Fans of Resident Evil will fondly remember the Raccoon City Destruction Incident. It's this tragic event, which occurs in the backdrop of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, that cements the horrifying implications of bioweapons to the world. However, it seems it's not just the main series protagonists that made it out of Raccoon City.
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Thanks to Resident Evil Outbreak, fans have an alternate look on Raccoon City survivors beyond the main titles' protagonists. Moreover, their small efforts inside and outside the games have made a huge impact in the series. However, just what happened in Outbreak that only its players would remember?
10 Outbreak: It Begins In A Bar
Interestingly, all survivors in this chapter become playable in other chapters of Outbreak. Additionally, this chapter explores some humanizing aspects of Raccoon City. These include Jack's Bar that highlights casual partygoing, as well as family life via Raccoon Mall, and even tourism via Apple Inn.
9 Below Freezing Point: Enter The G-Virus
Yoko Suzuki, a former Umbrella researcher, leads freelance journalist Alyssa Ashcroft and surgeon George Hamilton to the secret NEST lab complex just below the Umbrella Chemical Plant in the Arklay Mountains. In "Below Freezing Point," the amnesiac Yoko hopes to find details about her stay in Umbrella Corporation.
Interestingly, this chapter highlights the more insidious nature of Umbrella Corporation. For instance, Yoko eventually testifies against Umbrella Corporation after the outbreak while Alyssa releases an expose. Fans might also remember that William Birkin infected himself with the G-Virus before eliminating HUNK's team in NEST. Additionally, the zombified William had spilled T-Virus samples into the sewers below NEST that jumpstarted the outbreak.
8 The Hive: The Mysterious Leech Man
Survivors stayed for a while in the abandoned Raccoon General Hospital. However, Dr. Hersh approaches them and suggests they leave immediately to avoid any further trouble. Unfortunately, leeches attack Dr. Hersh as they got attracted to a zombie bite on the doctor's arm. Upon Dr. Hersh's death, the leeches use his body to assume a humanoid form. This being, now called the Leech Man, proceeds to stalk the survivors in "The Hive" scenario.
While the survivors eliminate the Hospital's leech hive and escape into the sewers, the scenario does connect with other situations. For instance, do the mysterious leeches have a relationship with Dr. James Marcus, an Umbrella founder with a fondness for leeches? Additionally, this is the same hospital that Carlos Oliviera visits while building a cure for an infected Jill in RE3.
7 Hellfire: Bringing Hope
Unlike other scenarios, "Hellfire" takes a more straightforward approach to survival. In this setting, four survivors end up in a burning Apple Inn after being chased by zombies. Sadly, their entry in Apple Inn greets them with dying survivors and various survivors. Thankfully, two firefighters manage to save the survivors, with one of them even planning to have a talk to give hope to their companions.
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Despite the simple approach of the scenario, it does reveal some interesting facts about the other games. For instance, it's only in "Hellfire" that players face a Suspended, a special boss-type monster hanging from the ceiling.
6 Decisions, Decisions: An Antidote
Of all chapters in Outbreak, perhaps "Decisions, Decisions" has the most impact in terms of the overarching Resident Evil lore. In this scenario, George Hamilton and other survivors head to Raccoon University to help his friend, Peter Jenkins. Sadly, George will find a dead Peter in his room. However, Peter does leave a lasting legacy: a recipe for an anti-virus called "Daylight" which eliminates T-Virus infection.
Throughout the scenario, George not only has to create "Daylight" but also fend off the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service led by Nikolai Zinoviev, as well as the experimental Thanatos Tyrant. Thankfully, George successfully synthesizes "Daylight" and escapes Raccoon City prior to its destruction. In the lore, it's assumed that hospitals regularly use "Daylight" to help cure T-Virus infections in affected individuals.
5 Wild Things: Animal Zombies
In Outbreak File #2, Cindy Lennox and other individuals find themselves navigating the hostile Raccoon Zoo to reach an extraction point, where a helicopter seems to be waiting for survivors. Sadly, they have to face a variety of zombified beasts such as a Zombie Elephant and even a Zombie Lioness.
Despite the straightforward nature of "Wild Things," the level does exemplify the variety of beasts players can fight in the franchise. While players can consider the Zombie Elephant and Zombie Lioness as rare zombified animals, other monsters would remind them of iconic animal zombies such as the Cerberus.
4 Underbelly: No Way Out Yet
Jim Chapman and other survivors stumble upon the South Raccoon Street station in search of a train to leave them out of the city. However, the survivors used this opportunity to also discover clues about the ongoing outbreak. In "Underbelly," Jim and his team face a huge mutated flea - even until the end as they tried to escape via an incoming train.
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Sadly, Jim and his companions end up barely escaping the city as their train comes to a halt in front of blocked tracks. In turn, they end up stranded near Arklay Mountains and have to move on foot. Interestingly, Claire and Leon also escape Raccoon City by train, albeit from an underground laboratory. The game ending also depicts the two - alongside Sherry Birkin - walking in a spot already far from the city before its destruction.
3 Flashback: Arklay Mountains
Alyssa Ashcroft and two other survivors end up in the Arklay Mountains during their escape from Raccoon City. They take refuge in an old cabin, where a friendly Al brings them to an abandoned hospital. In "Flashback," Alyssa and her friends need to fight a monstrous plant named Dorothy, which turns out to be Al's deceased wife who passed away from cancer. After the incident, Alyssa and her friends manage to escape the collapsing hospital.
Interestingly, the Arklay Mountains do play an integral role in the first few Resident Evil games. For instance, RE1 takes place in the Spencer Mansion, located deep in the Arklay Mountains. Likewise, Resident Evil 0 begins when Chris Redfield's teammate Rebecca Chambers investigates murders in the Mountains and stumbles upon Billy Coen, a criminal who recently escaped his destroyed transport.
2 Desperate Times: The Last Defense
In "Desperate Times," officers trapped in Raccoon Police Station need to use underground tunnels to find assistance from the outside without attracting the attention of zombies. Rita Phillips volunteers to make the journey and successfully makes it outside. Sadly, the companions she meets slowly die to zombies throughout the city. Thankfully, the surviving officers manage to escape via a van. However, senior officer Lt. Marvin Branagh gets injured and decides to get left behind.
Interestingly, Branagh also makes an appearance in both Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3. In both situations, players find him injured inside the Raccoon Police Station.
1 End Of The Road: The Final Countdown
In "End of the Road," Captain Rodriguez of the Umbrella Security Service decides to go rogue and leave Raccoon City in a chopper that contains a stolen BOW. However, his passenger Dr. Linda Baldwin wants to return to the Umbrella R&D Center to obtain a drug that could halt the spread of the virus. Sadly, Rodriguez loses contact with Baldwin and proceeds to find her. If Rodriguez gets to rescue Baldwin, they escape in the chopper. If they refuse or fail to get to the chopper, they have to defeat a Tyrant and escape the city via a truck.
Interestingly, this chapter happens in the final hours prior to Raccoon City's destruction. In turn, this part of the game has to happen while Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliviera attempt to escape the city via chopper in RE3. Likewise, this scenario also happened while Ada retrieved the G-Virus sample and escaped via an Umbrella chopper in RE2.