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Resident Evil 1.5 Leaked

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Oh my.


Probably one of the more unique aspects of RE 1.5. There was only a very small remnant of this left in the final game, during the sewer sequence when Leon gets bandaged up which stays that way for the remainder of the game. But seeing your character take damage/ add body armor could've been great.
 
So wait, they obtained the beta version, hacked some stuff in and now they are releasing it?
How is that legal?
Do they have permission from Capcom?

Basically, a long time ago someone somewhen got a hold of a build of RE "2" (as it was known at the time). This beta has been known to exist for at least 10 years, and it has made itself "known" on a few seperate occasions through auctions.

This next section is PURELY SPECULATION... but squatting around on some collector's sites I'd say it's at least plausible...

I believe someone who either collects or preserves games (possibly DRX) got a hold of a copy of the game and was probably told by the original owner (or one of the previous owners) that they weren't to release the game publically. This makes sense as a released proto-type on the internet is worth a LOT LESS money than one that's not.

So, there is a copy of an extremely rare game in someone's collection that's worth a lot of money and they don't want their "investment" devalued... but they may (or they may know or have been contacted by people who may...) be huge resident evil fans and thus WANT to share this with others... So a deal was likely made that a close knit group was given access to the game so that they could "complete" it and release that. This would keep the beta's value relatively high (though will still likely knock down it's price when it's inevitable resold), especially if parts of the game were still removed/not restored making it still very interesting to collector's but still allow the game to be experienced and enjoyed by many other people.

End speculation.

As for legality... Of course Capcom still fully own the rights to Resident Evil and at any time could fire off a cease and desist... but they likely won't. This is a fan project releasing a debunked game that would never have seen the light of day otherwise, I only wish that game companies would release what they have of games that got canceled 10+ years after they were to be released if only for preservation purposes (early betas of final games too, but that's even more of a pipe dream).

I think this is safe to say, falls under the "grey area" category. You won't likely ever get in trouble for downloading it, especially in it's incomplete state and likely the worst repurcussion is the team being told they can't complete their work.
 

Vamphuntr

Member
This guy has pretty much everything you can do in Elza scenario at it's current form (4 videos)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Hbjf8f5lwY (Part 1)

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This game was far from being complete. This restoration project is going to be fairly difficult. Most cutscenes are glitched. Lots of dummy prompts when inspecting object or puzzle items. Most rooms are not connected and key items are missing.

At some points they will have to make up the missing pieces and that is somewhat against the purpose of the project I would think.

It's still fairly fascinating this was shared, though. You can see a lot of the rooms in this are similar to that of the final RE 2 game. The police station also had an art gallery in this version which where must have come the inspiration for it's look in the final version.
 
It's a shame capcom have never given us an Elza leather bike costume for claire at some point.

This was the game they didn't want anyone to see. It was to be silently sweeped under the rug for the new and improved version.

I imagine it'd be akin to x-raying an old artist's masterpiece and finding out there was another picture underneath that was half completed, discarded, and then painted over (it's actually a common occurance in the art world since art supplies used to be fairly costly).

Us looking at it we may be amazed at what may have been, and it may even be gorgeous to our eyes... but to the painter, it was nothing better than a doodle, or maybe worse a reminder of a failure.
 

djshauny

Banned
Amazing

I really hope that Capcom leaves this project alone.

Would be such a shame for them to pulll a C&D on this :(

Do you fellow GAF members think Capcom will intervene?
 

televator

Member
Amazing

I really hope that Capcom leaves this project alone.

Would be such a shame for them to pulll a C&D on this :(

Do you fellow GAF members think Capcom will intervene?

I'll admit, I'm a cynic. I expect Capcom would if they can find out who to mail it to.
 
This was the game they didn't want anyone to see. It was to be silently sweeped under the rug for the new and improved version.

I imagine it'd be akin to x-raying an old artist's masterpiece and finding out there was another picture underneath that was half completed, discarded, and then painted over (it's actually a common occurance in the art world since art supplies used to be fairly costly).

Us looking at it we may be amazed at what may have been, and it may even be gorgeous to our eyes... but to the painter, it was nothing better than a doodle, or maybe worse a reminder of a failure.

The difference being that 1.5 was shown off during its production and has existed in the public consciousness before any restoration efforts had occurred. The character isn't something that has been revealed against their will.
 
I feel like I've stepped through a time machine and into my FAVORITE era... To see something like this, something I NEVER might have seen...

I wish some developers were creating games with this look and feel again... It's my favorite :| if Capcom got this and LEGITELY finished it I think a fair amount of people would be into the game.

How much could it cost to develop stuff like that anymore? With that amazing music. And I think it would be nothing but profit. Ah well, the past is in the past!(but how many times can I beat my favorite classics before I lust for MORE?!)
 

mattp

Member
can someone explain the item menu to me? haha
i have no inventory, but if i go over to that menu slot i can switch between when seems like every item in the game with the shoulder buttons but then i cant ever get back out of the menu without rebooting the game
 

mattp

Member
this may not be the best place to ask, but maybe someone in here will know
i taped down the "lid sensors", or whatever you wanna call them, on my slim ps2 so i can open the lid and keep the disc spinning
so i just used a legit psx disc and after the SCEA logo fades to black i swap it out for the burned RE1.5 cd-r, but man it does not sound/feel good for the motor haha
is there a better way to do this without just getting a psx swap disc?
 
can someone explain the item menu to me? haha
i have no inventory, but if i go over to that menu slot i can switch between when seems like every item in the game with the shoulder buttons but then i cant ever get back out of the menu without rebooting the game

Do not try to change the "Standard Items" slot, that'll cause that glitch. You can do the same item switch over your regular inventory slots. You pretty much have to do this to get ammo and health, as attempting to pick up items in the world will cause the "Air Jesus" glitch.
 

Mr_Zombie

Member
The game feels similar to RE1 so I could see them making it so that in cannon both characters are there at the same time and escape but in gameplay you just experience it as one person while the other one doesn't even exist while you are running around (like RE1 Chris & Jill) and they don't affect each others' story lines like they do in RE2.

Characters may not meet each other, but unlike RE1 it seems tbe game aknowledges that both scenarios take place simultaneously and actions done by one character affects the other character. For example in the cargo room, if you try to activate elevator as Elza, Birkin will come from the elevator and on his way he will break a pipe blocking the entrance to the elevator. If you enter the room as Leon, the pipe will already be broken and Birkin will be lying on a floor; he will stand up the moment you try activating the elevator.
 

ksdixon

Member
Just want to say that this feels so unreal. I've been lurking around forums like bioflames for years reading up on RE1.5, catching glimpses of video footage here and there. Never thought I'd get to fight the gorillas in the parking lot, or Birkin in the elevator area. So damn cool!
 
Worst thing about this leak is that now I want another locked camera + tank controls survival horror game (my favorite genre, seriously.) which will NEVER HAPPEN. NEVER.
 
The original version of RE2 was much different than the final one. Many of us believe that a finished RE1.5 would have been leagues better and have been dying to play it.

Leagues better? RE2 is pretty much the only game in the franchise (excluding the awesome REmake) that comes close to/trounces RE4 as the best game in the series and one of the best games ever.

I feel like cancelled games get cancelled for a reason...but I'm definitely gonna check this out when it's finished. How many other games got this far along before being canned/restarted? (besides RE4 I mean....actually curious).
 

Jawmuncher

Member
Worst thing about this leak is that now I want another locked camera + tank controls survival horror game (my favorite genre, seriously.) which will NEVER HAPPEN. NEVER.

The only hope would be for a indie team.
Which in all honesty im surprised none of them have been game for it.
 

Jerrod

Member
Characters may not meet each other, but unlike RE1 it seems tbe game aknowledges that both scenarios take place simultaneously and actions done by one character affects the other character. For example in the cargo room, if you try to activate elevator as Elza, Birkin will come from the elevator and on his way he will break a pipe blocking the entrance to the elevator. If you enter the room as Leon, the pipe will already be broken and Birkin will be lying on a floor; he will stand up the moment you try activating the elevator.
Well that is sort of what I was saying in another part of the post you quoted, I listed an example but I forgot about the Birkin one you just mentioned. It seems like Elza's scenario happens first (or they happen at roughly the same time but Elza just gets to all the rooms a little ahead of Leon) as in Elza's scenario the lobby shutter is intact and she fights Birkin first when he breaks the pipe. Also maybe the gorilla's in the parking garage haven't come out yet when you go there as Elzat? (don't remember if the trailer they come out of was open or not) Then as Leon he goes to the lobby and Elza's bike is already there but now the shutters are smashed and zombies come through and he fights Birkin after he has the pipe. It seems like Elza just does everything first and is probably easier (like Claire A in RE2) and Leon has to deal with harder/different stuff (Leon B in RE2).

One thing I'm curious about are the boxes on the helipad. At the start of Leon's game they are there, but at some point in Elza's game she moves them with John. Elza probably does this pretty early on, but I'm wondering if Leon just has to progress through the game to a certain point and then he comes back to the roof and they are already moved because Elza would have done it earlier in her scenario if they were to take place at roughly the same time?

Also similar is the garage area with Sherry. As Elza the door is locked and I'm guessing she unlocks it but as Leon it is already open. I wonder why she is still there and why she doesn't go with Elza? Or does she go with the character in both scenarios? I don't know if Elza moves the thing over the hole she is hiding in but I saw a screenshot showing Leon and Marvin moving the thing so maybe Elza unlocks the garage door but Sherry runs under there and hides and Elza just leaves her but Leon comes along and gets her out?

I have to say that I like how the scenarios are connected with 1 character doing things like moving the boxes or unlocking the doors and that they remain that way for the 2nd character. Lets you see how doors got unlocked and what not.
 
The only hope would be for a indie team.
Which in all honesty im surprised none of them have been game for it.

All the good animals to have emblazoned on medallions have already been used. Well's run dry!

I would totally help Kickstart a project like that though. So many good memories from that gen.
 
Worst thing about this leak is that now I want another locked camera + tank controls survival horror game (my favorite genre, seriously.) which will NEVER HAPPEN. NEVER.

As fun as RE4 was, fixed cameras is what makes resident evil for me along with the gun play and cheesy story, also one reason why I love code veronica so much.

The more modern resident evils should have just been spin offs instead of main sequels :(
 

News Bot

Banned
Umbrella was defeated behind scenes

They weren't. They're still active in 1.5, they are just under investigation and arrests are being made. The whole "1.5 would've been the end" thing is complete nonsense that has been skewed by time when the original statement was from Mikami, who had nothing to do with the storyline, saying he thought that BH3 probably would've been the last if 1.5 had been released because they were expecting negative reception and mediocre sales from 1.5 that would've affected the next project.
 

Vilam

Maxis Redwood
Pretty incredible what the internet can manage to do. I never thought I'd see the day where it was possible to play this long lost game.
 
Worst thing about this leak is that now I want another locked camera + tank controls survival horror game (my favorite genre, seriously.) which will NEVER HAPPEN. NEVER.

Toss me into the same group. Fortunately, while I've played the hell out of RE2 and REmake I've only played RE0 and RE:CVX once, and still haven't played through RE3. So I have some fixed camera horror game goodness remaining. Would be great to have another one though.
 

kunonabi

Member
They weren't. They're still active in 1.5, they are just under investigation and arrests are being made. The whole "1.5 would've been the end" thing is complete nonsense that has been skewed by time when the original statement was from Mikami, who had nothing to do with the storyline, saying he thought that BH3 probably would've been the last if 1.5 had been released because they were expecting negative reception and mediocre sales from 1.5 that would've affected the next project.

source?
 
I wonder what other bosses and creatures show up in this version. I always loved the Gorillas and was disappointed when they didn't use them for RE2.

Right now exclusive Re 1.5 monsters

-Gorilla
-Cockaroach man

Is there anything else? Maybe some crazy bosses? From what I gather it still had Mr.X, Birkin, and the Croc.

On a side note, its funny how Capcom used the mutated monkeys in RE0. Much smaller versions of the giant gorillas in 1.5.
 

G-Fex

Member
another thing I remember from RE1 beta is the dining room clock was more complicated than just a emblem puzzle.

You had to move the arms manually like in REmake.


Richard would tell you to set the dining room clock to 8:15 and so on.
 

News Bot

Banned

1.5 scenario draft.

Also this overview of the plot, from an issue of Famitsu back in 96/97.

July 25, dawn. The chopper of the missing S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team returned. The conditions of the protected surviving officers were weak and seriously injured, and they were immediately transferred from local police infirmary to the state general hospital.

According to their witness accounts, an investigation into the giant pharmaceutical company "Umbrella" was started, revealing the truth of their biological experiments.

2 months after the outbreak in the forest area. The whole of Raccoon City is now overrun by countless wandering zombies and has turned into a city of death. A strange dermatitis comes upon the city and spreads at an unbelievable speed. Almost all the people in this town start to turn into a zombie.

Located in the center of Raccoon City, the Raccoon Police Department is no different from anywhere else. Attacked by zombies, its functions are completely terminated. On the top floor room of this station, some Raccoon police officers are trying to survive this. Somehow,they managed to defend themselves from those zombies, but they are almost running out of food and ammo, and have reached the limit of their stamina. The city has been overrun by zombies, and the number of the dead keeps rising rapidly as time rolls.

As one of the survivors, the rookie cop Leon who just assumed his position has determined to enter the police station, in order to discover a new path for his escape. In the meantime, the main gate of the station is broken through by a girl riding her motorbike. Her name is Elza. And she also came here to find a way to survive.

Elements of the 1.5 plot are also in this guidebook: http://projectumbrella.net/articles/BIO-HAZARD-Directors-Cut-Inside-BIO-HAZARD
 

Vamphuntr

Member
The game is really unstable. Trying to equip most weapons from the debug menu crashes the game for me. So many weird items in there.
 
The game is really unstable. Trying to equip most weapons from the debug menu crashes the game for me. So many weird items in there.

Some of the weapons appear to be character specific, even location specific in this build. Best to use save states in epsxe before trying out new items.
 

ShutEye

Member
I'm going to wait for the team (?) to iron out the bugs before playing but just watching this is so crazy.

I suppose it is because its an unfinished beta but the environments seem really plain in comparison to the RE2 we ended up with.

Hopefully the 'creation' process of turning the beta into a playable game is really well documented and that process turns up online. Will be great to hear the full story of how this ended up happening after all these years.
 

ksdixon

Member
I like how the zombies themselves are more of a threat. There's more of them, they're faster, you can't get chomped-on and push one on his ass/knock them all over in order to run around them... you're barely shrug them off long enough to back up and retreat.

Freaking awesome.
 
Hopefully the 'creation' process of turning the beta into a playable game is really well documented and that process turns up online. Will be great to hear the full story of how this ended up happening after all these years.

There's currently 2 short 'Making-Of' documentaries on youtube with more promised ... What I'd like is the real story of how the build was acquired and when work began on it's preservation.
 

klee123

Member
I can't believe I was playing RE1.5! After all of these years.

Still, release was way too buggy. Gonna wait for the full version.

I love how this song which is in the released version was also in 1.5. i wonder how many songs in 1.5 ended up in the retail game?

I remembered a lot of the unused music from RE 1.5 ended up being in the extreme battle mode, as well as the 4th survivor mode.
 
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