Resident Evil Outbreak is a survival horror video game with online playability for the PlayStation 2. Initially released in December 2003 in Japan, then released in 2004 to North America, it was developed by Capcom and was the first entry in the Resident Evil video game series to feature cooperative gameplay and online multiplayer support, although online support was not available for the PAL versions of the game.
Outbreak depicts a series of episodic storylines in a zombie-inhabited Raccoon City. Players control eight characters with unique abilities. It was set during the same general time period as Resident Evil 2 and 3. Outbreak was followed by a standalone expansion entitled Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2, released in 2004. The game was praised for the graphics, fun-factor, and multiplayer but criticized for the lack of voice chat.
Gameplay
The controls and gameplay are similar to the Resident Evil remake, which was exclusive to the GameCube, with quite a few adjustments. The player chooses a scenario, difficulty level, and character selection screen. The difficulty level is tied to what enemies and items the player encounters while progressing through the scenario. The game has five scenarios, each of which has an event checklist consisting of special actions that the player must perform to reach 100% completion. Upon doing so the player will unlock "Infinity Mode", in which all the player's weapons never break or run out of ammunition.
Each scenario also has "SP" items. These are invisible items hidden throughout the level and are randomly generated on two paths. There are 20 scenario items for each scenario, and twenty items specific to each character hidden across the five scenarios. If acquired, these items unlock new costumes and the option to listen to their ad-libs.
Players were able to connect to the internet servers using a broadband connection and a network adapter. Account registration and login were required. Once players connected and logged in, they would choose between Free Mode and Scenario Mode. Free Mode took place in a lobby and allowed players to create their own games, scenarios, and difficulty level. Scenario Mode would choose the scenario and players automatically. When a player first started online, the game would begin on the "Outbreak" scenario and progress from there. If players wished to stop playing, they could save their data and restart from the scenario they were up to at the time. If players had beaten a scenario, they acquired a star next to their names.
Capcom shut down the American servers for Outbreak on December 31, 2007, and the Japanese servers on June 30, 2011, ending official online capabilities.
Plot
The beginning of Outbreak is set a couple days after the initial outbreak of the T-virus in Raccoon City, moments before the crisis further escalates into complete chaos. The game starts with the eight characters in J's Bar, who are unaware of what is happening until a lone zombie wanders into the bar and attacks one of the employees named Will. Soon after, the characters must escape the bar and make it through the city to safety. The game ends in the final moments of the same incident, with the player attempting to escape Raccoon City before the U.S. government launches a missile strike to eliminate the threat posed by the G-virus. The player controls one of eight characters with gameplay events transpiring across various regions of Raccoon City and span over a period of several days.