If thoughts of milk come into your head when you hear the phrase Resident Evil Online, throw them out! With Resident Evil Outbreak, formerly known as Resident Evil Online, the horrific kids at Capcom have created something very different from what you've seen in previous Resident Evil titles. This isn't milk by any means.


Resident Evil Outbreak takes place in Raccoon City as zombies first appear in the city. The game's story seems to take place just before the storyline of Resident Evil 2. This time, rather than the members of the STARS force taking the central stage, the game places more focus on the actual residents of Raccoon City. In fact, you play the game as one of eight such residents: Kevin Ryman, Mark Wilkins, George Hamilton, Cindy Lennox, David King, Alyssa Ashcroft, Jim Chapman and Yoko Suzuki.

The game is split up into lengthy scenarios, with you playing as one of these characters. The characters you aren't playing as appear in their respective roles with the computer controlling them in single player mode and other live players -- up to three -- controlling them in network mode.

Not matter whom you select, everything begins one night in a bar. A strange-looking customer enters the establishment that evening, and when the waiter goes to speak to him, the guy reveals himself to be a zombie and starts sucking some major blood. Soon, the place is crawling with zombies, leaving just a few human survivors -- you, two companion characters and a chubby officer who's limping because he's apparently been attacked by the zombies.

You start off in a different area of the bar depending on which character you select. Kevin and Mark are, for instance, just regular customers in the main area of the bar. Cindy is one of the waitresses at the bar, and she comes in close contact with the now infamous T-Virus as she spots a rat and drops all her dishes as a result. Meanwhile, Yoko is in the bathroom while Jim is sitting at a table thinking up some nerdy problem to himself when the zombies first attack.

No matter whom you select for the first scenario, it seems that Cindy and Mark will always end up as part of your group.

The various scenarios play out like fast-paced versions of Resident Evil. There are lots of zombies to kill and lots of keys to find. We only spotted one absurd puzzle in the first scenario, although who knows what's in store for the later scenarios. The scenarios are also full of voiced cinema sequences progressing the storyline. There's no need to worry about a loss of flash or story as the series goes Online for the first time.

In the first scenario, you begin play in the bar as zombies are attacking. Your first goal is to get out of the main area of the bar by finding a key to the staff room. You'll eventually end up at the building's roof where you can jump over to the next building and head downstairs in order to escape to the street.

Actually jumping between the buildings takes some effort, as it seems the computer will automatically make you miss the jump and dangle for a bit on one hand. Another player will have to come over and help you up.

The scenario continues on to a tunnel sequence followed by a brief swimming sequence, and ending with a conflict with a massive group of zombies in which you're required to assemble a couple of pieces of a bomb that will blow the undead denizens to their redeath.

Throughout the scenarios, you stay in contact with your computer or human-controlled allies. The first scenario has only two allies at your side, but the second scenario ups the count to three. Whether controlled by the computer or by Online players, the allies are meant to support you through the game. The computer AI allies will pick up items on their own and help you attack zombies. If they're in your general area, you can ask them to hold items that are in your possession, or you can request that they transfer items in their possession to you. While playing single player mode, we found that the computer-controlled players followed us rather closely, while roaming about just a bit on their own.

In network mode, Outbreak distinguishes itself from other Online games by not being a glorified chat game. In fact, there's no chatting feature present in the game. You can make your character shout out specific phrases like "help me," "over here" and "thank you" using the right analogue thumb pad, and can even shout out the name of one of the characters in your group. The square button is reserved for shouting out character-specific phrases.

The computer makes use of these communication features in single player mode. In fact, it actually overuses them, resulting in lots of senseless chit-chat while playing. This is actually one of the funnier areas of the game -- picture typical Resident Evil bad acting appearing non-stop and in bits and pieces as you play the entire game and you'll get an idea of what to expect. The game even has the loud mouth black guy sidekick who, were this a movie, would invariably die at the end.

The character you control is equipped with a much more advanced arsenal than in previous Resident Evil games. In addition to just a basic gun attack, you can now kick and grapple zombies with various buttons, all while pushing and holding down the standard fire shoulder button. You'll also find your character performing various actions, from swimming to crawling atop boxes and leaping between huge gaps. The game also has lots of additional weapons and contraptions, from a new form of precision gun used exclusively by Kevin to a lock pick used exclusively by Alyssa.

The zombies in Outbreak are also far more advanced than in previous Resident Evil games. Zombies attack in different patterns and move at different speeds depending on type. There are actual female zombies in this game, and they're pretty brutal! Zombies aren't just limited to a single room, either. Some will follow you if you try to escape to another room, and some will even linger around if you try to hide under a bed or in a locker, things that are possible in Outbreak.

One of the cool things about Outbreak is that you can't save throughout the entirety of a scenario. There are save points, but they're only for temporary saves for when you want to take a break from play -- the file is deleted once you start the game again. The result is that you're held accountable for what you do throughout the length of the scenario. If one of your allies should die throughout the course of a scenario, she'll no longer appear throughout the remainder of the scenario. There's no going back to your previous save point in order to try and fix where you went wrong -- you have to start over at the beginning of the scenario. One of the stats reported at the end of a scenario is the number of surviving main characters, meaning making sure your allies stay alive is one of the main points of the game.

Death for both your allies and the character you control is actually handled differently in this game than in previous Resident Evil games. You have the normal Resident Evil way of dieing by being attacked by zombies and having your life deteriorate. In addition to this is an infection meter that dictates how infected you are with the T-Virus. Make the infection meter reach its upper limits and your life meter drop and your character will begin limping, and eventually crawling, which results in the infection meter rising more quickly. If the infection meter reaches 100%, the game ends.

Don't worry too much if someone should die, though (well, aside from yourself, that is). There's no continuity between the scenarios in terms of gameplay. Get through one scenario as any of the characters and you can play through the next scenario as any of the other characters even if someone died along the way. You're apparently supposed to replay previous scenarios as different characters, while trying to get a better result in terms of ally survival rate and time.

Obviously, Capcom went for something a bit different from the standard Resident Evil formula with Outbreak, and this is true of the game at even its most basic level -- control. The game ditches the basic control scheme of previous games in the series, offering up a more direct means of control similar to that of Devil May Cry. Up moves you into the screen and down moves you towards the screen at all times. It no longer has anything to do with the direction your character is facing.

One of the reasons for the change is probably the game's switch to realtime 3D backgrounds and a roaming camera. Resident Evil Code: Veronica first hinted at what the series was capable of in complete 3D, but Outbreak gives a complete, and far evolved look. The camera is free from the restrictions of pre-rendered backdrops, and often pans or follows your character in order to best present the action.

Surprisingly, the switch to full 3D comes without much notable loss of detail to the backgrounds or characters. Characters and zombies are modeled and animated well, with backgrounds combining intricate detail with high textures and some Resident Evil Zero-style streaming pre-rendered effects. One scene in the game actually features over a dozen zombies moving around on a flame-filled 3D background. This is easily one of the most gorgeous moments in the game so far, but is just one of many examples of how Outbreak pushes the PS2 hardware to territory only previously touched by the likes of Konami and Polyphony Digital.

All the detail apparently comes at a cost, though. The game's loading system is unrefined in its Japanese version, often resulting in waits of more than ten seconds between individual rooms. The game even pauses briefly to load up the item and statistics screen. It adversely affects the flow of the game. While it's possible to fix some of the loading problems by installing the game to the hard disk, we hope that Capcom can address the issue for the Outbreak American release.

Outbreak, surprisingly, marks the first original Resident Evil game for the PS2. If you were expecting some quick Online title that would sell itself based off its name, it's safe to say that you can now expect a lot more from the game. In single player or multiplayer form, you're going to have to try Resident Evil Outbreak when it hits American shores early next year.

apparantly there are only 7 or 8 other people, and you got a range of weapons and melee weapons between you.

For example, some characters can not use guns, but have bats and clubs. I think this will heighten the experience greatly because if you want to succeed, your going have to co-operate.

For example, with the skills of other players, its in everyones best interest to keep everyone alive.

Apparantly if you are bitten in some gamemodes, you turn into a zombie. However, from feedback it seems capcom have done a lot of work to provide a benefit if you co-operate. There are always dicks though, hopefully there's some kind of lan gaming.

I don't own a playstation2 anymore, although this game seems like a great idea. Hopefully it will make its way to the pc.

Resident Evil 4, in terms of atmosphere seems to be damn impressive. I'll dig up some screenshots, but there are parts where your wandering around with a tourch and a pistol. Looks very impressive and atmospheric.

Unfortunately for x-box owners, neither of these games are coming there way :(

As the current generation of consoles approaches the final leg of its life-cycle and slowly evolves from next to past generation, speculation about what manufacturers will do to keep consumers interested reaches a climax and sometimes is best described as Mission Implausible.

The current trend of thought responsible for plenty of salty sweat-marks on cushy leather seats, is all about console price cuts. Every analyst, including EA's lot, claim that as the, traditionally slow, summer season approaches both MS and Sony will cut their hardware price to USD 129. A general E3 date is predicted as the most likely for the relevant announcements. Others however, have taken the whole thing a step further and suggest that Microsoft, in fear of Nintendo's apparent success, following the price cut which brought the GameCube to under USD 100 is planning a similar move for this coming fall.

The same sources that report such a dramatic price cut by MS, justify it by claiming that the company will release its next-gen offering (XBox 2?) in late 2005 rather than 2006. Such a possibility would definitely confuse the market, making the oldest console the most expensive. Sony would definitely not like cutting their price to under USD 100, especially if their plans for a 2006 release of the PS3 remain unchanged.

Before dismissing the speculation or discussing any possible ulterior motives, it would be wise to see if MS can, practically, produce an XBox 2 or XBox Next by the end of 2005. Hardware-wise it would seem that Bill has secured the necessary, big-name low-price, deals and now has ATI and IBM on board for his next console. MS also seem to be a working on a proprietary optical disc format for the games. What may be a lot harder for the team working on the future XBox console to resolve soon however, are the full technical specs of the new machine, especially considering that they have to achieve a balance between the demands of future gaming and the economic restraints of the industry.

Without those specifications, Microsoft partners would not be able to extend their full support for the platform and this could lead to problems with launch titles. Microsoft is expected to discuss XBox Next details at GDC this March but it is doubtful that hardware specs will be finalized by then. So the XBox successor could come early and Microsoft would definitely love to beat their rivals by a whole year, while also testing their financial commitment with a USD 99 price tag on its current console but that may involve the risk of releasing an unready console to a very demanding consumer group.

These comments on MS policy however, also suggest that other forces may be at work. Any MS rival, especially one with a cheaper product could, hypothetically speaking, release such information about a major XBox price cut soon, thus freezing sales of the product while consumers decide to wait for the cut. This may help such a hypothetical company increase a U.S. advantage it may have, only recently, announced.

Then of course we have the, also hypothetical, possibility that a major console manufacturer may be finding itself in very troubled and competitive times and may be trying out public opinion by releasing similar scenarios. In that way the, said hypothetical, company would confuse competitors while constantly gauging consumer reactions.

It seems that a slight drop in sales helps stiffen competition and may end up helping gamers as well.

Four of the nation's leading broadband communications providers will outline their strategies to capitalize on the growing trend in online video game services at the inaugural Game Networks Conference & Expo, April 27-28, 2004 at the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach, Calif., according to show organizers.

Executives from Sprint, Bell Canada, Comcast Online, and Cox Communications will participate in the conference to discuss the business opportunities and the technical requirements in network game services, such as bandwidth limitations, licensing rights, revenue sharing and quality of service.

According to Forrester Research's Pervasive Gaming, Subscription-based MMOGs mostly Massively Multiplayer Role Playing Games (aka MMORPGs) are projected to hit USD 1 billion in sales by 2005, growing at over 58 per cent annually.

Game Networks is the first business and technical conference designed to focus on the collaboration between game content developers, broadband communications carriers and network infrastructure providers to deliver the next generation of online game services.

Also participating are leading infrastructure solution providers, including Level 3 Communications, Sun Microsystems, IBM, ICTV, Terraplay, Calix and Alcatel, who will discuss the effect on network performance produced by high volume, high bandwidth game services, such as Massively Multiplayer Online Games.