5.2 Resident Evil: Outbreak: File 2
5.2.3 Development and release
The game was developed by Capcom Production Studio1 over a 1 year period. Although graphics did not differ greatly from its' predecessor, elements of gameplay and online features were overhauled.
The ability to strafe and shoot simultaneously was added. Load times were also improved.
The game was released on September 9, 2004 in Japan and on April 26, 2005 in North America.*[2]
5.2.4
Reception
Resident Evil Outbreak File 2 has been met with mixed to positive reviews: Metacriticit a 58/100 and GameRankingsgave it a 62.92%.
5.2.5
References
[1] “Outbreak 2 Online”. Retrieved 2014-01-18. [2] http://www.giantbomb.com/
resident-evil-outbreak-file-2/3030-15222/
[3] “Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 for PlayStation 2”. Game Rankings. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
[4]“Review: Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 for PlayStation 2”. Metacritic. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
[5] “Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 Review for PS2”. 1UP.com. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
[6]“Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 – Overview”. AllGame. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
5.2.6 External links
• Official website
• Official website(Japanese)
Chapter 6
Chronicles series
6.1 Resident Evil: The Umbrella
Chronicles
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, known as Bio-
hazard: The Umbrella Chronicles (バ イ オ ハ ザー ド ア ン ブ レ ラ・ ク ロ ニ ク ル ズ Baiohazādo Anburera Kuronikuruzu) in Japan,*[3]*[4]is arail shootingvideo game co-developed by Capcom andCavia. The game was released for theWiion November 13, 2007 in North America; November 15, 2007 in Japan; and on Novem- ber 30, 2007 in Europe, excluding Germany, where the game is not available due to the refusal of a USKrat- ing*[5] and its subsequent inclusion in theindex.*[6] It was followed by Resident Evil: The Darkside Chroni- cles.*[7]Both Chronicles games are included on the Res- ident Evil Chronicles HD Collection for thePlayStation 3. The game exposes theUmbrella Corporation's meddling throughout the Resident Evil series through narration from Albert Wesker, a former Umbrella Corporation scientist, and hidden documents pertaining to the organization's secret motives and actions. The game is composed of five scenarios that recapitulate the events ofResident Evil Zero,Resident Evil, andResident Evil 3: Nemesis, as well as new material pertaining to the Umbrella Corporation's downfall.
6.1.1
Gameplay
Jillusing her taser counterattack
The Umbrella Chronicles is an on-rails shooter. Players
follow a pre-set path, shooting enemies and picking up optional weapons and health items, occasionally choos- ing between multiple paths. Using the analog stick on the Nunchuk, players can look around in a limited man- ner. In some cases, the Wii Remote can be used to ac- tivate melee weapons against enemies where the camera shifts to a third-person view, or use timed button presses in certain cutscenes to evade traps and enemy attacks. Each stage is split into individual chapters and contains save checkpoints at the end of each chapter. Stars are obtained at the end of each stage, based on the player's performance, which can be used to upgrade weapons. To unlock some levels and sublevels, the player needs a cer- tain ranking,“S”being the best. The amount of destroyed items, obtained objects, files, critical hits and clear time affects this.
Upon beating Hunk's “4th Survivor”mission, co- operative mode will be unlocked for the single-player missions. When selecting characters, an option will ap- pear on the screen to select co-op mode. Both players will play as the same character, but each player will have their own aiming reticule.
6.1.2 Plot
The Umbrella Chronicles encompasses several scenar- ios, which are based on various plot elements from the Resident Evil series. The game's first three scenarios, “Train Derailment”,“The Mansion Incident”,and“Rac- coon's Destruction”, are set withinRaccoon City, or its surrounding area, in 1998. The final scenario, which is based on new material, is set in Russia, taking place in 2003. The game features eight playable characters from previous Resident Evil games, includingRebecca Cham- bers,Billy Coen,Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Carlos Oliviera,Albert Wesker,Ada Wong, and two others from Resident Evil 2.
The game's first scenario, based on the events ofResident Evil Zero, follows STARS operative Rebecca Chambers, and former Marine Billy Coen as they venture through a train that eventually takes them to a derelict training facility.*[8]Once within the facility, they discover they are being stalked byJames Marcus, one of the Umbrella Corporation's co-founders and former scientists, who has 151
managed to resurrect himself with the aid ofleechtest- subjects.*[9]After a confrontation, Marcus mutates into a monstrosity, but is subdued by the duo. Chambers and Coen escape as the facility self-destructs.*[9] An- other sub-chapter within the scenario traces Wesker's ac- tions, now posing as the leader of STARS' Alpha team, as he attempts to escape the training facility. This chapter also introduces Sergei Vladimir and one of his bodyguard Tyrants, codenamed “IVAN”.*[10]*[11]
The game then proceeds to retell the events of the first Resident Evil. The scenario follows Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, as opposed to the actual Resident Evil game, which features the two splitting up. Redfield and Valen- tine are forced to battle their way through a mansion full of undead residents before stumbling upon a secret Um- brella Corporation research facility in the mansion's base- ment.*[12]The two then discover the facility's most pow- erful creation, a Tyrant, and destroy it.*[13] The sce- nario features two different sub-chapters, which reveal Chambers' action between Resident Evil Zero and Resi- dent Evil,*[14]as well as Wesker's reanimation and es- cape after his apparent death.*[15]
The next scenario visits Raccoon City during the events of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Valentine returns to the game, and is paired with mercenary Carlos Oliveira, as they attempt to survive an outbreak of the T-virus.*[16] After defeating several undead citizens, Valentine and Oliveira encounterNemesis, an upgraded Tyrant, sent to kill Valentine.*[16]They defeat Nemesis and escape Rac- coon City before it is destroyed by the United States gov- ernment in a desperate contingency measure.*[17]*[18] The scenario also features two sub-chapters, detailing Ada Wong and Hunk's background roles during the main scenario's events.*[19]*[20]
The game's final scenario is composed of new mate- rial, which trails Redfield and Valentine as they and other armed anti-bioweapon activists investigate the Um- brella Corporation's final stronghold in Russia.*[21]Now leading a group of armed activists, they storm the stronghold, encountering waves of undead soldiers and mutations.*[21]Despite their force sustaining heavy ca- sualties, Redfield and Valentine enter the facility's in- ner sanctum, only to encounter and destroy the Umbrella Corporation's latest creation, the T-ALOS project.*[22] The game's final sub-chapter features Wesker infiltrating the facility in an attempt to recover the Umbrella Corpo- ration's most important files.*[23]*[24]He is confronted by his long-time nemesis,Sergei Vladimir, whom he de- feats.*[25]The game's credits reveal that the Umbrella Corporation's secrets have finally been exposed. As a result, the U.S. government succeeds in its legal action against Umbrella's top officials.*[26]
6.1.3 Development
The game was co-developed byCapcomandCavia*[27] and produced by Masachika Kawata, who was behind the PlayStation 2port ofResident Evil 4.*[28]AtE32006, Capcom officially announced that development was al- ready underway for an exclusive Resident Evil game for the Wii and mentioned that it would take advantage of the console's uniqueWii Remotecontroller, giving play- ers a new experience. Members of Capcom'sClover Stu- dio, who created such games asViewtiful JoeandŌkami, were called upon to help develop the game.*[29] A short clip of the game was shown on the Nintendo Worldevent on November 3, 2006, where 2007 was re- vealed as the release date. On April 6, 2007, the official Japanese website went live containing an official teaser video.*[30]On April 13, 2007, the official Japanese web- site updated with a second trailer, character profiles and screenshots.*[30]A Japan-only release of the game came with a limited edition collector's Biohazard box featur- ing several items.*[31]Christian Svensson,Capcom's se- nior director of strategic planning and research, stated the game would support 480-progressive scanand 16:9 widescreenresolution.*[32]A trailer was included in the Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition, which shows the mansion from the original game and areas of Raccoon City.*[33] At its pre-E3press conference on July 11, 2007, Nin- tendo announced that theWii Zapperperipheral will be compatible with the game.*[34]
The game was initially going to play similarly to Resident Evil 4. However, in an interview with Famitsu, the game's producer Masachika Kawata revealed the reason for the drastic change in gameplay: according to him,“Wii users like easiness”and that a Resident Evil 4-style game is“too complicated”for Wii users to enjoy. Masachika Kawata then elaborated that “complex operability can be an ob- stacle for Wii users”, and that he purposefully had to “compromise to a lower difficulty level”and “reduce
enthusiast-only elements”.*[35]
6.1.4 Release
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles was released in late 2007. An extensive line oftie-in productswas cre- ated to promote the release ofCapcom'son-rails shooter and to expand its storyline. This includes agraphic novel, several spin-off novels, and an official soundtrack release.
Biohazard: The Umbrella Chronicles ~Hōkai he no Jokyoku~ (バイオハザードアンブレラ・クロニクル
ズ〜崩壊への序曲〜 lit.“Biohazard Umbrella Chron- icles ~Overture to the Collapse~) is a series of two comics published in Akita Shoten's weekly Shōnen Champion magazine in Japan. The first chapter was released on November 8, 2007, the second on November 15, the same day the game came out in Japan. Masaru Miyazaki wrote the plot for the manga. The illustrations were done
6.1. RESIDENT EVIL: THE UMBRELLA CHRONICLES 153
by Naotsugu Matsueda. Its story is based on the game, taking place just before the invasion of the Russian Um- brella facility, using a fictional Russian village as setting. ProtagonistsChris RedfieldandJill Valentineare drawn into various strange occurrences in the village, which has been completely infected by the T-virus, before finding the sole survivor, a young girl named Anna, and later face off against Wesker.*[36]
Biohazard: The Umbrella Chronicles SIDE A (バイオ
ハザードアンブレラ・クロニクルズ SIDE A) and
Biohazard: The Umbrella Chronicles SIDE B (バイオ
ハザードアンブレラ・クロニクルズ SIDE B) writ- ten by Osamu Makino are novels based on the events of Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and direct novel- izations of the game.*[37]The first one was released in Japan on December 22, 2007. The second one was pub- lished in January 2008.
The Resident Evil Shot Blaster*[38] is a replacement to theWii Zapper. The gun comes with a detachable Nunchuk holster. The holster also rotates downward to allow easy reloading for in the game. When the nunchuk holster is removed the gun becomes something like a pis- tol. The package also includes a decal that you can put on yourWii Remotewhich has a picture of characters from the game on it, and aNunchukjoystick grip which has the logo of the Umbrella Corporation on it.
Biohazard: The Umbrella Chronicles Original Soundtrack was composed by Masafumi Takada and Jun Fukuda fromGrasshopper Manufacturefeaturing Ada Wong as the cover. A CD with 49 tracks called Biohazard: The Umbrella Chronicles Original Sound Track was released in Japan on December 19. It was published bySuleputer and was distributed by Sony Music Distribution for 3150 yen. The soundtrack includes a full-color booklet. Ini- tially produced items are limited editions with special sleeve cases.
6.1.5
Reception
The Wii version of The Umbrella Chronicles has re- ceived positive scores from critics. GamePropraised its unlockable secrets and satisfying gameplay, adding that “the only downside to The Umbrella Chronicles is that longevity will be an issue.”*[47]GameTrailerscalled it “fantastic overall”and a “superb entry in the genre,”
praising the game for its surprising length and unlock- able content, but stated that while the graphics “look good”, they were sometimes “a step behind”Resident Evil 4 and added that having the game on rails actually makes it scarier, and that it's “basically a love letter”to fans of the series.*[52]IGNpraised the game for having “amazingly cool”design but complained about the lack of representation from Resident Evil 2 and 4 as well as the gameplay, which they felt was too slow; on the other hand, they called the presentation“pretty impressive”and stated that “thereʼs no denying the fun”they had with
it.*[51]GameSpotpraised the easy controls and the look and feel of the game, but criticized the music, stating that “it undermines the atmosphere,”and that the “on-rails shooter gameplay can still feel restrictive.*[49]1UP.com called it“a surprisingly meaty experience”and“an acces- sible, mostly satisfying shooter”and praised the depth and strategy offered by the gameplay, but complained about difficult headshots and stated that“it never really amounts to more than its concept”.*[41]
The Wii version of the game has sold over 1.4 million copies worldwide.*[53]
6.1.6 Sequel
On March 8, 2009, Capcom announced they would have new game announcements on March 12 at the Resident Evil 5 launch party in San Francisco.*[54]A few days earlier, Capcomʼs Associate Product Marketing Man- ager, Matt Dahlgren, said in an interview that“Nintendo Wii fans will be very happy very soon”when asked about getting more Resident Evil on Wii.*[55]On March 11, Famitsu confirmed a sequel for Umbrella Chronicles, titledResident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. The game, like its predecessor, has on-rails gameplay.*[56]
6.1.7 References
[1] Bocanegra, Jorge (October 31, 2011).“Biohazard Chron- icles HD Selection announced for Japan”. Rely on Horror. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
[2] Fletcher, JC (2012-03-13). “Resident Evil Chronicles HD Collection comes to PSN in June”. Joystiq. Retrieved 2012-07-24.
[3] Capcom,Biohazard The Umbrella Chronicles: Official Guide Book
[4] Capcom, Biohazard The Umbrella Chronicles: Art of Arts
[5] “Titelsuche in der USK-Prüfdatenbank”. Datenbank. USK. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
[6] Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien(March 2008).“BAnz. Nr. 48 vom 28.03.2008”. BPJM-Aktuell (3/2008).
[7] “IGN: Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles Detailed”. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
[8] Capcom(November 13, 2007). “Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles”. Wii. Capcom. Resident Evil 0
Digest 1: Facing certain death, Rebecca was rescued by
the prisoner, Billy Coen. Rebecca was still suspicious of Billy but realized that they needed to work together if they wanted to survive the nightmare. Shortly after, the train suddenly started to move. It accelerated and was rapidly approaching dangerous speeds. To prevent the imminent derailment, the pair engaged the brake. However, it was
too late and the train rolled on its side. The two barely managed to escape the wreck. Nearby was Umbrellaʼs Management Training Facility.
[9] Capcom(November 13, 2007).“Resident Evil: The Um- brella Chronicles”.Wii. Capcom. Resident Evil 0 Di-
gest 2: While monitoring Billy and Rebeccaʼs progress,
they began to sense a presence bent on Umbrellaʼs de- struction and decided to destroy the facility... The pair eventually met with a reanimated Marcus. He told them the startling story of how he was assassinated 10 years ago. The copied Marcus eventually transformed into the Queen Leech while the timer began to run down on a bomb that was set to level the facility...
[10] Capcom(November 13, 2007).“Resident Evil: The Um- brella Chronicles”.Wii. Capcom. Albert Wesker: It is time for me to abandon the sinking ship that is Umbrella. [11] Capcom(November 13, 2007). “Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles”. Wii. Capcom. Albert Wesker: Wesker Here, I will use the rope way to return to the train- ing facility, and depart from there.
[12] Capcom(November 13, 2007).“Resident Evil: The Um- brella Chronicles”. Wii. Capcom. Resident Evil Di-
gest 1: The survivors – Chris, Jill, Barry and Wesker –
resumed the search for Bravo Team, but found that most of them had already been killed by zombies. The man- sion was filled with trap doors and strange devices and teemed with monstrous dogs, crows, spiders and blood- sucking plants.
[13] Capcom(November 13, 2007).“Resident Evil: The Um- brella Chronicles”.Wii. Capcom. Resident Evil Digest
2: They discovered Wesker in the cultivation chamber and
learned that he was a traitor... The Tyrant pursued Jill and Chris, while in the background a self-destruction mecha- nism had been initialized. The pair made contact with Brad, Alphaʼs helicopter pilot, and fled to the helipad to escape.
[14] Capcom(November 13, 2007). “Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles”.Wii. Capcom. Rebecca Cham-
bers:After splitting up with Billy, I went to the mansion
where Brave Team was rendezvous.
[15] Capcom(November 13, 2007).“Resident Evil: The Um- brella Chronicles”.Wii. Capcom. Albert Wesker:The virus that Birkin had created brought me back from the brink of annihilation... I did not have time to enjoy my newfound life. I had something I needed to do. Time to grab the data and get out
[16] Capcom(November 13, 2007).“Resident Evil: The Um- brella Chronicles”.Wii. Capcom. Resident Evil 3 Di-
gest 1: One of the U.B.C.S. men was mercenary Carlos
Oliveira. Jill and Carlos began to work together to try and escape the hell on earth Raccoon City had become. A black-coated monster stood between them and their free- dom. Nemesis, or the Pursuer, was intent on wiping out every last member of S.T.A.R.S.
[17] Capcom(November 13, 2007). “Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles”. Wii. Capcom. Resident Evil
3 Digest 2: In a matter of hours, a missile that had been
launched would annihilate all traces of Raccoon City
[18] Capcom(November 13, 2007).“Resident Evil: The Um- brella Chronicles”.Wii. Capcom. Eradication Notes: They formulated a plan for the complete eradication of the city. In compliance, on October 1st, 1998, the military launched a new type of strategic missile into the heart of the city. Raccoon City, with its 100,000 inhabitants, was forever wiped from the face of the earth.
[19] Capcom(November 13, 2007).“Resident Evil: The Um- brella Chronicles”. Wii. Capcom. Ada Wong: I must escape this town and survive in order to accomplish my objective.
[20] Capcom(November 13, 2007).“Resident Evil: The Um- brella Chronicles”.Wii. Capcom. Hunk I have secured 'G'. I m all that is left of Alpha Team. I am en route to the rendezvous point.
[21] Capcom(November 13, 2007). “Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles”. Wii. Capcom. Jill Valentine: There's no time to wait for authorization from the Russian Government. That facility is an Umbrella base. /Chris
Redfield: Yeah, we can't let them get away with this.
[22] Capcom(November 13, 2007).“Resident Evil: The Um- brella Chronicles”. Wii. Capcom. Sergei Vladimir: Introducing the latest Umbrella product line. Codename Talos. A pinnacle of biological weaponry, all controlled by the Red Queen computer. The ultimate weapon. [23] Capcom(November 13, 2007).“Resident Evil: The Um-
brella Chronicles”.Wii. Capcom. Albert Wesker: I will use one pawn to eliminate the other, and emerge with the spoils for myself.
[24] Capcom(November 13, 2007).“Resident Evil: The Um- brella Chronicles”.Wii. Capcom. Albert Wesker: The summation of Umbrella on one disk. This should come in handy.
[25] Capcom(November 13, 2007). “Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles”. Wii. Capcom. Sergei Monster
Notes: Sergei transformed into this monster after inject-
ing himself with a virus. The tentacles binding his arms fuse into one large tentacle. At the end of this appendage is a dangerous claw that can be used for movement or at- tacking.
[26] Capcom(November 13, 2007).“Resident Evil: The Um-