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172-688: Resident Evil Outbreak is a survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 2 . It was released on December 11, 2003 in Japan, on March 30, 2004 in North America, and on September 17, 2004 in PAL regions. It was the first entry in the Resident Evil video game series to feature cooperative gameplay and online multiplayer support, although online support

344-400: A first-person perspective and encourages resource management and puzzle-solving, more akin to earlier entries in the franchise. Many of these earlier entries were also remade with modern graphics while retaining their survival horror aspects with the remakes of Resident Evil 2 , Resident Evil 3 , and Resident Evil 4 . After these were well received, other games were remade, such as

516-484: A game over . Herbs and first aid spray can be used to heal. Safe rooms scattered throughout the city contain typewriters , where the player may spend ink ribbons to save their progress, and item boxes that can store items, which are necessary because the player characters can only carry a limited number of items with them. Contrasting with Chris and Jill's different abilities in the previous game, Leon and Claire differ only in their starting key items (a lighter and

688-435: A lockpick , respectively). The game introduces a "Zapping System" where the two player characters are each confronted with differing puzzles, plot threads, and encounters. After finishing the "A Scenario" as one protagonist, the player will unlock the "B Scenario" for the other, elements of which change to reflect the A Scenario's events, e.g. killed enemies, solved puzzles, and hazards caused by player actions. This results in

860-446: A zombie outbreak in the city. The player explores Raccoon City while fighting monsters and solving puzzles. While the player characters may be equipped with firearms , limited ammunition adds a tactical element to combat, forcing the player to choose between engaging or evading encounters. The game uses tank controls , meaning that pressing up moves the character forward, down reverses, and left and right rotates, independently of

1032-440: A "competent game" with "controls [that] are actually functional and somewhat intuitive". However, they cited numerous problems with the game, notably Capcom's choice to not include voice chat in favor of the ad-lib system. They also found the game's five scenarios to be short, and AI partners to be "chock-full of repetitive and annoying sound bytes". Eurogamer was disappointed with Capcom's failure to establish online support for

1204-587: A Raccoon Police Department officer on his first day of duty, meets Claire Redfield , a college student looking for her brother Chris . After being separated, Leon and Claire each make their own way to the Raccoon Police Station. They discover that most of the RPD has been killed, and that Chris has left town to investigate Umbrella's headquarters in Europe. They split up to look for survivors and find

1376-412: A golden pendant the girl loses while running away. Further into the sewers, Ada reluctantly teams up with Leon again, after he insists on his duty to protect her. They encounter a middle-aged woman who fires at Ada, but Leon jumps between them and takes a bullet himself. Ada ignores the unconscious Leon and follows the woman, who reveals herself to be Sherry's mother Annette and the wife of William Birkin ,

1548-636: A higher sample rate than on the PlayStation, resulting in higher-quality music. Some features from the other enhanced versions based on the Dual Shock Ver. do not appear in the Nintendo 64 version, such as the "Extreme Battle" minigame. In 2018, Eurogamer called this "one of the most ambitious [and impressive] console ports of all time". A port of Resident Evil 2 for the Sega Saturn

1720-404: A horrific setting and atmosphere without the overuse of violence or gore. In 2010, the cult game Deadly Premonition by Access Games was notable for introducing open world nonlinear gameplay and a comedy horror theme to the genre. Five Nights at Freddy's effectively incorporated jump scares into the genre with the first game in the series releasing in 2014. Further evolution of

1892-498: A horror game released that year was Sega 's arcade game Monster Bash , which introduced classic horror-movie monsters, including the likes of Dracula , Frankenstein's monster , and werewolves , helping to lay the foundations for future survival horror games. Its 1986 remake Ghost House had gameplay specifically designed around the horror theme, featuring haunted house stages full of traps and secrets, and enemies that were fast, powerful, and intimidating, forcing players to learn

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2064-404: A limited inventory, while battling or escaping from horrifying creatures, which could lead to permanent death for any of the characters, thus creating tension and an emphasis on survival. It was also the first attempt at creating a scary and frightening storyline within a game, mainly told through scattered diary entries left behind fifty years before the events of the game. Developed by Capcom ,

2236-402: A list of the games that most needed remakes . In Italy, Resident Evil 2 was temporarily banned in 1999 following criticism from the political organization "Movimento Diritti Civili" (Civil Rights Movement) for its realistic depiction of violence, with the law enforcement agency Guardia di Finanza seizing over 5,500 unsold copies. Sony Computer Entertainment asked for a re-examination of

2408-411: A maximum resolution of 640×480 during gameplay. Other visual enhancements include smoother character animations and sharper, perspective-corrected textures for the 3D models. This is the only version to use surround sound, with the soundtrack converted to Dolby Surround by Chris Hülsbeck , Rudolf Stember, and Thomas Engel. The team reworked the sound set from scratch to provide each instrument with

2580-519: A move that was inspired by blockbuster films . Two albums containing music from the game were released in January and August 1998, respectively. The first, Biohazard 2 Original Soundtrack , is the main release and includes most of the significant compositions. The second, Biohazard 2 Complete Track , largely encompasses less prevalent themes, but offers an orchestral medley and a second CD with sound effects, voice collections, and an interview with

2752-430: A period in which the team made no progress rewriting the scenario, Okamoto was introduced to professional screenwriter Noboru Sugimura , who was enthusiastic about the first game's story. Sugimura was initially consulted on a trial basis, but Okamoto was impressed by the ease with which Sugimara solved script problems, and soon asked him to compose the entire scenario for Resident Evil 2 . One fundamental modification to

2924-399: A period of several days. There are five individual scenarios in this game, which are not set in chronological order. The first, "Outbreak", takes place at the beginning of the outbreak, as the police prepare to destroy the zombie horde using explosives. "Below Freezing Point" deals with the events in the former underground laboratory of Umbrella, which is featured in Resident Evil 2 , where

3096-422: A police station setting. Sanchez said that the puzzles were paced better than in the first game, but less interesting and too easy for experienced players. Next Generation praised the game's massive length and said that the differences between each character's scenario were great enough to make the replay value ten times greater than that of the original, which used a similar two-scenario system. Sackenheim said

3268-501: A primary option, such as a limited number of weapons or invulnerable enemies; if weapons are available, their ammunition is sparser than in other games, and powerful weapons such as explosives are rare, if even available at all. Thus, players are more vulnerable than in action games , and the hostility of the environment sets up a narrative where the odds are weighed decisively against the avatar. This shifts gameplay away from direct combat, and players must learn to evade enemies or turn

3440-564: A railing. Ada learns that the golden locket contains a sample of the G-virus, and later – taken over by her emotions – returns to Leon, tending to his bullet wound. Meanwhile, Claire is reunited with Sherry and discovers that William has implanted his daughter with an embryo to produce offspring. Leon, Ada, Claire, and Sherry advance through an abandoned factory connected to Umbrella's secret underground research facility. An attack by William leaves Ada heavily wounded, and Leon explores

3612-636: A return to form for the series due to several developmental decisions taken by Climax Studios . This included the decision to openly break the fourth wall by psychologically profiling the player, and the decision to remove any weapons from the game, forcing the player to run whenever they see an enemy. Examples of independent survival horror games are the Penumbra series and Amnesia: The Dark Descent by Frictional Games , Nightfall: Escape by Zeenoh, Cry of Fear by Team Psykskallar and Slender: The Eight Pages , all of which were praised for creating

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3784-477: A rogue virologist, Monica, attempts to steal bio-weapons research and deal with her former co-worker, Yoko Suzuki. "The Hive" involves the survivors taking refuge in the Raccoon General Hospital, which is also featured in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis , while it is under assault from a colony of infected leeches. "Hellfire", set the same day as "Outbreak", involves a group of survivors fleeing into

3956-484: A single platform. By March 1999, approximately 11 million units of all versions of Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2 had been sold worldwide, including 810,000 copies of Resident Evil 2: Dual Shock Ver. , totaling 5.77 million copies for both PlayStation versions of Resident Evil 2 . In Japan, 17,973 copies of the Nintendo 64 and GameCube versions were sold, and in the United States, 326,397 copies of

4128-430: A substantial improvement upon those of the first installment. Sanchez and Weigand said that the pre-rendered backgrounds were an impressive leap ahead of those in the original Resident Evil , due to their increased detail and interactivity. Next Generation said that the character models now stood out less from the backgrounds. Shawn Smith of Electronic Gaming Monthly found the rendered cutscenes far preferable to

4300-406: A technical disadvantage absent from cartridge. GamePro writer "The Freshman" was impressed with the enhanced graphics of the Nintendo 64 version, but was disappointed by its heavily compressed FMVs. GameSpot ' s Joe Fielder found the compression to be forgivable given the cartridge format, and that the new exclusive features made up for the lack of the "Extreme Battle" mode. Eurogamer said

4472-416: A total of four unique playthroughs, two for each character, which increases the game's replayability. Each protagonist is joined by a support partner during the game. These characters accompany the protagonist in certain scenes, and are playable during short segments. Like the previous game, there are multiple endings, but unlike the previous game, which ending the player sees is determined solely by which of

4644-673: A variety of licensed works. It was followed by Resident Evil 3: Nemesis in 1999. A remake was released for PlayStation 4 , Windows, and Xbox One in 2019. Resident Evil 2 is a third-person survival horror game which features the same basic gameplay as its predecessor, Resident Evil . Set in Raccoon City, a fictional town in the Midwestern Arklay Mountains, the game offers a choice of two protagonists - rookie police officer Leon S. Kennedy or college student Claire Redfield - as they attempt to survive

4816-432: A way out of the city. While searching for an escape route, Claire meets a little girl, Sherry Birkin, who is on the run from an unknown creature, and Leon encounters Ada Wong , who claims to be looking for her boyfriend John, an Umbrella researcher from Chicago . RPD Chief Brian Irons had been bribed by Umbrella to hide evidence of the company's experiments in the outskirts of the city. He concealed their development of

4988-404: Is listed as one of the 100 best games of all time by Electronic Gaming Monthly (62nd), IGN (58th), Empire (49th), Game Informer (34th), and Official UK PlayStation Magazine (6th). Readers of Retro Gamer voted Resident Evil 2 the 97th top retro game, and the staff wrote it was "considered by many to be the best in the long-running series". GameTrailers ranked it fourth on

5160-564: Is mostly a first-person shooter at its core. Meanwhile, the Fatal Frame series has remained true to the roots of the genre, even as Fatal Frame IV transitioned from the use of fixed cameras to an over-the-shoulder viewpoint. Also in 2009, Silent Hill made a transition to an over-the-shoulder viewpoint in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories . This Wii effort was, however, considered by most reviewers as

5332-517: Is not unusual for survival horror games to draw upon elements from first-person shooters , or even role-playing games . According to IGN , "Survival horror is different from typical game genres in that it is not defined strictly by specific mechanics, but subject matter, tone, pacing, and design philosophy." Survival horror games are a subgenre of horror games, where the player is unable to fully prepare or arm their avatar. The player usually encounters several factors to make combat unattractive as

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5504-496: Is the only main character not to appear in a pre-rendered cutscene. Regional releases required several changes. The North American version contains more violent game over screens, which were removed from the Japanese Biohazard 2 . Resident Evil 2 was made more difficult (and thus longer-playing) than its Japanese equivalent to prevent short-term rentals from affecting U.S. sales. The music for Resident Evil 2

5676-494: Is usually considered a first-person shooter with survival horror elements. Regardless, the genre's increased popularity led Western developers to incorporate horror elements into action games, rather than follow the Japanese survival style. Overall, the traditional survival horror genre continued to be dominated by Japanese designers and aesthetics. 2002's Clock Tower 3 eschewed the graphic adventure game formula seen in

5848-486: Is widely listed among the best video games ever made . It is the best-selling Resident Evil game for a single platform at more than 6 million copies sold across all platforms. It was ported to Windows , Nintendo 64 , Dreamcast , and GameCube , and a modified 2.5D version was released for the Game.com handheld. The story of Resident Evil 2 was retold and built upon in several later games, and has been adapted into

6020-465: The Alien science fiction horror film series, was released. The game updated the concept of a single un-killable villain chasing the protagonist throughout most of the game, requiring the player to use stealth in order to survive. In 2015, Until Dawn , developed by Supermassive Games , was published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 4 . The game is an interactive drama in which

6192-460: The Resident Evil remake , which was exclusive to the GameCube , with quite a few adjustments. The player chooses a scenario , difficulty level , and character selection screen. The difficulty level is tied to what enemies and items the player encounters while progressing through the scenario. The game has five scenarios, each of which has an event checklist consisting of special actions that

6364-492: The Dreamcast incorporating action elements from beat 'em up and shooter games . Konami 's Silent Hill , released in 1999, drew heavily from Resident Evil while using real-time 3D environments in contrast to Resident Evil' s pre-rendered graphics. Silent Hill in particular was praised for moving away from B movie horror elements to the psychological style seen in art house or Japanese horror films, due to

6536-457: The Dual Shock Ver. two years later. Released on November 16, 1999, the Nintendo 64 version of Resident Evil 2 is one of the few games released for the console to have FMVs, overcoming the limited storage space on the cartridge. The PlayStation version with two CD-ROMs of up to 700 MB per disc was faithfully replicated (with unique enhancements) on a 64 MB Nintendo 64 Game Pak . In

6708-493: The PlayStation and Nintendo 64 versions based on 13 reviews. The majority of reviews praised Resident Evil 2 for its atmosphere, setting, graphics, audio, and overall gameplay, but criticized its controls, voice acting, and certain gameplay elements. Computer and Video Games magazine's Steve Key and Alex Huhtahla praised the gameplay, puzzles, horror, graphics, audio, and the scenario system's replay factor. Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine's four reviewers agreed it

6880-418: The PlayStation in January 1998, Resident Evil 2 was reissued and ported to other systems, many gaining new features in the process. The first re-release is the Dual Shock Ver. , which supports the vibration and analog control functions of the PlayStation's DualShock controller. Other additions include a new unlockable minigame called "Extreme Battle", and a "Rookie" mode that enables the player to start

7052-468: The original film . The voice-overs by the all-Canadian cast of Resident Evil 2 were recorded before the actual cutscenes were completed, with each of the actors selected from a roster of ten people per role. Thereafter, the full-motion videos (FMVs) were created by filming stop-motion animations of action figures , which were then rendered to completed pictures with computer graphics (CG) tools. Ada's movie model could not be finished in time. Thus, she

Resident Evil Outbreak - Misplaced Pages Continue

7224-492: The "Ex Files", written by Tetsuro Oyama. Hidden throughout the four scenarios, they reveal new information about the series' lore and connect the story of Resident Evil 2 to those of the other installments, including some that had not been released yet. The Nintendo 64 version adjusts its display resolution depending on the number of polygonal models currently on screen, and supports the Expansion Pak accessory for

7396-442: The 1979 Japanese only stealth game Manbiki Shounen (Shoplifting Boy) by Hiroshi Suzuki and the 1979 sci-fi horror film Alien , the gameplay of Nostromo involved a player attempting to escape a spaceship while avoiding the sight of an invisible alien, which only becomes visible when appearing in front of the player. The gameplay also involved limited resources, where the player needs to collect certain items in order to escape

7568-413: The 2024 remake of Silent Hill 2 . Sources: Resident Evil 2 Resident Evil 2 is a 1998 survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation . The player controls rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield , who must escape Raccoon City after its citizens are transformed into zombies by a biological weapon two months after

7740-573: The Apple Inn hotel that turns out to be on fire and swarming with lickers . The final scenario, "Decisions, Decisions", regards the survivors' search for a cure to the T-virus, which sends them to Raccoon University, where the eight different characters must wisely choose a decision to survive the puzzling secrets hidden in the university; they must then escape the city before it is destroyed. According to an interview with producer Noritaka Funamizu ,

7912-596: The Claire A and Leon B scenarios, which was suggested by Capcom to be the canon version of events. On September 29, 1998, two months after the events of the first Resident Evil , most citizens of the Midwestern American mountain community of Raccoon City have been transformed into zombies by the T-virus , a biological weapon secretly developed by the pharmaceutical company Umbrella . Leon S. Kennedy ,

8084-509: The Dark uses static prerendered camera views that were cinematic in nature. Although players had the ability to fight monsters as in action games , players also had the option to evade or block them. Many monsters could not be killed, and thus could only be dealt with using problem-solving abilities. The game also used the mechanism of notes and books as expository devices. Many of these elements were used in later survival horror games, and thus

8256-504: The Dark , notably its cinematic fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backdrops. The control scheme in Resident Evil also became a staple of the genre, and future titles imitated its challenge of rationing very limited resources and items. The game's commercial success is credited with helping the PlayStation become the dominant game console , and also led to a series of Resident Evil films. Many games have tried to replicate

8428-475: The Dreamcast port was not "an essential purchase", but still a "great game" at an attractively low price. The GameCube release was heavily criticized for its high price and dated graphics. However, "Four-Eyed Dragon" of GamePro noted its superior in-game visuals compared to any other version. Davis and 1UP.com ' s Mark MacDonald were disappointed by the version's lack of features that were included in

8600-420: The Dreamcast port were received well by GameRevolution ' s Shawn Sparks, who also remarked that the character models look slightly sharper. However, Steve Key of Computer And Video Games disliked the Dreamcast release's low-resolution backgrounds, which he thought made the characters stand out too much from the environments, and thus lessened the atmosphere. GameSpot staff writer James Mielke said that

8772-590: The European market at a time when the PlayStation 2's online community was threatened with the expected rise in the Xbox's popularity with the upcoming release of Halo 2 , stating that Resident Evil Outbreak was "designed from the ground up to be a co-operative multiplayer game for four players" and questioning if a network-less game would be of interest to players. Another problem was with the real-time "START" menu, which meant that file-reading and item-trading would make

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8944-504: The Japanese approach tends to favour psychological horror . AX-2: Uchū Yusōsen Nostromo was a survival horror game developed by Akira Takiguchi, a Tokyo University student and Taito contractor, for the PET 2001 . It was ported to the PC-6001 by Masakuni Mitsuhashi (also known as Hiromi Ohba, later joined Game Arts ), and published by ASCII in 1981, exclusively for Japan. Inspired by

9116-405: The Japanese servers on June 30, 2011, ending official online capabilities. The beginning of Outbreak is set a couple days after the initial outbreak of the T-virus in Raccoon City, moments before the crisis further escalates into complete chaos. The game starts with the eight characters in J's Bar, who are unaware of what is happening until a lone zombie wanders into the bar and attacks one of

9288-462: The Month". GameFan magazine's three reviewers praised the gameplay, tension, environments, graphics, voice acting, and scenario system. Game Informer magazine's three reviewers praised the concept, graphics, sound, playability, and entertainment. PSM magazine praised the puzzles, monsters, and weapons. Next Generation called it "the must-own title of the year", saying it made leaps over

9460-473: The Nintendo 64 release. Peer Schneider of IGN found the 2.5D version for the Game.com to be frustrating and only "partially faithful" to the original release of Resident Evil 2 . Although he believed that its graphics and sound effects managed to recreate the original game's atmosphere to a certain extent, he thought that its controls were too "sluggish" to allow for an enjoyable experience. Resident Evil 2

9632-620: The Nintendo 64 version were sold, totaling at least 344,370 across Nintendo platforms. Total worldwide sales were at least 6,114,370 units across PlayStation and Nintendo platforms. Resident Evil 2 was a finalist at the AIAS ' inaugural Interactive Achievement Awards for " Console Action Game of the Year " and " Console Adventure Game of the Year ", but lost to GoldenEye 007 and Final Fantasy VII , respectively. In Electronic Gaming Monthly ' s 1998 Gamers' Choice Awards, Resident Evil 2

9804-404: The Nintendo 64's unique analog control "works supremely well to the point where it's borderline game-breaking". IGN reviewer Matt Casamassina applauded the implementation of Dolby Surround support, and called the Nintendo 64 release the "best version of the game". In 2018, Eurogamer called it "one of the most ambitious [and impressive] console ports of all time". The clearer sound effects of

9976-402: The PlayStation version. Weigand advised players who already owned Resident Evil 2 to rent the Dual Shock Ver. for the "Extreme Battle" minigame, and recommended that newcomers buy the updated edition instead of the original release. The Windows version was praised for its additional content, but criticized for not allowing the player to save at will, and for lacking updated backgrounds to fit

10148-454: The T-virus, which is shown as a virus gauge, via the inventory menu. Players must complete each scenario before the virus gauge reaches 100% or they will die, resulting in a game over. When players take too much damage, they will collapse and crawl, prompting the virus to speed up faster until either the player uses herbs, first aid sprays or recovery medicines on themselves, or another player/AI partner helps them back up on their feet to slow down

10320-528: The Tyrant, which falls into a pit of molten metal. Ada is mortally wounded from the fight; she and Leon confess their love for each other before Ada stops breathing. Meanwhile, Annette tries to escape with another sample of the G-virus but is fatally wounded by her mutated husband; before she dies, she tells Claire how to create a vaccine that will stop the mutations caused by the embryo within Sherry. After preparing

10492-467: The Umbrella scientist who created the G-virus. In an attempt to protect his life's work from special agents sent by the Umbrella headquarters, he injected himself with the virus, which turned him into the malformed creature and is now chasing Sherry because of her genetic make-up. Annette recognizes her daughter's pendant and attempts to take it from Ada. A fight ensues, during which Annette is thrown over

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10664-426: The animation "fluid and eerie". The audio was well received by critics. Weigand cited it as an "excellent accompaniment to the visuals". Sanchez went as far as to say that Resident Evil 2 "may have the best sound design yet for a console game". Next Generation said it had "the most precise and realistic sound effects ever heard in any game". Sackenheim described the music and sound effects as "spot on perfect" and

10836-474: The appropriate item is found. Because it has several features that have been seen in later survival horror games, some reviewers have retroactively classified this game as the first in the genre. Malcolm Evans ' 3D Monster Maze , released for the Sinclair ZX81 in 1982, is a first-person game without a weapon; the player cannot fight the enemy, a Tyrannosaurus rex , so they must escape by finding

11008-536: The camera perspective. On the status screen, the player can check the condition of the player character, view a map of the area, re-read obtained files, and equip or combine items. The characters' current health can also be determined by their posture and movement speed. For example, a character will hold their stomach in pain if wounded, and will limp slowly if on the verge of death. The player character will take damage whenever they are caught by an enemy or hazard, and if they take too much damage, they will die, causing

11180-402: The ceiling or crash through windows. Survival horror games, like many action-adventure games, are sometimes structured around the boss encounter where the player must confront a formidable opponent in order to advance to the next area. These boss encounters draw elements from antagonists seen in classic horror stories, and defeating the boss will advance the story of the game. The origins of

11352-578: The character's condition on the Visual Memory Unit peripheral. The Japanese edition of the Dreamcast port has the subtitle Value Plus and a playable demo of Resident Evil – Code: Veronica . An unmodified port of the Dual Shock Ver. was released for the GameCube . The initial PlayStation version was re-released on the Japanese PlayStation Network in 2007, and the service's North American counterpart received

11524-463: The city with Sherry, Leon intends to take down Umbrella, while Claire continues to search for Chris. HUNK , one of the surviving special agents sent by Umbrella, completes his G-virus retrieval mission. Development of Resident Evil 2 began one month after the completion of its predecessor in early 1996. Resident Evil 2 was developed by a group of about 45 people that later became part of Capcom Production Studio 4 . Director Hideki Kamiya led

11696-466: The comparatively detailed models of Leon and Claire. The protagonists, instead of being given visible wounds, were made to limp slowly upon receiving heavy damage. Other than the graphics, one of the most important new features is the "Zapping System", which was partly inspired by Back to the Future Part II , a time travel-themed film sequel that offers a different perspective on the story of

11868-454: The compositions, which were later released as the album Biohazard 2 Remix: Metamorphoses . In Japan, marketing included a live action television commercial directed by renowned zombie film director George A. Romero . The commercial was filmed on location at Lincoln Heights Jail and starred Brad Renfro as Leon Kennedy and Adrienne Frantz as Claire Redfield. The game had a marketing budget of $ 5 million. After its initial release for

12040-538: The concept phase. In November, Capcom released various pieces of media, showing eight playable characters and familiar-scenarios such as "Flashback". The occupations of the characters were also given. In January 2003, further information was provided, mostly regarding interactive NPCs (non-player characters). Capcom boasted such actions as enemy NPCs who would attack the player and other ones that would run away when approached. Screenshots of "Flashback", "Underbelly", "The Hive" and other scenarios were released. By May 2003,

12212-434: The cure, Leon and Claire reunite at an emergency escape train and inject Sherry with the vaccine, which saves her life. En route, Leon is assisted in terminating the now-mutated Super Tyrant by an unseen figure; Leon briefly thinks it is Ada, but is unable to positively identify her voice over the noise. Grown to gigantic size, William follows Leon and Claire, but is destroyed when the train self-destructs. After escaping from

12384-588: The degree of fear from the original game, and introduced two characters without experience of terrifying situations: Leon S. Kennedy, largely identical to his persona in the final build, and Elza Walker, a college student and motorcycle racer vacationing in Raccoon City, her hometown. Unlike the final version, the character paths did not cross, and each character had two support partners instead of one. Leon received help from fellow police officer Marvin Branagh and researcher Linda – an early version of Ada – while Elza

12556-444: The development staff. The planners redesigned the game from the ground up to fit the changes, and the programmers and other remaining members of the team were sent to work on Resident Evil Director's Cut , which was shipped with a playable preview disc of the new Resident Evil 2 version in order to promote the sequel and to apologize to the players for its belated release. Few assets from Resident Evil 1.5 could be recycled, as

12728-488: The dialogue "well-written" and "spell-binding". IGN ' s Sanchez, GameSpy 's Brian Davis, and Eurogamer ' s Martin Taylor praised the "Zapping System" for adding to the story and increasing the replay value . Mac Donald said that the idea of actions in the first scenario affecting the second was "cool in concept", but underused. Resident Evil 2 was also praised for its graphics, which many critics said were

12900-504: The employees named Will. Soon after, the characters must escape the bar and make it through the city to safety. The game ends in the final moments of the same incident, with the player attempting to escape Raccoon City before the U.S. government launches a missile strike to eliminate the threat posed by the G-virus . The player controls one of eight characters with gameplay events transpiring across various regions of Raccoon City and span over

13072-457: The enemy's patrol routes and hide from them. However, reviewers eventually criticized the traditional Japanese survival horror formula for becoming stagnant. As the console market drifted towards Western-style action games, players became impatient with the limited resources and cumbersome controls seen in Japanese titles such as Resident Evil – Code: Veronica and Silent Hill 4: The Room . In 2005, Resident Evil 4 attempted to redefine

13244-432: The environment against them. Games try to enhance the experience of vulnerability by making the game single-player rather than multiplayer, and by giving the player an avatar who is more frail than the typical action game hero. The survival horror genre is also known for other non-combat challenges, such as solving puzzles at certain locations in the game world, and collecting and managing an inventory of items. Areas of

13416-509: The events of the original Resident Evil . The gameplay focuses on exploration, puzzles, and combat; the main difference from its predecessor are the branching paths, with each player character having unique storylines, partners and obstacles. Resident Evil 2 was produced by Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami , directed by Hideki Kamiya , and developed by a team of approximately 50 across 21 months. The initial version, commonly referred to as Resident Evil 1.5 , differs drastically; it

13588-473: The exit before the monster finds them. The game states its distance and awareness of the player, further raising tension. Edge stated it was about "fear, panic, terror and facing an implacable, relentless foe who’s going to get you in the end" and considers it "the original survival horror game". Retro Gamer stated, "Survival horror may have been a phrase first coined by Resident Evil , but it could’ve easily applied to Malcolm Evans’ massive hit." 1982 saw

13760-414: The first concept of Biohazard Outbreak , as it was known originally, was known before the release of Resident Evil 2 in 1998. With growing interest in the concept of network gaming over consoles, Shinji Mikami , the director of the first Resident Evil , suggested to Funamizu that he should have a try. Early on in the design, Funamizu made a small multi-player mini-game in which the player must survive

13932-489: The five scenarios. If acquired, these items unlock new costumes and the option to listen to their ad-libs. Players were able to connect to the internet servers using a broadband connection and network adapter. Account registration and login were required. Once players connected, they could choose between Free Mode or Scenario Mode. Free Mode took place in a lobby, allowing players to create their own games, scenarios, and difficulty level. Scenario Mode would automatically choose

14104-533: The four scenarios is being played. The graphics are composed of real-time generated polygonal characters and item models , superimposed over pre-rendered backgrounds that are viewed from fixed camera angles. After completing a scenario, the player is given a rank based on their playtime and the number of times they saved or used special healing items. Higher ranks may unlock additional weapons and costumes. Resident Evil 2 contains two standalone missions: "The 4th Survivor" and "The To-fu Survivor". In both,

14276-539: The game also featured up to 20 possible endings . However, the game would not be released in Western markets until 2011. Riverhillsoft 's Overblood , released in 1996, is considered the first survival horror game to make use of a fully three-dimensional virtual environment. The Note in 1997 and Hellnight in 1998 experimented with using a real-time 3D first-person perspective rather than pre-rendered backgrounds like Resident Evil . In 1998, Capcom released

14448-405: The game is credited with making the survival horror genre possible. In 1994, Riverhillsoft released Doctor Hauzer for the 3DO . Both the player character and the environment are rendered in polygons . The player can switch between three different perspectives: third-person , first-person , and overhead . In a departure from most survival horror games, Doctor Hauzer lacks any enemies;

14620-525: The game was a horror action RPG revolving around a female SWAT member Lila rescuing survivors in an isolated monster-infested town and bringing them to safety in a church. It has open environments like Dragon Quest and real-time side-view battles like Zelda II , though War of the Dead departed from other RPGs with its dark and creepy atmosphere expressed through the storytelling, graphics, and music. The player character has limited ammunition, though

14792-507: The game was brief, and remarked that the individual scenarios are not different enough to hold the interest of casual players until the end of the game. He found the controls to be "easy to pick up and play", and Sanchez said that aiming weapons was difficult. Some reviewers panned the voice acting, calling it "cheesy", "terrible", and "barbaric". With the exception of the critically acclaimed Nintendo 64 version, most later releases of Resident Evil 2 have received slightly lower scores than

14964-467: The game was originally slated for localization in 2004 but abruptly cancelled. Building on its previous success in Korea and interest, a remake was developed in 2015. Fatal Frame from 2001 was a unique entry into the genre, as the player explores a mansion and takes photographs of ghosts in order to defeat them. The Fatal Frame series has since gained a reputation as one of the most distinctive in

15136-416: The game world will be off limits until the player gains certain items. Occasionally, levels are designed with alternative routes. Levels also challenge players with mazelike environments, which test the player's navigational skills. Levels are often designed as dark and claustrophobic (often making use of dim or shadowy light conditions and camera angles and sightlines which restrict visibility) to challenge

15308-457: The game would become the main inspiration behind their later release Resident Evil . Its horrific imagery prevented its release in the Western world, though its influence was felt through Resident Evil , which was originally intended to be a remake of the game. Some consider Sweet Home to be the first true survival horror game. In 1989, Electronic Arts published Project Firestart , developed by Dynamix . Unlike most other early games in

15480-439: The game's assets were good individually, but not yet satisfactory as a whole, Mikami expected that everything would coalesce in the three months leading up to the projected May 1997 release date. Soon after, Resident Evil 1.5 was scrapped at 60–80 percent completion. Mikami later explained that the game would not have reached the desired quality on time, and that the gameplay and locations were dull. Mikami planned to end

15652-467: The game's emphasis on a disturbing atmosphere rather than visceral horror. The game also featured stealth elements, making use of the fog to dodge enemies or turning off the flashlight to avoid detection. The original Silent Hill is considered one of the scariest games of all time, and the strong narrative from Silent Hill 2 in 2001 has made the Silent Hill series one of the most influential in

15824-537: The game's title had been changed. This time, it had been changed to Biohazard Outbreak ( Resident Evil Outbreak outside Japan), and the number of scenarios was reduced to the five scenarios. Another five scenarios did not make the initial cut, although they were complete enough to be featured in the E3 2002 trailer, and were developed into the sequel Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 . In September, doubts were raised as to Outbreak ' s online game-play in Europe, but Capcom

15996-424: The game—previously unheard-of by the public, it had a working title of Biohazard Online . This led to confusion amongst the audience before Capcom released a statement confirming its existence. Resident Evil Outbreak was a part of an initiative from Capcom's Production Studio 1 to develop three network focused games on the PlayStation 2. The other games were Auto Modellista and Monster Hunter . Capcom's goal

16168-493: The genre and moved into a distinct genre often referred to as "action horror." Survival horror refers to a subgenre of survival video games that include horror game elements. The player character is vulnerable and under-armed, which puts emphasis on puzzle-solving and evasion, rather than the player taking an offensive strategy. Games commonly challenge the player to manage their inventory and ration scarce resources such as ammunition. Another major theme throughout

16340-416: The genre by emphasizing reflexes and precision aiming, broadening the gameplay with elements from the wider action genre. Its ambitions paid off, earning the title several Game of the Year awards for 2005, and the top rank on IGN 's Readers' Picks Top 99 Games list. However, this also led some reviewers to suggest that the Resident Evil series had abandoned the survival horror genre, by demolishing

16512-415: The genre continues to grow among independent video game developers . The Last of Us , released in 2013 by Naughty Dog , incorporated many survival horror elements into a third-person action-adventure game. Set twenty years after a pandemic plague, the player must use scarce ammo and distraction tactics to evade or kill malformed humans infected by a brain parasite, as well as dangerous survivalists. This

16684-415: The genre conventions that it had established. Other major survival horror series followed suit by developing their combat systems to feature more action, such as Silent Hill: Homecoming , and the 2008 version of Alone in the Dark . These changes were part of an overall trend among console games to shift towards visceral action gameplay. These changes in gameplay have led some purists to suggest that

16856-531: The genre has deteriorated into the conventions of other action games. Jim Sterling suggests that the genre lost its core gameplay when it improved the combat interface, thus shifting the gameplay away from hiding and running towards direct combat. Leigh Alexander argues that this represents a shift towards more Western horror aesthetics, which emphasize action and gore rather than the psychological experience of Japanese horror. The original genre has persisted in one form or another. The 2005 release of F.E.A.R.

17028-536: The genre is that of isolation. Typically, these games contain relatively few non-player characters and, as a result, frequently tell much of their story second-hand through the usage of journals, texts, or audio logs. While many action games feature lone protagonists versus swarms of enemies in a suspenseful environment, survival horror games are distinct from otherwise horror-themed action games. They tend to de-emphasize combat in favor of challenges such as hiding or running from enemies and solving puzzles. Still, it

17200-503: The genre was carried out via platforms such as itch.io that allowed independent creators to distribute games more easily and therefore became hives of experimentation, an example of which is the emergence of games with PS1-style low-poly aesthetics, such as those developed by Puppet Combo , that became a genre unto itself which eventually went on to be published on more mainstream storefronts such as Steam. Overall, game developers have continued to make and release survival horror games, and

17372-474: The genre, with the first game in the series credited as one of the best-written survival horror games ever made, by UGO Networks . Meanwhile, Capcom incorporated shooter elements into several survival horror titles, such as 2000's Resident Evil Survivor which used both light gun shooter and first-person shooter elements, and 2003's Resident Evil: Dead Aim which used light gun and third-person shooter elements. Western developers began to return to

17544-559: The genre, it featured a science fiction setting inspired by the film Alien , but had gameplay that closely resembled later survival horror games in many ways. Travis Fahs considers it the first to achieve "the kind of fully formed vision of survival horror as we know it today," citing its balance of action and adventure, limited ammunition, weak weaponry, vulnerable main character, feeling of isolation, storytelling through journals, graphic violence, and use of dynamically triggered music - all of which are characteristic elements of later games in

17716-567: The genre. According to IGN, the "golden age of survival horror came to a crescendo" with the release of Silent Hill . A game similar to the Clock Tower series of games and Haunting Ground , which was also inspired by Resident Evil 's success, is the Korean game known as White Day: A Labyrinth Named School (2001). "White Day" was reportedly so scary that the developers had to release several patches adding multiple difficulty options, and

17888-548: The graphic-adventure gameplay of the original Clock Tower rather than following the Resident Evil formula. Another survival horror title that differentiated itself was Corpse Party (1996), an indie , psychological horror adventure game created using the RPG Maker engine. Much like Clock Tower and later Haunting Ground (2005), the player characters in Corpse Party lack any means of defending themselves;

18060-438: The higher in-game resolution. Eurogamer said that version's total elimination of CD-ROM load times make the game "extremely fun and simple". The Nintendo 64 version was widely commended for the technical achievement of fitting a two-disc game on a single 512- Mbit (64MB) cartridge. However, Taylor criticized this version for retaining scenes from the PlayStation version that were used to conceal its CD-ROM loading times –

18232-507: The horror atmosphere of its predecessor. However, the game often considered the first true survival horror, due to having the most influence on Resident Evil , was the 1989 release Sweet Home , for the Nintendo Entertainment System . It was created by Tokuro Fujiwara , who would later go on to create Resident Evil . Sweet Home ' s gameplay focused on solving a variety of puzzles using items stored in

18404-489: The intricacies of the house and rely on their wits. Another game that has been cited as one of the first horror-themed games is Quicksilva 's 1983 maze game Ant Attack . The latter half of the 1980s saw the release of several other horror-themed games, including Konami 's Castlevania in 1986, and Sega's Kenseiden and Namco 's Splatterhouse in 1988, though despite the macabre imagery of these games, their gameplay did not diverge much from other action games at

18576-436: The laboratory to find something to treat her wounds. He is interrupted by a psychotic Annette, who says that Ada's relationship with John was only a means of getting information about Umbrella because Ada is a spy sent to steal the G-virus for an unknown organization. Leon does not believe her, saying he trusts Ada. Just as Annette is about to shoot Leon, the Tyrant appears, and she retreats. Ada returns to save Leon and battles

18748-408: The live action ones of the original. Mac Donald praised the model animations for having reached "true realism", and commended the use of body language as a means of seamlessly communicating the condition of the protagonists' health. Allgame 's Shawn Sackenheim awarded its graphics the highest possible score, as he found the backgrounds to be "rendered to perfection", the cutscenes "a work of art", and

18920-413: The longest time possible; the team decided to remove it due to its failure to encourage teamwork —players would instinctively run away from the horde and be slaughtered rather than help one another to ensure their own survival. They decided that what made Resident Evil scary was its lack of multiplayer, forcing gamers to play "on their own". The team then chose that the game would follow its own story like

19092-526: The main story with a powerful weapon and infinite ammunition. The Japanese release of the Dual Shock Ver. contains a "U.S.A. Version" mode based on the difficulty level of Resident Evil 2 ' s Western versions. The Dual Shock Ver. served as the basis for the majority of ports, such as the Windows 9x -based PC-CD version Resident Evil 2 Platinum . The PC version retains all previously added features and can be run in higher resolutions . A "Data Gallery"

19264-500: The main threat is instead the sentient house that the game takes place in, with the player having to survive the house's traps and solve puzzles. The sound of the player character's echoing footsteps change depending on the surface. In 1995, WARP 's horror adventure game D featured a first-person perspective, CGI full-motion video , gameplay that consisted entirely of puzzle-solving , and taboo content such as cannibalism . The same year, Human Entertainment 's Clock Tower

19436-421: The new G-virus , an agent capable of mutating a human into the ultimate bioweapon. Leon has multiple encounters with a Tyrant, a monster air-dropped into the police station by Umbrella to seek the G-virus. Irons tries to murder Claire but is killed by a G-virus mutant in the police station. Claire and Sherry escape through the sewers and become separated. After splitting up with Leon, Ada finds Sherry and picks up

19608-532: The opening revenue of all but one Hollywood movie at that time and broke previous sales records set by the video games Final Fantasy VII and Super Mario 64 . After one and a half months, the game's global sales had topped 3 million copies, with 1.9 million sold in Japan and over a million sold in the United States. Weekly Famitsu named it Japan's best-selling game for the first half of 1998, with sales of 2.13 million units. By August 1998, 2,298,814 copies were sold in Japan. According to The NPD Group , it

19780-446: The original Clock Tower , and embraced full 3D survival horror gameplay. In 2003, Resident Evil Outbreak introduced a new gameplay element to the genre: online multiplayer and cooperative gameplay . Sony employed Silent Hill director Keiichiro Toyama to develop Siren . The game was released in 2004, and added unprecedented challenge to the genre by making the player mostly defenseless, thus making it vital to learn

19952-432: The original game in terms of longevity and graphics while retaining the original's core appeal. IGN ' s Ricardo Sanchez said that the game's atmosphere was "dead on", and that "[the] graphics, sound effects, music, and level design all work together to create a spooky, horror-filled world". Ryan Mac Donald of GameSpot shared the opinion, and found the game to be "like a product out of Hollywood". He said that it

20124-402: The other games in the series, but keep the option for multi-player. The game development was later put on hold. Prior to 2002, Capcom decided to revive development of the game, based on the research gathered from the first attempt. Production Studio 1 began its development of the game, as opposed to Mikami's Studio 4. In February 2002, a Sony press conference regarding the PlayStation 2 revealed

20296-431: The player and provide suspense, although games in the genre also make use of enormous spatial environments. A survival horror storyline usually involves the investigation and confrontation of horrific forces, and thus many games transform common elements from horror fiction into gameplay challenges. Early releases used camera angles seen in horror films , which allowed enemies to lurk in areas that are concealed from

20468-649: The player character can punch or use a knife if out of ammunition. The game also has a limited item inventory and crates to store items, and introduced a day-night cycle ; the player can sleep to recover health, and a record is kept of how many days the player has survived. In 1988, War of the Dead Part 2 for the MSX2 and PC-88 abandoned the RPG elements of its predecessor, such as random encounters , and instead adopted action-adventure elements from Metal Gear while retaining

20640-511: The player controls multiple characters and features a butterfly effect system in which the player's choices can change the story and may dictate who survives the night. All playable characters can survive or die, depending on the choices made. Players explore the environment from a third-person perspective and find clues that may help solve the mystery. Multiplayer asymmetrical survival horror games gained popularity as well. Dead by Daylight , released in 2016, features one player taking on

20812-508: The player must perform to reach 100% completion. Upon doing so the player will unlock "Infinity Mode", in which all the player's weapons never break or run out of ammunition. Completing the game on Hard difficulty unlocks "Lone Wolf Mode", where the player begins the game offline without AI partners. Each scenario also has invisible, randomly generated "SP" items hidden throughout the level. There are twenty scenario items for each scenario, and twenty items specific to each character hidden across

20984-404: The player must reach the goal while fighting every enemy along the way with only the default item loadout. The PlayStation version requires the player complete both scenarios with high ranks in order to unlock these missions, while the Dreamcast version has them accessible from the beginning. All later versions, excluding the Nintendo 64 version, have an additional "Extreme Battle" minigame, where

21156-479: The player vulnerable to a random zombie attack, making the game "[feel] light in the story department" as a consequence of not becoming immersed in the environment. Long load times for the PAL version was also noted in the review. By August 2006, Outbreak had sold 1.45 million copies. Survival horror The term "survival horror" was first used for the original Japanese release of Resident Evil in 1996, which

21328-438: The player's view. Also, many survival horror games make use of off-screen sound or other warning cues to notify the player of impending danger. This feedback assists the player, but also creates feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. Games typically feature a variety of monsters with unique behavior patterns. Enemies can appear unexpectedly or suddenly, and levels are often designed with scripted sequences where enemies drop from

21500-411: The player, either as Leon, Claire, Ada or Chris Redfield from the first game, must plant four antivirus bombs around one of three maps while fighting through a gauntlet of enemies with limited supplies. Depending on which order the scenarios are played in, the player experiences one of two courses of events which mutually contradict each other. This plot summary covers only the path followed by playing

21672-426: The principal locations in the final build had been made to look more extravagant and artistic, based on photographs taken of the interiors of Western-style buildings in Japanese cities. The environments were created on SGI O2 computers, and each background took two or three weeks to render. The maximum number of zombies displayed on the screen at one time was limited to seven, making it possible to use 450 polygons for

21844-412: The process, audio and video assets had to be more aggressively and creatively compressed, using novel techniques that shift the burden away from storage and toward the console's high real-time processing power. Across twelve months and with a budget of $ 1 million, Resident Evil 2 was ported to the console by a team led by nine full-time and one part-time personnel from Angel Studios . Further help

22016-441: The protagonist endures a confrontation with the ultimate antagonist. Another major influence on the genre is Japanese horror , including classical Noh theatre , the books of Edogawa Rampo , and Japanese cinema . The survival horror genre largely draws from both Western (mainly American ) and Asian (mainly Japanese ) traditions, with the Western approach to horror generally favoring action -oriented visceral horror while

22188-422: The release of Square 's Parasite Eve , which combined elements from Resident Evil with the RPG gameplay of Final Fantasy . It was followed by a more action-based sequel, Parasite Eve II , in 1999. In 1998, Galerians discarded the use of guns in favour of psychic powers that make it difficult to fight more than one enemy at a time. Also in 1998, Blue Stinger was a fully 3D survival horror game for

22360-420: The release of another early horror game, Bandai 's Terror House , based on traditional Japanese horror, released as a Bandai LCD Solarpower handheld game . It was a solar-powered game with two LCD panels on top of each other to enable impressive scene changes and early pseudo-3D effects. The amount of ambient light the game received also had an effect on the gaming experience. Another early example of

22532-569: The role of a killer and four others play as survivors. The game is also notable for featuring multiple characters from other survival horror franchises, such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill . Other examples which use similar one versus four gameplay include Friday the 13th: The Game , VHS , Evil Dead: The Game , and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre . The Resident Evil series abandoned its action-oriented direction beginning with 2017's Resident Evil 7: Biohazard . The game utilizes

22704-463: The scenario and players. When a player started online, the game would begin on the "Outbreak" scenario and progress from there. If players wished to stop playing, they could save their data and restart from the scenario they were up to at the time. After completing a scenario, players acquired a star next to their name. The game begins with up to four players in online or one player with two AI partners in offline. The player characters are infected with

22876-459: The series with Resident Evil 2 . Supervisor Yoshiki Okamoto criticized the story, finding it too conclusive to allow for future installments. Instead, Okamoto proposed the creation of a fictional universe that would turn Resident Evil into a metaseries  – similar to the Gundam and James Bond franchises – in which self-contained stories with common elements could be told. During

23048-616: The ship, and if certain required items are not available in the warehouse, the player is unable to escape and eventually has no choice but to be caught and killed by the alien. Another early example is the 1982 Atari 2600 game Haunted House . Gameplay is typical of future survival horror titles, as it emphasizes puzzle-solving and evasive action, rather than violence. The game uses creatures commonly featured in horror fiction, such as bats and ghosts, each of which has unique behaviors. Gameplay also incorporates item collection and inventory management, along with areas that are inaccessible until

23220-675: The sound staff. The European version of Biohazard 2 Original Soundtrack has an identical CD, Resident Evil 2 Original Soundtrack . In the North American version, the opening theme "The Beginning of Story" is split into four individual tracks. Five orchestral arrangements were included on the Bio Hazard Orchestra Album , a live concert performed by the New Japan Philharmonic . Disc jockey Piston Nishizawa created electronic remixes for several of

23392-552: The soundtrack "perfectly composed", and Mac Donald likened the use of audio to that of classic horror films. A common point of criticism was the inventory system, which Sanchez called "a pain". He disliked the player's need to retrieve objects from item boxes, and Mac Donald criticized the system for being unrealistic, as the boxes are "[magically]" interconnected and all items take the same amount of space when being carried, regardless of their size. Furthermore, Mallinson and Mac Donald disapproved of certain puzzles, as out of place in

23564-421: The story was the reworking of Elza Walker into Claire Redfield, in order to introduce a connection to the plot of the first game. To fulfill Capcom's sales plan of two million copies, director Kamiya tried to attract new customers with a more ostentatious and Hollywood-like story presentation. As Okamoto did not want to simply enforce the new direction, he had Sugimura discuss the plot revisions with Mikami and

23736-468: The story, included in compositions such as "Prologue", "Raccoon City", and "The Third Malformation of G". Various musical styles, ranging from ambient horror to industrial , represent the different game environments. For example, the streets of Raccoon City are emphasized with militaristic percussion-based music, and the police station features ominous piano underscores. Key events of the story are supported with orchestral and cinematic compositions –

23908-428: The successful formula seen in Resident Evil , and every subsequent survival horror game has arguably taken a stance in relation to it. The success of Resident Evil in 1996 was responsible for its formula being used as the basis for a wave of successful survival horror games, many of which were referred to as " Resident Evil clones." The golden age of survival horror started by Resident Evil reached its peak around

24080-414: The successful sequel Resident Evil 2 , which series creator Shinji Mikami intended to tap into the classic notion of horror as "the ordinary made strange". Rather than setting the game in a creepy mansion no one would visit, he wanted to use familiar urban settings transformed by the chaos of a viral outbreak. The game sold over five million copies, proving the popularity of survival horror. That year saw

24252-440: The survival horror formula. The Thing from 2002 has been called a survival horror game, although it is distinct from other titles in the genre due to its emphasis on action, and the challenge of holding a team together. The 2004 title Doom 3 is sometimes categorized as survival horror, although it is considered an Americanized take on the genre due to the player's ability to directly confront monsters with weaponry. Thus, it

24424-417: The survival horror game can be traced back to earlier horror fiction novels. Archetypes have been linked to the books of H. P. Lovecraft , which include investigative narratives, or journeys through the depths. Comparisons have been made between Lovecraft's Great Old Ones and the boss encounters seen in many survival horror games. Themes of survival have also been traced to the slasher film subgenre, where

24596-490: The survival horror genre. Despite this, it is not likely a direct influence on later games in the genre and the similarities are largely an example of parallel thinking . In 1992, Infogrames released Alone in the Dark , which has been considered a forefather of the genre. The game featured a lone protagonist against hordes of monsters, and made use of traditional adventure game challenges such as puzzle-solving and finding hidden keys to new areas. Graphically, Alone in

24768-493: The team, which was composed of newer Capcom employees and over half of the staff from the original Resident Evil . In the initial stages of development, producer Shinji Mikami often had creative disagreements with Kamiya, and tried to influence the team with his own direction. He eventually withdrew into an overseeing role as producer, and only demanded to be shown the latest build once monthly. The game took more than $ 1 million to create. The first footage of Resident Evil 2

24940-637: The time. Splatterhouse in particular is notable for its large amount of bloodshed and terror, despite being an arcade beat 'em up with very little emphasis on survival. Shiryou Sensen: War of the Dead , a 1987 title developed by Fun Factory and published by Victor Music Industries for the MSX2 , PC-88 and PC Engine platforms, is considered the first true survival horror game by Kevin Gifford (of GamePro and 1UP ) and John Szczepaniak (of Retro Gamer and The Escapist ). Designed by Katsuya Iwamoto,

25112-421: The turn of the millennium with Silent Hill , followed by a general decline a few years later. Among the Resident Evil clones at the time, there were several survival horror titles that stood out, such as Clock Tower (1996) and Clock Tower II: The Struggle Within (1998) for the PlayStation. These Clock Tower games proved to be hits, capitalizing on the success of Resident Evil while staying true to

25284-448: The usual PAL / NTSC differential. Capcom announced on March 31, 2007, that they were shutting down the online servers. Outbreak received mostly mixed reviews. On review aggregator Metacritic , the game received a total score of 71/100, and a score of 70% on GameRankings . 1UP.com awarded the game a "C+" in their review, describing it as "another typical entry in the RE canon", and

25456-462: The virus. If the player succumbs to the virus in online, they will transform into a zombie and continue to control their character by attacking the other players until the mutated player is defeated or dies instantly after a certain amount of time has passed. The player and their AI partners will not transform in offline. Capcom shut down the American servers for Outbreak on December 31, 2007, and

25628-722: Was leaked onto the Internet . On June 26, 2024, Resident Evil was released on GOG.com , with Resident Evil 2 released on August 27, and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis released on September 25. The titles were sold both individually and as a $ 24.99 bundle. The PC port will be based on the Dual Shock ver. and will include high-resolution character models and an art gallery. Resident Evil 2 received critical acclaim upon release. Its original PlayStation release holds an average aggregate score of 93% at GameRankings based on 25 reviews, and 89 out of 100 points at Metacritic for both

25800-439: Was "more an interactive, cinematic experience than a video game". Writing for ComputerAndVideoGames.com , Paul Mallinson considered the atmosphere, story, and film-like presentation its most outstanding features, and though he found its plot to be "far-fetched", he said it was "kept down to earth by clever scripting and gritty storytelling". GamePro staff writer Mike Weigand called the narrative "engrossing and dramatic", and

25972-543: Was 1998's sixth best-selling game in the United States. At the 1999 Milia festival in Cannes , Resident Evil 2 took home a "Gold" prize for revenues above €29 million or $ 33,000,000 (equivalent to $ 62,000,000 in 2023) in the European Union during 1998. With 4.96 million copies sold, the original PlayStation version of Resident Evil 2 was a commercial success, and is the franchise's best-selling game on

26144-420: Was a survival horror game that employed point-and-click graphic adventure gameplay and a deadly stalker known as Scissorman that chases players throughout the game. The game introduced stealth game elements, and was unique for its lack of combat, with the player only able to run away or outsmart Scissorman in order to survive. It features up to nine different possible endings. The term "survival horror"

26316-585: Was adamant that it would at least try to find a way to solve the problem in time for release. The European release was heavily delayed, finally released in September 2004—nine months after Japan and the United States saw its release. Back in March Capcom had given in on securing Outbreak ' s network due to the numerous problems faced with establishing a network in a region simultaneously for dozens of languages, and securing service providers; as well as

26488-403: Was added to the main menu, allowing the player to view movies, rough sketches, illustrations, and 3D models. In February 2006, a Japan-exclusive, Windows XP -compatible PC-DVD re-release was published. Developed by Sourcenext, it includes high-quality FMVs encoded at 640×480 pixels. The Dreamcast version keeps the additions from the original PC release, and incorporates real-time display of

26660-549: Was aided by Sherry Birkin and John, who appears in Resident Evil 2 as gun shop owner Robert Kendo. Mikami also revealed in 1996 that the sequel would have new monsters, and the number of onscreen enemies would be increased to "around seven or more" to produce "the sensation of terror as the monsters swarm around the character". Real-world examples influenced character designs by artists Isao Ohishi and Ryoji Shimogama. For example, Ohishi based Leon on his bloodhound , and Annette Birkin on actress Jodie Foster . The police station

26832-409: Was better than the original game, and said almost everything about the sequel is "flawless", including the gameplay, graphics, layout, level of detail, sound, frightful atmosphere, suspenseful story, and scenario system. They criticized the controls and menu system, but said the controls were an improvement over the original. The game tied with the PlayStation version of Point Blank for their "Game of

27004-403: Was canceled at approximately two thirds completion because Mikami decided it was inadequate. The final design introduced a more cinematic presentation. Resident Evil 2 received acclaim for its atmosphere, setting, graphics, audio, scenarios, overall gameplay, and its improvements over the original game, but with some criticism towards its controls, voice acting, and certain gameplay elements. It

27176-503: Was chosen over conventional microphone chat because the development team argued that it would ruin the atmosphere. Instead, limited chat options were used for conversation between users; a player would walk up to another and deliver a line from a particular conversational category (e.g. "help" and "go" categories). No solid release date was given at that time. Later that year the game was renamed Biohazard Network . By October, eighteen different scenarios were in development, with even more in

27348-402: Was composed by Masami Ueda, Shusaku Uchiyama, and Syun Nishigaki, except one track composed by Naoshi Mizuta . The music conveys "desperation" as its underlying theme. In his role as lead composer, Ueda provided the motifs , and Uchiyama provided the horror-themed music for the investigation and movie scenes. The main theme, a versatile three-note leitmotif , appears several times throughout

27520-457: Was developed at Capcom, with plans for it to use the console's 4 MB RAM cartridge, but technical difficulties led to its cancellation in October 1998. Tiger Electronics released a black and white sprite -based 2.5D version for its Game.com handheld in late 1998. It includes only Leon's story path, and lacks many of the original game's core features, including cutscenes and music. This

27692-583: Was first used by Capcom to market their 1996 release, Resident Evil . It began as a remake of Sweet Home , borrowing various elements from the game, such as its mansion setting, puzzles, "opening door" load screen, death animations, multiple endings depending on which characters survive, dual character paths, individual character skills, limited item management, story told through diary entries and frescos, emphasis on atmosphere, and horrific imagery. Resident Evil also adopted several features seen in Alone in

27864-414: Was followed by a sequel in 2020. Shinji Mikami , the creator of the Resident Evil franchise, released his new survival horror game The Evil Within , in 2014. Mikami stated that his goal was to bring survival horror back to its roots as he was disappointed by recent survival horror games for having too much action. That same year, Alien: Isolation , developed by Creative Assembly and based on

28036-559: Was influenced by earlier games with a horror theme such as 1989's Sweet Home and 1992's Alone in the Dark . The name has been used since then for games with similar gameplay and has been retroactively applied to earlier titles. Starting with the release of Resident Evil 4 in 2005, the genre began to incorporate more features from action games and more traditional first person and third-person shooter games. This has led game journalists to question whether long-standing survival horror franchises and more recent franchises have abandoned

28208-525: Was not available for the PAL versions of the game. Outbreak depicts a series of episodic storylines in a zombie-inhabited Raccoon City . Players control eight characters with unique abilities. It was set during the same general time period as Resident Evil 2 and 3 . Capcom released a standalone expansion, Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2 , the following year. The game was praised for its graphics, fun factor and multiplayer, but criticized for lacking voice chat. The controls and gameplay are similar to

28380-471: Was praised for both its atmospheric tension and fast action, successfully combining Japanese horror with cinematic action, while Dead Space from 2008 brought survival horror to a science fiction setting. However, critics argue that these titles represent the continuing trend away from pure survival horror and towards general action. The release of Left 4 Dead in 2008 helped popularize cooperative multiplayer among survival horror games, although it

28552-451: Was promoted with a $ 5,000,000 (equivalent to $ 9,300,000 in 2023) advertising campaign. In Italy, the game reached 100,000 pre-orders , worth over 12 billion lire or $ 6,600,000 (equivalent to $ 12,300,000 in 2023). It became the fastest-selling video game in North America. On the weekend following its release, more than 380,000 copies were sold, grossing $ 19,000,000 (equivalent to $ 36,000,000 in 2023). It therefore surpassed

28724-438: Was provided by ten staff from Capcom Production Studio 3 and Factor 5 . This version offers features that were not included on any other system, such as alternate costumes, the ability to adjust the degree of violence and to change the blood color, a randomizer to place items differently during each playthrough, and a more responsive first-person control scheme. Additionally, the port features 16 new in-game documents known as

28896-465: Was shown at the V Jump Festival '96 in July. This build, later dubbed Resident Evil 1.5 by Mikami, differed drastically from the final version. Its plot followed the same basic outline and features a zombie outbreak in Raccoon City two months after the events of the first game. However, Umbrella had already been closed as a consequence of its illegal experiments. The development team sought to retain

29068-586: Was smaller with a more modern and realistic design. There were more encounters with surviving policemen, such as a superior officer of Leon named Roy. Enemy models used far fewer polygons, allowing many zombies to appear on the screen. The game employed dynamic music , and altered pre-rendered backgrounds in response to gameplay events. The playable characters could use equipment such as protective clothes to enhance their defense and enable them to carry more items. The character models were altered by costume changes and by damage received from enemies. Believing

29240-398: Was the first Resident Evil game to be released on a handheld console. In 2009, Capcom's Beehive Interactive subsidiary released Resident Evil: Uprising , based on the plot of Resident Evil 2 , for BlackBerry and Windows phone devices. This version allows players to switch between Leon and Claire at anytime during gameplay. In February 2013, an unfinished build of Resident Evil 1.5

29412-427: Was the runner-up for Best Adventure Game of the Year and Readers' Choice Best PlayStation Game of the Year , behind Metal Gear Solid which won in both award categories. The Video Software Dealers Association nominated it for Video Game of the Year. Resident Evil 2 has been held in high regard in the years following its initial release, and was named the fourth best game on the PlayStation by Famitsu . It

29584-415: Was to have at least one of the games reach a million sales. Both Monster Hunter and Resident Evil Outbreak eventually reached this goal. The game made an appearance at Sony's conference on May 21 at E3 2002 , with a video showcasing real-time 3D backgrounds (as opposed to pre-rendered); revealing four of the characters and demonstrating the ad-lib system and character communication. The "ad-lib system"

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