I'm Interviewing Yasuhiro Anpo (REV2 Director)

[Lanzagranadas]

I hope they shed some light about Neil's background in a future, he seems to be the key "behind the scenes" character to connect RER, RE5 and RER2, I assume he was a FBC agent close to Lansdale and when the organization was dismantled he joined Terra Save planning secretly to restore the FBC. He was also in Kijuju, where he obviously learned about the existence of Uroboros, I find a little weird though that he didn't get his hands on a sample of Uroboros in Kijuju and had to negotiate with Alex to obtain one later instead.

In regard to the virus in Claire's body, I guess she has been put into observation and someone will eventually develop a vaccine, it seems to be the most reasonable scenario, she's still fine two years later according to RE6 files and her own epilogue in RER2.

[Grem]

REV2's story doesn't have any plot holes. The problem is that certain parts lack information, but that's been the case since 1996. His answer about Neil's mutation is terrible, as it contradicts the living hell out of BIO5.

Maybe you're right, but lack of information is plothole, right ? Even if some parts can be explained by the scriptwriters, it's still a plot hole since said information is not present in the game. Sometimes, things are not explained during a movie, but in the script or whatever you have the answer. Regardless, it's still a plothole for the audience.

One thing I should point is that I think you maybe weren't tactful enough when asking the questions. I mean, you were asking very specific questions on plot details and nothing about developpement or gameplay. Maybe it annoyed Yasuhiro Anpo who is first and foremost a game developper, not a story teller. Especially since he already answered to the brazillian site, he must have felt overwhelmed or annoyed by answering another set of questions purely on plot details just after that. That's my two cents.

[Lanzagranadas]

No word about Neil's bracelet either, that's a shame. We'll never know if it's fake or not.

Well, it has to be fake, though there's no confirmation Moira points that his bracelet never changes color, so that pretty much confirms his bracelet was just a placebo for him to act like if he was infected too, but he had a deal with Alex, and I wouldn't buy it didn't change color just because he doesn't feel any fear.

[TheBatMan]

Well, it has to be fake, though there's no confirmation Moira points that his bracelet never changes color, so that pretty much confirms his bracelet was just a placebo for him to act like if he was infected too, but he had a deal with Alex, and I wouldn't buy it didn't change color just because he doesn't feel any fear.

It's not a fake. He knew what was going on around them and what was going to happen - therefore he never felt scared. That's the only logical answer. I don't see why he would be treated any different from the others. Even Alex herself had the virus after all.

[Grem]

He knew what was going on around them and what was going to happen - therefore he never felt scared.

Alright, but he should have been scared when he mutated and even when that happens his bracelet stays green.

Even Alex's bracelet changed color when she shot herself in the head. Either Neil has superhuman self-control, or it was a fake bracelet.

[TheBatMan]

Alright, but he should have been scared when he mutated and even when that happens his bracelet stays green.

Even Alex's bracelet changed color when she shot herself in the head. Either Neil has superhuman self-control, or it was a fake bracelet.

Indeed. But take the general realism out of the equation and I believe that is what the game is trying to portray. I don't see any reason why Neil would have a fake bracelet, especially considering Alex was looking to get rid of him anyway.

[Lanzagranadas]

I don't think he could be dumb enough to willingly accept becoming a guinea pig for the T-Phobos considering his plan was to restore the FBC.
He saw his co-workers as expendables and didn't mind to sacrifice them, but he planned to become the only ruler of a new FBC, because of the mission Lansdale entrusted him with, so I don't see how kindly accepting being infected with a virus and risking his own life was a reasonable way to achieve that. Alex did have a reason to infect herself.

Conspirating with Alex and both pretending he was also infected to fool everyone sounds more plausible, he was all the time leading his co-workers to a trap after all, so he needed to feign, and the best way to not arouse suspicion was to have himself a bracelet.

[TheBatMan]

he was all the time leading his co-workers to a trap after all, so he needed to feign, and the best way to not arouse suspicion was to have himself a bracelet.

Right. Which is why he had no reason to be scared, hence the virus would have no effect on him.

It was Alex's experiment, she called the shots and she wanted rid of Neil. There's no way he'd be given a fake bracelet. He participated because he was doing it for the greater good, as had Lansdale before him. He was willing to do whatever he could to get a sample of Uroboros so he could then enact what is easily the most preposterous plan in the entire series by causing a major bioterrorism event in some vein hope it would bring back the FBC, seemingly forgetting that the BSAA are already a proven global special forces unit dedicated to destroying bioterrorism.

[Sly]

Well, it has to be fake, though there's no confirmation Moira points that his bracelet never changes color, so that pretty much confirms his bracelet was just a placebo for him to act like if he was infected too, but he had a deal with Alex, and I wouldn't buy it didn't change color just because he doesn't feel any fear.

That's my guess too. But still, Neil's name is on the list of candidates... that Neil himself wrote as a confidential note between him and Stuart/Alex. Claire and the others were not supposed to read it.

TheBatMan : Knowing is not "living". Just because you're prepared to do something does not mean you won't be scared when that happens. Even seasoned veterans like Gabe and Claire have orange bracelets at some point (and Gabe's mutation was because of an engine failure that would lead to his immediate death, it had nothing to do with the Afflicted like Pedro's).
If his bracelet is real then he's even stronger mentally than the real baddie, and than anyone else for that matter because it means he does not secrete noradrenaline at all.

[TheBatMan]

TheBatMan : Knowing is not "living". Just because you're prepared to do something does not mean you won't be scared when that happens. Even seasoned veterans like Gabe and Claire have orange bracelets at some point (and Gabe's mutation was because of an engine failure that would lead to his immediate death, it had nothing to do with the Afflicted like Pedro's).
If his bracelet is real then he's even stronger mentally than the real baddie, and than anyone else for that matter because it means he does not secrete noradrenaline at all.

Yes, I don't disagree with you. I know its not realistic, but that is what the game is trying to put across in my opinion. Neil knew there would be B.O.W.s, knew what was coming, he had no reason to be scared - at all, therefore his adrenaline levels are constantly low. That's the message. Think about it, why would Alex allow him to wear a fake bracelet at all? He was a candidate just like the others and knew exactly what he was getting into. But he did it anyway because he wanted Uroboros.

Claire's bracelet turned orange because she was in a run-down prison with no idea at all of what was in there or what to expect. One cheap jump scare later and her bracelet turns orange. She faces much worse later on, yet her bracelet never changes again. All we see of Neil is him constantly running away from the Afflicted, and its quite clear in those scenes he is not frightened at all.

I also wouldn't say he was mentally stronger than Alex - she shot herself in the head after all so its quite natural to experience true fear at the moment the trigger is pulled. Neil never endured anything like that. Even when injected with Uroboros he was more pissed off than anything, and when he realised Uroboros was not outright killing him, he even started laughing.

The very fact he had a unique mutation could be down to a unique reaction to the t-Phobos after all. What we know of Uroboros tells us you either adapt or you don't - you become like Wesker, or a mass of tentacles. And Neil was neither.

[Lanzagranadas]

That's my guess too. But still, Neil's name is on the list of candidates... that Neil himself wrote as a confidential note between him and Stuart/Alex. Claire and the others were not supposed to read it.

Indeed, nobody was supposed to read it, but Neil's intention was to survive and escape with an Uroboros sample, and had things went according to his plans, he had an alibi due to his name being also listed in that note, and being he also kidnapped like everyone else, maybe in case someone would find the island and search for clues eventually (yeah, this last sentence is mere speculation).

One of the in-game files states that the host doesn't even need to feel fear for the bracelet to reflect the first stage of color change, anxiety and an alert status on the host is enough to change the bracelet to orange. Neil's bracelet should've been at least orange had him being really infected because even if he knew what was going on, Aflicteds and BOWs didn't gave him any merciful treatment, he was still in danger in those fights like everyone else, so there was no reason to not even feel a bit of fear or anxiety, unless he was a robot or something.

And also as Grem said, even when he was infected with Uroboros his bracelet remained green, and that was unarguably out of his plans.

Neil was well aware that he was dealing the devil, and I guess smart enough to be the Lansdale's choosen one. Negotiating with Alex and expecting she'd fulfill her part of the contract is one thing, but allowing her to inject you with a virus that could potentially kill you if something goes wrong, especially when you know what kind of person you're dealing with, would be incredible stupid.

[TheBatMan]

Neil was well aware that he was dealing the devil, and I guess smart enough to be the Lansdale's choosen one. Negotiating with Alex and expecting she'd fulfill her part of the contract is one thing, but allowing her to inject you with a virus that could potentially kill you if something goes wrong, especially when you know what kind of person you're dealing with, would be incredible stupid.

More stupid than being a leading member of TerraSave, only to sacrifice your colleagues in exchange for a sample of Uroboros to cause a major catastrophe that would kill hundreds of thousands in the hopes that it would resurrect a defunct domestic anti-terrorist agency so they can better protect people against bioterrorism???

You are all posting as if Neil had any form of control over this. He was Alex's puppet, nothing more. It was her experiment, on her terms, on her island and in her circumstances. And again, Neil wasn't frightened when Uroboros caused him to mutate, he was laughing. His personal sacrifice was being exposed to the t-Phobos virus, and if it went wrong, it went wrong. But he did it because he needed Uroboros to continue Lansdale's work. The plan is incredibly stupid, but in the context of this series and what other characters have done in the past, its fine. Remember Salazar bonding with the queen Plaga to try and kill Leon? Yet he seemingly forgot that if successful he would spend the rest of his days as a mutated plant thing stuck to the wall at the top of a castle.

Neil was a candidate just like the rest of them, and had he been successful in negating fear, then he would have been Alex's vessel. Simple as. There's no reason he would be given a fake bracelet unless he had any form of authority and control in what was happening. But he was just another guinea pig and Alex was never, ever going to give him Uroboros.

[Grem]

Have you noticed that in Claire's Episode 4, in the control room, you can see all the candidates with their status ("failed" for Gabe, Pedro and Gina, for example)?

I'm saying that because Neil and Natalia don't appear on the screen which makes me think that Neil was perhaps never a candidate at all. As for Natalia, maybe she was removed as soon as she was declared the best candidate ?

Another possibility is that Uroboros suppresses fear. Alex used it to face Natalia, like to give her more courage. Perhaps Neil's bracelet stays green because Uroboros removed any feeling of fear.

[TheBatMan]

I wouldn't put too much stock into the monitors. Edward Thompson is not on the screen either if I'm remembering correctly.

[News Bot]

The monitors also misrepresent where the island is. It looks like it's in the Pacific, but it's actually in the Baltic. The level designers and background artists are always generally quite disconnected from the story.