The Fall of Raccoon City: The Story That Defined RESIDENT EVIL [Residecember Evil]

A history and analysis of the story of Raccoon City, spanning across Resident Evil 2, 3, Outbreak File #1 and #2, Operation Raccoon City, and more, discussing how this multi-game story speaks to the modern fears of zombies, what makes it special in the context of the larger franchise, and how Raccoon City becomes the modern American Necropolis in pop culture.
PATREON - / mattdraper
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#residentevil
#ResidecemberEvil
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[@MattDraper]

What are your favorite stories or locations in Raccoon City?

[@jonathanmulondo9206]

Romania in the recent game

[@pious83]

Even though it is only briefly seen. The final location of RE3 has always been a favourite. The visual story telling of so many dead troops and Mr. X's.

[@onojioboardwalk9748]

6:27 These new garbage-remakes look awful, Not ''Real.''

[@IvanSanchez-ft3mp]

Fav locations has to be the begining of RE3, i like how Jill was exploring the city while hearing screams and watching our backs and while it is just the intro, the way they handle it was done so well of how the zombies are attacking everyone

[@TevyaSmolka]

Probably Resident evil 2

[@DiegoReviews]

It’s hard to beat the Spencer Mansion as my favorite location, but I always love a zombie infested city. My favorite parts of 2 and 3 are when you’re outside in the streets.

[@firstlast9846]

On PS1 being out on the streets always creeped me out.. idk if it was the poor graphics that made everything unnatural.. but I loved the creepiness of it all.

[@himynameis3664]

The way they built the outdoor setting in RE3 with their classic pre rendered backgrounds was something else. I don't think any game has left an impression like those 1st 3 Ps1 era games. They really found something special there, I would've loved if they had re-made 2 and 3 the same as the 1st remake. With the tank controls and updated pre rendered backgrounds. I would still pay full price for those games re-made in that vain.

[@AlphaQHard]

@@firstlast9846 The sounds of distant moans of zombies and zombie crows was really eerie when I was young

[@evantaylor2111]

I've been begging for an original re2 and 3 remake or hd remaster. Secondly I couldn't agree more some of the best horror gaming of all time. I literally used to have zombie nightmares as a young child. Either way much ❤️ for Residet Evil!

[@himynameis3664]

@@evantaylor2111 I think these days it's quite possible we could get a passion project. I could totally see a fan putting in the work to give us even one of those games, re-made in the same style as the OG trilogy. The love I have for that trilogy can't be put into words, I was only 9 when I first played them but they stuck with me forever. I often dust off my PS2 and play them

[@Xehanort10]

17:25 The scariest character in 2 isn't even infected. Chief Irons killing his officers out of paranoia, killing the mayor's daughter and planning to make her body a taxidermy trophy, killing his secretary and taking bribes from Umbrella and William Birkin in particular.

[@JStryker47]

I wish Chris could've been there, when he started restraining Claire. He'd probably have shot the gun out of his hand, beat him up real good, dragged his fat ass over to the jail, and thrown him in a cell. Or that Katherine's survivor story was canonical.

[@hitmanmonaghan6633]

It’s the human monsters that scare me the most.

[@thelegendofner0]

Yeah, he's like a deranged serial killer using the zombie outbreak as a cover to unleash his inner monster

[@willdiesel8431]

@@hitmanmonaghan6633 well there's plenty of them to be fearful of.

[@EternalEmperorofZakuul]

@@hitmanmonaghan6633 better the devil you know, in this case those BOW's... At least you know what they will do and won't do

[@numberyellow]

I always figured Umbrella was so hell-bent on taking out S.T.A.R.S. because they wanted to eliminate the only organization that had demonstrated the ability to hurt them. They wanted to take out the team, before they could do any more damage to their plans, or expose anything.

[@neo-warkid4edwards222]

that's pretty much the point of Nemesis, he was DESIGNED to kill the S.T.A.R.S. members that survived the Mansion Incident, though ironically, it failed in more ways than one. by the time he got to Raccoon City, HALF the members had already left the City (with Wesker having the benefit of everyone thinking he was dead at the time). leaving Nemesis with only Jill and Brad to hunt down. his only successful S.T.A.R.S. kill was Brad, and even then, he was already bitten so he was a dead man walking regardless. then when Nemesis infected Jill, it lead to her developing Antibodies to the T-Virus and its variants.

[@numberyellow]

@@neo-warkid4edwards222 i know this.. i was reacting to something the narrator said. Can't remember what it was now, because it was 2 months ago, but still.. i get why Umbrella was trying so hard to take out the remaining team members....and it would appear you get it too.

[@ceecee6521]

Not at first; during the mansion incident, Umbrella just wanted to record combat data before having to dispose of all evidence that the Arkley facility existed, and figured S.T.A.R.S. were the perfect guinea pigs for that. And if they all died? Well, there goes any real chance of the local authorities linking the mansion, laboratory and the cannibal murders to Umbrella, so even better! Haha....Ahh, how that idea backfired so fucking hard...

[@yaboidre5672]

At first, Umbrella just needed suitable cannon fodder to test their bioweapons. Sometimes it's not enough to just throw something at a human target - they want something that can effortlessly handle foes with the most elite fighting capabilities (e.g. military vets like Chris and Jill). But things went from gathering data to damage control: STARS proved too resilient, and now they know too much about Umbrella's activities. It's like a rogue US military soldier escaping with knowledge on the Manhattan Project.

[@Tengokuchi]

It's outlined in a file from RE1. S.T.A.R.S. didn't end up at the mansion by accident, they were lured there to get combat data. By RE3 they needed both the combat data and to get rid of anybody who knew the truth about their secret research.

[@ismaelsantos5378]

Another feature that isn't mentioned a lot is the worldbuilding provided by the Files. For instance, in RE2 there's a file about a cop called "Meyer" and how he saved "David". In RE3 we find a file from "David", in which he was saved by "Meyer" but when he was cornered David couldn't save him. Then he says his old Mossberg will "turn one last corpse into fertilizer" implying he commited suicide. In RE3 there's one found on a mercenary's corpse in which he tells his story, about how he was a criminal on death row and was spared the execution if he became a merc, now, trapped in Raccon City without supplies, with zombies and monsters feeding on humans, he wish he had chosen execution over this nightmare. He also shot himself hoping his corpse would not raise. In RE1 there's one about a man who gets infected and as you read it is very obvious how his mental capacity degenerates as the virus takes over. I literally learned English thanks to Resident Evil. When I turned 8 I was gifted a PS1 and a copy of RE2, which was in English, and me being from LATAM I only knew spanish. Eventually I got stuck and didn't know what to do, so my 8yo self concluded that it was either "stop playing" or "learn english and beat the game". And I made my choice, grabbing a "Learn english by yourself" book that was so old one of the lessons included asking "Where is the public TELEGRAPH office". Armed with that old as dirt book and the files of RE2, I learned a new language.

[@kunturkusilla1933]

same for me bro i learned english thx to games like half life and halo

[@Zorãoi.2297]

I also learned a lot thanx to RE, and i started with a dictionary

[@erdjas5706]

Itchy tasty

[@explorinjenkins349]

That's friggin cool, guys. I know a few people who learned English from Friends of all things.

[@Elvisbackpack]

It's probably called Raccoon City because that area of the Arklay Forest is likely home to a shitton of raccoons. The town wasn't very big until Umbrella took over, and a lot of smaller towns are given names based on the stupidest of things.

[@TheMjohann]

I looked up some names and... You aren't wrong. There is Nothing in Arizona, Nowhere in Colorado, Satan's Kingdom in Massachusetts, Burns Down in South Carolina and Hooker in South Dakota to mention a few. Raccoon City sounds downright wholesome now. XD

[@stevennunez6013]

@@TheMjohann lol there is a town in Arizona called strawberry

[@sgt.lincolnosiris5028]

There is a town in Canada in Newfoundland called Dildo.

[@Ethan1123Ac]

Arkansas has several strange town names. Greasy corner for instance.

[@pablomartines8712]

@@stevennunez6013 like in rdr2 😁

[@theebronks]

a modern outbreak series would be amazing

[@WorldWalker128]

And that's EXACTLY why we won't get one. Heaven forbid anyone knock one out of the park and please the fans in this day and age.

[@The1rust]

You'd think so but we have three back to back to back online RE games made by Capcom which suggest they should stay as far away from more multiplayer games as they can.

[@homeygfunkoffacherryfruitl4971]

I remember reading an article in like PC Gamer years ago where someone pitched their dream Resident Evil game. It would be like Tarkov in the sense that a bunch of players spawn in a big open map and have so much time to gather loot, fight off BOWs and other players then extract before they get nuked. They talked about how item and enemy placement could be randomized every instance and there could be some kind of infection mechanic like Outbreak where if you get hit by BOWs too often you'll eventually turn into a zombie yourself if you can't find any antivirals. Another interesting layer would be if players killed during the instance could come back as BOWs like lickers or hunters L4D style.

[@the_sixxness]

I believe that one of the reasons the Raccoon City storyline has stood the test of time is pretty simple. The story was fleshed out in the time in which it was made. It lends to the nostalgia of the game two decades later. Many players who played the games back in 98 and 99 have a special connection with that time period.

[@henripentant1120]

In that time survival meant something different too the limitations of technology made everything more constrained

[@Trumpisgod]

Imagine a story being told while it’s being told!? You’re so profound!

[@the_sixxness]

@@Trumpisgod Thank You!

[@FarlanLacarde]

Capcom really hit it with Racoon City. I guess its very relatable to a lot of players since they probabaly live in a city and are given a way to see what a city of the dead looked like

[@sherif956]

Tht and surrounding arklay mountains/County would relate to the other ppl living in cabins,aka non city ppl,like legit tht whole county was REs goldmine as far as settings go

[@TheRealAdaWong]

I think it also has to do a lot with the themes and ambient of RE2, which is post modern industrialism and European architecture blending with government conspiracy and noire themes. It’s a 90’s suburban city that’s slowly been corrupted by the globalization of Umbrella’s culture and industry. The police stations, sewers, public transport, all of it was remodeled to imitate the European villages that inspired Umbrella’s founders. So thus, as survivors and sleuths venture further into the city. We learn that the city’s architecture and infrastructure was built to hide grave conspiracies.

[@dameTHEname]

There's so many stories that can still be told about Raccoon City in games or comics it feels endless!

[@ryszakowy]

yeah but 99.9% of those stories have to end on characters dying otherwise we get a ruined media like starwars with order 66 survivors appearing out of nowhere

[@steveosborn7224]

I’m still amazed we haven’t had ONE good RE movie based off the first game. I mean a legit, authentic version where the characters are all cast appropriately and it’s pretty close to the story of the first game. The story and location would make for a great movie. Tweak some stuff for some twists but keep it faithful.

[@richwhiteman2755]

Completely agree….. a true suspense/thriller horror.

[@DWilson66]

They'd ruin it by recasting people as bames...

[@richardblack3385]

25 Years not one good movie

[@Ihopethisworks125]

Welcome to raccoon City was awesome imo

[@FirstTimer]

⁠@@Ihopethisworks125agree, welcome to raccoon city was pretty good

[@NegiTaiMetal011]

Back when I used to play the Resident Evil games (the first 3 are a classic, with RE3 Nemesis being my most favorite), I always thought that much of the escape and struggle to escape an infested city is fun, so things involving Racoon City has been a classic staple in the Resident Evil games. Sure the Spencer Mansion was memorable and a classic, but Racoon City is an enormous, memorable setting for the escape and struggle.

[@andrewa1772]

Well said brother well said

[@randomlyentertaining8287]

I believe Raccoon City is like the 9/11 of the Resident Evil universe. An immensely impactful event that would forever change not only the way the citizens of the United States would live their lives but the entire population of the world and an event whose survivors would gain an elevated status that would follow them for the rest of their lives. It was an event that would be remembered by the general public for decades, if not centuries, as the time when the world discovered that there might be great threats to thousands of lives sitting in plain view.

[@oscarsnicker5496]

@@riflesfirst208💀💀

[@tomhuynh3867]

Re 4-6 and revelations was basically parallel to the war on terror.

[@Tehstampede]

Based on the characteristics of Raccoon City and the surrounding area (mountains, forest, semi-arid plains), I remember the case being made that it was actually supposed to be Rapid City, South Dakota but a translation error resulted in it becoming Raccoon City instead.

[@christopherpetty3320]

i remember seeing a case being made that it was based on Springfield, Missouri, but who really knows where it is based on.

[@bryany4828]

Would be great to get a series about all the events of people going Missing and strange occurences etc.

[@prometheuscastles]

Always wanted this same exact thing. Like a mini detective series investigating those deaths.

[@henripentant1120]

Some guy is building a full map of the city it would be cool to have a game set in the aftermath of the mansion incident as the town slowly goes under siege definitely lots of stories to be told and maybe soon possible to tell

[@henripentant1120]

@@prometheuscastles the novels do a pretty good job setting the mood in between re and re2 there are all kinds of rumors and false leads like a cult etc probably created by irons and umbrella

[@xxspxaghettsr7352]

@@henripentant1120is Leon and Claire in any of them? And is the story of delta force fighting the tyrants in any of them?

[@pious83]

Some of the many reasons why RE3 is my favourite of the classic trilogy.

[@victoriamasters9590]

Outbreak 1 and 2 were hidden gems, damn shame they never revisited that timeline

[@zackeryparkerson]

Every new Matt Draper video is like a little gift for the soul.

[@biggemboaty]

Seeing Robert kendo christen his daughter is just heartbreaking (Coming from a daddy of a 3 yr old little girl) I just couldn't imagine what must go through a parent's mind when their child is on the verge of dying and frankly I do not want to feel that. Ever.

[@DWilson66]

Imagine flexing about having kids on a YT comment section 🤡🤡🤡

[@biggemboaty]

@Darryl Wilson Imagine ridiculing someone on the internet for sympathizing over the idea of losing their little girl and calling it a flex of all things. 💀

[@Falloutgamer347]

​@@DWilson66 That wasnt even a flex, you just got mad over nothing

[@The1rust]

The thing that makes Hunk so endearing is that he's the embodiment of everything the game wasn't at the time. Playing as one of the characters put you in to an unknown world where you had to scrape by to survive whereas Hunk is a mysteriously elite operative packing enough heat to take over a small country. Where one side forces you to be subjected to survival horror cliches the other side is just interested in going from point a to point b in style and in your control as the bad guy. So while he can be compared to Bobba Fett he at least achieved his purpose when he canonically retrieved the G sample for Umbrella.

[@jonathanmulondo9206]

Raccoon City and Silent Hill and Rapture are the definitive horrific cities/towns of horror video games. No matter the settings, you're screwed.

[@Punisher6791]

U did a good job explaining the story of the first 3 games. The reason the movies never worked is the people making them don't quite understand the full story, they skip important details and characters are often adapted poorly to the point that they come out as basically cardboard cutouts of their former self. In the games the t virus is spread through raccoon city by rats but in the most recent film, welcome to raccoon city, its spread through the water supply but the problem with that it is never really explained how?. And its like that with alot of things. Also the director clearly hated Leon S Kennedy and went out of his way to write him as a bumbling idiot when he is actually one of the best characters in the games. What Resident Evil needs to be successfully adapted to live actuon is proper casting, a director who throughly understands the world of the games, its characters and what motivates them. And it needs to be a series so its long enough to properly tell the story.

[@jaysgamingcorner8539]

Fantastic video! The fall of Raccoon City is, imo, the pinnacle of Resident Evil. Yes 7 and 8 are good games with interesting stories. To me, RE hit its strides in 2 and 3 by playing on the two fears you touch on here. Nemesis is the ultimate example of this and it's a timeless story. Great job!

[@CBRN-115]

There's just something charming about a city infested with zombies, and the burning streets of what was once a peaceful and familiar area

[@andrewlavigne44]

This is Jacob Geller tier - you're not just doing an excellent video on the games but just as expertly covering larger themes and real world issues. Bravo!

[@RichyBmusical]

You hit the nail on the head with Raccoon City, MD. I never get tired of the setting and I personally feel that it is a high point of the series. RE2 Remake gave me everything I wanted from the experience and being in the RPD building Mr. X was pulse pounding. Really loving Residecember Evil, can't wait for the next video.

[@mikeoppart]

There is a sea of Resident Evil video essay content on youtube but this video is by far one of the funnest I've seen. Residecember is awesome!

[@kingotime8977]

19:31 I've never realised until now that RE3 has a freaking Delorean in it!

[@TabariGames]

A common misconception: the T-Virus does not reanimate the dead, the infected are still alive. There is more to the lore than just the games, there are stage plays and books that explain these things.

[@tboneforreal]

Exactly, and that's why they can be killed without shooting them in the head in the game. They also can take a ton of damage before dying and the virus does cause some necrosis so it gives them the appearance of the undead.

[@joshuamcallister4598]

There's a play!?

[@rosita3528]

​@@joshuamcallister4598yeah there's a video on KZbin that tells you the entire lore of resident evil and it shows you the play in the video

[@MatthewMopo]

What about zombies that rise from graves (code Veronica)? I thought the point of T Virus was to revive dead

[@Mace_Elliott]

“I like Raccoons” yeah, until there’s 20 of them raiding your campsite while you’re trying to sleep.

[@King-hl1ck]

Man I love raccoon city and it’s strange designs of doors and buildings. The pre rendered background made things look cool

[@ginofrancejr555]

The city itself is my favorite location in the games I love stories about societies collapse. And RESIDENT EVIL 2 is a perfect example of that

[@RotinaSemRoteiro]

Resident Evil and Silent Hill were amazing at creating dead cities. There is, of course, the nostalgia factor as many of us played these games as children, but I love the ambience of these games. RE Village brought me some of that feeling too, luckily.

[@IvanSanchez-ft3mp]

This is my fav of the Residecember month since Raccoon City it is just as iconic place that rivals Gotham City, Metropolis and Springfield justto name a few. I think what made RE2 such a classic is because it takes place in a city where back then we only had a few movies shown that and even tho we do get more of that later, 2 just shows how creepy it can get when a zombie outbreak is unleash. Seriously appreciate you making these videos of RE and can't wait to see the last 2 unless there's an extra one too =P.

[@Comicbroe405]

To me Resident Evil & Raccoon City are synonymous with each other. Great analysis!

[@Jason_Voorhees.]

Great content, brought back my childhood, I played the first resident evil on ps1 on its release day and I was like 12 years old, IL never forget sitting in my room in the dark and watching the intro and that feeling of being so enthusiastic to start playing and watching cut scenes, it was a flawless game to me and it genuinely scared the shit out of me as a kid lol

[@lordseano2343]

It's gotta be the Press Building in RE 3 PS1. You get to the third floor and Nemesis follows you in to try and get you. You get a choice to either hide in the office or jump out the window. So pristine, so wholesome.

[@ginofrancejr555]

Those RE OUTBREAK games should get a remake as well

[@EternalEmperorofZakuul]

Just imagine if they Combined 1 and 2 into one game Brought every creature from the games, and those cut from the remakes Recreated 3's opening scene Followed Revelations 2 ai partner and weapon item slot Managed to bring enemies and weapons from other titles if you had games installed in your game system

[@BizarroMario]

Darn it, Matt. You’re making me wanna play RE3 again and I’ve got entirely too much on my plate already

[@mrozzdude]

LOVE the use of gunship - Woken Furies at 16:00, that's earned my like. I love gunship

[@diogobarao9992]

Thanks to this series of videos, I finally started playing the original trilogy! Already halfway Leon's campaign. ^^

[@tomhuynh3867]

Raccoon city fit the definition of a company town , but taken to a sci-fi horror extreme. What I love about the outbreak series despite it being cut short in content, the outbreak in Raccoon city spans across 9 days!

[@DiegoReviews]

That Joker impression was fucking gold. I was not expecting that here haha! This deep dive into Raccoon City and all the dang ass freaks that plagued it is excellent!

[@crafter6862]

I did not like how short re3 remake was. Raccoon City as a setting deserved better, but now, Capcom is obsessed with abandoned buildings and small towns

[@tristanbackup2536]

Because of weird purist want to go back to the original & prequel.

[@Right_Hand_Of_Death]

Correction, A licker is a V-Act mutation of a crimson head, which is itself a mutation that happens when a t or g infected host's body is severely damaged.

[@atrelopian678]

When the first resident evil movie came out, I thought it was really happening. I never played a resident evil game because my mother had me playing Nintendo, and only able to play baby games like Mario.I played Resident Evil 0, my first one, I was hooked and continued to play each and everyone.

[@stumpytheviolator3118]

Raccoon city, hell the whole franchise was never intended to be set in the U.S. After they recalled the first game before it hit shelves for a major bug with the colour palette that turned all Zombies black, they sat down and changed the location of the story from Canada to the U.S. I would have preferred they stuck with Canada, endless untouched Wilderness, Umbrella could have done a lot more.

[@randallbesch2424]

How about Brazil or Paraguay?

[@thedetuner]

Loving the synthwave in the background!

[@arthurchadwell9267]

There is a tiny town in east Kentucky called Raccoon.

[@koulor315]

The resident evil Lore would have to be my all time favorite of any game tv show or movie

[@swagwolfgang]

I’m 25 and have been playing resident evil since i was 5 because my dad played it and im honestly happy the route they went with village

[@rjmac5105]

That intro cinematic mashup + music you made is just beautiful.

[@ethinwhite3454]

This series has been awesome so far. Can't wait for the next one.

[@trerob6247]

That 5k video quality 👀 is truly stunning 👌

[@davidserrano233]

Solid choice using The Midnight as your background tracks🔥👌

[@inkwellarts325]

I love that you even used music from The Midnight on here, my favorite band of all time

[@danieldevito6380]

I love how Resident Evil made humans into just as big of a threat as the zombies... Probably even a bigger threat. Umbrella is one of the most evil video corporations of all time, if not THE most.

[@vdubb20]

Just watched this for the first time and was reading the comments while listening. Man I love the dedicated fans and the way y’all really broke down and discussed the lore. Good shit in the comments.

[@colinbrightwell4544]

Just confirming the fact that this is my favorite KZbin channel.

[@MattDraper]

It's mine, too

[@TacticalDingus]

I'm 31 and I just started playing the games about a week and a half ago. Ive been completely obsessed with this universe since I started. I've beaten 2 remake ( both clair and Leons story's ), 3 remake and village so far. I can't wait to play the rest of them

[@abdulhannan7694]

you need to play re4 remake asap, its too epic not to play

[@kazekamiha]

Umbrella: Like make a viral based weapon! What could *possibly* go wrong!? People With an IQ Higher Then Room Temperature: Everything.

[@randallbesch2424]

"Nature will find a way." -Dr. Ian Malcom, Chaotician

[@ELcoyote576]

"Kept ya waiting huh?" Oh wait, Wrong franchise. (Sneaks off stage left In a cardboard box)

[@arthurchadwell9267]

Don't forget the OTHER RE games-- Code Veronica, the game boy only issue that was on a cruise ship...

[@peabuddie]

What a great essay. So well written and produced. Thanks for sharing.

[@robertdeffenbaugh9004]

Brad as a Zombie talking is the most scariest thing in Resident Evil the idea that Zombies can evolve to be as intelligent as they were when they were alive.

[@randallbesch2424]

They are not zombies they are something else.

[@garrettkujo26]

I like the use of synthwave such as Timecop1983 and The Midnight Instrumentals, I recognizes Shadows by The Midnight at 5:54, I think that creative choice to use those really fits with Resident Evil as a whole. Great Video

[@terminallychillgaming3016]

So good to see someone doing Resident Evil tubin’ on here for once. Looking forward to the rest of the Re videos!

[@debbiemiller4281]

I miss the 90s so much.

[@confusedguy06]

With all of WTRC flaws I did like its version of RC. I could honestly believe that this place could be turned into a zombie infested town and the rest of the world wouldn't notice. Small, and pretty isolated.

[@jorgeperez3227]

But they made Leon such a bitch

[@confusedguy06]

@@jorgeperez3227 oh absolutely, honestly it would be 10x better if it was just Robbie amiel as Chris surviving the mansion. Best parts of the film were mansion scenes.

[@shadewolf0075]

Uuuuhhhh the national guard and army surrounded the city and the CDC declared a quarantine for the areas surrounding arklay. The world definitely noticed

[@confusedguy06]

@@shadewolf0075 that's exactly what happened in re3r, not WTRC there's no mention of the CDC or the national guard. The only thing stopping citizens from leaving the town are small spec ops teams as seen in chief irons escape

[@sherif956]

​@@shadewolf0075the army only did tht cause arklay County was their biggest investment bioweapon-wise given how deeply involved they are in umbrella affairs so the only authority tht knew wt was goin on are the ppl tryina cover this shit up,which was made even more possible after chief irons cut off all communications bet RC and outside world,so even if anyone in RC knew any authority figure who WASNT in on it,they couldn't contact them cause of irons,tht County has been doomed from the get go

[@cellP8]

the thing that intrigues me about raccoon city is that we only know the story of a few select people, what if other groups of people managed to survive, and what about the ones that almost made it out, what kind of struggles did they have to go through, it truly must have been a nightmare to witness all the crazy stuff that happened, barring the psychological trauma that survivors are going to carry for the rest of their lives... Capcom should definitly revisit this raccoon city and try new concepts

[@randallbesch2424]

Funny thing the Egyptian giant pyramids were never designed to hold the royal dead. Seems at another time they were part of an energy network. George A. Romero said himself the creatures were, "not like anything before" since zombies do not eat people. both Kolchak: The Night Stalker tv series & X-files portrayed proper zombies.

[@yuritheimmortalmma]

Thank you for this video! I will always love Raccon City!

[@Mr_Death031]

I think what sealed Raccoon City’s fate was the assassination of Dr Marcus by Spencer That event led to Marcus’s return due to the Queen Leech taking over his body And seeking revenge on Umbrella Which would then lead to the virus being leaked in the mansion and train Which then led to BOW’s escaping into the forest and attacking anyone who ventured in. All these events would lead Raccoon City’s eventual destruction

[@dirge7459]

Marcus didn't cause the leak within the mansion, that was simply Umbrella scientists being careless as they've shown to be (especially the dog keeper not keeping the dogs fed and not caring that they escaped and were infected with the virus). The train incident happened after the hikers and other folk went missing in the mountains, but the train incident along with the mansion allowed it to spread further. Marcus's assassination is what caused the dominoes of betrayal to fall though, which eventually lead to Birkin taking over Marcus's research, which eventually lead to Birkin wanting to defect from Umbrella, which in turn led to the city itself becoming infected due to Birkin's assassination and transformation (The rats spreading the virus via water contamination). I would still put the mansion incident as the core causality, but the betrayal of Marcus is another factor at the core that aided in the collapse. I feel like the main issue with Resi 1-3, is that Capcom only puts the blame on Marcus, Spender, Albert and Birkin, and yet spread throughout the game are diaries of many workers who were simply either too arrogant, careless or outright selfish (like 2 of the Umbrella scientists in Outbreak were confirmed for being selfish/arrogant and both died as a result). I wish Capcom had put more emphasis and focus on the multiple underling scientists that absolutely did aid in the downfall (like the ones who experimented with the Cerberus and lickers, the Tyrant program, etc).

[@Chemical_Symphony]

Watching my favorite game series with my favorite music group playing behind it was amazing, and it got an instant sub from me.

[@harpybones]

this is the first video of yours i have ever seen and i'm an instant subscriber

[@robertweaver9995]

Fun fact this all started from a flower found in Africa

[@yaboidre5672]

The ideal outbreak game in my opinion: An open-world free-roam map of Raccoon City where players experience the whole outbreak from start to finish. A literal death game where players have to risk to gain, make hard decisions, and figure out an effective means of escaping before the city is sterilized. Players can also play detective, and leak evidence pointing Umbrella Pharmaceuticals to the outbreak by finding things like documents, pictures, tapes, etc. In my opinion there should also be customization options for the player, so they can tell their own Raccoon City story; maybe they're a firefighter or RPD officer helping, or an ordinary citizen trying to escape. However, certain backgrounds for players come with repercussions; such as if you decide your avatar is a STARS operator, Nemesis will target you. Or if you're a UBCS operator, there will be traitors among the ranks that will try to sneak the drop on you whenever you're occupied or simply off guard - guys like Nikolai. But knowing how game development companies are these days... This will likely stay a pipe dream. :(

[@justaguy2182]

Everything spawned from just one disaster. It’s almost poetic in a way.

[@johnpittsii7524]

Thanks for the amazing video Matt. Much ❤️ as always

[@RomeroTV]

Intros dope af

[@collinadams-henderson6089]

The Zoo level in outbreak file 2 scared the fuck out of me when I was a kid but it was also my favorite. A zombie elephant is a terrifying concept

[@eoesceejay]

This video was well made. Nice work!

[@ginofrancejr555]

Excellent video review I cannot wait to hear your take on the TV show

[@benjamincorak7071]

The Great pyramids are not Tombs they are used for energy collection...just saying btw good video.

[@Nono-hk3is]

Thank you Matt. Merry Christmas

[@TheRealAdaWong]

To me, what I’ve always loved most about Raccoon City is that it’s practically shrouded in conspiracy and mystery. From it’s architecture imitating European culture that inspired Umbrella’s founding fathers with ornate mansions and civic buildings, elaborate pathways, all covering for underground laboratories and industrial conspiracy. To it’s residents slowly becoming more aware of Umbrella’s deception. Officers, journalists, and spies sleuthing about beforehand and during the outbreak, investigating Umbrella’s involvements. While even Umbrella was facing an internal downfall, as Founders, turncoats, administrators and scientists had all become disillusioned with Umbrella’s vision. It’s like Raccoon City inadvertently became the new take on the collapse of the Roman Empire in a gaming generation. As players and fans had grown increasingly fascinated with Raccoon City’s dynamics and settings. A live action series surrounding Raccoon City’s history and Umbrella’s conspiracies would be the content Resident Evil needs to make it a mainstay again. Style it like the atmosphere of the X-Files but with the perspective of American Horror Story and you have a prime time show for the RE franchise.

[@carlosdecastro9242]

thank you for the early chirstmas gift ❤️

[@MrNetWraith]

I love how this video talks about the sheer variety of nasties in Resident Evil as what truly sets it apart as a zombie game, because it neatly encapsulates both my own feelings as to why I love Resident Evil over any other zombie universe and why I found RE7 to be so disappointing; the sheer monotony of the fights against the Molded. Resident Evils 4 and 5 also dipped close to this problem with the shift from zombies and B.O.Ws to Plaga Infectees, but even they managed to cram in a semblance of variety to the fights with some variety in the monsters you fought. Sadly, the remakes of RE2 and RE3 both also suffer heavily from limited enemy pools, albeit RE2make gets hit worse.

[@printisdead1983]

Racoon city is supposed to be modeled after a town in Pennsylvania and Kentucky

[@randallbesch2424]

Only it is an Umbrella town with an innocuous name. Let's see Wolverine city next!

[@hecksters423]

The thing about the missile (or warheads) that destroyed Raccoon City is varied, depending on the accounts given from RE3, Outbreak, and the Resident Evil Archives. Respectively, it was 1 nuclear missile, multiple thermobaric warheads, or it confirmed that it WAS a low-yield nuclear warhead.

[@dirge7459]

Or the movie, where it was air detonation. Honestly I just roll with Outbreak's scenario, where it was a payload, because that made more sense to me, given how the US had those types at the time.

[@ianhughes1272]

I actually is based on Springfield Missouri based on the arklay(ozark) mointains, numerous large nearby forests, a similar population and the fact that it explicitly states in the novelqzation of re3 that i29 is the closest highway which runs all the way done the western border of MO

[@randallbesch2424]

Reminds me of how Lovecraft would do similar things for his stories.

[@Shaneisgod69]

Not going to lie did not expect to hear gunship on here but was so appreiciated 💚💚💚

[@DTS214]

I wonder how it feels to have made an original game and it still live on so many years later.

[@MultiKashi1234]

Man this is very well done I love the fact that he uses actual history and compares it too the video games in a great retro spective concept I love thos great video well done you earned my sub hands down

[@patricksmart6721]

0:50. Dude, you and Nicholas Winding Refn for that opening.

[@RustyShackleford-wu9mz]

Boba Fett effect with HUNK? More that he generally does badass things in the few times he is seen, has a cool look and has the lore of being the only one to come out alive from nigh impossible suicide missions. That makes him cool, that and he hasn't had any major changes made beyond his basics.

[@farleymarly2575]

As a mad zombie fan before resident evil there were only around 30 movies, after resident evil 2 zombies had taken off to another level. To the point where they started running. My personal opinion resident evil 2 took Romero living dead series put it in a game and it just went parabolic after that. I couldnt even keep up with zombie content anymore. Resident evil spencer massion will always be ny favorite because at that time it was totally like wtf???? But when 2 came out i was like this is super cosy playing with my friends imagining what we would do in a zombie crisis. RE2 is the most realistic scenario when good times go bad 😂 i think code Veronica was the last true to the series after that it just went on a mad one lol.

[@rosita3528]

Agree with your last statement

[@allenharper2928]

"Raccoon City, that sounds lovely!" -Yoshi

[@furious3383]

Another funny thing about lickers is that while High Blood Pressure will kill any normal human being, lickers actually needed high blood pressure to live and function. As a seasoned* gamer Resident Evil is one of my favorite game franchises. As well as Tekken, MK, Assassins Creed, and Telltales TWD especially season one. For RE my three top three locations were The Spencer/Arklay Mansion and Lab, Raccoon City, and Rockford Island from CV. The Cruise Ship from Dead Aim also gets an honorable mention. *I still game in some of my spare time.

[@MaskedMuta]

As a huge fan of them, I'm very satisfied with the use of The Midnight's "Shadows" in this video!

[@Mutant1808]

Does anyone else think they missed a trick by not having you going after and ending umbrella as a player character instead of it happening offscreen?