No Innovation in Outbreak
As I sat, alone in the dark, playing Resident Evil Outbreak, I couldn't help but chuckle when one of the characters quipped: "It feels like I'm in a bad horror movie." If that line doesn't sum up my beloved Resident Evil series, then I'm not sure what else does. While the series does seem to be moving away from the B-grade movie stuff (Code Veronica, and it looks like 4 as well), Outbreak reminds you where it all started. This game pits you against the same old zombies, gives the characters the lame old voices, and yet I still find it entertaining. I do not, however, find it as innovative as it could have been. As I was with Resident Evil, I am slightly disappointed, mainly due to the fact that I am a huge fan of the series in general, so I expect every game to be on the same caliber as RE2, which is simply impossible. Outbreak could have been something truly unique, but I fear that by the time Resident Evil 4 rolls around, people will have passed like so many of those crappy shooters. Maybe it does deserve to be forgotten, but it does deserve a chance to be played, to give a taste of gamers of what Resident Evil games could possibly be capable of.
Unlike all the other Resident Evil games, there really isn't a true story to speak of here. 8 different characters are placed in events that took place during Raccoon City during the infamous T-Virus outbreak, which transformed the city into a hell on earth as zombies and other abominations roamed the streets in search of flesh. These 8 characters are survivors, and they must find a way out of the city at all costs. There are five scenarios, each with they're own story. This is my first disappointment. Rather than go on one long adventure to escape the city, the player is forced into canned situations that never really change. Granted, each scenario is rather large, but with the stories not linked at all, it makes for an unbalanced feel. I would much rather have the entire city to explore with no set paths, rather than just a certain area. But perhaps my vision isn't able to be carried out by this generation of consoles. My expectations maybe a bit high, but I see no reason why all the scenarios couldn't have been linked somehow.
To it's credit, this game does have a large cast of characters to select from, each with their own ability. There is Kevin; a cop, and Mark; a security guard, and they each start off with a gun. Kevin can take potshots for more damage, and Mark can really wind up with those iron pipes. Alyssa; a news reporter can pick locks, Yoko; a student, can carry more items in her backpack, and Cindy; a waitress, can mix herbs and heal anyone near her. David; a plumber can combine items to fashion makeshift weapons, George is a doctor with a medical set, and Jim; a subway worker, is cowardly, so he can play dead if he gets in trouble. So theoretically, all of these characters have their own jobs. But nothing stops the skinny and psychically weak Cindy from picking up a shotgun and charging right into it. There's often times more than enough firearms for the players to pick up, which usually allows for all members of the party to be well armed. It doesn't matter what your job is if 2 people out of your group of four has shotguns. They are all fun to play with, granted, but there's nothing to force them into the role they were seemingly meant to be.
Of course, when you're playing online, it's another story. This is where many players will likely be spending most of their time, and if you want to unlock every single thing this game has to offer, you'll have to. Playing online means you must cooperate with your fellow teammates, instead of hording all the big guns for yourself. One player with all the guns won't get you far, especially if that particular player is meant to be a healer. There is no Voice Chat, so to communicate, the player must utilize the right analog stick to shout out simple commands, which cannot be changed. You can call for help, tell people to follow you, to go ahead, to stay, and you can thank people. It's a very crude system, but for the most part it works, unless all the players start yelling at each other at what to do. At this point inn the PS2's lifespan, there's really no excuse for not having Voice Chat. Sure, you'll get the random player who acts like a 2 year old and ruins the experience, but all online games have that. Players babble on and on in SOCOM II, and yet it remains one of the most popular online games today. There's no way to really explain something, which can lead to the players running around in circles until they stumble on where to go, unless of course, there are experienced players in the group.
The main goal of each scenario is to escape it. Each has its own unique trademarks, for example, the Outbreak scenario takes place in Raccoon City during the main outbreak, while Below Freezing Point takes place in a lab deep beneath the city streets where there has been an accident, which has effectively frozen most of the lab, leaving escape for the survivors nearly impossible. The puzzles are for the most part standard RE-fare, like finding keys and inserting weird objects to get items and weapons. Still, each environment uses the puzzles to their advantage, so their isn't really anything that's blatantly out of place. Items can be traded back and forth between players, but it would have been nice to have a drop feature without having to pick up another item. Melee weapons are a nice addition, but they generally don't last very long and don't inflict much damage. There are tons of costumes and movies to unlock, and several difficulty levels, so there is always something to come back for.
The graphics, while quite good, aren't what they could have been I think. Compared to recent Capcom titles, especially the upcoming Onimusha 3, they just don't seem as polished. It has the look and feel of a Resident Evil game, which can be a good thing. The characters themselves are extremely detailed and finely modeled, to the way Kevin lines up his shots, to they way Cindy timidly holds her hands together when not moving, it all looks very realistic. Character movement is still an issue, as they still have that blocky feeling, instead of a fluid motion. The environments are excellent, and put good use to the Resident Evil name. The city streets are run-down, cop cars are scattered; in the hospital there are stretchers everywhere, and the whole placed is trashed, since most of the patients at the time of the outbreak, were infected with the T-Virus. The creatures are detailed as well, but certainly not as well as the GameCube games. There isn't as much blood as the previous Resident Evil titles, which can be a good or bad thing. The game goes for a gritty feeling, but instead the game seems dulled down a bit. The GameCube games were gritty as well, but they were much, much prettier.
If you've ever played a Resident Evil game before, then you've heard just about every single sound in this game. Some of the gunshots have been altered, and a few new footsteps have been added, but there's nothing new. With the exception of the downright brilliant opening cinema, even the music remains the same for the most part. I appreciate the fact that the music hasn't been tampered with, but after playing these games for so long, I would like to see a change. The voice acting in this game is about what you'd expect. Ranging from bad to laughing so hard milk shoots out your nose, the voice acting is certainly no surprise. This is one thing I've had enough of. Capcom is a huge company that put a huge amount of money towards Onimusha 3 to capture the look and voices of major actors known all over the world, but they can't fork over a few extra bucks for some talented voice actors? Give me a break.
I realize that I have a lot of criticism towards this game, but please bare in mind, it's coming from a huge Resident Evil fan who has finally admitted that the series needs to change, or it will fall way behind other franchises. Instead of stepping right into change, Outbreak kind of drags itself along, refusing to let go of the past. Aside from the extremely limited online mode, there isn't anything in this game that Resident Evil Ø hadn't accomplished 2 years ago. Unless Capcom utilizes the harddrive and adds downloadable content like maps and weapons, there is no way this game will last. Quite simply, Outbreak is too much of the same and not enough of the new. If you're new to Resident Evil, then you will find yourself in heaven for a brief while for this game. And if you're a die-hard fan, then it should keep you entertained for a while, but blowing through the over-done puzzles and typical enemies will wear down on you after a while. As for me, I'm counting on Resident Evil 4 breathing some air into a series that is closer to death than some think. It's not even scary anymore, something that the series is supposed to be all about. Whatever happened to survival-horror?? It needs innovation, and Outbreak simply does not have that.
6/10