Resident Evil: Outbreak

[Perfect Stu]

Hands-on, screens

May 16, 2003 - After the impressive display we witnessed at Capcom's E3 Producer Day, we couldn't wait to get our hands on the demo version of Resident Evil Outbreak. With only four kiosks in the Capcom booth, however, and plenty of excitement surrounding its brand new projects, it wasn't an easy process. Faithfully we braved through the line and got our hands on the finished product -- and what can we say? It was definitely worth it.

Setting up is pretty easy. Simply click on the new online game option and sit back to wait for your connection to go live. Once all four players are ready they'll have eight different characters to pick from with informational blurbs and artwork representing each of them. As an added bonus, no two characters are the same and each has their own strengths and weaknesses: some personalities posses stronger guns, monsters attack other characters less frequently, some can heal much more rapidly, and there's even someone who claims to be "the master of unlocking" (Jill Valentine might have something to say about that). Once the selection has been made, the game begins.

One aspect of the first scenario's presentation that really grabbed us was the fact that players have their own introduction. Different but chronologically linked, each characters setup is unique and gives you a hint as to the type of person they are. Taking place inside a populated bar, the normal everyday lives of its patrons is suddenly interrupted when zombies storm the premises and begin eating everyone. Once the cut scene ends and gameplay begins, players are on their own to find a way to escape the onslaught of approaching undead. An element that doesn't seem fully implemented yet is the rescue of an injured security officer and other hurt NPCs. Though you're supposed to pick him up and help him through the zombie invasion, the security officer will still follow you through to the next room whether he had help from players or not (from what we understand, keeping him alive is an important part of this scenario). Luckily, the team-based gameplay is already apparent with basic phrases such as "run" and "follow me" informing the other gamers which is the proper way to go.

Finding which way to go is another matter entirely. Appropriately, there are no hints as to where to go next (other than up and away), so navigating your way through the mess of undead isn't as easy as you'd first think. It's this factor that makes the game so open-ended -- as players can try and find whichever way they can to escape and try and survive. Some doors may be locked, others could be open; the routes will ultimately take you to the same place, but not all are as safe as you'd hope. And while it may prove to be an issue for some skeptic inquisitors, the classic Resident Evil control scheme works quite well in these situations, though disenchanted users may not approve of the return to the same old control scheme (it didn't bother us).

As far as latency and similar Internet issues go, everything ran quite smoothly and without any hitches during battle or room transitions. On a more bizarre note, there were a couple of delayed moments when trying to grab items or weapons -- especially in the first room of the bar. A quick glance to the other player's monitors revealed no problems though, so it appeared to be an isolated incident with our connection only. Our solitary complaint thus far is that we had yet to play the zombie that Capcom boasted of at its press conference -- as the virus meter that controlled it was filling slowly, and in thirty minutes time, we had only 50% infection. (Sigh)

Despite our disappointment in that regard, the meat of Resident Evil Outbreak was very promising indeed. With a refinement of NPCs, a fully implemented communication system, and some basic visual polish, Capcom's latest could compete with the best of them. We'll keep you updated with more as it becomes available.

-IGN







A level called J's Bar, showing people trying to escape the Zombie raid






Cindy clamped the board on the passage with the electric drill, and completed the barricade. Other players will be divided although a zombie can be shut out now





Players now have the ability to hide to escape difficult situations





Like before, if a door is exceeded, it is not necessarily safe. A zombie's penetration will be allowed if the power of pressing down a door is weak





I really like some of the things that Capcom is doing with this game...the teamwork aspects sound particularly intriguing. Let's hope everything turns out well

[Bad Religion]

well i know my RE-freak friend is getting broadband just for this, so i'll be getting it as well.. hopefully there will be a way to play with friends, not just random strangers. So far so good though, nice info

[The Duggler]

Looks like **** compared to RE4, eh Stu?

[DeathsHand]

Originally posted by Ranzid
Looks like **** compared to RE4, eh Stu?

Because graphics are what make games fun, eh Ranzid?

I wonder why a 3D RE game on NGC can look that much better than a 3D RE game on PS2 when overall there doesn't seem to be that big of a graphical difference... to me at least... If you compare some of PS2's big guns (which normally have the better graphics too, unless it's a GTA game) with NGC's... eh... I dunno... Alls I know is this game, graphically, doesn't look much better than RE:CV (aside from better lighting), which is like a 3 year old game on an older system...

[Crono]

After reading that, I can say that I much more excited for this game. It looks promising.

[Perfect Stu]

Originally posted by Ranzid
Looks like **** compared to RE4, eh Stu?

Despite the fact that I don't have much interest in either title, I'll bite and respond to your mindless reply.

I've seen the game in motion, and although it looks very good (especially for a dedicated online title), it isn't as technically impressive as RE4. Now, if that makes you happy, good for you. Some people jump off planes...I give people the self satisfaction to carry on with their lives

[bobcat]

Well to be honest, I'm sure most peoples initial thought is to compare it to the GC version.

Well if I see a video of it, I'd be able to make a comparison, but I'm guessing it won't look as good as the Gc version.

But I'm sure RE fans will like this nonetheless

[One Winged Angel]

The game isn't as impressive as RE4, just because the PS2 isn't powerful enough. I like the online concept though.