Resident Evil Outbreak

Resident Evil Outbreak makes a big splash in the online world, despite a communication breakdown and other technical hiccups.

Resident Evil has always focused on the solitary experience, often times putting you, the lone survivor of a biohazard apocalyptic catastrophe, against an army of monsters and time-consuming, awkward puzzles. Outbreak opens up the playing field with an online component that makes you and three others to rely on each other to survive. It's an interesting concept that for the most part works.

"They get up and kill..."
In Outbreak, you play as one of eight unfortunate, specialty specific characters in Raccoon City at the time of the virus outbreak. To survive, you must pass through five different scenarios, but the pressure's on---during each scenario, your character is exposed to contagion, and if you don't finish in time, you'll turn into one of the (briefly controllable) living dead. Resident vets will be likely recognize some of the locales and creatures, as the events take place between RE2 and 3 with Raccoon City slowly overrun by monsters. Each scenario has multiple objectives, hidden files, and diverse activities that are impossible to complete entirely in one play through---an excellent hook that creates high replay value. Points are given at the end of each stage that can then be used to purchase character renders, music tracks, more characters, and other rewards. The atmospheric visuals create an uneasy feeling of doom and destruction as smashed cars, trashed buildings, fire, and smoke that become more vivid with each completed scenario.

"...the people they kill get up and kill!"
Outbreak's defining property is multiplayer cooperation. Up to four wannabe survivors can play simultaneously via online, and the game's structure is such that you must work together in order to reach the finish line. With a limited inventory capacity (and no item boxes), you can swap items with others, give a shoulder to lean on, hold doors shut, and even fight zombies hand-to-hand. Outbreak provides a plethora of ordinary items that can be used for defense, such as iron bars, rocks, lab acid, and brushes. Puzzles also stand in your way, many of which are lifted directly from the Resident trash bin---pushing crates, collecting items and inserting them elsewhere, and pressing switches---activities any series vet will instantly recognize. Yet a key aspect of teamwork, communication, is severely hampered by lack of voice chat as players are limited to a series of pre-determined phrases ("I have a thought," for instance) and other vocal cues that, in most situations, could mean anything. All scenarios are available in offline mode---just be prepared for a robust challenge and barely adequate NPC A.I. Lengthy load times also hinder the flow of the action (a problem that will hopefully be resolved with the PS2 HDD that was unavailable at press time for this review).

"Shoot it in the head!"
Yet, despite its shortcomings, Outbreak's hefty replay, intense action, and clever scenario designs make for an engaging play---on- and offline, and a must for any Resident fan. Here, success ultimately depends on how helpful everyone's willing to be.

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