Biohazard Outbreak

I got out of the Resident Evil series for awhile. I recently rented this game on a whim. It turned out to be pretty good. I got it for the offline part of it. It offers some good challenges throughout five scenario's. You get to pick from eight characters. Most of the the characters are normal civilians from Raccoon city. There is a waitress, RPD officer, A security guard, subway engineer, reporter, plumber, doctor, and a college student. The more points you get the more stuff you can unlock. There are over 260+ things to unlock. The new melee weapons are nice addition. Some of the character models aren't the best. Not much new here, but it still manages to expand enough on an already large complex series of games.

"Outbreak" is the final Resident Evil instalment to appear on the PS2, released in the Autumn of 2004, and in many ways it is the perfect swansong.

Although far from 'perfect', it carries over all of the main annoyances of the series that show its' PS1 origins – namely the loading times between rooms and passages. Whilst this was necessary in its' original incarnation; due to PS1 technical limitations, it is wholly unacceptable on the PS2.

It is SO frustrating to traverse a room that is 2 or 3 steps in size, to be confronted with another loading screen of 10 seconds. Just to prove it IS possible, in two locations in the game, there are no loading screens, and you go out of one door and instantly go into the next room. And don't mention the cut-scenes ! Beautiful though they are, after they have played, the PS2 has to load the game engine back into memory, and it takes an absolute age !!

The main differences between this and the other episodes of the franchise is that firstly it is divided into seemingly unconnected scenarios. There is also a time limit of sorts, in that you are infected with the T-Virus, it starts of at 0% and constantly rises, the more injured you are, the quicker it rises. Hey, and guess what, you really have a RELOAD weapon button this time, and you can use the left analogue for directional control)

You also have the opportunity to choose from 8 different characters with different abilities. For example Alyssa can pick locks, Cindy has medical skills, Jim can play dead to escape monsters, David can create new weapons from scratch etc etc. Then once the game begins you are accompanied by two other of the characters in order to complete the scenario. These characters can be instructed to follow, wait, help you, give you items, give items to, basic squad control stuff.

The time limit is not the problem you initially think it will be, and you can thankfully, reasonably easily complete the levels with a good percentage left to spare.

The character choices are pointless, the ONLY character you could possibly complete the game with is Yoko – who is the only person who can carry 8 objects – the others carry only 4. Don't EVER pick Jim, when he plays dead, his virus infection rate skyrockets like no nobodies business)

The squad control system can be frustrating, and the NPC's often forget to heal themselves and die even though they have several health packs. They also annoy because they run into a room ahead of you and steal all the best ammo in the room, and then do a runner in a fire-fight, leaving you to fight on your own (some of the zombies now move like a cat with a rocket up its bum, and attack en masse (10 at a time at the end of the 1st level!))

Once a scenario is completed, you are graded and scored depending on countless factors, and then you are awarded points and unlockables. You can trade these points in at the Resident Evil shop for the said unlockables, although 500 points for a picture of an ingame character ? 13,000 points for a costume ? There are also new game modes to unlock too (though you have to purchase them after you have unlocked them)

That aside though, the graphics are truly, amazingly beautiful, PC quality. Just wait until you see "Leechman" (usually known as that ****ing Leechman ****), the protagonist of "The Hive" scenario. A man whose entire upper body is covered with writhing leeches, and without a doubt, the most frustrating monster in Resident Evil history, as he stalks you remorselessly from room to room, giving you no respite whatsoever. And the beautiful animations, fire effects, fully 3d polygonal environments and stunning monsters/zombies, are incredible too.

In almost every way this is easily the best of the entire series, the only drawbacks are loading times between rooms issue that have dogged the series from the beginning, that Capcom seem to think "adds suspense". No it doesn't !! I say 'Almost' the best, because the scenario system doesn't really involve you in an immersive start to finish story like the old games did. And boy is it hard too ! I would never want to play the game though on anything buy EASY level (on Easy, you still have to fight THREE Tyrant battles on the final scenario !), but to many people, that's a pro, not a con.

If you like the series, then you've already bought it, but for anyone else; it's definitely worth a two night rental at your local gamestore.

It breaks my heart to have to say this, especially given that Capcom have made the (almost) only video games I have legitimately enjoyed in the past five to ten years. But I would only recommend Resident Evil: Outbreak if you can find it for about ten dollars or less at a clearance sale. This goes against everything I have said about the other Resident Evil games I have played to date, and with good reason. Unlike the other Resident Evil games, where one could eventually master the scenario if they kept calm and did not attempt to shoot everything in sight, Outbreak marks the first time that Capcom have resorted to making their games utterly unwinnable. Which is a real shame, too, because Outbreak has shown the most potential from a Resident Evil game to date.

The game starts out in a bar within the very traditional Resident Evil location of Racoon City, where numerous characters are having a good drink. Soon, all hell breaks loose when the rapidly increasing zombie populace drops in for a visit. From there, it is a mad scramble to escape and join in the evacuation of the city. Unfortunately, in contrast to the single-player, plot-based Resident Evil games, Outbreak goes off the rails very soon after it starts, and never finds its way back on. The scenarios are, put simply, unwinnable. In the little time one gets to escape their situation, they can not possibly find the weaponry required to mow down the literally limitless zombies they encounter. In contrast to previous Resident Evil episodes, where the proportion of ammunition to zombies was exactly right, one will run out of ammunition here faster than they can make so much as an inch of progress in this game.

To be fair, the locations are extremely well-rendered, and when it is allowed, exploration is still as much fun as was the case in other Resident Evils. The lag time, in which a player winds up roaming around already-explored areas, wondering what the hell to do, is also no longer an issue. Unfortunately, the exact opposite problem has occurred here. The player is often left feeling that they are playing to a routine, and playing to a routine is generally about as much fun as putting your finger into a power socket. I almost believe, as a result, that Capcom were kidnapped and replaced by a bunch of lame imposters for this episode.

The voice acting is also a problem. From the melodramatic title voice, we are also treated to cutscenes in which the subtitles say one thing, and the voiceovers, at least in the English version, are saying quite another. Being that I don't understand Japanese, I have never bothered about trying to import the original. Perhaps the subtitles shown in the cut scenes are literal translations. Perhaps they are just renderings of the original English script, which was changed at the last minute without the subtitlers being informed. Being that there is no option to turn the subtitles off, it gets on the nerves after a while. Is it asking so much that the graphical and voice-over departments at least talk to one another? Anyway, if I had to give Resident Evil: Outbreak a score out of ten, it would be a six. I know the other video game makers out there feel inadequate because they cannot produce a game that remains fun for more than five minutes, but this is no reason to try and coddle them. Come on, Capcom, you are capable of much better than this.

Although "Resident Evil: OUTBREAK" does not feature the usual cast of characters we have grown to know and love {or hate), the latest edition to the "Resident Evil" brand of survival horror gaming for PS2 is packed full of enough thrills, chills, and scares to keep the die hard fans frightfully happy. The new characters are all very likeable (with the exception of Alyssa Ashcroft who really got on my nerves) and boast their own unique abilities so you'll be sure to find one character you may identify with. What makes this "Resident Evil" so extremely different from past versions is the fact it is the first ONLINE conception of the franchise thus allowing gamers the ability to meet up online and work together as a team in their endeavor to escape the rotting masses and mutated monsters of Raccoon City. Even though the shock and scare factor of something popping out and paralyzing you with fear seems to not be present, "Outbreak" delivers everything you'd want from a "Resident Evil" game and Although "Resident Evil: OUTBREAK" does not feature the usual cast of characters we have grown to know and love {or hate), the latest edition to the "Resident Evil" brand of survival horror gaming for PS2 is packed full of enough thrills, chills, and scares to keep the die hard fans frightfully happy. The new characters are all very likeable (with the exception of Alyssa Ashcroft who really got on my nerves) and boast their own unique abilities so you'll be sure to find one character you may identify with. What makes this "Resident Evil" so extremely different from past versions is the fact it is the first ONLINE conception of the franchise thus allowing gamers the ability to meet up online and work together as a team in their endeavor to escape the rotting masses and mutated monsters of Raccoon City. Even though the shock and scare factor of something popping out and paralyzing you with fear seems to not be present, "Outbreak" delivers everything you'd want from a "Resident Evil" game and puts you right in the middle of a zombie nightmare.

Reviewed by Fresh Dead Flesh Studios

First off, Outbeaks take some time to find the deep meaning behind the truth. The Outbreaks have a huge following and deserve a fair rating as they were the only RE games i found to be enjoyable. Surviving along your friends and foes really gave a sense of true survival. Never knowing who to trust or who was gonna be fair with you made the game a challenge. With the game being one of the most challenging experiences of all time, knowing if you will survive or die is always unknown...

The 8 survivors, Kevin, Mark, George, David, Jim, Alyssa, Yoko, and Cindy really gave the game its story. With multiple ways to match our team and to have multiple outcomes, Your story is different every time. Out of all the games I have played, not one was the same. The characters made the game lively, replayable, and full of suspense.

The levels were great and really showed how the characters got to know each other. For example the level "Outbreak" Showed the faithful night. when the 8 got together, you could see that they all had a connection not caring who each other was. Over time they started gaining relationships, they learned everything about themselves and others they knew before.

Overall, Outbreaks are a recommended game. i give 10/10 its perfect for those who want a challenge.