Resident Evil Outbreak File #2

GameCritics

A wonderful survival horror game. The new control scheme is so good that if Capcom were to redo all the previous RE games in the style of Outbreak they could probably convince me to go ahead and buy all four titles for a third time.

My Gamer

The new levels are all simply great and have some genuinely scary moments (thankfully, since the original was never scary). However, nothing much else has been improved.

Weekly Famitsu

8 / 8 / 8 / 8 - 32 gold [Vol 822]

Play Magazine

A fun cooperative experience in the very provocative world of Resident Evil. [Apr 2005, p.60]

Siliconera

More challenging puzzles, larger levels and new zombies to battle. All of this will please people who liked the first game and none of this will change the minds of people who hate the first game. Some of the key problems with the game like the lack of communication between players still hasn't been solved. [JPN Import]

Game Informer

This is a concept that I love, and an execution that is lacking. [Apr 2005, p.126]

IC-Games

It’s not something I got a whole world of benefit out of, more a feeling of been here and done that, but for anyone eager to keep their enthusiasm for Outbreak going it’ll do the job.

GameZone

The implementation of a few new features just might be enough for fans of the original Outbreak to warrant a purchase, but if you like your gameplay to be slightly more evolved than your brain-dead enemies, you’ll find little satisfaction from playing this game.

Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

The best missions are better than the first Outbreak's but the others are too similar. Wait for the UK release to get the best of all words - online and fresh levels. [JPN Import; PSM2]

GameSpot

Outbreak was an interesting experiment a year ago, but since we've now seen the Resident Evil series finally move on with its incredible fourth installment, dealing with the archaic gameplay conventions of File #2 today feels a little like taking a step backward.

eToychest

A title that shows so much potential in its unique gameplay, but it is also a title that shows how technological shortcomings can ruin an otherwise interesting game and render it a frustrating mess.

IGN

It's hard to forgive Outbreak 2's repetitive nature, sluggish pacing, and lack of an effective online communicator.

Gaming Target

The new missions are nice but the lack of major gameplay changes or new PCs is a drag.

GameSpy

File #2 doesn't break a lot of new ground like Resident Evil 4 did. For better or for worse, it's simply more of the same with a few cosmetic tweaks.

G4 TV

Not an ambitious sequel, but it’s a frightfully intense experience for horror enthusiasts who like to share their scares.

PALGN

Broken in both single and multi player, Resident Evil Outbreak: File 2 is a barrel full of missed opportunity.

PSM Magazine

Abhorrent AI, limited saves, and sluggish pacing generate frustration. [Apr 2005, p.77]

GamePro

It's having to help brain-eatingly bad A.I. (alone) or trying to cooperate when you can't communicate (online) that makes survival horrible.

Yahoo! Games

After the bloodcurdlingly imaginative Resident Evil 4, this add-on to Outbreak barely qualifies as a legitimate expansion of the story's classic mode of play. We screamed for voice chat and better AI after the initial release, but those cries have gone unheard.

Game Revolution

It’s a great concept and could have been a ton of fun if only it were set in a more open-ended, no-load time world, like "GTA" with zombies.

Gaming Age

It's just not executed as well as we've grown to expect. If you're familiar with the first Outbreak, you'll find File #2 to be very much an expansion of that game.

Detroit Free Press

Hard-core Resident Evil fans might consider renting "File #2." But for online thrills, I'd rather do "Halo," and for a real thrill, "Resident Evil 4" is much more worthwhile.

Computer and Video Games

Suffice to say, even Resident Evil-loving broadband-obsessives will struggle to wrestle any fun from what is, essentially, a second detour down a dead end street. [PSW]

GameBiz

Only the true RE addicts should pick this one up.

games(TM)

File #2 just about survives its many flaws to warrant curio status for series veterans and online play addicts. [Nov 2005, p.117]

Boomtown

So playing through File 2 with its linear, claustrophobic levels, constant backtracking, awkward controls (despite the full use of analogue movement this time) and limited menu space does more harm than good.

Gamestyle

The game can only be seen as a disappointment for those expecting an online extravaganza (or for series veterans looking for something new).

Cheat Code Central

This game will only be done correctly on the next gen machines. No load times. Communication via headset. Expanded gameplay not limited by 5 year old technology. That's the way it should be.

GameShark

Still hamstrung by the lack of voice communication among human players online and workman-like AI for non-human-controlled allied characters in the single-player mode, the game just fails to differentiate itself enough to avoid a comparison with the new "Resident Evil 4" kid on the block.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

Perhaps I wasn't clear enough the first time: THIS GAME NEEDS VOICE CHAT. [May 2005, p.135]

1UP

If the idea of playing an absolutely average (and not particularly lengthy) Resident Evil adventure with incompetent A.I. allies is exciting, then hop to it.

GamerFeed

It has its moments of well-timed chaos scattered across a tale of monotony and deja vu, and that does not a classic make.

Maxim Online

REOF2 inspires as much boredom as fear, and possibly boasts the most tedious tutorial in game history.

Sydney Morning Herald

More frustrating than fun.

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

It's like trying to fly an airplane with no wings, and you can't even tell the passengers to kiss their asses good-bye. [May 2005, p.92]