Operation Javier vs. Umbrella's End

[Det. Beauregard]

Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of both. Which do you prefer, and why?

[JcFFx]

Most of these IMO, but anyways.

Relevance
UC > DSC
It ends Umbrella as an antagonist. OJ is just to give backstory to Krauser (a one shot villain who's future appearances are debatable), it ties everything up (not much that can be explored in a future game or whatever without making it seem arbitrary), and Wesker's dead at this point...

Enemies
DSC > UC
OJ's enemy designs were nice. IMO it had an old school RE feel to them. Only thing I didn't really like was the weird pterodactyl look-a-likes and the plague crawlers. In UC, I'd really have to question why they were still housing enemies that were rejects in a modern facility.

Bosses
DSC > UC
A little unfair, since OJ had more bosses, but again, the old school-esque design. Also, no matter how trained they are and how much of a Jill fanboy I am, I hate the idea that two people (who in cutscenes are shown with only handguns, by the way), can beat an armored BOW with a rocket launcher. Shooting rockets in mid air still kinda bugs me. Oh, and Bio-organic laser beams were kinda lame.
In DSC, they were genuinely scared of Javier. It actually had a bit of creepiness to it (that "laugh"). And they actually had to rely on tactics and luck to beat it (staying where it's harder for him to get to them). Although it could've done without those random floating orb thinsg.

Story
DSC > UC
OJ can be a standalone game, if they had went with it. It was better written than UE. Also, with UE (and most of UC), the "middle" chapter kinda has a tendency tell nothing about the story. In UE's case it can be summed up as "Chris and Jill just went further into the facility and dodged lasers at some point". OJ, each chapter tells more about the plot (even if it's only 5 chapters compared to the 7 or 8 of the other scenarios). UC also pulled a Krauser with having Chris and Jill mourn over some random dead guy that has not previously been referred to and hasn't been referred to since. Is that their idea of fleshing out the story? What's with Capcom trying to make us be shocked at random side characters' deaths when we have no idea what they are?
Also, *why* exactly was the virus released in the Russian facility? I can't recall at the moment but was Sergei the one that released it?

Characters
DSC > UC
Sergei was... pretty bad...
Manuela kinda annoyed me.
Javier was meh at most.
But they get points for having a better story written behind them. Sergei was just "guy faithful to Umbrella who... likes to cut himself for no real adequately explored reason." Wesker makes random inferences about his character that doesn't really help tell us about who he is...
What kinda annoyed me though, was Manuela's "fire shield"... oh and that she could throw fire and was on your side. I wanted a "character on your side that's infected" scenario for a while, but I pictured more something like Steve... Like someone who looks like an actual creature, but whatever works.

[Zombie]

OJ by a long shoot, Sergei and his disco tyrants and TALOS are the stupid thing I ever see in a RE game.

[News Bot]

In UC, I'd really have to question why they were still housing enemies that were rejects in a modern facility.

Umbrella focused on mass-producing whatever B.O.W.s they could in order to sell them for a profit. They were in a pretty dire situation and couldn't rely on company profits anymore.

Also, *why* exactly was the virus released in the Russian facility? I can't recall at the moment but was Sergei the one that released it?

Wesker released it himself after infiltrating.

[Grem]

Wesker released it himself after infiltrating.

I always thought it was Sergei who had released the T-virus after noticing Wesker had infiltrated the facility.

Sergei : "It is such a waste to destroy this place, but we don't have a choice"

Operation Javier is, by far, superior to Umbrella's End. As Jcffx put it, OJ could have been a standalone game. When I look at OJ, I wish they would have done this scenario with a more appropriate gameplay and as a standalone game to serve as some sort of prequel to RE4.

UE just felt like a huge missed opportunity to me. It's just "Chris and Jill shoot tons of B.O.W's and ultimately destroy a Cyber-Tyrant. End of story". Wow! lol

[JcFFx]

Wesker released it himself after infiltrating.

But he was pretty far away from the base when Chris and Jill were still in the helicopter.

The pilot was also talking about how the BOWs (hunters) "already made it to the surface", meaning they somehow knew that they were being released to begin with.

[News Bot]

But he was pretty far away from the base when Chris and Jill were still in the helicopter.

The pilot was also talking about how the BOWs (hunters) "already made it to the surface", meaning they somehow knew that they were being released to begin with.

Well, Capcom says Wesker released it and caused a biohazard within the facility. Considering his aptitude for releasing the virus before (Rockfort Island) I'm inclined to believe it. Sergei had nothing to do with it, really. Sergei was to destroy the place because OF the biohazard and the impending invasion.

[TheBatMan]

Next time you play UC, put the subtitles on and check the times when Umbrella's End starts. I cannot recall completely but i'm sure Wesker inflitrated the base a good two hours before Chris's team arrived. Plenty of time to cause a biohazard.

[ValentineLover]

I preffer UC because it has Jill. Even if OJ if better I still preffer it. Also it is FAR more important and affects directly to the canon. OJ certanly does not

[Wesker_101]

I liked both, but Operation: Javier was just better to me. What was so great about Umbrella's End, was Wesker's attempt to destroy the roots of Umbrella--which consisted of him gettin rid of Sergei, obtaining the data, and basically shutting them down for good. I liked the introduction of the Ivan's, and the fact that Sergei can manually change into a Tyrant and still keep his mind intact. I always thought that was strange.

I really liked the feel I got from Operation: Javier, though. It put more focus on the T-Veronica virus, and showed how much potential it really had.

I also never knew Wesker released the virus in the power-plant in Russia. The place appeared to be fine when Sergei saw Wesker on the surveillence footage--and when Wesker was first approached by the BOW's, he said: "Outta my way. Now!" as if he was annoyed. It just doesn't seem like he did it, since there were BOW's already waiting to attack him.

[Dracarys]

I think is a bad comparison, UE was not the full story without DLs chapters.


I personally liked UC new story better, it was built up by involving Sergei in previous events of the series in a way that didn't mess up anything, he was a much fuller character.


OJ seemed too much like "Here are monsters, let me tell you about this time in Racoon City"...then "Oh a girl"..."and the bad guy"..."let me telll you about this time on Rockfort Island".

I suppose it picked up a bit after that but I really wasn't feeling it, terrible (sad) story for Manuela but other than that I didn't care. At all. The entire story has no impact on series either while UC did, which makes me enjoy playing it more for some reason.

Javier was just terrible. Reminds me of Papa Caesar in House of the Dead Overkill only Papa Caesar was meant to be some stereotype joke, Javier was not yet is. What was with just letting him get away when he confronts Leon/Krauser near the end anyway? I was expecting him to get shot right then and mutate, or die from some monster.

[Kaneco]

I always thought it was Sergei who had released the T-virus after noticing Wesker had infiltrated the facility.

Sergei : "It is such a waste to destroy this place, but we don't have a choice"

Operation Javier is, by far, superior to Umbrella's End. As Jcffx put it, OJ could have been a standalone game. When I look at OJ, I wish they would have done this scenario with a more appropriate gameplay and as a standalone game to serve as some sort of prequel to RE4.

UE just felt like a huge missed opportunity to me. It's just "Chris and Jill shoot tons of B.O.W's and ultimately destroy a Cyber-Tyrant. End of story". Wow! lol

It could have been another RE5 co-op type of game and now that Capcom
has been porting the MT framework game engine to wii. They could have
done just that...player 2 would have been Krauser to make it co-op like RE5.

But...oh well! Only one can dream...

[JcFFx]

I think is a bad comparison, UE was not the full story without DLs chapters.

Well even with its inclusion, IMO, UE wasn't a particuarly deep story even for RE standards.

I personally liked UC new story better, it was built up by involving Sergei in previous events of the series in a way that didn't mess up anything, he was a much fuller character.

I disagree with that. For one thing the inclusion of Sergei complicates the Chris-Wesker grudge and Wesker's motivations in RE1.

For another, Wesker more or less worshipped the Tyrant in the originals because, at the time, it was pretty much the ultimate bio weapon. Now the Ivans meant that they've been mass producing even better tyrants long before RE1.

I also don't see Sergei being as a much fuller character. But I guess it depends on your tastes. I personally find his backstory boring by comparison and Capcom's attempt to add depth to him didn't really work out.

[News Bot]

For another, Wesker more or less worshipped the Tyrant in the originals because, at the time, it was pretty much the ultimate bio weapon. Now the Ivans meant that they've been mass producing even better tyrants long before RE1.

Wesker still worshipped the T-002 because it was his creation, and was still regarded as the the ultimate bio-weapon. Umbrella had by then produced the T-103, but the T-103 (even the Ivans) were still incomplete since Umbrella required the T-002's data in order to complete it. They got the data in the UC Rebirth scenario, thanks to Sergei, who locked out Wesker. Since Wesker couldn't get the data from the computer, and Chris and Jill already destroyed the T-002 itself, he couldn't take the T-002 or evaluate its combat data himself. Thus, plans destroyed, hatred for Chris and hatred for Sergei and Umbrella.

[JcFFx]

Makes sense.