As Remake 2 creeps ever closer, time to take another trip back to Raccoon City with our review of Outbreak File 2. Originally recorded way back in 2013, we look back at the news of the time, including a Shinji Mikami interview where he comments on the change of direction for the franchise related to sales of the original remake. Other news includes the possible reveal of Resident Evil 7 through the resume of a costume designer and we also look back at our recent trip to Bristol and getting caught up in a biohazard infecting the whole town. Then there is an important reveal that our chief translator for ongoing projects seems to be a random woman working in Tesco...

For the main discussion the team look back at File 2 of the Outbreak series. Released to much criticism following the massive success of Resident Evil 4, this title was soon confined to memory and bargain bins across the globe. But was it simply a failed online experiment or actually a hidden gem that was released way ahead of its time?

Special guest is the Selfish Gene.

Enjoy.

Another golden oldie now as we slowly but surely work through the back catalogue of old episodes. This one covers the original release of Resident Evil Zero on the Nintendo Game Cube and was originally recorded in August 2013. The news at the time was pretty slow with Capcom seeking feedback on the polarising Resident Evil 6 and the release of Naughty Dog's 'The Last of Us' being more in line with what fans expect from a survival horror title. 

For the main discussion Batman largely stands alone in his defence of Zero with the majority opinion being that it failed to capture the magic of Remake and the implementation of too many gimmicks such as the partner zapping and lack of item boxes soured the experience somewhat. As always we discuss what was good, what was bad, and analyse the characters, environments, enemies, and the story. So if you're into giant insects, leeches, magic elevators and comic book NPC powers, this one is for you. Special community guest is Yoke.

Another one from the archives now as we go back to one of the old classics. Here the team return to J's Bar in Raccoon City where it all began as we assess the first Outbreak game. All the scenarios are looked at as well as the characters the enemies and of course the online element. Was the game a missed opportunity or underrated and vastly ahead of its time? Originally recorded June 2013.

Rombie of Residentevilfan.com returns for a second stint in the guest’s chair for this retrospective look-back on one of the more forgotten and often mocked entries in the series; Resident Evil: Survivor. Apologies in advance for some rather eccentric Ark Thompson and Vincent’s mother impressions! But despite Survivor being an easy target with its cheap production values and cringe-worthy voice acting, our team peels back the surface and puts forward a compelling argument in support of this title. Rombie provides some fascinating insight into its development history and the gun support, Neptune and S.T.A.R.S_Tyrant talk up the music and the foreboding atmosphere the game is able to generate despite its cheap look, and News Bot and TheBatman discuss and explain some of the more ambiguous story aspects about the Hypnos Tyrant and the T-103 production process. Overall this is a frank and fair discussion that hopefully will encourage fans to give this game another go and hopefully re-evaluate their opinions. But perhaps the most interesting lesson you'll take from this is listening to George Trevor's rationale for why Bruce Forsythe may have looked younger in the 1970's than he does now...

After being MIA since Episode 8, the manhunt for Mr. Spencer finally ends as Neptune locates him in a rundown bar in Southampton with a hole in his memory and overwhelming feelings of guilt. After insulting the barmaid and almost starting a bar fight, Neptune persuades Mr Spencer to return to the Resident Evil Podcast fold. It’s where he belongs…

The main focus of this episode is a retrospective review of 2012 due to the unprecedented amount of media that was released for the series.Despite being of varying quality, we look back at Resident Evil: Revelations,Operation Raccoon City, Resident Evil: Damnation and of course Resident Evil 6, offering thoughts and opinion with reflective eyes. Neptune was also planning an extensive review of Resident Evil: Retribution but thankfully the threat of death from the rest of the panel vetoed such a feature. We finish with a small segment on our hopes for the series moving forward and finally the quiz.

Originally recorded just weeks after the game's initial release in October 2012, this episode features a fully comprehensive breakdown of the entire game from story, to characters, to game play and those god-awful vehicle sections. No stone is left unturned as Resident Evil 6, the good and the bad, is taken to task by the REP team. Neptune cannot work out how we've evolved from searching for gold crests round a spooky old mansion to chasing evil clones round China in a Mazda MX5, whilst S.T.A.R.S_Tyrant builds up Derek Simmons as a potential Albert Wesker successor only to be dismayed by Capcom's ultimate resolution for him. Meanwhile, George Trevor searches hard for any positives about the game and TheBatman breaks down the overall plot and talks a bit about some of the new organisations and world-building aspects that add to the overall universe. But perhaps the biggest question remaining is where exactly can the series can go from here?