INTRODUCTION
A FIRST IN THE SERIES! A FULL-LENGTH CG FEATURE FILM'S FINALLY BEEN MADE!
Since its release as a PlayStation game in 1996, the “BIOHAZARD” series has spawned numerous sequels, all of which have become million-selling hits around the world.
Following three live-action films, this is the first time the series has appeared as a full-length CG animated feature film!
Directed by Makoto Kamiya, who has worked as assistant director on the special effects segments of the Heisei Godzilla series and the three-part Heisei Gamera series, and more recently as special effects director on Japan Sinks (06) and L change the WorLd (08).
The screenplay's by Shotaro Suga, who has worked on TV anime such as “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” (02) and “Psalms of Planets Eureka seveN” (05-06), as well as the movie “CASSHERN” (04).
The producer was CAPCOM's Hiroyuki Kobayashi, who has worked on the smash hit games “biohazard 4” (2005), “Sengoku Basara 2” (06) and “Devil May Cry 4” (08).
And the company responsible for creating CG so realistic it could be mistaken for live action is Digital Frontier, which has experience in bringing fully CG works to the big screen, such as Appleseed (04) and EX MACHINA (07).
A FIRST IN THE SERIES! A FULL-LENGTH CG FEATURE FILM'S FINALLY BEEN MADE!
Since its release as a PlayStation game in 1996, the “BIOHAZARD” series has spawned numerous sequels, all of which have become million-selling hits around the world.
Following three live-action films, this is the first time the series has appeared as a full-length CG animated feature film!
Directed by Makoto Kamiya, who has worked as assistant director on the special effects segments of the Heisei Godzilla series and the three-part Heisei Gamera series, and more recently as special effects director on Japan Sinks (06) and L change the WorLd (08).
The screenplay's by Shotaro Suga, who has worked on TV anime such as “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” (02) and “Psalms of Planets Eureka seveN” (05-06), as well as the movie “CASSHERN” (04).
The producer was CAPCOM's Hiroyuki Kobayashi, who has worked on the smash hit games “biohazard 4” (2005), “Sengoku Basara 2” (06) and “Devil May Cry 4” (08).
And the company responsible for creating CG so realistic it could be mistaken for live action is Digital Frontier, which has experience in bringing fully CG works to the big screen, such as Appleseed (04) and EX MACHINA (07).
STORY
End it. End the nightmare of the spreading infection.
In the small town of Raccoon City in the American midwest, the new t-Virus created by the pharmaceutical industry's Umbrella Corporation had the effect of making living creatures violent. However, as the virus spread and infected the residents, turning them into Zombies, the US Government carried out a “Sterilization Strategy” using a missile attack, wiping out Raccoon City.
The government ordered Umbrella Corp. to cease operations and the company's now been dismantled. Seven years have passed since the abominable tragedy, but the government and the military still remain tight-lipped about the incident that shook the entire world, the termination of Raccoon City, along with the collusive relationship between the government and Umbrella Corp.
Subsequently, within the pharmaceutical industry, the huge pharma-company WilPharma Corporation, which deals in medicinal supplies while also engaged in virus research and vaccine development, began to gain strength, coming under heavy fierce criticism from the public for causing the death of a clinical participant while conducting clinical trials of a virus in India.
Senator Ron Davis attracted WilPharma Corp.'s research facility to the industrial town of Harvardville in the American midwest. While the media were concerned “the Raccoon City tragedy might be repeated!?”, protests by local residents and victims of pharmaceutical-induced suffering were heating up at Harvardville Airport.
An incident occurs at that airport!
After her escape drama on Rockfort Island, Claire Redfield, a member of an NGO that renders aid to victims of bioterrorism and harmful effects of medicines discovered a Zombie among the airport users. However, it was already too late. As security guards are bitten by the Zombies, more and more ordinary passengers and airport staff become infected, throwing the airport into chaos.
At the same time, on a plane, passengers are infected with the virus, and the plane heads for the airport to make an emergency landing, but crashes through the glass and rushes into the lobby. The crew and passengers who get off the plane have all turned into Zombies...
The airport's plunged into a state of chaotic pandemonium. Amidst this panic, a terrorist who has the t-Virus developed by Umbrella Corp. in their possession issues a demand that the President himself make a public announcement about the incident covered up seven years ago. The US President then assigns another mission to Leon S. Kennedy, an agent entrusted with the President's full confidence ever since he successfully rescued the President's daughter when she was abducted to a remote mountain village in Europe, and who has been given a secret mission, and sends him to the airport as a special commander in charge of bringing the situation under control.
Inside the airport, Claire and several others who'd been left behind were about to be attacked by Zombies. Leon, together with Angela Miller and Greg Glenn, members of the local police's SRT (Special Response Team), successfully rescued the remaining airport users while fighting off the Zombies. However, Greg becomes a victim of the Zombies, and Angela's devastated to learn the mastermind behind the bioterror incident is her own brother, Curtis Miller. Angela heads to Curtis' location, where he plans to destroy WilPharma Corp.'s research facility, and tries to persuade him, but Curtis, having been turned into a biological weapon by injecting the G-Virus, becomes increasingly violent, and the attempt ends in failure. Leon then bravely confronts him in order to save Angela's life!
【t-Virus】
The t-Virus has been improved by incorporating other virus genes into the “Progenitor Virus” discovered by Umbrella Corp. founder Lord Oswell E. Spencer and others. While extremely infectious, it's not airborne, but can cause secondary infection through contact with the bodily fluids or blood of a carrier. Once infected, the frontal lobe's destroyed and reason's lost. Then, due to abnormal increase in metabolism, they're endowed with strong vitality and physical strength, and in order to maintain this, their “appetite” goes out of control. In order to instinctively satisfy hunger, they start to seek out uninfected humans as prey. The best way to deal with them is to destroy the head.
【G-Virus】
The G-Virus evolves and transforms at the genetic level when administered to living organisms, and the closer their DNA data is to the host, the more superior the offspring it can create. Once administered, it keeps evolving physically for as long as the host lives, so even if the host's life's in danger, DNA with maximum vitality will provide immediate recovery, constantly maintaining evolution to prevent the body from degenerating. In the case of humans, a giant eyeball's formed on the right shoulder and the arms morph into blade-like claws, and although they initially maintain a humanoid form, as time passes and physical transformation progresses, their jumping power and physical strength increase, growing a long tail with the head undergoing a morphological change into a deformed mutant form. Furthermore, their instincts reach the point of seeking out the optimal medium for harboring its seed.
End it. End the nightmare of the spreading infection.
In the small town of Raccoon City in the American midwest, the new t-Virus created by the pharmaceutical industry's Umbrella Corporation had the effect of making living creatures violent. However, as the virus spread and infected the residents, turning them into Zombies, the US Government carried out a “Sterilization Strategy” using a missile attack, wiping out Raccoon City.
The government ordered Umbrella Corp. to cease operations and the company's now been dismantled. Seven years have passed since the abominable tragedy, but the government and the military still remain tight-lipped about the incident that shook the entire world, the termination of Raccoon City, along with the collusive relationship between the government and Umbrella Corp.
Subsequently, within the pharmaceutical industry, the huge pharma-company WilPharma Corporation, which deals in medicinal supplies while also engaged in virus research and vaccine development, began to gain strength, coming under heavy fierce criticism from the public for causing the death of a clinical participant while conducting clinical trials of a virus in India.
Senator Ron Davis attracted WilPharma Corp.'s research facility to the industrial town of Harvardville in the American midwest. While the media were concerned “the Raccoon City tragedy might be repeated!?”, protests by local residents and victims of pharmaceutical-induced suffering were heating up at Harvardville Airport.
An incident occurs at that airport!
After her escape drama on Rockfort Island, Claire Redfield, a member of an NGO that renders aid to victims of bioterrorism and harmful effects of medicines discovered a Zombie among the airport users. However, it was already too late. As security guards are bitten by the Zombies, more and more ordinary passengers and airport staff become infected, throwing the airport into chaos.
At the same time, on a plane, passengers are infected with the virus, and the plane heads for the airport to make an emergency landing, but crashes through the glass and rushes into the lobby. The crew and passengers who get off the plane have all turned into Zombies...
The airport's plunged into a state of chaotic pandemonium. Amidst this panic, a terrorist who has the t-Virus developed by Umbrella Corp. in their possession issues a demand that the President himself make a public announcement about the incident covered up seven years ago. The US President then assigns another mission to Leon S. Kennedy, an agent entrusted with the President's full confidence ever since he successfully rescued the President's daughter when she was abducted to a remote mountain village in Europe, and who has been given a secret mission, and sends him to the airport as a special commander in charge of bringing the situation under control.
Inside the airport, Claire and several others who'd been left behind were about to be attacked by Zombies. Leon, together with Angela Miller and Greg Glenn, members of the local police's SRT (Special Response Team), successfully rescued the remaining airport users while fighting off the Zombies. However, Greg becomes a victim of the Zombies, and Angela's devastated to learn the mastermind behind the bioterror incident is her own brother, Curtis Miller. Angela heads to Curtis' location, where he plans to destroy WilPharma Corp.'s research facility, and tries to persuade him, but Curtis, having been turned into a biological weapon by injecting the G-Virus, becomes increasingly violent, and the attempt ends in failure. Leon then bravely confronts him in order to save Angela's life!
【t-Virus】
The t-Virus has been improved by incorporating other virus genes into the “Progenitor Virus” discovered by Umbrella Corp. founder Lord Oswell E. Spencer and others. While extremely infectious, it's not airborne, but can cause secondary infection through contact with the bodily fluids or blood of a carrier. Once infected, the frontal lobe's destroyed and reason's lost. Then, due to abnormal increase in metabolism, they're endowed with strong vitality and physical strength, and in order to maintain this, their “appetite” goes out of control. In order to instinctively satisfy hunger, they start to seek out uninfected humans as prey. The best way to deal with them is to destroy the head.
【G-Virus】
The G-Virus evolves and transforms at the genetic level when administered to living organisms, and the closer their DNA data is to the host, the more superior the offspring it can create. Once administered, it keeps evolving physically for as long as the host lives, so even if the host's life's in danger, DNA with maximum vitality will provide immediate recovery, constantly maintaining evolution to prevent the body from degenerating. In the case of humans, a giant eyeball's formed on the right shoulder and the arms morph into blade-like claws, and although they initially maintain a humanoid form, as time passes and physical transformation progresses, their jumping power and physical strength increase, growing a long tail with the head undergoing a morphological change into a deformed mutant form. Furthermore, their instincts reach the point of seeking out the optimal medium for harboring its seed.
CHARACTER INTRODUCTION
Leon S. Kennedy
28-years-old / Several years after the horrific events in Raccoon City, he works as a secret agent under the President's direct command, carrying out top-secret missions.
Claire Redfield
26-years-old / After the incident on Rockfort Island, she joined an NGO dedicated to rescuing victims of bioterrorism and pharmaceutical disasters, leveraging her natural initiative. She travels the world.
Angela Miller
29-years-old / A female captain of the SRT (Special Response Team: a special forces unit responsible for emergency response and rescue ops) in Harvardville. Born and raised in Harvardville, she takes pride in her work protecting the local community. She's Curtis' younger sister.
Greg Glenn
28-years-old / An SRT member like Angela, her colleague.
Rani Chawla
8-years-old / Her family was killed in a clinical trial conducted by WilPharma Corporation in India, and she was taken in by her aunt living in the United States. While visiting Harvardville Airport with her aunt, who was participating in a demonstration, she was caught up in the incident.
Senator Ron Davis
56-years-old / A locally elected senator who brought WilPharma Corp. to Harvardville. Rumored to be colluding with WilPharma Corp., he worked tirelessly to host the National Pharmaceutical Conference in order to divert attention from the protests related to the clinical trials in India. He believes prosperity's built on sacrifice, with the tragedy in Raccoon City and the clinical trials in India being necessary evils in his eyes.
Frederic Downing
44-years-old / A former Umbrella Corp. employee and current chief researcher at WilPharma Corp. During the Raccoon City tragedy, he smuggled out the t-Virus and G-Virus and successfully refined the t-Vaccine. Originally joining WilPharma Corp. for the sake of procuring research facilities, he betrayed the company to amass immense wealth, instigating Curtis into staging a false flag operation combining terrorism and rescue efforts. He behaves like a gentlemanly Britishman, though the authenticity of this is unclear.
Curtis Miller
35-years-old / A former employee of the NGO Claire works at. After losing his wife and child in the Raccoon City tragedy, he joined the NGO. Upon learning of WilPharma Corp.'s plans to build the Harvardville research facility, he engaged in intense protest activities to prevent another Raccoon City tragedy and was arrested. After learning the truth behind the Raccoon City tragedy, he resolved to carry out the terrorist attack.
Leon S. Kennedy
28-years-old / Several years after the horrific events in Raccoon City, he works as a secret agent under the President's direct command, carrying out top-secret missions.
Claire Redfield
26-years-old / After the incident on Rockfort Island, she joined an NGO dedicated to rescuing victims of bioterrorism and pharmaceutical disasters, leveraging her natural initiative. She travels the world.
Angela Miller
29-years-old / A female captain of the SRT (Special Response Team: a special forces unit responsible for emergency response and rescue ops) in Harvardville. Born and raised in Harvardville, she takes pride in her work protecting the local community. She's Curtis' younger sister.
Greg Glenn
28-years-old / An SRT member like Angela, her colleague.
Rani Chawla
8-years-old / Her family was killed in a clinical trial conducted by WilPharma Corporation in India, and she was taken in by her aunt living in the United States. While visiting Harvardville Airport with her aunt, who was participating in a demonstration, she was caught up in the incident.
Senator Ron Davis
56-years-old / A locally elected senator who brought WilPharma Corp. to Harvardville. Rumored to be colluding with WilPharma Corp., he worked tirelessly to host the National Pharmaceutical Conference in order to divert attention from the protests related to the clinical trials in India. He believes prosperity's built on sacrifice, with the tragedy in Raccoon City and the clinical trials in India being necessary evils in his eyes.
Frederic Downing
44-years-old / A former Umbrella Corp. employee and current chief researcher at WilPharma Corp. During the Raccoon City tragedy, he smuggled out the t-Virus and G-Virus and successfully refined the t-Vaccine. Originally joining WilPharma Corp. for the sake of procuring research facilities, he betrayed the company to amass immense wealth, instigating Curtis into staging a false flag operation combining terrorism and rescue efforts. He behaves like a gentlemanly Britishman, though the authenticity of this is unclear.
Curtis Miller
35-years-old / A former employee of the NGO Claire works at. After losing his wife and child in the Raccoon City tragedy, he joined the NGO. Upon learning of WilPharma Corp.'s plans to build the Harvardville research facility, he engaged in intense protest activities to prevent another Raccoon City tragedy and was arrested. After learning the truth behind the Raccoon City tragedy, he resolved to carry out the terrorist attack.
Director: Makoto Kamiya
Born in 1965 in Tokyo. He has worked as an assistant director for special effects directors such as Koichi Kawakita (Heisei Godzilla series) and Shinji Higuchi (Heisei Gamera trilogy), and made his debut as a special effects director in 2000 with “Whiteout”. In 2007, he made his debut as a screenwriter and director with “True Woman Foodie Chronicles: Mami”, the “Crepe Angel”. His other film credits include “Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack” (2001, special effects), “Cutie Honey” (2003, special effects director), “Aegis” (2005, special effects director), “Sinking of Japan” (2006, special effects director), and “Lchange the WorLd” (2008, special effects director). He has also worked on a wide range of other projects, including game movies, commercials, making-of videos, and TV drama recreations.
Producer: Hiroyuki Kobayashi
Born in 1972 in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture. After joining CAPCOM in 1995, he participated in the development of games such as “BIOHAZARD” and “Dino Crisis”. Since 1999, he's been involved in series such as “Devil May Cry”, “Dino Crisis”, “BIOHAZARD”, and “Sengoku Basara” as a producer. In addition to games, he has also been involved in the production of films such as “BIOHAZARD Apocalypse” (2004), “BIOHAZARD Extinction” (2007), and the TV anime “Devil May Cry” (2007). His recent game works include “biohazard 4” and “killer7” (both 2005), the “Sengoku Basara” series (2005-2008), and “Devil May Cry 4” (2008).
Screenplay: Shotaro Suga
Born in 1972 in Osaka Prefecture. He made his debut as a screenwriter in 1999 with the TV drama “Yonigeya Honpo”. After that, he was involved in various production sites, including promotional videos for indie bands, documentaries, and BS, then he wrote the script for the TV anime “WILD ARMS Twilight Venom” (1999-2000), and in 2002 he started his career as a full-time screenwriter. His main works for TV include “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” (2002), “Psalms of Planets Eureka seveN” and “BLOOD+” (both 2005-2006), “Chevalier” (2006-2007), “Devil May Cry”, “The Spirit of the Guardian” and “DARKER THAN BLACK -Kuro no Shoushusha-” (all 2007), and “PERSONA -trinity soul-” (2008). His film directorial debut was Kiriya Kazuaki's “CASSHERN” (2004).
TALKING ABOUT “biohazard DEGENERATION” Vol.1
A three-way talk between Makoto Kamiya [director], Hiroyuki Kobayashi [producer], and Shotaro Suga [screenwriter]
The three people involved in this film have come together. We asked them about the background to the project, from planning to completion.
——We've got a direct hit on producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi! What was the impetus for making a full-length CG feature film based on BIOHAZARD?
KOBAYASHI: When you're making a game, it takes years to complete a single title, so it's difficult to make the next one even if you've already got a plan. Actually, in the case of the BIOHAZARD game series, the main characters aren't always the same, so it's easy to create a worldview even when you shift to a movie. Leon played the lead role in biohazard 4, and Claire played the lead role in BIOHAZARD -CODE: Veronica-, but this is the first time the two have appeared together since BIOHAZARD 2 released in 1998, so this film, biohazard DEGENERATION, is their first reunion in 10 years. We'd been talking about making a movie at CAPCOM, but CAPCOM's a video game company, so doing it on our own would be difficult... Then, by chance, Sony Pictures, who we'd worked with on the live-action BIOHAZARD series, asked us if we'd be interested in making a full-length CG BIOHAZARD film. For me, there was no reason to turn it down and I'd always wanted to do it, so the company was finally on board, and our two companies decided to work together to make it a reality.
——In biohazard 4, the Zombies were replaced by “Ganado”, who were villagers infected by parasites, but did you have any intention of making “biohazard DEGENERATION” a prequel to “BIOHAZARD 5”, which is due to be released for PS3 and Xbox360 in March 2009?
KOBAYASHI: Indeed, there were no Zombies in biohazard 4, so I was conscious of the fact I wanted to make sure the Zombies were given a prominent role next time... I wasn't really thinking about how it'd lead on to BIOHAZARD 5 though. I like Leon, and I simply wanted to make a sequel to biohazard 4 (laughs). In BIOHAZARD 5, Chris Redfield, Claire's older brother, is the main character, so we couldn't have Leon play a major role. Chronologically, the story of this film biohazard DEGENERATION would be in the middle of the series. I and Yoshiaki Hirabayashi who was in charge of the original plan (he also participated in BIOHAZARD 5's production) had a meeting to come up with ideas. I suggested Leon should be the main character and we should introduce some original characters and have a bioterror incident at an airport. I threw all the ideas I wanted to try out at Hirabayashi (laughs), then based on the plot he came up with, I made some slight changes before passing it on to scriptwriter Shotaro Suga. After that, because BIOHAZARD 2 had been the biggest seller in the series, Sony Pictures asked us if we could introduce Claire as well as Leon. If Claire was to be involved in the incident, we decided she'd be at the airport, and for the second half, we decided on the goal of taking the story to the point where a bioweapon utilizing the G-Virus was rampaging at the research facility, which was a promise to the game users, and we constructed the broad framework.
——What were the reasons for choosing director Makoto Kamiya and Shotaro Suga?
KOBAYASHI: Mr. Kamiya's a fan of Zombies and a big gun nut (laughs), and we'd worked together on the “Dino Crisis 3” movies, so his familiarity with CG was the deciding factor. Mr. Suga had also been involved in some work on Devil May Cry 4, and when we gave him a copy of the biohazard 4 game, he cleared it several times. Furthermore, since he'd played every game in the series, he didn't need the worldview explained when writing the script, so I asked him to do it. When it came to building the worldview and character settings, I only asked that Hunnigan be involved with Leon and appear in the story, then left the rest to him.
——How's the relationship between director Makoto Kamiya, an unrivalled “Zombie enthusiast”, and the games?
KAMIYA: I wasn't the kind of kid who played games. I collected model guns, and because they were expensive, I couldn't afford to buy games (laughs). I did play in game arcades, but I never played any home video games like the Famicom. When I was in junior high school, I saw George A. Romero's “Zombie” (1978) at the cinema and was blown away, and from then on I became a fan of “zombies” themselves. Then one day, I saw in a game magazine that a game called BIOHAZARD was coming out where you could fight zombies, and I, an old man who was over 30 at the time, bought the game along with a PlayStation and played it all the time. At the time, I was also very busy with work, but as soon as I got home, I'd continue playing until late at night. I'd restrain myself and turn off the PlayStation, thinking “I've got to get to sleep, I've got work tomorrow...”, but then I'd start playing again as soon as I thought “there's definitely something behind that door, something...” (laughs). When I first worked with CAPCOM on Dino Crisis 3, there were people from the BIOHAZARD team there, and I think the reason I was chosen to direct this game was because I was telling them this episode... maybe (laughs). Since this film's setting is an airport, I was coming up with ideas like “If it's an airport, let's have a jumbo jet crash into the lobby!” and other ideas at a junior high level (laughs). In a realistic sense, the plane would definitely explode once it crashed into the mouth-shaped building, but I thought if it caused a big fire at the airport, it'd no longer be a zombie movie and lose its focus in other ways, so I didn't have it blow up. There's a sense that some of the action scenes go a bit too far, but since it's both a zombie movie and an action movie, I thought this amount would be within the bounds of what could be forgiven, and made it that way. In that sense, it may be because I'm different from Kobayashi-san and Suga-san, although I made it with a very strong awareness of the games.
TALKING ABOUT “biohazard DEGENERATION” Vol.2
——What difficulties were there for screenwriter Shotaro Suga, who loves the BIOHAZARD series?
SUGA: I'd played all the numbered titles in the BIOHAZARD series of games, including BIOHAZARD CODE:Veronica, so when I was offered the job of writing the script, I jumped at the chance to do it right away (laughs). Since it was a script for a famous title, I couldn't produce anything sub-par, so I had quite a lot of trouble until I completed the draft. I think I rewrote it more than ten times. I tried to create a framework that would allow the viewer to understand the basic structure of good and evil, even if they didn't know the details of the story, such as the series' worldview. Even if my mother were to watch it, she'd understand the story. I don't think she'd be watching a zombie movie though (laughs). I also play the games, so of course I tried to make sure people who know the games would also enjoy it, so I paid attention to the details of Leon and Claire's characters. The film's second half is a battle action set in the Airdome research facility, and I hoped the name of Airdome could be used as a subtitle. The Airdome was built on the lessons learned from the history of the previous BIOHAZARD games, so I thought it'd be interesting to use it as a metaphor for the characters' shackles and chains, making them question “who the real enemy is”. There were lots of other ideas for the title, but we decided to go with “biohazard DEGENERATION” as it seemed to capture the whole work a little better. The idea of the floor falling deeper underground, part by part, came about because Kamiya-san tormented me a lot (laughs). At first it was a research facility on a large plot of land with no height, but Kamiya-san said, “This is a CG film, not a live-action film, so I want to include lots of depictions unique to CG!” He wanted something that would show vertical movement, like something falling from above or the floor caving in. After much thought, we decided to make it a multi-story building with a deep basement, like a tower, which you wouldn't find in a normal research facility. As a result, I think we were able to create a sense of height and depth, and succeeded in the production aspects of the film.
Behind the scenes of the character settings as told by the three of them
——The character settings for each of the characters in this work were exquisite, but I really fell in love with Senator Ron Davis's corny swearing.
KAMIYA: For me, the idea for Senator Ron Davis came from thinking “it'd be interesting to have a character like this unpleasant old man”, but fortunately or unfortunately, the motion capture actor and the voice actor, both of whom played the role of Senator Davis, gave really good performances. To a certain extent, they perform how I imagine them, but when I ask them to expand on that image or to make a certain part sound more unpleasant, they have a great ability to adapt! I also think Senator Davis is the most appealing character in this film, he's my favorite character.
SUGA: I like Claire. When we were talking about what kind of character Claire was, I said, “She's like Scarlett O'Hara from "Gone with the Wind" (1939). The reason is I think Claire has the characteristics of a girl from a good family in the countryside. She doesn't look at things in a way that makes her jealous of other people, and she's a bit of a show-off, but she also has a sense of justice and a sense of responsibility. When I talked about how that image was close to Claire's, they said, ”Oh, I see!” and my scriptwriting became more emotionally involved (laughs).
——Kobayashi's favorite, Leon, applied to the Raccoon Police Department in BIOHAZARD 2, but he was quite a dimwit, being late for work on the first day, right? Now he's an agent for the President of the United States (laughs).
KAMIYA: In my mind, surviving the Raccoon City incident was a human growth experience that gave him confidence in his fighting abilities, and I think that's what led to the character we have now. He's not that old yet, but he's been through a lot, so in the movie, he's got a kind of unique calmness about him.
KOBAYASHI: In BIOHAZARD 2 he was recognized by the US President for saving the young girl Sherry from the hellish Raccoon City, so he became an agent (laughs). Even in the Zombie panic at the airport, he's strangely calm since he survived the incident in biohazard 4 on his own, so in that sense, I think he's becoming more and more skilled... Incidentally, regarding motion capture, we used actors from overseas for the first time in the BIOHAZARD series, but we were able to get them from Hollywood to Japan, so their gestures and body language felt natural and didn't feel out of place. The voice-over recording with voice actors was done in Hollywood, but we used the same voice actors as in the game for Leon and Claire. We assumed game users would watch this movie version, so we thought using different voice actors would give the impression they were impostors. Unlike in Japan, there are many passionate fans overseas, so we definitely couldn't leave this part out!
KAMIYA: The sibling relationship between Curtis and Angela was at first going to be a male-male relationship. Apart from that, there was a lot of discussion about how we wanted to include a romantic atmosphere in the story with Leon. However, as the number of characters grew, the story gradually became more complicated (laughs). The reason we decided to make them siblings was we thought it'd add depth to the story if the characters were split into allies and enemies. The story's current form came about after the idea was raised that “if one of the siblings is a female character, then they can also interact with Leon, so why not?” This is also a BIOHAZARD created by everyone who loves it, with the characters and story fleshed out from scratch through numerous intimate discussions with the production staff!
INTERVIEW & TEXT Takeshi Yoshida
Born in 1965 in Tokyo. He has worked as an assistant director for special effects directors such as Koichi Kawakita (Heisei Godzilla series) and Shinji Higuchi (Heisei Gamera trilogy), and made his debut as a special effects director in 2000 with “Whiteout”. In 2007, he made his debut as a screenwriter and director with “True Woman Foodie Chronicles: Mami”, the “Crepe Angel”. His other film credits include “Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack” (2001, special effects), “Cutie Honey” (2003, special effects director), “Aegis” (2005, special effects director), “Sinking of Japan” (2006, special effects director), and “Lchange the WorLd” (2008, special effects director). He has also worked on a wide range of other projects, including game movies, commercials, making-of videos, and TV drama recreations.
Producer: Hiroyuki Kobayashi
Born in 1972 in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture. After joining CAPCOM in 1995, he participated in the development of games such as “BIOHAZARD” and “Dino Crisis”. Since 1999, he's been involved in series such as “Devil May Cry”, “Dino Crisis”, “BIOHAZARD”, and “Sengoku Basara” as a producer. In addition to games, he has also been involved in the production of films such as “BIOHAZARD Apocalypse” (2004), “BIOHAZARD Extinction” (2007), and the TV anime “Devil May Cry” (2007). His recent game works include “biohazard 4” and “killer7” (both 2005), the “Sengoku Basara” series (2005-2008), and “Devil May Cry 4” (2008).
Screenplay: Shotaro Suga
Born in 1972 in Osaka Prefecture. He made his debut as a screenwriter in 1999 with the TV drama “Yonigeya Honpo”. After that, he was involved in various production sites, including promotional videos for indie bands, documentaries, and BS, then he wrote the script for the TV anime “WILD ARMS Twilight Venom” (1999-2000), and in 2002 he started his career as a full-time screenwriter. His main works for TV include “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” (2002), “Psalms of Planets Eureka seveN” and “BLOOD+” (both 2005-2006), “Chevalier” (2006-2007), “Devil May Cry”, “The Spirit of the Guardian” and “DARKER THAN BLACK -Kuro no Shoushusha-” (all 2007), and “PERSONA -trinity soul-” (2008). His film directorial debut was Kiriya Kazuaki's “CASSHERN” (2004).
TALKING ABOUT “biohazard DEGENERATION” Vol.1
A three-way talk between Makoto Kamiya [director], Hiroyuki Kobayashi [producer], and Shotaro Suga [screenwriter]
The three people involved in this film have come together. We asked them about the background to the project, from planning to completion.
——We've got a direct hit on producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi! What was the impetus for making a full-length CG feature film based on BIOHAZARD?
KOBAYASHI: When you're making a game, it takes years to complete a single title, so it's difficult to make the next one even if you've already got a plan. Actually, in the case of the BIOHAZARD game series, the main characters aren't always the same, so it's easy to create a worldview even when you shift to a movie. Leon played the lead role in biohazard 4, and Claire played the lead role in BIOHAZARD -CODE: Veronica-, but this is the first time the two have appeared together since BIOHAZARD 2 released in 1998, so this film, biohazard DEGENERATION, is their first reunion in 10 years. We'd been talking about making a movie at CAPCOM, but CAPCOM's a video game company, so doing it on our own would be difficult... Then, by chance, Sony Pictures, who we'd worked with on the live-action BIOHAZARD series, asked us if we'd be interested in making a full-length CG BIOHAZARD film. For me, there was no reason to turn it down and I'd always wanted to do it, so the company was finally on board, and our two companies decided to work together to make it a reality.
——In biohazard 4, the Zombies were replaced by “Ganado”, who were villagers infected by parasites, but did you have any intention of making “biohazard DEGENERATION” a prequel to “BIOHAZARD 5”, which is due to be released for PS3 and Xbox360 in March 2009?
KOBAYASHI: Indeed, there were no Zombies in biohazard 4, so I was conscious of the fact I wanted to make sure the Zombies were given a prominent role next time... I wasn't really thinking about how it'd lead on to BIOHAZARD 5 though. I like Leon, and I simply wanted to make a sequel to biohazard 4 (laughs). In BIOHAZARD 5, Chris Redfield, Claire's older brother, is the main character, so we couldn't have Leon play a major role. Chronologically, the story of this film biohazard DEGENERATION would be in the middle of the series. I and Yoshiaki Hirabayashi who was in charge of the original plan (he also participated in BIOHAZARD 5's production) had a meeting to come up with ideas. I suggested Leon should be the main character and we should introduce some original characters and have a bioterror incident at an airport. I threw all the ideas I wanted to try out at Hirabayashi (laughs), then based on the plot he came up with, I made some slight changes before passing it on to scriptwriter Shotaro Suga. After that, because BIOHAZARD 2 had been the biggest seller in the series, Sony Pictures asked us if we could introduce Claire as well as Leon. If Claire was to be involved in the incident, we decided she'd be at the airport, and for the second half, we decided on the goal of taking the story to the point where a bioweapon utilizing the G-Virus was rampaging at the research facility, which was a promise to the game users, and we constructed the broad framework.
——What were the reasons for choosing director Makoto Kamiya and Shotaro Suga?
KOBAYASHI: Mr. Kamiya's a fan of Zombies and a big gun nut (laughs), and we'd worked together on the “Dino Crisis 3” movies, so his familiarity with CG was the deciding factor. Mr. Suga had also been involved in some work on Devil May Cry 4, and when we gave him a copy of the biohazard 4 game, he cleared it several times. Furthermore, since he'd played every game in the series, he didn't need the worldview explained when writing the script, so I asked him to do it. When it came to building the worldview and character settings, I only asked that Hunnigan be involved with Leon and appear in the story, then left the rest to him.
——How's the relationship between director Makoto Kamiya, an unrivalled “Zombie enthusiast”, and the games?
KAMIYA: I wasn't the kind of kid who played games. I collected model guns, and because they were expensive, I couldn't afford to buy games (laughs). I did play in game arcades, but I never played any home video games like the Famicom. When I was in junior high school, I saw George A. Romero's “Zombie” (1978) at the cinema and was blown away, and from then on I became a fan of “zombies” themselves. Then one day, I saw in a game magazine that a game called BIOHAZARD was coming out where you could fight zombies, and I, an old man who was over 30 at the time, bought the game along with a PlayStation and played it all the time. At the time, I was also very busy with work, but as soon as I got home, I'd continue playing until late at night. I'd restrain myself and turn off the PlayStation, thinking “I've got to get to sleep, I've got work tomorrow...”, but then I'd start playing again as soon as I thought “there's definitely something behind that door, something...” (laughs). When I first worked with CAPCOM on Dino Crisis 3, there were people from the BIOHAZARD team there, and I think the reason I was chosen to direct this game was because I was telling them this episode... maybe (laughs). Since this film's setting is an airport, I was coming up with ideas like “If it's an airport, let's have a jumbo jet crash into the lobby!” and other ideas at a junior high level (laughs). In a realistic sense, the plane would definitely explode once it crashed into the mouth-shaped building, but I thought if it caused a big fire at the airport, it'd no longer be a zombie movie and lose its focus in other ways, so I didn't have it blow up. There's a sense that some of the action scenes go a bit too far, but since it's both a zombie movie and an action movie, I thought this amount would be within the bounds of what could be forgiven, and made it that way. In that sense, it may be because I'm different from Kobayashi-san and Suga-san, although I made it with a very strong awareness of the games.
TALKING ABOUT “biohazard DEGENERATION” Vol.2
——What difficulties were there for screenwriter Shotaro Suga, who loves the BIOHAZARD series?
SUGA: I'd played all the numbered titles in the BIOHAZARD series of games, including BIOHAZARD CODE:Veronica, so when I was offered the job of writing the script, I jumped at the chance to do it right away (laughs). Since it was a script for a famous title, I couldn't produce anything sub-par, so I had quite a lot of trouble until I completed the draft. I think I rewrote it more than ten times. I tried to create a framework that would allow the viewer to understand the basic structure of good and evil, even if they didn't know the details of the story, such as the series' worldview. Even if my mother were to watch it, she'd understand the story. I don't think she'd be watching a zombie movie though (laughs). I also play the games, so of course I tried to make sure people who know the games would also enjoy it, so I paid attention to the details of Leon and Claire's characters. The film's second half is a battle action set in the Airdome research facility, and I hoped the name of Airdome could be used as a subtitle. The Airdome was built on the lessons learned from the history of the previous BIOHAZARD games, so I thought it'd be interesting to use it as a metaphor for the characters' shackles and chains, making them question “who the real enemy is”. There were lots of other ideas for the title, but we decided to go with “biohazard DEGENERATION” as it seemed to capture the whole work a little better. The idea of the floor falling deeper underground, part by part, came about because Kamiya-san tormented me a lot (laughs). At first it was a research facility on a large plot of land with no height, but Kamiya-san said, “This is a CG film, not a live-action film, so I want to include lots of depictions unique to CG!” He wanted something that would show vertical movement, like something falling from above or the floor caving in. After much thought, we decided to make it a multi-story building with a deep basement, like a tower, which you wouldn't find in a normal research facility. As a result, I think we were able to create a sense of height and depth, and succeeded in the production aspects of the film.
Behind the scenes of the character settings as told by the three of them
——The character settings for each of the characters in this work were exquisite, but I really fell in love with Senator Ron Davis's corny swearing.
KAMIYA: For me, the idea for Senator Ron Davis came from thinking “it'd be interesting to have a character like this unpleasant old man”, but fortunately or unfortunately, the motion capture actor and the voice actor, both of whom played the role of Senator Davis, gave really good performances. To a certain extent, they perform how I imagine them, but when I ask them to expand on that image or to make a certain part sound more unpleasant, they have a great ability to adapt! I also think Senator Davis is the most appealing character in this film, he's my favorite character.
SUGA: I like Claire. When we were talking about what kind of character Claire was, I said, “She's like Scarlett O'Hara from "Gone with the Wind" (1939). The reason is I think Claire has the characteristics of a girl from a good family in the countryside. She doesn't look at things in a way that makes her jealous of other people, and she's a bit of a show-off, but she also has a sense of justice and a sense of responsibility. When I talked about how that image was close to Claire's, they said, ”Oh, I see!” and my scriptwriting became more emotionally involved (laughs).
——Kobayashi's favorite, Leon, applied to the Raccoon Police Department in BIOHAZARD 2, but he was quite a dimwit, being late for work on the first day, right? Now he's an agent for the President of the United States (laughs).
KAMIYA: In my mind, surviving the Raccoon City incident was a human growth experience that gave him confidence in his fighting abilities, and I think that's what led to the character we have now. He's not that old yet, but he's been through a lot, so in the movie, he's got a kind of unique calmness about him.
KOBAYASHI: In BIOHAZARD 2 he was recognized by the US President for saving the young girl Sherry from the hellish Raccoon City, so he became an agent (laughs). Even in the Zombie panic at the airport, he's strangely calm since he survived the incident in biohazard 4 on his own, so in that sense, I think he's becoming more and more skilled... Incidentally, regarding motion capture, we used actors from overseas for the first time in the BIOHAZARD series, but we were able to get them from Hollywood to Japan, so their gestures and body language felt natural and didn't feel out of place. The voice-over recording with voice actors was done in Hollywood, but we used the same voice actors as in the game for Leon and Claire. We assumed game users would watch this movie version, so we thought using different voice actors would give the impression they were impostors. Unlike in Japan, there are many passionate fans overseas, so we definitely couldn't leave this part out!
KAMIYA: The sibling relationship between Curtis and Angela was at first going to be a male-male relationship. Apart from that, there was a lot of discussion about how we wanted to include a romantic atmosphere in the story with Leon. However, as the number of characters grew, the story gradually became more complicated (laughs). The reason we decided to make them siblings was we thought it'd add depth to the story if the characters were split into allies and enemies. The story's current form came about after the idea was raised that “if one of the siblings is a female character, then they can also interact with Leon, so why not?” This is also a BIOHAZARD created by everyone who loves it, with the characters and story fleshed out from scratch through numerous intimate discussions with the production staff!
INTERVIEW & TEXT Takeshi Yoshida
ABOUT "BIOHAZARD"
The BIOHAZARD series was first released on the PlayStation in 1996, and since then the series has continued to expand, with live-action films also starting in 2002. The game has been made into a series and remade under the same title, and has been released on various hardware, including the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Dreamcast and GameCube. As long as the title's the same, the basic contents will remain the same.
Here, we'll introduce six games you should know about, focusing on the first release of each title, so you can enjoy the main story's world even more.
biohazard 0
In July 1998, a series of bizarre murders occurred in the Arklay Mountains on the outskirts of Raccoon City in the American midwest, in which people were killed and eaten. In order to bring the situation under control, the Raccoon Police Department dispatched the special forces unit S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team to the area by helicopter, but the helicopter crashed in the forest near the scene of the crime due to engine failure. They manage to escape with their lives and discover a wrecked military prisoner transport vehicle with the slaughtered corpses of Marines. Rookie female member Rebecca Chambers plays an active role in pursuing former marine Billy Coen, who escaped from the transport vehicle. In addition to a prequel to the first game in the series, it also reveals Umbrella Corp.'s history.
BIOHAZARD
In order to search for the missing Bravo Team, Alpha Team heads to the area the night after losing communication with Bravo Team. However, the forest's full of rabid dogs that've turned into Zombies which attack the team members. The survivors flee to an old mansion, but this house contains many strange and mysterious mysteries, such as attacking deformed monsters, plants and animals, as well as the resurrected dead. In order to return alive from this creepy mansion, the hot-blooded Chris Redfield and the dexterous female member Jill Valentine split up to search the house. This is the monumental first game in the series.
BIOHAZARD 2
Two months have passed since the bizarre murders in the Arklay Mountains and the incident at the mansion involving S.T.A.R.S. Raccoon City, which was supported by the major pharmaceutical company Umbrella Corp,, is now in the midst of a terrible tragedy... Leon S. Kennedy, a chronically late 21-year-old rookie cop, is late for his first day at the Raccoon Police Department, where he volunteered to work. He tried to call in from his car to say he was running late, but for some reason the line was dead. Meanwhile, 19-year-old college student Claire Redfield, who'd lost contact with her brother Chris, a member of the Raccoon Police Department, couldn't help but feel there was a connection between the unsolved bizarre murders being reported on the news, so she was heading to Raccoon City on her motorbike to look for her brother. Leon's tardiness ends up being a blessing in disguise as he and Claire arrive in Raccoon City at the same time, and the two of them meet by chance, but the city's overrun with Zombies and they witness hellish scenes of citizens under attack. In an attempt to avoid the critical situation, they get into a parked police car and head for the station. However, a runaway truck tears them apart, and they each try to escape the city in separate states. The TV commercial was directed by George A. Romero, and the late Brad Renfro's passionate performance as Leon became a hot topic.
BIOHAZARD 3 LAST ESCAPE
The stage is set in Raccoon City, a day before Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield arrive. The S.T.A.R.S. team, including Chris Redfield, who survived the Mansion Incident, learn of the existence of bioweapons using viruses that Umbrella Corp. was secretly developing, and head to Europe to put a stop to it. However, Jill Valentine remains in Raccoon City to investigate Umbrella Corp.'s activities. This time, the city's citizens are turned into Zombies, and in addition to the city police, the UBCS (Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service) from Umbrella Corp. also participates in the suppression. Jill's informed by Carlos Oliveira, a member of the squad, that the military's planning to bomb Raccoon City.
BIOHAZARD -CODE: Veronica-
Three months have passed since Raccoon City was destroyed by a military bombing mission ordered by the government. Claire Redfield escaped the bombing with rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy and a young survivor named Sherry, so she'd managed to escape. Claire then set off alone to Europe in pursuit of her brother Chris, her goal being to infiltrate Umbrella Corp.'s Paris research facility. However, she was captured by the head of the security unit and transferred to the remote island of Rockfort, where Umbrella Corp.'s private prison's located. While in the midst of a desperate situation, Claire regains consciousness in her prison cell and witnesses the island being attacked by a mysterious organization.
biohazard 4
The government, which had a close relationship with the huge and powerful international pharmaceutical company Umbrella Corp., attempted to cover up the incident, but since the incident was so large an entire city vanished from the map, the US President issued a business suspension order against Umbrella Corp. and the company itself effectively began to collapse. Six years had passed since the Raccoon City incident and it was the autumn of 2004, when the cold was starting to set in. Having become a capable agent directly under the US President's command in the six years since then, Leon Kennedy was on his way to Europe, after already achieving results in numerous missions. In fact, he was supposed to be mainly involved in protecting the president's family, but just before he was due to start, the president's daughter Ashley Graham was abducted, and suddenly he was put in charge of rescuing and protecting her. Based on few bits of intel, he arrived in a remote mountain village in the middle of Europe. The villagers in this quiet, unremarkable mountain village were surprised to see Leon, and shockingly, they attacked him with blades in their hands. Even though they resembled Zombies, they were actually normal people, but the way they attacked without question, as if they were being controlled by someone else, was extremely creepy. This is the only game in the series that doesn't feature Zombies. Leon has matured into a calm and collected, clever character compared to BIOHAZARD.
BIOHAZARD 5
The nightmare of Umbrella Corp. returns. Under Wesker's guidance, the international pharmaceutical company TRICELL has begun dangerous virus research!
The long-awaited title in the series, BIOHAZARD 5, which was announced in the summer of 2005, will finally be released worldwide on March 12th 2009 (scheduled). Although specific details haven't yet been revealed, we'd like to introduce the game based on the information that's been released for fans who can't wait until the release.
The story takes place on the African continent, where the scorching sun beats down on the people, as if a heat wave were enveloping them. There's a man who has landed in this Kijuju Autonomous Zone. His name's Chris Redfield. A tough guy who was formerly a pilot in the Air Force and belonged to the S.T.A.R.S. “Alpha Team” special forces unit of the Raccoon Police Department. As a skilled marksman and the top gunner on the team, Chris was secretly investigating Umbrella Corp. even after the incident at the mansion and was acting covertly in Europe in order to destroy the company, which was leading the virus in a dangerous direction as a bioweapon. After many twists and turns, he was reunited with his sister Claire at the Antarctic Base, but his stance on eradicating the development of bioweapons hadn't changed... After Raccoon City was destroyed, Umbrella Corp. collapsed due to a stock price crash. This was the start of a chain of events that saw the virus fall into the hands of terrorists as a bioweapon, plunging the world into a new era of bioterrorism. Fearing the consequences of their actions, pharmaceutical companies formed the B.S.A.A. bioterrorism suppression unit and began to take action.
Chris also joined this unit, and now, ten years after the incident at the mansion, he's carrying out a dangerous mission in the birthplace of mankind alongside his new partner, Sheva Alomar. Albert Wesker, the former commander of S.T.A.R.S. who put Chris in danger with his evil henchmen in the Mansion Incident, was also rumored to be involved in this incident. And supporting Wesker as his partner is Excella Gionne, the African branch manager from the family of the founder of the international pharmaceutical company TRICELL. There's no doubt something's about to happen in Africa...
This game uses the same third-person behind-the-camera system that was so popular in biohazard 4, and your partner Sheva will always join you in battle, so you'll be able to create a bond with each other that'll help you out in a pinch. The graphics are also exceptionally realistic, and the dry atmosphere of the African setting will naturally increase your sense of fear, even during the day. While this sense of realism's conveyed, the biggest new element of this game is being able to team up with a stranger and play cooperatively (Co-Op) when you start online play over the internet. Of course, one player will control Chris or Sheva. You should be careful, because if you don't coordinate your efforts and one of you runs out of health, it'll lead to game over. There are also situations where you have to drive vehicles like jeeps, and flying bioweapons also appear, so you're sure to struggle against the evolution of the enemy!
ABOUT "BIOHAZARD WII EDITION"
The masterpiece that established the “survival horror” genre worldwide is finally coming to Wii!
Released in 1996 as a PlayStation game, “BIOHAZARD” was completely remade and enhanced with additional content in 2002 as “biohazard” for the GameCube. The game featured improved graphics, enhanced camera work that amplified the sense of horror, and additional story elements introducing new characters, making it a must-have for fans. Then in late 2008, the GameCube version was faithfully ported to the Wii! For details on the story, please refer to the separate page (“ABOUT BIOHAZARD”). This page introduces the “BIOHAZARD” titles available on the Wii, starting with this title.
"biohazard 4 Wii Edition" was the first title released for the Wii. After its release on the GameCube, it was ported to the PlayStation 2 with additional content. The Wii version featured not only the added content but also a new control scheme utilizing the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers, as well as sound effects from the remote, allowing players to fully enjoy the Wii's unique hardware.
The next title released, "BIOHAZARD UMBRELLA CHRONICLES" is a gun shooting game with automatic screen movement and an original title available exclusively on the Wii. Notably, the game supports simultaneous two-player gameplay and incorporates highlights from previous series entries, including scenes and characters from past games, to trace the evil deeds of Umbrella Corporation. This makes the storyline accessible and engaging even for newcomers to the BIOHAZARD series. For core fans, the game also reveals the collapse of Umbrella Corporation for the first time in its storyline, making it well worth playing for those seeking a deeper immersion in the series' universe.
Other series titles available on Wii include "biohazard 0" (released July 10th 08), which depicts the events leading up to the series' beginning, and “biohazard” (scheduled for release December 25th 08), which revisits the original survival horror experience with the Mansion Incident.
The BIOHAZARD series was first released on the PlayStation in 1996, and since then the series has continued to expand, with live-action films also starting in 2002. The game has been made into a series and remade under the same title, and has been released on various hardware, including the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Dreamcast and GameCube. As long as the title's the same, the basic contents will remain the same.
Here, we'll introduce six games you should know about, focusing on the first release of each title, so you can enjoy the main story's world even more.
biohazard 0
In July 1998, a series of bizarre murders occurred in the Arklay Mountains on the outskirts of Raccoon City in the American midwest, in which people were killed and eaten. In order to bring the situation under control, the Raccoon Police Department dispatched the special forces unit S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team to the area by helicopter, but the helicopter crashed in the forest near the scene of the crime due to engine failure. They manage to escape with their lives and discover a wrecked military prisoner transport vehicle with the slaughtered corpses of Marines. Rookie female member Rebecca Chambers plays an active role in pursuing former marine Billy Coen, who escaped from the transport vehicle. In addition to a prequel to the first game in the series, it also reveals Umbrella Corp.'s history.
BIOHAZARD
In order to search for the missing Bravo Team, Alpha Team heads to the area the night after losing communication with Bravo Team. However, the forest's full of rabid dogs that've turned into Zombies which attack the team members. The survivors flee to an old mansion, but this house contains many strange and mysterious mysteries, such as attacking deformed monsters, plants and animals, as well as the resurrected dead. In order to return alive from this creepy mansion, the hot-blooded Chris Redfield and the dexterous female member Jill Valentine split up to search the house. This is the monumental first game in the series.
BIOHAZARD 2
Two months have passed since the bizarre murders in the Arklay Mountains and the incident at the mansion involving S.T.A.R.S. Raccoon City, which was supported by the major pharmaceutical company Umbrella Corp,, is now in the midst of a terrible tragedy... Leon S. Kennedy, a chronically late 21-year-old rookie cop, is late for his first day at the Raccoon Police Department, where he volunteered to work. He tried to call in from his car to say he was running late, but for some reason the line was dead. Meanwhile, 19-year-old college student Claire Redfield, who'd lost contact with her brother Chris, a member of the Raccoon Police Department, couldn't help but feel there was a connection between the unsolved bizarre murders being reported on the news, so she was heading to Raccoon City on her motorbike to look for her brother. Leon's tardiness ends up being a blessing in disguise as he and Claire arrive in Raccoon City at the same time, and the two of them meet by chance, but the city's overrun with Zombies and they witness hellish scenes of citizens under attack. In an attempt to avoid the critical situation, they get into a parked police car and head for the station. However, a runaway truck tears them apart, and they each try to escape the city in separate states. The TV commercial was directed by George A. Romero, and the late Brad Renfro's passionate performance as Leon became a hot topic.
BIOHAZARD 3 LAST ESCAPE
The stage is set in Raccoon City, a day before Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield arrive. The S.T.A.R.S. team, including Chris Redfield, who survived the Mansion Incident, learn of the existence of bioweapons using viruses that Umbrella Corp. was secretly developing, and head to Europe to put a stop to it. However, Jill Valentine remains in Raccoon City to investigate Umbrella Corp.'s activities. This time, the city's citizens are turned into Zombies, and in addition to the city police, the UBCS (Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service) from Umbrella Corp. also participates in the suppression. Jill's informed by Carlos Oliveira, a member of the squad, that the military's planning to bomb Raccoon City.
BIOHAZARD -CODE: Veronica-
Three months have passed since Raccoon City was destroyed by a military bombing mission ordered by the government. Claire Redfield escaped the bombing with rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy and a young survivor named Sherry, so she'd managed to escape. Claire then set off alone to Europe in pursuit of her brother Chris, her goal being to infiltrate Umbrella Corp.'s Paris research facility. However, she was captured by the head of the security unit and transferred to the remote island of Rockfort, where Umbrella Corp.'s private prison's located. While in the midst of a desperate situation, Claire regains consciousness in her prison cell and witnesses the island being attacked by a mysterious organization.
biohazard 4
The government, which had a close relationship with the huge and powerful international pharmaceutical company Umbrella Corp., attempted to cover up the incident, but since the incident was so large an entire city vanished from the map, the US President issued a business suspension order against Umbrella Corp. and the company itself effectively began to collapse. Six years had passed since the Raccoon City incident and it was the autumn of 2004, when the cold was starting to set in. Having become a capable agent directly under the US President's command in the six years since then, Leon Kennedy was on his way to Europe, after already achieving results in numerous missions. In fact, he was supposed to be mainly involved in protecting the president's family, but just before he was due to start, the president's daughter Ashley Graham was abducted, and suddenly he was put in charge of rescuing and protecting her. Based on few bits of intel, he arrived in a remote mountain village in the middle of Europe. The villagers in this quiet, unremarkable mountain village were surprised to see Leon, and shockingly, they attacked him with blades in their hands. Even though they resembled Zombies, they were actually normal people, but the way they attacked without question, as if they were being controlled by someone else, was extremely creepy. This is the only game in the series that doesn't feature Zombies. Leon has matured into a calm and collected, clever character compared to BIOHAZARD.
BIOHAZARD 5
The nightmare of Umbrella Corp. returns. Under Wesker's guidance, the international pharmaceutical company TRICELL has begun dangerous virus research!
The long-awaited title in the series, BIOHAZARD 5, which was announced in the summer of 2005, will finally be released worldwide on March 12th 2009 (scheduled). Although specific details haven't yet been revealed, we'd like to introduce the game based on the information that's been released for fans who can't wait until the release.
The story takes place on the African continent, where the scorching sun beats down on the people, as if a heat wave were enveloping them. There's a man who has landed in this Kijuju Autonomous Zone. His name's Chris Redfield. A tough guy who was formerly a pilot in the Air Force and belonged to the S.T.A.R.S. “Alpha Team” special forces unit of the Raccoon Police Department. As a skilled marksman and the top gunner on the team, Chris was secretly investigating Umbrella Corp. even after the incident at the mansion and was acting covertly in Europe in order to destroy the company, which was leading the virus in a dangerous direction as a bioweapon. After many twists and turns, he was reunited with his sister Claire at the Antarctic Base, but his stance on eradicating the development of bioweapons hadn't changed... After Raccoon City was destroyed, Umbrella Corp. collapsed due to a stock price crash. This was the start of a chain of events that saw the virus fall into the hands of terrorists as a bioweapon, plunging the world into a new era of bioterrorism. Fearing the consequences of their actions, pharmaceutical companies formed the B.S.A.A. bioterrorism suppression unit and began to take action.
Chris also joined this unit, and now, ten years after the incident at the mansion, he's carrying out a dangerous mission in the birthplace of mankind alongside his new partner, Sheva Alomar. Albert Wesker, the former commander of S.T.A.R.S. who put Chris in danger with his evil henchmen in the Mansion Incident, was also rumored to be involved in this incident. And supporting Wesker as his partner is Excella Gionne, the African branch manager from the family of the founder of the international pharmaceutical company TRICELL. There's no doubt something's about to happen in Africa...
This game uses the same third-person behind-the-camera system that was so popular in biohazard 4, and your partner Sheva will always join you in battle, so you'll be able to create a bond with each other that'll help you out in a pinch. The graphics are also exceptionally realistic, and the dry atmosphere of the African setting will naturally increase your sense of fear, even during the day. While this sense of realism's conveyed, the biggest new element of this game is being able to team up with a stranger and play cooperatively (Co-Op) when you start online play over the internet. Of course, one player will control Chris or Sheva. You should be careful, because if you don't coordinate your efforts and one of you runs out of health, it'll lead to game over. There are also situations where you have to drive vehicles like jeeps, and flying bioweapons also appear, so you're sure to struggle against the evolution of the enemy!
ABOUT "BIOHAZARD WII EDITION"
The masterpiece that established the “survival horror” genre worldwide is finally coming to Wii!
Released in 1996 as a PlayStation game, “BIOHAZARD” was completely remade and enhanced with additional content in 2002 as “biohazard” for the GameCube. The game featured improved graphics, enhanced camera work that amplified the sense of horror, and additional story elements introducing new characters, making it a must-have for fans. Then in late 2008, the GameCube version was faithfully ported to the Wii! For details on the story, please refer to the separate page (“ABOUT BIOHAZARD”). This page introduces the “BIOHAZARD” titles available on the Wii, starting with this title.
"biohazard 4 Wii Edition" was the first title released for the Wii. After its release on the GameCube, it was ported to the PlayStation 2 with additional content. The Wii version featured not only the added content but also a new control scheme utilizing the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers, as well as sound effects from the remote, allowing players to fully enjoy the Wii's unique hardware.
The next title released, "BIOHAZARD UMBRELLA CHRONICLES" is a gun shooting game with automatic screen movement and an original title available exclusively on the Wii. Notably, the game supports simultaneous two-player gameplay and incorporates highlights from previous series entries, including scenes and characters from past games, to trace the evil deeds of Umbrella Corporation. This makes the storyline accessible and engaging even for newcomers to the BIOHAZARD series. For core fans, the game also reveals the collapse of Umbrella Corporation for the first time in its storyline, making it well worth playing for those seeking a deeper immersion in the series' universe.
Other series titles available on Wii include "biohazard 0" (released July 10th 08), which depicts the events leading up to the series' beginning, and “biohazard” (scheduled for release December 25th 08), which revisits the original survival horror experience with the Mansion Incident.