Here we are once again immersed in the heart of Raccoon City, trying to dodge the crowds of zombies trotting through the streets in order to save his precious life... and incidentally those of our comrades! Yes, if the first opus of Resident Evil Outbreak had something to cringe with the wild amputation of its network mode, this Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 rectifies the shot by arriving indeed at home in its entirety. Prepare the berettas!
We take the same and start again
Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 does not consist in evolving in one and the same story but in finishing different small scenarios, four available from the start such as an abandoned hospital or the famous Raccoon City police station for the most nostalgic among us. An average of one hour is required to complete them, but each one differs significantly depending on the difficulty selected, which encourages the player to redo them many times. In addition, the end of the mission results in a more or less generous gain of points depending on the rank assigned, points which will be used to unlock a multitude of bonuses ranging from simple music to costumes and NPCs (which will then be playable). What in any case occupy the relentless 100% good dozens of hours! Fans who have already purchased the first part will notice with joy – or not – that the eight characters offered in this Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 are none other than those of the first episode. We thus find Kevin Ryman, policeman at the RPD of Raccoon City and incidentally flunked with the examination of the STARS, Dr. George Hamilton, surgeon at the hospital of Raccoon, Alyssa Ashcroft, reporter, as well as Yoko Suzuki the student, Jim Chapman the fugitive subway worker, David King the plumber, Cindy Lennox the frightened waitress and Mark Wilkins, security guard. Each character has personal items and special actions that are more or less useful depending on the scenarios. Indeed David makes weapons with a piece of wood, point and adhesive roller, Alyssa can pick recalcitrant locks, Jim plays dead very well (if that can be useful) and Dr. Hamilton… heals. In short, you understood the principle. A judicious choice of character will therefore of course be one of the keys to success.
Let's stay together
Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 is all about cooperation. You must carefully choose two colleagues before entering a mission, an important choice given that the protagonists have more or less affinity. Thus, those who are on good terms with you will gladly stay by your side and accept your instructions, while the others will quickly turn on their heels by giving you a "No!" to each of your suggestions. It is then difficult to find the mutineer, you can only see on the map and talk to characters in your room or in an adjacent room… Obviously, cooperation means communication. The directives are given via different shortcuts scattered on the pad, so it will be easy to tell your compatriots, among other things, to wait, hurry up or claim a possible object. However, we very quickly come up against an AI problem. Your companions may be very brave, but they are not necessarily smart. Between those who spend an insane amount of time deciding to shoot and those who want to exchange everything and anything (no David, I don't need a broom…), this circus will quickly turn at daycare. Limit their tasks in order to limit the damage… To put it mildly, we find ourselves working for three. The aging playability of the good old resident evil, rigid and not very precise, is obviously not there to fix things, not to mention the loading times which will quickly annoy.
To several or nothing
But let's hope again! The online mode is there. Hunting hunters, zombies, and other aberrations of nature in the company of players from all over Europe is necessarily more festive. With four in a game, you're ready for a good hour of fright. And here is the drama. The keyboard may be part of the lobby, impossible to communicate with anything other than the shortcuts during the game! We then find ourselves always yelling the same interjections, struggling to make our intentions understood. Developing a strategy becomes almost impossible, unless you prepare for it in a briefing in the lobby. Despite this frustration that torments us at first, we end up making up our minds and finding our account. From resident evil several, it's still the foot! Searching a room while a colleague takes care of blocking the door or getting help when we only have a hint of life left, we quickly find ourselves immersed in this spirit of survival at all costs. For the meanest, playing the bad guys will also be possible. Indeed, during the game the character is eaten away by the famous virus so that at 100% contamination he in turn becomes a zombie. The player is then free to pursue his former companions to make them fail in turn. The online mode makes it possible to significantly extend the lifespan, the five basic scenarios as well as the bonus scenarios (time attack, chain of bosses) being available. These missions can also be done in survival mode, your partners will then receive the stray bullets… Capcom has also provided some event quests available for a limited time (three to four days for the most part), mainly used to double your bonus points. Something to keep you busy in front of your screen for a while! Online PS2 aficionados will also be pleasantly surprised to see their list of friends from Monster Hunter (another game signed Capcom) switched to this game, enough to quickly find yourself on familiar ground.
