It’s clear that Japanese developer Capcom likes to experiment with its biggest franchises from time to time, and Resident Evil should be one of the best examples of this. The series actually ran first person before Resident Evil 7: Biohazard with the PlayStation 1s Resident Evil Survivor, and dubious multiplayer offers have never been far away. The very forgettable Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City and Resident Evil Resistance is proof of that. This is therefore not the best line-up of spin-offs, but to suggest that they are all bad would seriously harm a single sub-series. If you look back at them, Resident Evil Outbreak and Resident Evil outbreak: file no. 2 was really ahead of their time. A reload makes way too much sense on PlayStation 5.
For those who don’t know, these PlayStation 2 titles were online collaborative experiences featuring a number of different scenarios in different locations, featuring classic Resident Evil puzzles and enemies. The whole package was essentially many different miniature Resident Evil games packaged in one, each taking about three to four hours to complete. You can play in different characters with unique weapons and features, and there was even a mechanic where you could be bitten by a zombie, and then you only have a limited amount of time to complete the scenario before the T-Virus. taken over. Pretty cool, right?
It does not take a magician to identify the problem here. Two heavy online games released on PS2? Yes, they are never going to take off. Although they could be played in a single player, the Resident Evil Outbreak titles were designed for collaborative plays, so they only really got their computer on computer. I do not know a single person who owned the PS2 network adapter. There was not even a voice chat.
Times have changed though and with an internet connection that was the standard in 2021, I think Resident Evil Outbreak is ready for a recharge. If Capcom were to use the same model as in 2003, we could have a real winner in our hands. Imagine a collection of these Resident Evil scenarios presented during the launch, which are then supplemented by DLC every few months. The base game should be fairly beefy, with at least five or six places to complete, but then it’s the world oyster in terms of support after the launch. Add a new character here, another weapon or item there. Then a few times a year there is a new scenario to work through. If you keep the concept the same, I’ll be able to do it all – hell, bring back some areas from the two original games. I would like to visit the prison card and the zoo again.
While Capcom is preparing a Resident Evil showcase for next week, which features details for a 4-6 player online mode that seems to be separate from Resident Evil Village, I’m dreaming big. The outbreak concept makes way too much sense for the multiplayer world we live in today – I really can’t think of a better way. And therefore it will never happen. The beta in question will be something completely and utterly different to this and shatter my dreams in the process. Capcom did not tease or allude to it at all, but I can still hope and pray, right?
Would you also like to see Resident Evil Outbreak make a comeback? What do you think it will look like on PS5? Post your theories in the comments below.