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Resident Evil Outbreak File 2

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Resident Evil Outbreak File #2
Developer(s) Capcom Production Studio 1
Publisher(s) Capcom
Picture format 480i (SDTV)
Released Flag of Japan September 9, 2004
Flag of the United States April 26, 2005
Flag of Europe August 26, 2005
Genre Action adventure
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Ratings ESRB: Mature (17+)
PEGI: 16+
Platform(s) PlayStation 2
Media DVD-ROM
Input methods DualShock 2
The correct title of this article is Resident Evil Outbreak File #2. The substitution or omission of a # sign is because of technical restrictions.

Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 is an online action adventure survival horror game developed and published by Capcom. It was released for the Playstation 2 on September 9, 2004 in Japan, April 26, 2005 in North America, and on August 26, 2005 in Europe. Following the success of the first title in Japan, Capcom quickly announced the release of Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 in fall of 2004. File #2 is more of an extension of the first game than a whole new game itself. The same eight characters from the first title return with similar abilities, and the game takes place once again in a zombie-packed Raccoon City. Five new scenarios are available, and the first four are available from the beginning. One scenario takes place in a zoo, another in a subway, and one in a forest-like setting. The fourth scenario is a modified version of the Raccoon Police Department, which first appeared in Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. The fifth is an Umbrella laboratory. In Japan, the game is packaged with a demo of Devil May Cry 3 (if pre-ordered). Despite the financial success of the first title, File #2 sold roughly 40% of what the first did when it was released in Japan, thus dampening the chances of a future installment. As of March 31, 2007, Capcom has shut down all servers for the online mode.

Contents

Scenarios

Training Level ("Outbreak Revisited")

Although this is a true scenario, it also serves as a tutorial for players of the original Outbreak to learn some of the new gameplay mechanics available in File #2. As the title of the level implies, the locations are lifted directly from areas of Outbreak such as J's Bar. The tutorial teaches a player the controls of the game through the notes scattered in different areas.

"Wild Things"

This scenario takes place inside the Raccoon City Zoo, just outside the back gate of the zoo. Initially, the player must retrieve a notebook or a pair of bolt cutters from a local restaurant dubbed the "Elephant Restaurant". Once inside, players can encounter a wide variety of infected animals including lions, hyenas, hornbills, an alligator and the zoo's main attraction: Oscar the Elephant (nicknamed ‘Titan’). This scenario is considered to be a great starting level for beginners because the level of difficulty is still low and there is a wide array of powerful weaponry available for the player -- such as shotguns, a hunting rifle, and a revolver handgun -- which come in handy for more difficult opponents. There are two possible bosses one can face in this scenario: Titan the elephant or Stalker, a "zombified" lion.

"Underbelly"

In the second scenario players must find their way to the subway, in an effort to escape via the train system. This proves harder than it initially seems when it is learned that the subway has been infested by mutated flea-like insects (called Mega Bites). After fixing up the train to aid the survivors' escape, the queen flea (dubbed Giga Bite) kidnaps one of the players and the others are forced to help. If the players don't return to the Subway after defeating the Giga Bite on time, they must be forced to escape via air sequence, thus giving a longer ending.

"Flashback"

The scenario takes place in the Arklay Forest where the survivors start off in a cabin. An old man enters and tells them of a road through the woods that leads to the next town. The survivors follow, where the man disappears and they find their way to an abandoned hospital. Within the hospital, players find themselves pursued by a masked man brandishing a woodcutter's axe and a giant sentient plant (quite similar to the Plant 42 of the original Resident Evil) that tries to hinder their progress. For more in depth information regarding this scenario see: The Abandoned Hospital.

"Desperate Times"

This scenario takes place inside the R.P.D. precinct, and features Officer Marvin Branagh and freelance journalist, Ben Bertolucci, who were both supporting characters in Resident Evil 2. The main objective here is to find plates that will allow a surviving R.P.D. officer (known as Rita) to get out of the station and find help. After they're found and placed into the statue in the main hall, the players have a limited amount of time to prepare for the escape. The precinct is soon attacked by zombies who quickly overcome the last handful of exhausted police officers. Fortunately, Rita returns to rescue the survivors, although Marvin has been wounded during the attack and is forced to stay behind. Marvin later appears in Resident Evil 2 as the dying officer who locks himself inside an office in the police station early on, only to transform into a zombie and attack the player at a later point.

"End of the Road"

The fifth scenario can only be unlocked after completing the other four. This is the longest scenario. It takes place in an Umbrella Laboratory, and features four Npcs Carter, Linda, Rodriguez and Arnold. After the beginning FMV, showing David saving Carter from a rogue zombie, a system lockdown occurs and the player must then find a way out. Linda has found a vaccine that can stop the T-Virus from growing. Within the Umbrella Lab lies the Tyrant, a Bio-weapon made by Umbrella, which Carter soon finds and reprograms to fight the 'Hunters'.

Just in case however, Carter has a switch that will blow the Tyrant's internal bomb if some thing were to go wrong. Once the player reaches a set goal, Tyrant recovers from the reprogramming. He kills Carter and knocks the detonation switch down an elevator shaft. The player can retrieve it later when descending into the waterworks. Depending on the course taken, the player may either escape on a helicopter or fight the monstrosity, Nyx. Linda must also be saved in order to receive a 'good' ending.

Supporting Characters

"Wild Things"

  • Austin Taylor - A watchman at the Raccoon Zoo, Austin's job is to handle dangerous animals and difficult tasks regarding the day-to-day operation of the zoo. After barricading himself inside the watchtower, he asks the survivors to let his remaining comrades know that he is safe. Note: Austin will only appear on the harder difficulties. He will not be encountered on the 'Easy' or 'Normal' scenarios.
  • Patrick Reyes & Lloyd Stewart - Surviving zookeepers at the Raccoon City Zoo. Both Patrick and Lloyd have been injured by the infected animals roaming the area, and have chosen to await rescue inside the zoo. An interesting note: A character named Patrick Brady exists in the non-canon Resident Evil comic and shares the same occupation as Patrick Reyes

"Underbelly"

  • Ricky - Jim's friend and co-worker. His corpse can be found in the "East Men's Restroom." Jim can take Ricky's notebook from him. According to the notebook, Ricky was afraid of the dark. (A special item, "Afraid of the Dark," can be found in the pump room. It is a book that helps people confront their fear of the dark.) While inspecting the subway tunnel, Ricky was bitten by an infected bug. As Ricky loses the fight against the virus, his entries become more garbled and incoherent. His notebook ends with ...Was that noise? My head...Bugs...Kill you....
  • Amelia - A female NPC found if the player reaches the "Women's Staff Restroom" in a set amount of time. She is being pulled, screaming, into the ventilation shaft by an unseen creature. If the player takes too long, then they will not find her at all. Amelia cannot be rescued. Witnessing this cutscene is strongly suggested due to the added result points.

"Flashback"

  • Axeman [1] - A shirtless, hooded man who chases the player through the halls of the abandoned hospital. The Axeman is actually former Hospital Administrator and Dorothy Lester's husband Albert Lester in disguise. Due to his rapidly healing body, he is virtually unstoppable for the duration of the scenario, leaving the player to constantly flee or defend against his relentless attacks, buying only a small amount of time to reorganise before another assault. See Arklay Mountains for more information.
  • Albert 'Al' Lester - The former Hospital Administrator who now lives his life as 'The Axeman'. He lures campers, hikers and botanists into the hospital before attempting to kill them for food for the gigantic, infected, plant that has infested the hospital. He remained in the area after the hospital's closure, continuing to care for the infected Dorothy in the intensive care unit. After encountering several survivors rummaging for supplies in his cabin, he offers to lead them to the safety of the neighboring town, instead luring them into an ambush at the abandoned hospital. Depending on whether the player chooses to fight him or not after killing the giant plant, Al will be shown being crushed by falling debris along with his dead wife. His name might be a pun to Albert Wesker.
  • Dorothy Lester - Deceased wife of Ex-Hospital Administrator Al (The Axeman). Dorothy was diagnosed with a terminal illness and was used as one of Al's test subjects in a last ditch effort to cure her. Dorothy fell victim to the effects of the T-Virus and became a zombie, killing Kurt when he infiltrated the hospital in an attempt to find evidence of malpractice. Upon defeating the massive vine creature which supports the crumbling hospital structure, her lifeless corpse is expelled from the creature's bowels. See Arklay Mountains for more information.
  • Kurt - A journalist associated with Alyssa Ashcroft who attempted to expose the illegal testing of experimental products on patients in the Abandoned Hospital by a company called "Drugs, Inc." This company was actually a front used by the Umbrella Corporation to avoid detection while supplying the hospital with the test products. Kurt is killed by the infected Dorothy after breaking into the hospital in an attempt to gather evidence.
  • Regan Mallet - Regan is another surviving citizen of the outbreak attempting to escape the danger of Raccoon City through the Arklay Mountains with her daughter, Lucy. After escaping into the mountains, she is attacked and separated from her daughter. Eventually, the survivors find Regan injured and defenseless inside Al's cabin, and offer to locate Lucy and return her to safety.
  • Lucy Mallet - The four-year-old daughter of Regan Mallet. She became separated from her mother after being attacked by an unspecified creature. She is found next to a river by the survivors and initially refuses to accompany them through the forest, as her mother told her never to talk to strangers. The player is then forced to abandon her. However, if the player locates Regan, she will give the character her pendant, which can then be taken to Lucy to convince her to listen to the survivors' advice and ultimately re-unite her with her mother.

"Desperate Times"

  • Marvin Branagh- Seen first in Resident Evil 2 barely clinging to life and eventually joining the ranks of the undead, Marvin's final attempt at escape is explored in this scenario. Together with several surviving members of the Raccoon Police Department, he works toward an escape plan. Injured, he stays behind as fellow officers Harry and Rita escape with the survivors.
  • Ben Bertolucci - A freelance journalist who has infiltrated the precinct in an attempt to locate evidence of the R.P.D.'s collusion with the Umbrella Corporation. He comes across information linking Chief Brian Irons to the highest echelons of Umbrella's experiments in Raccoon City, including communications with an Umbrella researcher, William Birkin. After being discovered by Irons, he is locked inside the precinct's holding cells until Irons can have him discreetly dealt with. After finding out how serious the situation outside the precinct has become, Ben chooses to stay firmly put inside until the situation blows over. His eventual fate is revealed during the events of Resident Evil 2.
  • Rita - An R.P.D. officer who works with Marvin Branagh and several other officers in an attempt to escape the deteriorating security of the Raccoon City Police Department. She squeezes through a crawlspace leading to the precinct's exterior and eventually comes across fellow officer, Harry, who is in possession of a SWAT van. Although they return in time to save the player character(s), an injured Marvin chooses to stay behind to protect them from danger.
  • Harry - After Rita crawls through the crawlspace underneath the Statue in the R.P.D. main hall, she finds Harry (from Outbreak File #1), who is still in possession of his SWAT van. Together they manage to get to the R.P.D. in time to save the player/character(s) before they are overcome by zombies. However the group didn't manage to make it in time to save Marvin. When a zombie gets too close to the cab of the van, Harry freaks out and charges the van out of the area, leaving Marvin to his fate. Harry's fate is still unknown. He may have survived by getting out of Raccoon City with Rita before the bombing began but it is not confirmed.
  • Fred, Andy, Jean and Tony - Surviving members of the R.P.D. Tony is the R.P.D.'s dog handler and trainer, while the other three are regular officers. Fred and Tony are two members of the handful of survivors barricaded inside the R.P.D. precinct, alongside Aaron, Rita and Marvin. Both are killed during the zombie invasion, with Fred being overcome by infected crows on the roof and Tony being mauled to death by his own infected dogs in the K-9 kennel. Jean's corpse can be found on the "Hard" and "Very Hard" difficulties in the "Underbelly" scenario, next to a final note addressed to his R.P.D. colleagues. Andy appears as a playable character after completing the "Desperate Times" scenario. While he is not present in any of the featured scenarios and his actual fate is unknown, he would have likely not escaped Raccoon City, as he has extensive and severe bite wounds on his arms and throat and a high infection rate.
  • Nathan Donnelly and Samuel Kirk - Suspected armed robbers that were accused of stealing $800 and various guns from MacLeed's Gun Shop on Carter Street, perhaps in an attempt to prepare for the outbreak. They were being confined within the R.P.D. holding cells with Ben Bertolucci at the time of the outbreak. The pair do not escape with the survivors. They are not seen in the cells during Resident Evil 2, and they cannot be freed over the course of "Desperate Times." What eventually becomes of them is unknown.

"End of the Road"

  • Linda - An Umbrella researcher who returns to the corporation's branch in Raccoon City to retrieve a vaccine sample. Failing to do so after the Tyrant's attack, she is later mistaken for a zombie and shot in the leg by Arnold.
  • Carter- A colleague of Linda who reprograms a Tyrant to assist the players to escape. He has a bomb in the tyrant should it rebel, but unfortunately the Tyrant does indeed betray him and Carter loses the switch and is killed by the Tyrant.
  • Arnold- A UBCS officer. After hearing that Mission Code: XX had been put into effect, he flew out of Raccoon City in a helicopter, carrying a crate containing Nyx. Tommy attempted to destroy his chopper via Rocket Launcher, but failed to hit. The sudden swerve caused the crate's ropes to break, releasing Nyx. He is seen in Cutscenes only.
  • Tommy- A businessman. He is likely to be working for Umbrella due to his knowledge of Mission Code: XX with the trust of the UBCS. When Arnold left him in Raccoon City to be killed in the strike, he attempted to destroy Arnold's chances of surviving by destroying his Helicopter with a Rocket launcher. Arnold swerved the helicopter, thus causing the release of the blob-like monstrosity Nyx.

Features

File #2 includes several new features from the first Outbreak. Loading times are now much shorter, with the average DVD loading screen counting in at 7 seconds. HDD loading is now about 1-3 seconds. There is no longer a brief "pause" when the inventory or map is opened, players can now walk and shoot at the same time, a new item was given to each of the original characters, including magazines for their weapons (Kevin and Mark), a new defensive weapon (Alyssa), a team-aid item (George, Cindy), a lighter that has "J's Bar" engraved on it (David), and stat-boosting items (Jim, Yoko). Communication is roughly the same, which has turned many players away from File #2. Instead of creating a new system from scratch, the old communication system from the first game has been improved upon. These new additions included the ad-lib phrase "Sorry", and the ability to say comments based on what players were looking at on the Map and File screens. The game also boasts a new difficulty feature and some changes to the games balance. These include a new Nightmare Mode and several alternations to previous damage charts. For example, the zombie's grab attack did around 300 damage in the original Outbreak. It now does well over 600. These changes, combined with a new zombie speed and increased attack range, make the game a challenge to even veteran Resident Evil players.

Regional Differences

In the American version of the game, the 'ad-libs' from the first game have been removed. Now, only when a character uses the analog stick or makes a request do they make a noise. If context ad-libbing is attempted, no sounds are made, affecting gameplay. If a player attempts to tell someone they were poisoned, the chances of that player getting the message are low if he or she is in the middle of combat. The Japanese release, however, features full voices, with the European featuring only voices and no text. The American version also features various cases of mistranslation. For example, one shelf on the "End of the Road" scenario tells the player that an item of importance is on top of the final row. As a matter of fact, there is nothing on the top of this shelf. Another case of poor translation comes from the first cutscene in "Wild Things", where Cindy reads the notice on the map board. In the Japanese version, subtitles are the bottom of the screen to show what the letter reads. Because the American version featured no subtitles, this was removed, leaving players with little to no explanation as to why the characters were traveling through the zoo. The Japanese version features Japanese subtitles for the cutscenes while all characters speak English (like previous Biohazard games). Because of the character variety, this leads to a strange continuation where the Japanese subs read as having all characters saying the same thing in some cases (the cutscene where the player's character finds Linda is one of them). Linda is called Rinda in the Japanese version. Although the characters still say her name as Linda during cutscenes, the NPC select screen shows her name beginning with an R (similar to her NPC name in the original Outbreak). This could be considered Engrish. In Japan, the game runs on the KDDI MMBB service (Capcom uses this service for all of their online games released in Asia). In America, this service was swapped out for SNAP (Sega Network Application Package). Because of this change, several features were removed from the NTSC/PAL versions, including private messaging, advance search options, and special options to limit the rankings to find specific ranks.

Gameplay Changes

  • It is now possible to play multiples of the same "type" of character in an online game.
  • You can now pick up items from the floor while crawling.
  • Alyssa and Kevin are able to potshot even in Danger status.
  • It is now possible to move while firing.
  • An apology ad-lib has been added and is done by holding L2 and pressing triangle.
  • A transferable extra starting item is included for all characters.
  • Alyssa now does a backwards jump instead of the back step.
  • Yoko cannot shoulder ram anymore and can only do the face push.
  • If attacked while holding someone, Cindy can make both duck.
  • Kevin now can do an elbow rush that knocks enemies far back.
  • George has a stronger tackle that can knock enemies over.
  • Jim can swing a melee weapon very fast, but it leaves him winded afterward.
  • David has a fourth swing to his knife combo and two swings when aimed upward and downward.
  • Mark's big swing charges faster and can be aimed at all directions.

Online Mode

Network Play features a major overhaul from the previous Outbreak game. The game featured a new lobby system, new event system, and an increase of options and modes to play. Capcom ran events from the month of April to late May that were sponsored by various gaming magazines. This included events from PSM and EGM, amongst others. Clearing these events rewarded the players with characters and costumes (the same ones you can get offline). Some events took place in standard levels on set difficulties, while others placed the player in selected levels with Infinite and Nightmare options activated (this was before the two mentioned options were available for free use). After all sponsored events ended, Capcom ran two events in circulation (a point bonus event, and an SP item hunt event). The lobby system was revamped, now including ten areas with different options in each one (75% healing, double enemy damage, infinite ammo, difficulty levels, etc). However, this change made it harder to join games with friends. In order for a player to join a friend in their hosted or current game, the player would need to enter a menu to search for their name, then exit that menu. Choose the area they're in, and find the game. This menu doesn't mention the amount of players in the current game when you search it, meaning the game could be full before you even reach it. In early July, Capcom closed an alternate server, leaving only one choice for the player when they connected as far as server selections go. Months after, Nightmare Mode, Infinite Mode, and changes to the Area system were made. HDD Support was dropped from the Area Screen, but players could still host games with HDD mode turned on by activating it offline. From within the game, or by a link on the official Capcom sales page of their US site, players could look and see where they stacked on the ranking boards. Various players cheated the rankings, and the rankings were wiped one from a server failure. On March 31st, 2007, Capcom closed their PAL & US servers for File 2.[1]. Capcom also closed the US File 1 servers as of January 2nd, 2008. However, both Japanese servers remain online.

Extra Characters

Various members from the Resident Evil community have hacked a lot of skins from File #2 and File #1 discs. These skins featured never before seen characters and models. Those characters are transferable from one game to the other. They were possibly made for a third installment in the series. Those characters were promptly blocked from online play until the possible release of File #3. Due to poor sales of File #2, the chances of File #3 being released are slim to none. The cast of playable unlocked characters includes Amelia, the woman yanked through the roof by the Megabite during "Underbelly"; HUNK, star of Resident Evil 2's "The 4th Survivor" mode; Ginger and Laura, both of whom are template characters for female zombies; Bone, a black man who is theorized to be one of the abandoned character designs for David King; and several other members from the U.S.S. and the U.B.C.S., as well as citizens.

Storyline Clashes

  • Various subtle changes have been made to the layout of the R.P.D. precinct featured in the 'Desperate Times' scenario not appearing in Resident Evil 2. Changes include the lack of a third floor, a missing door on the first floor, and a size error in the basement garage (the armory room conflicts with the parking ramp). However, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles uses the same dimensions as "Desperate Times" for the RPD.
  • In the closing cinematic of the "Desperate Times" scenario, Harry drives the S.W.A.T. van directly forwards away from the front gate of the Raccoon Police Station when leaving with the survivors. However in Resident Evil 3, we see that there is a building directly opposite the front gate of the Raccoon Police Department.
  • If you beat "Desperate Times" with Kevin, you see a squad car pass by. The people in the squad car are implied to be Leon and Claire of Resident Evil 2. Which also implies that the date when playing this level may be September 29, the day Leon and Claire come to Raccoon City. Though in Resident Evil 3, which takes place on September 28, a day before the events of Resident Evil 2, Jill Valentine goes to the R.P.D. precinct and finds Marvin Branagh's fatally wounded (but not dead) body in the office. At the end of "Desperate Times" Marvin is seen going into the office after being attacked and bitten by zombies. This could also mean that the date the scenario takes place could be on September 27. A day before Resident Evil 3, and two days before Resident Evil 2 began. If this is so, the squad car may only be a non-canon reference to Leon and Claire.
  • There are a few doors you can't go in on "Desperate Times". They are: Door to the West Office, Library, Irons Offices, (blocked off by debris), the stairs to the Shed and Parking Lot, the door to the TV Room, the door to where the Licker is encountered on Resident Evil 2.
  • Marvin is seen injured by zombies while waiting for a character to return with back-up. According to Biohazard Archives, Marvin was wounded during a blockade incident.
  • Various other changes are made to the layout of returning areas that conflict with their originals. Mixed with the fact that Outbreak was originally a twenty level game (ten levels are only featured) with branching paths, the game's storyline in itself could be deemed incomplete.

Costumes

In this sequel, 2 more costumes are added for the females (Cindy, Yoko, Alyssa) and one for each male character (Kevin, Mark, Jim, George, David). These costumes can only be unlocked by completing mini-games or collecting the special items. Kevin: B type- features Kevin in a cowboy outfit named six-shooter Kevin: C type- features Kevin with gelled hair , a faded leather jacket, and jeans Mark: B type- features Mark in his casual outfit on his days off Mark: C type- features Mark in his army clothing Jim: B type- features Jim in his basketball clothes Jim: C type- features Jim in a paper boy outfit George: B type- features George in his casual outdoors outfit George: C type- features George in his surgeon clothing David: B type- features David in his disco outfit David: C type- features David's "Real Survivor" outfit Alyssa: B type- features Alyssa in her street clothes Alyssa: C type- features Alyssa in a red lingerie dress Alyssa: D type- features Alyssa in a karate uniform Alyssa: E type- features Alyssa in a "Victory Road" outfit, consisting a white hat, and a red bikini swimsuit

Yoko: B type- features Yoko in a green spring dress Yoko: C type- features Yoko in her gym clothing Yoko: D type- features Yoko in a martial arts uniform Yoko: E type- features Yoko in a blue swimsuit Cindy: B type- features Cindy in her vacation clothes Cindy: C type- features Cindy in a playboy bunny outfit, consisting of a bunny costume with ears and fishnet stockings Cindy: D type- features Cindy in a diving suit Cindy: E type- features Cindy in a coquette costume, cosisting of a hairband, white bikini top, and a bikini bottom behind a pair of cut-off denim short shorts

Sales

The final sales of Outbreak File #2 were 200,000 for US, Europe and Japan, making the total of 600,000 sales. While Europe didn't get the game until 4 months after the American release, the game oddly enough sold faster. This could be due to the addition of the online mode. The sales of File #2 in Japan were pretty low compared to that of the original, with the American sales being the most disappointing.

References

External links

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Resident Evil Outbreak File 2 from Wíkipedia. ©2006 by Wíkipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. View a list of authors or edit this article.

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