Resident Evil Outbreak File 2
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| Resident Evil: Outbreak - File #2 | |
|---|---|
 North American box art |
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| Developer(s) | Capcom |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Director(s) | Eiichiro Sasaki |
| Producer(s) | Tsuyoshi Tanaka |
| Artist(s) | Yoshihiro Ono |
| Writer(s) | Yuji Matsumoto Koichi Okada Kazunori Kadoi Yasunori Ichinose Haruo Murata |
| Composer(s) | Akihiko Matsumoto Tetsuya Shibata Etsuko Yoneda Mitsuhiko Takano Kento Hasegawa |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Survival horror |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | |
Resident Evil: Outbreak - File #2, known in Japan as Biohazard: Outbreak: File 2 (バイオハザード アウトブレイク FILE2 Baiohazādo Autobureiku Fairu Tsū), is an online survival horror game developed and published by Capcom. It was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan on September 9, 2004; North America on April 26, 2005; and Europe on August 26, 2005.
Following the success of Resident Evil Outbreak in Japan, Capcom announced the release of the sequel Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 in fall of 2004. The same eight characters from the first title return with similar abilities, and the game once again takes place in a zombie-inhabited Raccoon City. Five new scenarios are available, the first four being playable from the beginning. In pre-ordered editions in Japan, the game was packaged with a demo of Devil May Cry 3.
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[edit] Gameplay
[edit] Scenarios
The player selects a scenario, difficulty level and a character. Each difficulty level is associated to enemies and items the player encounters as they progress through the scenario. The game has five scenarios: "Wild Things", "Underbelly", "Flashback", "Desperate Times" and "End of the Road".
Each scenario 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 twenty 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 character ad-libs. The game comes with two bonus scenarios, "Elimination" and "Showdown"; both are designed as training guides to boost gameplay.
[edit] Controls
Rather than using USB headphones or a computer keyboard, players use a command "ad-lib" system which consists of ten key command phrases, utilized by manipulating the right analog stick on the PlayStation 2 controller and a context sensitive button. The player can select and request items from their teammate's inventory, or ask the teammate themselves to use the item in question. The new additions included the ad-lib phrase "Sorry", and context-related comments on the Map and File screens.
The sequel also boasted a new difficulty feature and some changes to the game balance. These included a new "Nightmare Mode" and several alterations to previous damage charts. The game also included the ability to move the player's character while in attack stance, allowing a character with a gun to move and shoot at the same time.
[edit] Regional differences
For the North American version of the game, the 'ad-libs' from the first game were removed. Subsequently, only when a character used the analog stick or made a request did they make a noise. If an ad-lib was attempted, no sounds were made, negatively affecting gameplay. If a player attempts to tell another that they are poisoned, the chances the message would be noticed are low if they are in the middle of combat. The Japanese release features full voices, while the European version features voices, but without text.
The Japanese version features Japanese subtitles for the cutscene while the characters retain the use of English, as with previous Biohazard titles. Because of the character variety, this leads to a strange continuation where the Japanese subtitles read as having all characters saying the same thing in some situations.
The minor character "Linda" is called "Rinda" in the Japanese version. This is because the letters "R" and "L" are pronounced the same in the Japanese language, making them interchangeable.
In Japan the game ran on the KDDI MMBB service. In the United States, this service was swapped out for the 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.
[edit] Multiplayer mode
On March 31, 2007, Capcom closed their PAL and NTSC servers for File #2. Online play was given a major overhaul from that of the previous game. File #2 had a new lobby system, new event system, and an increase in options and modes of play.
Capcom ran events from April to late May of 2005 that were sponsored by various gaming magazines. This included events from PlayStation Magazine and Electronic Gaming Monthly, amongst others. Clearing these events rewarded the players with characters and costumes. Some events took place in standard levels on set difficulties, while others placed the player in selected levels with Infinite and Nightmare options activated, before the two 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.
The lobby system was revamped to include ten areas with different options in each one; 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 needed to enter a menu to search for their name, then exit that menu, choose the area they are in, and find the game. This menu did not mention the number of players in the game when searched for, meaning a game could be full before the player joined.
In early July, Capcom closed an alternate server, leaving only one choice for the player when they connected. 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 United States site, players could look and see their position on the ranking boards.
[edit] Reception
Resident evil outbreak file 2 has been met with negative to mixed reviews. 1UP gave the game a D, Meta critic game it a 58/100 and Gamerankings gave it a 62/100. This is due to Outbreak 2 being almost exactly the same as before but the adlib system, and a few other things were removed from the game.
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 62.99%[1] |
| Metacritic | 58% (35 reviews)[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| 1UP.com | D- [3] |
| Allgame |   [4] |
[edit] References
- ^ "Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 for PlayStation 2". Game Rankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/920238-resident-evil-outbreak-file-2/index.html. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
- ^ "Review: Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 for PlayStation 2". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/resident-evil-outbreak-file-2. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
- ^ "Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 Review for PS2". 1UP.com. http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=2019189&sec=REVIEW. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
- ^ "Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 – Overview". AllGame. http://allgame.com/game.php?id=45203. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
[edit] External links
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