01-29-2004, 03:36 PM
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#1
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Dr. Gaius Baltar <3
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 18,936
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Resident Evil Online
Resident Evil Outbreak (PS2)
Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom
Genre: Survival-Horror Release Date: Q1 2004
ESRB: Mature
from gamespy:
Quote:
Take four PlayStation 2 gamers. Make sure they have a penchant for the subtle art that is survival-horror. Connect them all up to "the Internet" via a broadband adapter, and give each of them a copy of Resident Evil Outbreak. Sit back and watch them live through the entire ten-day period where the T-virus outbreak occurs in Raccoon City, spanning the same timeframe as the first three RE games. Now you've got a little inkling into the next potential hit from Capcom.
Resident Evil Outbreak is very different than the usual efforts involved in this horror-adventure franchise. Rather than assuming the role of a strong hero or heroine, Outbreak pukes up eight scared, normal citizens into your lap. Choose one and work with three others to figure out how the hell to survive in a town that's rapidly being overcome by the walking dead.
Adding to the bad-news-express-bound-for-Hell is the fact that Kevin, the cop, is the only character that starts out with a gun. Others, such as Alyssa (the reporter who's good at picking locks) or George (the doctor that can heal others), start out with zip. Although each guy or girl has an individual skill or advantage -- like Jim, for instance, the subway staff member who can "play dead" -- these John and Jane Doe's are really in the poop. Only through teamwork, puzzle-solving, and quick mental reflexes will you and your pals avoid becoming zombie chum.
Things get worse when you realize that you and your new friends are all being slowly infected by the T-virus, thus limiting your lifespan exponentially. In fact, if you get bitten or injured by the various critters now freely roaming around, you'll reach critical infection all the quicker. It's not all bad, though -- well, it is actually -- because at 100 percent infection you turn into a zombie for a couple of minutes before throwing a seven. In that time, you'll be able to chomp and nibble on your once-friends, providing some nasty fun to the end of your life.
You're going to need a lot of bullets for this one. Did I mention that zombies can now follow you through doors? Yikes! On the lighter side, Outbreak stands to offer a truly nail-biting gameplay experience. A separate single-player mode -- where allies are controlled and guided by decent artificial intelligence routines -- will give those not "online" a decent taste of what multiplayer Outbreak could be like, but for the real smell of fear, you've got to go online.
Capcom made a decision early on in development not to include voice-over chat. This was for a number of reasons, but primarily it didn't want to break the RE atmosphere. Players have to communicate via a series of eight preloaded voice commands -- "help," "come over here," and the other character names, etc. -- and while it keeps in line with the traditional feeling of other RE games, I think it might lead to some frustration and tedium when playing with others that aren't tuned in a much as you might be. Whatever the case, it's an acceptable solution to keeping the tradition of RE alive and well.
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Sounds like this could be pretty good... I'll be watching this one.
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