It’s pretty clear that Japanese developer Capcom likes to experiment with its biggest franchises from time to time, and Resident Evil has to be one of the best examples. The series actually went in the first person before Resident Evil 7: Biohazard with PlayStation 1 Resident Evil Survivor, and questionable multiplayer offerings have never been far away. The long-forgotten Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City and Resident Evil Resistance are proof of that. Then it’s not the largest range of spin-offs, but to suggest that they’re all bad would be to do a single sub-series select a hard service. When you look back at them, Resident Evil Outbreak and Resident Evil Outbreak: File no. 2 they were just ahead of their time. A reboot makes far too much sense on the PlayStation 5.
For those who don’t know, these PlayStation 2 titles were online-focused cooperative experiences that contained a number of different scenarios in different locations, featuring puzzles and classic Resident Evil enemies. The whole package was essentially a bunch of various Resident Evil miniature games, packaged in one, each taking about three to four hours to complete. You could play as many different characters with unique weapons and attributes attached and there was even a mechanic where you could be bitten by a zombie and have only a limited amount of time to finish the scenario before the T-Virus took over. Pretty cool, right?
Now, you don’t need an expert to identify the problem here. Two heavy online games released on PS2? Yes, they will never take off. While they could be played in a single player, the Resident Evil Outbreak titles were designed around the cooperative game, so they really got the debt only on the PC. After all, I don’t know a single person who owns the PS2 network adapter. There wasn’t even a voice chat.
However, times have changed, and the internet connection is standard in 2021, I think Resident Evil Outbreak is ready for a restart. If Capcom used the same model as in 2003, we could have a real winner on our hands. Imagine a collection of these Resident Evil scenarios offered at launch, which is then supplemented by DLC every few months. The basic game should be pretty tough, with at least five or six locations to complete, but then your world stride in terms of post-launch support. Add a new character here, another weapon or an object there. Then, a few times a year, there would be a completely new scenario to solve. Keep the concept the same and I would be everywhere – damn, bring back some of the areas from the two original games. I would like to visit the prison map and the zoo again.
So while Capcom prepares a Resident Evil showcase for next week, which will contain details for an online mode of 4-6 players seemingly separate from Resident Evil Village, dream big. The concept of Outbreak makes far too much sense for the multiplayer world we live in today – I really can’t think of a better fit. And that’s why it will never happen. The closed beta in question will be something completely and completely different from this, crushing my dreams in this process. Capcom didn’t tease or imply a reboot, but I can hope and pray, can’t I?
And you want to see Resident Evil Outbreak coming back? What do you think it would look like on the PS5? Post your theories in the comments below.