Jim Chapman
Jim Chapman is a character from the Resident Evil survival horror games. He is one of the playable characters in Resident Evil Outbreak and Resident Evil Outbreak: File 2 which are spin-offs of the main games.
Biography[]
Jim worked in the Raccoon City subway. Something of a coward (like Brad Vickers), Jim has perfected the ability to "play dead," which causes enemies to ignore him (at the cost of an increased rate of infection). He is skilled at working out puzzles, and can open complicated mechanisms that other survivors cannot access.
Personality[]
He is a highly intelligent person who enjoys nothing more than sitting down to a crossword puzzle or some other thought-provoking challenge to pass the time, although his manner of speech and choice of clothing gives people other impressions.
Appearance[]
Jim has two unlockable Alternate Outfits: "Slam Dunk" from Outbreak, and "Bike Messenger" from File 2.
To unlock and purchase these costumes, special items which are scattered throughout various scenarios at varying difficulty levels in both games must be found.
Gameplay[]
Jim can be considered the "wild card" character, and may even be the most advanced character to effectively utilize in the game due to the wild disparity between his positives and negatives.
Jim's unique ability is the coin flip, which does exactly what it sounds like. In game heads gives Jim a 15% critical chance upgrade, an effect that stacks up to three times. When he gets tails the counter resets to 0% regardless of how many times he has gotten heads. For example if Jim gets 2 heads (30% extra critical chance) and he gets one tails his 30% will go down to 0% not 15%. For this reason it is recommended if Jim gets 3 heads in a row to not use his coin flip ability for the rest of the scenario.
Jim's unique action is to play dead. Jim literally throws himself to the ground face down and pretends he is dead and most enemies will leave him alone and go for his allies. The use of this ability is questionable as it increases his infection rate to about what the crawl state when a character can't stand on their own causes. While a few times might not be costly to the player, the female characters have less risky dodge mechanics (due to them not increasing virus rate). Yoko has far less health, but her own dodge crawl allows her to create distance between the enemy and herself. Cindy's has a quick duck dodge, yet also less health than Jim. Alyssa's is a little more complicated to use due to less invincibility frames.
In File #2 Jim acquired a new unique ability arguably more useful. Jim sees all items, including hidden ones, that others would have to find on their own. This is very useful for getting some of the hardest alternate outfits to acquire in the game (i.e. Cindy's bikini outfit).
Jim has the lowest health among the male characters at 1800 which is more than two characters: Cindy (1500) and Yoko (1300). Jim's infection rate is dangerously high and he has just over 1 hour of playtime, so anti-infection pills are very beneficial to him (when found). His unique ability decreases his total playtime significantly (if used) thus other characters can be more useful if a defensive (i.e. Mark as tank) or utility (i.e. David with his combinable items) playstyle is desired.
However, Jim works very well in a coordinated online team. It might be a chore to reach his 30% (his critical stacks on with the base critical of all characters get by default) but when he does he can be the main damage dealer of his team. He can be considered second of importance next to Yoko (due to her backpack) in getting the best ending in the game due to him getting more bang per buck on ammo without having to take extra time like Mark, Kevin, and Alyssa. He is generally considered the best contender when fully automatic weapons are available.
Though in offline game modes his advantages are less important. In both games most scenarios have one ally that tends to stick with the player while the other tends to go on their own. The A.I. don't solve puzzles so the player has to use the puzzle items meaning more item management. When offline Cindy/Mark might be the desired ally for Jim as they like Jim, hold items, and help Jim players when they're front-lining. To this end Jim is a risky candidate for "Lone Wolf" mode due to him having a high virus rate and an ability that boosts it quickly. He can still be an amazing damage dealer regardless.
"Slam Dunk" Alternate Outfit:
| SPECIAL ITEM | SCENARIO/DIFFICULTY |
| White Tanktop | Outbreak - E/N |
|---|---|
| Rare Shoes | Below Freezing Point - H/VH |
| Basketball Uniform | The Hive - E/N |
| Baggy Shorts | Hellfire - E/N |
| Signed Basketball | Decisions, Decisions - H/VH |
| SPECIAL ITEM | SCENARIO/DIFFICULTY |
| Fanny Pack | Wild Things - E |
|---|---|
| Biking Shoes | Underbelly - N |
| Waterproof Parka | Flashback - H |
| Racing Helmet | Desperate Times - E |
| Racing Pants | End of the Road - VH |
Gameplay[]
Best Partners[]
Personal Items[]
- Coin - (Outbreak and Outbreak: File # 2) - Whenever Jim flips his Coin, the result is displayed on-screen. Each time the coin comes up "heads", Jim's rate of critical hits increases 15%. Therefore, if the Coin is flipped three times and comes up "heads" every time, Jim's critical hit rate rises by 45%. However, if the Coin comes up "tails", the bonus is reset to 0%. Used wisely, the Coin can turn Jim into a real killing machine!
- Lucky Coin - (Outbreak: File # 2 only) - When Jim or some other character possesses this item, the chance of a critical hit rises by 5%, the durability of melee weapons becomes stronger, and Handguns and Shotguns cannot be broken by a Hunter's attack. Jim as a non-playable partner rarely agrees to trade this item for anything.
Special Actions[]
- Playing Dead - (Outbreak and Outbreak: File # 2) - Holding R1 and pressing X will cause Jim to fall to the ground and remain motionless. Enemies will ignore him while he is playing dead, so it is useful when surrounded. However, this skill must be used with extreme caution, as the virus gauge increases much faster until he gets up again.
- Item Search - (Outbreak and Outbreak: File # 2) - Even when Jim enters a room or area for the first time, the positions of items become apparent on the map. The type of item is not specified, however, until it is reached and examined. This feature enables Jim to find items much faster than the other characters, especially hidden or unseen ones.
- Swing Combo - (Outbreak: File # 2 only) - Holding R1 and then pressing Circle with a melee weapon equipped will cause Jim to swing it, just as the other characters would. However, pressing Circle the moment Jim finishes his first swing immediately causes him to swing again. This special action leaves him breathless for a moment, so it should be used with caution.
Gallery[]
