Resident Evil characters, background and reports
I wrote a lot of stories and extracts which added background, motivation and personality to both established and brand new Resident Evil characters. This was all provided to players of the advertising campaign as rewards, immersing them deeper and deeper into the game's world. It also let me access my inner HP Lovecraft. A few choice selections are presented below.
Note that most of these characters are American, so use American English rather than the proper one!
An excerpt from William Birkin’s personal records – stolen from his desk, April 1998.
I feel I’m getting closer to unraveling the secrets I’ve passed by so many times before. That elusive key which will unlock all that the G-virus will have to offer. It has so much to show us, I’m sure of it. If only I could procure more subjects to help me with my investigations, all these years of labor and careful investigation could reach some kind of glorious resolution.
I can sense the greatness of the G-virus. Its raw power. Its links with a higher level of being. It is existence on a higher level – something to which we should all aspire. And it’s something that I will deliver to the world. My G-virus is the next evolutionary step – created by man. With my work, man will surpass god himself.
“My work.” An interesting turn of phrase. Umbrella will see it as their work. Their reward. But what have they done for it? They’ve provided equipment, and raw materials. But I’ve shown the way. I have cleared the path. Me. William Birkin. And yet they will reap the reward while I will likely be forgotten.
Or worse. I’m reminded once again of that deed. The order to terminate Marcus. To appropriate all of his data. All of his life’s work. Am I now filling that Marcus seat? Who will be ordered to take my life’s work? When will my work become more valuable to Umbrella than I am myself? And what of Annette and my Sherry? If Umbrella feels that I am no longer needed, what becomes of them?
Found note written by a mercenary
Jacques, don’t let anyone else see this – I probably shouldn’t even be writing it down, but I can’t risk having a conversation with you. Destroy this once you have read it.
I’m unsure of Sergeant Ginovaef. I’ve heard him talking about things he’s done in the past and I’m not sure I like what I’ve heard. You’ve heard about that team that died under his command right? He was the only survivor. Well what if that team wasn’t killed by an enemy? What if Umbrella ordered the massacre? Why, I don’t know. What if they wanted to test some new weapon… like a bio weapon? I’ve heard things… Umbrella has weapons that are totally inhuman. From what I’ve learned about Umbrella, I wouldn’t put it past them to test them on its own troops. Civilians, enemy soldiers, their own soldiers? It seems like it’s all the same to them. And Ginovaef is their pawn – just some comments I’ve heard him make. Things that I shouldn’t have heard.
So I’m warning you to get out while you can. We’re soldiers, we’re not murderers and we’re not guinea pigs (which is something else I hear). If Nicholai has done it once, he’ll do it again. If his orders tell him to. We can’t trust him. Because we can’t trust them.
You won’t see me again and I can’t tell you where I’m going. I only hope that Umbrella don’t track me down. Take my advice Jacques, get out too.
Paulo
Excerpt from NE-Beta Parasite laboratory tests (Codename: NE-β)
Day 7
Experiments on the new parasite continue to uncover startling results. Our initial tests proved that the parasite itself is incredibly weak. Only a small amount of damage from a handgun, from a flamethrower and even from cutting weapons can kill it quite easily. Although of course it must be stated that the parasites were defenseless as we carried out these tests. I for one would not like to take on a mobile parasite with nothing but a knife.
However, today, events took a startling turn.
To determine the parasite’s effectiveness in combat, we introduced a fully t-virus infected humanoid specimen into the test area to determine if it had some unforeseen combat abilities.
As expected, the specimen did not attack the parasite (it is not composed of ‘flesh’ after all). But, considering the parasite’s previously exhibited aggression, we were surprised to note that it did not attack the infected humanoid either.
Instead it seemed to ‘sample’ the air, before moving behind the specimen. It then launched itself at the back of the specimen and with one flick of its pincers decapitated it where it stood. Instead of falling to the ground, it remained standing, swaying slowly from side to side while the parasite seemed to be feasting from its neck stump.
Although this is extremely fascinating, we cannot currently explain this behavior.
Trials will continue.
Day 13
The parasite is now controlling the specimen!
We initially believed the parasite was feasting on the juices from within the specimen’s carcass, sucking them up a number of proboscis-like tubes. But as we continued the trials and extended the duration periods the results were staggering.
In truth, the parasite was hacking straight into the infected’s central nervous system, straight into its spinal column and controlling it directly. The parasite effectively became its ‘brain’. Or, as one of my colleagues put it, the parasite is driving the specimen like a two-legged vehicle.
We have observed the parasitic couple nearly all day today, and there seems to be no further developments.
Day 22
Again the parasite has surprised us.
One of our armed security men accompanied one of my colleagues into the parasite’s cell to retrieve some tissue samples. What happened next shocked us all. The parasite-humanoid appeared to wait until they were a couple of steps into the cell before it made an aggressive maneuver towards them – almost running. Before the security guard had chance to react, the parasitically-bonded specimen had lifted him off his feet and hurled him against the bars.
My colleague was just as unfortunate, as the parasite’s pincers tore the top half of her body from the bottom.
Unbelievable. The “parasite zombie” was demonstrably faster and stronger than its zombie host or the parasite itself.
Tomorrow we shall try to remove the parasite from the zombie to understand how it can animate the specimen so effectively.
Day 28
The more the NE-Beta Parasite is studied, the more impressive it becomes on every level. Today showed that the parasite is doing much more than just ‘driving’ the specimen – it has made it much tougher than it ever was before.
We decided on a course of action to remove the parasite from the zombie. We believed the most obvious course was to attempt to destroy the zombie’s legs, leaving the parasite host with no method of locomotion.
It soon became clear however that the specimen was now almost completely impervious to damage! Small arms fire, machine guns, flamethrowers and even a frag grenade had minimal effect on the host as well as the parasite, which continued to search for ways to get its pincers on its attackers.
During today’s activities we lost two more security guards and another research aid – but they were sacrifices worth making as they revealed another offensive weapon the “parasite zombie” has at its disposal.
As these three entered the cell, the parasite began spraying a strange substance onto them – an acrid bile that instantly slowed their progress as they began coughing and gasping for air. With its perceived threat incapacitated it was only a matter of seconds before the unfortunate trio lay dead.
This spray attack also had another characteristic however. We noticed that while the three guinea pigs were covered in the bile, all of our test subjects in nearby holding areas became extremely agitated, throwing themselves against the wall closest to the bile-covered trio in order to break through and get to them. It was also noted by some of my colleagues that they did this with an urgency and strength not usually noted.
It seems that this substance, whatever it proves to be, has some kind of stimulating effect on other B.O.W.s and is of course something we need to study further.