You'll start out in J's Bar during the initial zombie attack, and later you'll visit other locations such as an Umbrella Corp. To facilitate the relatively short play sessions required for online play, Outbreak doesn't have one linear narrative-instead, it's broken up into five stand-alone vignettes that proceed in sequence but otherwise aren't really related. Past Resident Evil games have been quite plot-heavy, creating a continuous (if sometimes confusing) story arc over the course of the series. Now Playing: Resident Evil Outbreak Video Review Unless Capcom is willing to go all-in on an Outbreak remake or successor, giving Resident Evil 9 (or whatever comes next) a similar co-op mode with DLC scenarios and characters may be their safest bet if they are unsure of the community’s demand and/or adoption of such a game.By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's Do you think Resident Evil Village is going to sell less simply because it has Re:Verse joined at its hip? Probably not.
Resident evil outbreak pc multiplayer series#
Releasing characters with new strengths would entice players to shake up their set group compositions and rerun existing content.Īlthough it has been declared on this very site that mainline Resident Evil series should avoid multiplayer modes, that may be path of least risk in testing the market. Mark was proficient with melee weapons Yoko could hold additional items and Kevin started with an improved sidearm. Outbreak’s cast had strengths specific to each person. Releasing scenarios over time to build on the overarching narrative or simply fill in gaps in the Resident Evil timeline has the potential to hook fans for the long haul.Īvoiding the easy “add costumes” suggestion, a new Outbreak game (or something similar) could bring in new characters over the course of the year. Outbreak was already a game cut up into scenarios and its success spurred a sequel (Outbreak: File 2) with additional scenarios rapidly launched less than a year later. We may be a bit past the episodic release trend, but that delivery method could provide Capcom the ability to test the waters with bite size content drops. The framework of Outbreak would be a perfect fit for modern gaming and it could very much satisfy both the developer and the consumer. Sadly, online gaming was very much in its infancy and the true nature of the game could not be appreciated by most. Limiting individual inventory spaces to an anxiety-inducing four slots, packing survivors in claustrophobic hallways, and multi-step puzzles all worked in tandem to extraordinary effect. Sure, voice chat was absent, but the rest of its parts proved why co-op and survival horror could (and should) coexist. This cooperative, online-enabled Resident Evil game was ahead of its time. Long-time fans of the franchise will no doubt remember the 2003 PlayStation 2 title, Resident Evil Outbreak. So how can Capcom implement that business model without vastly upsetting their community, as they have been with these lazy multiplayer additions? I’ll be the first to say that I am not a fan of the games as a service model, but I think we all know it isn’t going away anytime soon. It can exist in the series while also satisfying the goal of adopting current live service trends. But the truth is multiplayer does have a place in Resident Evil.
He points out that Capcom’s desire to attach multiplayer to the franchise while also monetizing it has resulted in lackluster offerings. Now, Village is getting paired with Re:Verse, an unoriginal and unimaginative 6-player deathmatch mode.įellow AOTF writer, Joseph Ocasio, has argued that Resident Evil and multiplayer are a disastrous combination. Resident Evil 3 came with Resident Evil: Resistance, a 4v1 asymmetrical online multiplayer component, which quickly died out.
We were given our first look at the multiplayer experience being tacked on to the newest installment. The recent Resident Evil Showcase had more to show than Lady Dimitrescu, the internet’s latest (and possibly unhealthy) obsession.