Resident Evil Outbreak File 2 review

Outbreak is a really, really hard sell. As a single-player game, it's a return to old Resident Evil of static cameras, remote control handling and door loading screens, which seems archaic and crippled compared to the majesty of Resi 4.

Then, as multiplayer online game, it's fiddly and frustratingly lonely when compared to any other online experience.

What's supposed to happen is that you and three other online players combine forces to battle the worst that Raccoon City has to throw at you. But one wrong turn and an over-loading screen can leave you abandoned, and all the prescribed D-pad commands in the world won't help you find your pals again.

But if you do get together, you still can't talk to each other. So you end up trying to communicate that 'the main power to subway can't be switched on without accessing the breaker room' by spinning your character around and threatening others with a pipe.

It's like a really nightmarishly frustrating game of charades.

For Capcom to make Outbreak work, they have to support some direct communication - be it via headset or keyboard, as it's a far too slow and complicated game to have it any other way.

Outbreak File 2 is worth buying if you're a hardcore Resi fan who is willing to embrace many of the old quirks that were blown away by Resi 4.

All the puzzles, enemies and environment are just as detailed and entertaining as they were in Resi's 1 to 3, as Capcom are too proficient at making survival horrors for it to be otherwise.

But be warned, this feels far more like a retro game than a fresh experience.

Resident Evil Outbreak file 2 is out now for PS2