevator. The survivors split into two groups, one to go get the V-Poison and one to go get the P-Base. The first group have to fight through swarms of Giant Hornets to get the V-Poison, while the second group has to fight MA-124 Hunter Gammas to get a sealed container. They fill it up with P-Base and regroup back in the university. Meanwhile, outside the place, a group of UBCS mercenaries encounter the Thanatos, a Tyrant created by an Umbrella researcher named Greg. A supervisor named Nicholai shoots a capsule to take a sample of blood, but the Tyrant goes on a killing spree and kills all of the mercenaries. Back at the university, the Thanatos jumps in through a window and attacks the survivors. They lure him into an electrical wire and stun him. They grab the T-Blood sample. They take all three ingredients up to the synthesizer, but the power gets cut. They go forward and find Greg. He tells the survivors he will use them as targets for the Thanatos to kill, when Nicholai kills him with a shot to the head from the ceiling. Nicholai also placed bombs throughout the building and sets them all to blow up. The survivors turn the power back on and synthesize enough Daylight for themselves and keep some samples with them. They escape the university with the Thanatos in hot pursuit. The university explodes with the Thanatos still inside it. A helicopter flying nearby, piloted by firefighters Danny and Gill, see the explosion and go to check it out. They try to pick up the survivors, but the Thanatos in a heavily mutated state appears. The survivors fight it off. They get ready to be picked up by the helicopter when the Thanatos-R comes back again. This time they kill it for good by shooting Daylight directly into it with a capsule shooter. They all get into the helicopter and fly to safety. The Daylight samples are given to doctors to make vaccines for everyone.
Pros And Cons
Story
Everything going on
The unique thing about the story is that it is shrouded in mystery. We don't know which of the survivors really appear in each scenario, nor do we know the order in which the scenarios happen. The only definite one is the first one, which obviously starts the whole story. Since the story is divided into several parts, it causes gamers to choose which ones they like better.
Characters
The Eight Characters
The game stars eight new characters; Kevin, Mark, Jim, George, David, Alyssa, Yoko, and Cindy. They have no relation to any of the previous games of the series. Well, Yoko used to be an Umbrella Corporation employee and it hints that Kevin is a friend of Leon from Resident Evil 2, but that's about it. Each character has their own statistics and skills that give them each their own advantages and disadvantages, which adds to the strategy of the game.
Gameplay
Fighting the Suspended
The gameplay is still the usual pre-determined camera angles, but the graphics are true 3D. As you move through the area, the camera is moving with you. Also, the game is given a more realistic approach. Now, when you press the Start button to bring up the item menu, it won't pause the game. This is supposed to mirror real life, as if you were to stop and check your items in real life, the world around you wouldn't pause. The game also doesn't pause if you read files or look at the map. The only way to pause it is to press the Select button, which brings up the options menu. Also, the controls are a little odd. If you use the d-pad to move, the controls will be like any other classic Resident Evil game. However, if you use the analog stick, the character will move in the direction you point it. That is really annoying for people who are used to using an analog stick on the older games. It is also very flawed. Why do you think the controls of the original Resident Evil were so odd compared to other games at the time? It was to make controls that wouldn't change even though the camera angle changes. If your holding left to move left, and then the camera angle changes, the direction of left is going to change and send you in a different direction. One neat feature is the Ad-Lib system. You can use the second analog stick in along with the square button to tell the other characters things like Go, Come Here, Yes, No, Help, and Thank You. Cooperation is what makes this game fun. There was an online option to play with your friends online, but sadly the server has been shut down for good.
Graphics
Fighting the Thanatos-R
The graphics are very good for the Playstation 2. Since I was a kid who grew up with a Gamecube, I could tell through various comparisons and even a person loyal to the Playstation 2 admitting it, the Playstation 2 had the second to worst graphics of the sixth generation of gaming (Dreamcast had the worst graphics). By comparing games like Resident Evil 4, Sonic Riders, Splinter Cell, and Call of Duty, we could clearly see that. However, these graphics look quite good, almost as good as the Resident Evil remake for Gamecube. However, the drawback to this is long load times. It takes forever to load from one room to the next. It also has to reload everything after playing cutscenes. This gives the impression that the Gamecube and Ps2 could all do better than they usually do, but are hindered by loading times. Companies don't want to keep players waiting with loading times. The Playstation2 was also hindered by RAM. The Gamecube had plenty of RAM and could load more things at any given time than the PS2.
Music
I know I said that there wouldn't be a music section, but the Main Theme for this game is just awesome!
Releases
Box Art
Being a more modern game, it has only been released for the Playstation 2. The United States and Japan release date was December 11, 2003. The PAL release date was September 17, 2004.
My Rating
I give this game a 10/10. This gives you an idea of what a zombie outbreak would really be like by putting you in the position of a regular civilian instead of a trained professional.