Resident Evil Outbreak was released exclusively for the PlayStation 2 first in December 2003 for Japan, and throughout 2004 for the rest of the world. At the time, it was the very first time that the series featured multiplayer and online play, although interestingly the online component was absent from PAL versions of the game.
The game was pitched and designed with then online component in mind - the concept was actually first developed around the same time as
Resident Evil 2 but was put on hold for various reasons. After the newer generation of consoles which had online gaming support, development was restarted for the PlayStation 2. At first, the game was envisioned to be a sort of horde mode where players would co-operatively defeat swathes of zombies but this was thought to be too action-oriented and lacking in the horror department. Thus, the game was re-tooled to be a story driven game but with a more limited online component.
In terms of plot, the game takes place in Raccoon City, right in the thick of the
t-Virus and G-Virus outbreaks - roughly at around the same time that
Resident Evil 2 and
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis take place. A total of 8 characters are part of the story and they are all initially gathered in a bar named Jack's. As the name of the game suggests, the viral Outbreaks are the theme of the game and the ultimate goal for each character is to safely escape the city before its eventual destruction. After they all realise what is happening around them, they split up to different parts of the city.
The game is structured as five bite-sized self-contained episodes all featuring different main characters and locations throughout Raccoon City. The player can tackle these episodes in any order and tailor the difficulty to their liking. The game controls like the majority of Resident Evil games at the time, with a 'tank controls' system. Players are rewarded for exploration in each episode - attaining a 100% item collection unlocks an infinite mode where item scarcity is entirely removed, and special outfits for each character can also be unlocked.
Resident Evil Outbreak reviewed quite well, with critics enjoying the graphics, familiar gameplay and online characteristics. The PAL version was puzzling however, as the online component was removed, thus making one of the games main features unavailable. However, the game itself still performed well as a single-player experience just with some vestigial trappings of online games such as no pause menus etc.
The game had a follow-up in the form of a stand-alone expansion named Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 which added a smattering of new chapters to the story. The characters were mostly unchanged but a lot of the incidental characters were given proper names instead of (for example) "Nurse1" as a name. It's worth noting that all versions of the sequel had online capabilities, and it was possible to unlock characters from each version provided that the data is available on the game discs.
The online component of both games have since been switched off, leaving some online-only content unavailable.
Raccoon City
Welcome to Raccoon City, enjoy your stay!
Jack's Bar
Called J's bar for short. Sign was too small.
Apple Inn
There's a lot of fruit in this hotel
Arklay Mountains
Quick, lets head up here where it's safe!
NEST
You gotta SHOUT the name of this place every time man?
Raccoon Zoo
Look at all the wonderful animals and plants!
Kite Bros. Railway
Two great things. Kites and Bros - together at last.
South Raccoon St. Station
Nicknamed SRSS for short. SRSSly...
Umbrella R&D Center
This might be the worst place in the entire city
Raccoon Police Station
Ha, you think you're safe in here? riiiiiight....
Raccoon General Hospital
What, you're sick? You're REALLY hungry...? Hate to break it to you...
Raccoon University
No, it's not a school for raccoons. That joke is so old!
Abandoned Hospital
Doesn't look that abandoned. Look at the lovely greenery!
Ampuole Shooter
Fires ampuoles, you absolutely cannot call them bullets!
Assault Rifle
After rifiling through the armoury, I found this beast
Bent Iron Pipe
I wonder if it comes back if I throw it?
Broken Crutch
Or, as I like to call it... firewood
Burst Handgun
Umm, doesn't look burst to me. Looks fine? ... .... Oh.
Butcher Knife
Used to be for cutting up meat. Now it's for cutting up MORE MEAT
Concrete Piece
I don't have anything concrete to say about this one
Crutch
I wonder if you automatically get this on 'Easy' mode
Curved Iron Pipe
If all else fails, your bike can have some new handlebars now
Flame Spray
It's some bug killer and a
Lighter taped to it. Classy
Folding Knife
Safety first in Raccoon City. Put the sharp things away!
Grey Chemical Bottle
It's enstilled with the essence of Gandalf
Grenade Launcher
You definitely always leave these for the bosses, don't you?
Hammer
Let's get together and hammer all this nonsense out
Handgun
I just got one thing I wanna ask you...
Handgun SG
... Do you feel lucky? Well... do you..?
Iron Pipe
Or as it's otherwise known, the Steampunk Golf Club
Kevin's .45 Auto
You can tell its his as he's etched 'KEVINz' into it
Long Pole
Yeah, he was about 6ft 7.. Absolutely massive guy
Magnum Handgun
The name is Magnum Handgun, how do you do? PI is my cousin.
Magnum Revolver
Everyones favourite weapon they hate using
Mark's Handgun
If you're in his sights, you have been MARKED
Molotov Cocktail
A whole bottle of Jack Daniels and a Newspaper. Enough to make anyone wanna die.
Monkey Wrench
One last thing before I quit / I never wanted any more than I could fit
Nail Gun
It's for attaching things to things. Like your brains to the walls
Pesticide Spray
It's mad how big the bottle is but only contains 400ml of stuff
Rocket Launcher
Just make sure it's pointed the right way please
Scrub Brush
Zombie, pick up this brush and start cleaning - and start EARNING
Shotgun
Wouldn't it be called a shootgun BEFORE you've shot it?
Spear
Oh SPEAR me your absolute cretinous drivel...
Stick
I don't think the dogs are interested in these anymore
Stun Rod
More like a load of weird stuff attached to a
Battery on a stick
Sub Machinegun
This sub machine gun makes you wanna sub machine RUN (away)
Survival Knife
I've seen you stir your tea with this.. that's not cool
Wooden Pole
Just think of all the amazing things this stick has propped up
Yellow Chemical Bottle
Oh, it's yellow? That means it's EXTRA dangerous