Resident Evil Outbreak File 2

Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 is an online game for the PlayStation 2, initially released in 2004 in Japan.

Following the success of the first title in Japan, Capcom quickly announced Biohazard Outbreak File 2 for release in fall 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-run 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 City Police Department, which first appeared in Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. The fifth is an Umbrella laboratory. In Japan, the game came 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, dampening the chances of a future installment.

Training Level ("Outbreak Revisited")
Not a true scenario, but a tutorial and a means for players of the original Outbreak to learn some of the new gameplay mechanics available in File #2. The locations are lifted directly from areas of Outbreak - such as J's Bar. The tutorial teaches the player the controls of the game by scattered notes found throughout the level.

"Wild Things"
This scenario takes place inside the Raccoon Zoo, 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 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 the best starting level for beginners, due to its general fast pace and powerful weaponry available (such as Shotguns, a Hunting Rifle, and a Revolver Handgun in the harder difficulties). There are two possible bosses one can face in this scenario: Titan the elephant, or Stalker, an infected 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. There is a second ending to this story line, where if you choose not to partake in the hospital area. It can be accessed by just wandering around until the bridge leading to the hospital breaks. There will now be scissors tails that roam the area. A new path opens up on the map leading back into the city, with a slight narration by the your choice in character.

"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 incidental 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 has a very small cameo in Resident Evil 2 as the dying officer who locks himself inside a room in the police station early on, only to attack you as a zombie later on. This level seems to be a prologue to Resident Evil 2 because when the character leaves the police station they pass a cop car which most players of the game think contains Claire Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy.

"End of the Road"
The fifth scenario can only be unlocked after completing the other four. This is the longest scenario, often taking far over an hour for the less experienced. It takes place in an Umbrella Laboratory, and featured Carter (the man who gave Yoko Suzuki a gun in the original Resident Evil Outbreak), Linda, Rodriguez Tommy and Arnold. After the beginning FMV showing David King saving Carter from a rogue zombie, a system lockdown occurs. 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.

"Wild Things"

 * Austin Taylor - A watchman at the Raccoon City 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 - friend and co-worker on the Subway. 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 a virus-infested bug (in all likelihood, a Megabite). 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 gets to the East Women's 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.

"Flashback"

 * Axe Man - A shirtless, hooded man who chases the player through the halls of the abandoned hospital. The Axeman is actually former Hospital Administrator Albert Lester in disguise. Due to his rapidly healing body, The Axeman is virtually unstoppable, leaving the player to constantly flee or defend against his relentless attacks - not unlike Nemesis in Resident Evil 3. See Arklay Mountains for more information.


 * Albert 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, Albert will be shown being crushed by falling debris along with his dead wife.


 * 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, to locate Lucy and return her to safety.

"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 or 3, 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, a U.B.C.S. soldier, outside the Apple Inn. Aided by the survivors, she escapes either by helicopter or truck only minutes before Raccoon City is destroyed and eventually reunites with U.S.S. member Rodriguez on the outskirts of the city. She declares that humanity's one true hope is the ability to change, and testifies against the Umbrella Corporation's atrocities in the Supreme Court, alongside fellow researcher Yoko Suzuki.


 * Carter - An Umbrella researcher who foolishly releases a Tyrant in an attempt to escape Umbrella's research facility in Raccoon City, which is crawling with escaped Hunter B.O.W.'s. Carter states that they must "Fight fire with fire", believing the Tyrant will eliminate all opposition and lead them to safety.  Upon realizing that Carter can destroy it at any time via a remote detonator linked to explosives inside its body, the Tyrant rebels and attacks Carter, killing him and leaving the survivors to frantically search for the missing detonator. During the same attack, the Tyrant destroys Linda's T-Virus vaccine sample.


 * Arnold - A U.B.C.S. commander assigned to a clandestine retrieval operation in Raccoon City. Arnold cares little about the operation, and instead turns killing the surrounding zombies into a sport, accidentally shooting Linda when he mistakes her for another zombie. Upon realizing his error, Arnold continues his game not phased in the slightest about whether or not his targets are human or zombie.  Upon discovering Raccoon City's impending fate, Arnold abandons the mission and his unit, choosing to save himself before the missile attack is launched.


 * Rodriguez - An Umbrella Security Service member in possession of a crate containing an experimental B.O.W (Nyx) attached to his CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter. He waits on Main Street while Umbrella researcher Linda goes in search of a vaccine sample in the nearby research facility. Should the player fail to rendezvous with Rodriguez before the evacuation deadline expires, he will abandon them. As Rodriguez flies away, an Umbrella official launches an FIM-92 Stinger missile at his helicopter.  Rodriguez maneuvers to avoid it, but the missile just grazes the hook connected to the crate, causing the line to break, and then the crate falls onto a highway overpass where Arnold's U.B.C.S. unit has set up a roadblock. The crate is damaged on impact, and Nyx escapes, destroying the entire unit as they attempt to retrieve it and leaving the survivors with yet another obstacle in their path to escape. Should the player manage to escape with Rodriguez, the package is extracted successfully.

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 was 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. When a matter of fact, there is nothing on the top of this shelf.

Gameplay


 * 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 Square.
 * 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 back far.
 * 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). As of writing, Capcom now runs a pattern of events. They will feature a point event one week, then an SP Item hunt the next week.

The lobby system has been revamped, now including ten areas with different options in each one (75% healing, double enemy damage, infinite ammo, difficulty levels, etc). However, this change makes it harder to join games with friends. In order to join your friend in their hosted or current game, the player will need to enter a menu to search for their name, then exit that menu. Choose the area they're in, and find the game. The 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 can look and see where they stacked on the ranking boards. Various players have cheated the rankings. Capcom has deleted most of them, but act most of the time after various player reports are sent to them via e-mail or by telephone calls. The rankings were recently reset (July 06) due to a power outage within Capcom USA.

Online Play is no longer available due to poor player numbers.

Extra Characters
Various members from the Resident Evil community had 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.

A full list of these characters is here

A list of photos of extra characters is here.

Storyline
The Outbreak games are not considered completely canon by many fans as they conflict with various other sources of the RE storyline, although these conflicts are primarily very minor and almost completely irrelevant to the overall plot;


 * 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).


 * 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 Station.


 * 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 Branaghs 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.


 * In the scenario 'Below Freezing Point', several doors have been destroyed by hunters. After the survivors escape, Claire Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy venture through the labs. These doors are not damaged during the events of Resident Evil 2.


 * In the scenario 'Below Freezing Point', the ladder in the southern part of the facility has platforms at levels B5F, B6F and B7F which is continuous in Resident Evil 2


 * In 'Below Freezing Point', the control panel on the turn-table has switched sides


 * 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.''


 * In Resident Evil 2, there is a side-plot involving a group of officers trying to escape and survive Brian Irons ruthless campaign against the survivors, all told through various documents hidden around the station. In File 2, none of the characters mentioned in the files are seen, although there are NPCs who bear the same names.


 * 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.


 * At the end of Outbreaks credits, a movie plays showing the establishment of the Umbrella facility in the ruins of Raccoon City. During that movie, a F-22A Raptor photographs a location of biological concern in an unknown location to Umbrella. Since the date is supposedly 1999, the F-22A should not have been in service then. And why it is in Umbrella's possession is also interesting. It is possibly USAF, and is doing reconnaissance duties for Umbrella and the US Government, who were cooperating in cleanup operations.

Sales
The final sales of Outbreak File 2 were;

North America - 200,000 Japan - 200,000 Europe - 200,000

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.

Trivia

 * The Outbreak titles are the first since Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis to feature Raccoon City.
 * The sales of File #2 in Australia were somewhat poor- starting at a price of $80 RRP, then gradually falling to $20 RRP. The original Outbreak game, despite being on retail longer than File #2, was still sold at $99 RRP because of it's popularity and high praises.
 * The Outbreak titles are the first Resident Evil games to feature a multiplayer mode. However, it was only for Online use and the servers have since shut down.