I'd discuss the whole 1.78:1 1080p AVC video accompanied by a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack bit, but quite frankly those words are gibberish to a man who picked up his surround sound system from Walmart while shopping for socks.

Resident Evil: Degeneration Gets Specs [Blu-ray.com via Capcom]

We've been hearing rumblings that the new controls will bring run-and-gun style play to Resident Evil — quite a big change for the traditional walk-stop-shoot RE approach.

[Pic]

Japanese fan board 2ch has popped up a rumor concerning a possible remake of Biohazard 2 (aka Resident Evil 2 - but you knew that, right?) that will be exclusive to the Wii.

If the rumor is correct — and when has a random post on a Japanese fan site ever been wrong? — then we will be treated to a full Wii-ified remake, with some additional story elements. There will be a new 'swordsman' enemy (sword waggling minigame, anyone?) and 'Resident Evil 4 Viewpoints', which could mean anything - possibly 3rd-person over-the-shoulder stuff?

Its more than likely just bobbins, but even the slightest hint of RE2 is better than no RE2 at all.

Biohazard 2 Remake on the way? [The Horror Is Alive via N-Europe]

I get the impression that production at western, particularly American developers is ahead of those in Japan. But, I think that more and more in Japan, the process of making video game music is becoming specialized.

...More and more Japanese production companies are working together with foreign companies, and sound production quality in Japan is approaching that of the west.

Stuff like this doesn't just make Japanese development, it makes game development better. Interesting side note: Capcom recorded the RE5 parts of the soundtrack at Newman Scoring Stage at 20th Century Fox with a hundred plus Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra. This was the first time Capcom has ever recorded a live orchestra for a Resident Evil game.

Interview with Resident Evil 5 [Music 4 Games via Develop]

First of all, we at Capcom, when we set out to make a game, we make it on a world-wide basis.

We make a game that people all over the world are going to buy. And I think that that way of thinking is one of the reasons for our successes.

Maybe at other developers, they first of all look at the Japanese market, and then say, "Oh, we can also sell this in the west."

They develop it first for the internal market, for the Japanese market; but we at Capcom, we look at it first of all as selling something for the whole world.

The second reason, I think, is that we in Capcom are based in Osaka, unlike most of the other Japanese developers, who are based largely in Tokyo.

And I think that gives us — we have a lot of creative people, and the atmosphere and feeling in the workplace is a little bit different, and I think that gives us a little bit of originality, and allows us also to make something that's technically very high level.

That's right, next time you play a Capcom game, just remember: It's creators were probably powered by delicious takoyaki or okonomiyaki. Mmm mmm good.

Co-Op Creators: Resident Evil 5's Anpo and Takeuchi Tag-Team Interview [Gamasutra] [Pic]

I know that Inafune-san and I are both huge proponents of the PC platform and Capcom is an active participant in the PCGA. We do believe in the future of the platform and that contrary to what retail data shows, it is growing. Our rosy prognostications aside, somewhere the P&Ls of Capcom Japan's outings on the platform are going to come up and they are likely to have a bearing on the decision making process for future titles. That's my longwinded way of saying "stay tuned because it's not clear yet".

Funny, we thought that was your longwinded way of saying "well, everything else we've done lately has come to the PC, so of course it is, silly".

Capcom PC Q&A [IGN]

HD version can be watched here.

io9: Are We Going To See An Army Of Alices?

Anderson: We're in very early discussions about all of it, so it's not a definite thing by any means. Mila would like to return, and I would certainly like to see the franchise continue. Last year there were, I think, eight 'threequels' got released. Rush Hour 3, Pirates 3, Spider-Man 3...but there was eight of them. Shrek 3. Six out of the eight, the third movie did worse business than the second movie. There were only two where the third movie did better than the second movie. That was Bourne Ultimatum and Resident Evil. So, you know, it is quite an achievement for a franchise to keep growing like that, and we all feel that the audience is excited to see another one clearly. We would like, if we could put it together, we would do it.

io9: Right, but hypothetically how would you go about using all of those Alices?

Anderson: I'm not going to tell you that. [laughs]... but we would.

io9: You would?

Anderson: We would, yes. Absolutely.

Resident Evil Director Confirms Army Of Alices In Resident Evil 4 [io9] [Pic]

Australian actress to star in Resident Evil 5 [News.com.au]

In the next quarter of this financial year, Capcom has no plans to launch any major titles. According to insiders however, Capcom said in a conference call today that it did plan to launch Street Fighter IV on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC in the third quarter of this financial year, which would make it a holiday release (this Thanksgiving in the US?). Nothing has been confirmed, but that would make sense as Resident Evil 5 launches in March 2009.

Capcom did provide its sales target for upcoming titles. Resident Evil 5 is expected to move 2.3 units, SFIV is expected to move 1.7 million, Bionic Commando 1.5 million units and Dead Rising Chop Till You Drop 0.5 million units.

Capcom also reports that arcade operations were up 6.5 percent, while arcade game sales were up 47 percent. However, as Capcom states: "Arcades in shopping centers had a particularly difficult time because of the rising popularity games for home video games and escalating gasoline price." Imagine that means the Japanese suburban arcade scene isn't exactly hopping. Between April and June 2008, one Capcom arcade was opened and zero were closed. The arcade division was in the red due to heavy development costs and the lack of new releases. "Card game sales to arcade game machines are running somewhat above plan," Capcom added.

“We’re ecstatic that Resident Evil is returning to WildStorm, where we have already established deep roots into the mythos of this world,” said Hank Kanalz, Vice President/General Manager for WildStorm. “We can’t wait to continue, and bring a freshness and excitement to the property to match the amazing things they are doing with the game.”

Details on creative teams, launch months, and storylines are still forthcoming. This needs to stop. As a recovering weekly comic book addict, combining comics and video games makes it far too easy for me to justify those weekly comic shop visits. Have mercy!

DC COMICS AND CAPCOM® ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR RESIDENT EVIL®, AND DEVIL MAY CRY® COMIC BOOK SERIES

SAN MATEO, Calif. — Jul 25, 2008 — DC Comics, the largest English-language publisher of comic books in the world, and Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced plans to join forces to create a comic book series based on Capcom’s popular gaming properties Resident Evil® and Devil May Cry®.

“Capcom is thrilled to be partnering with DC,” said Germaine Gioia, Senior Vice President of Licensing for Capcom Entertainment, Inc. “Comics are a critical component in Capcom’s merchandising strategy for our most cherished franchises, as they target the same discerning, loyal fans that care most about these established brands. DC’s undisputed development and distribution strength within the comic industry make them an ideal partner to further expand two of our most successful and sophisticated gaming properties.”

Details on the new series, including creative team and launch month, will be announced at a later date. Both titles will be published by DC Comics’ WildStorm imprint.

“We’re ecstatic that Resident Evil is returning to WildStorm, where we have already established deep roots into the mythos of this world,” said Hank Kanalz, Vice President/General Manager for WildStorm. “We can’t wait to continue, and bring a freshness and excitement to the property to match the amazing things they are doing with the game.”

The Resident Evil series of video games has sold over 34 million units since the original game was released in 1996, as well as spawned a multi-million dollar trilogy of films from Sony Pictures. Resident Evil® 5 will revolutionize the Resident Evil series, just as Resident Evil® 4 did. To coincide with the Resident Evil comic book is the latest installment in the Resident Evil series, Resident Evil 5, which unveils a world where the biohazard threat has not ended: Just when it seemed the menace of Resident Evil was destroyed, a new terror appears in Resident Evil 5. Resident Evil’s returning hero, Chris Redfield, has followed the path of the evil around the globe, and after joining a new organization, heads to Africa, where the latest threat is transforming people and animals into mindless, bloodthirsty creatures. Joined by a new partner, Sheva Alomar, the duo must work together to unravel the truth behind the evil menace.

The latest in the Devil May Cry series, Devil May Cry® 4 is already a bonafide hit in the console world, having shipped over 2 million units worldwide since its release in North America in February. Devil May Cry 4 immerses gamers in a gothic supernatural world, where a new protagonist clashes with a familiar hero. As the new leading man, Nero, players will unleash incredible attacks and non-stop combos using a unique new gameplay mechanic: the powerful “Devil Bringer” on his right arm.

“Dante, Nero and the world of DEVIL MAY CRY is a perfect fit for the sensibilities of our studio,” Kanalz said. “We have such terrific inspiration from the anime and games and we intend on meeting the exceptionally high standard of quality that has been set for this.”

The "Umbrella Incident" that took place in Raccoon City ended with a missile attack ordered by the government intended to wipe out the deadly zombie virus. Following this catastrophe, the Umbrella Corporation’s stock plummeted. This serious blow to the business giant resulted in its complete dissolution. 7 years later, at an airport somewhere in the United States, on an ordinary autumn afternoon, a zombie is unleashed. Now, in an airport beginning to fill with the undead, the horrific disaster is about to repeat itself...

Well that certainly sounds...like every other zombie movie ever created. The difference here? Claire Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy. They really didn't have to go to all this trouble. They could have have just issued a press release that said "Leon. Claire. Zombies. Guns." and we'd be sold.

Sony Pictures and CAPCOM® Introduce RESIDENT EVIL: DEGENERATION
Fans at San Diego’s Comic-Con International Get a Sneak Preview of the All New CGI Animated Feature Film Based on the Popular CAPCOM Video Game Franchise

Comic-Con International 2008
SAN DIEGO & TOKYO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Seven years after the destruction of Raccoon City, the war against the zombies rages on in RESIDENT EVIL: DEGENERATION, a co-production of CAPCOM Co., Ltd. (CAPCOM) and Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan Co., Ltd. (SPEJ) based on the popular video game and film franchise. Making its theatrical debut this fall in Japan and coming to DVD, Blu-ray™ High-Def and PSP in North America later in 2008, this spectacular, all-CGI animated feature takes the zombie action to a whole new level with its ground-breaking visual effects and thrilling new storyline.

SPEJ and CAPCOM hosted a sneak preview of RESIDENT EVIL: DEGENERATION during a panel and press conference, open to the public, at San Diego’s Comic-Con International in San Diego on Friday, July 25 at 1:00 PM P.D.T. in the San Diego Convention Center (Room 2). During this event, producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi (associate producer of Resident Evil: Apocalypse and video game producer of Resident Evil® 4 and Devil May Cry® 4) and director Makoto Kamiya (special effects director of L: Change The World, Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack) presented the worldwide debut of the film’s revealing two-minute theatrical trailer and answered questions about RESIDENT EVIL: DEGENERATION.

SYNOPSIS

The "Umbrella Incident" that took place in Raccoon City ended with a missile attack ordered by the government intended to wipe out the deadly zombie virus. Following this catastrophe, the Umbrella Corporation’s stock plummeted. This serious blow to the business giant resulted in its complete dissolution. 7 years later, at an airport somewhere in the United States, on an ordinary autumn afternoon, a zombie is unleashed. Now, in an airport beginning to fill with the undead, the horrific disaster is about to repeat itself...

Image courtesy PSU

Pro Tip: Don't show up for the Resident Evil: Degeneration panel at Comic-Con less than 30 minutes prior to it happening or you won't get in. With the San Diego Con at capacity, getting into the Capcom helmed panel required serious Resident Evil dedication. We were covering Jordan Mechner's panel instead, but thanks to GameTrailers, we have the good stuff — the trailer itself. Enjoy!

Not to worry, Capcom told MCV:

“We’re never going to create a gore-free Resident Evil title to try and get a lower rating as it’s a game about the horror experience and gore is part of that,” said Rhys Cash, Capcom UK's research and planning manager.

“We’re primarily about making great games and if it’s appropriate to the title we won’t shy away from making a 15+ or 18+ title.

What if Sega president Simon Jeffery's wagging tongue is actually a prophecy foretelling the advent of RE5 to the family-friendly Wii?

“As we’ve shown with Resident Evil 4 Wii and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles there’s still a market for more mature titles even on these formats.”

Cash also said Capcom sees no need to "shy away" from adult content, but that he feels the wariness about shock value indicates not a prudishness on the part of the industry, but rather a desire for more complex content instead of gore for its own sake.

Capcom refuses to cut the gore in RE5 [MCV]

When we talked to SEGA of America president Simon Jeffery at E3 last week, he showered us with knowledge and know-how. He also threw in a quick mention of a game we hadn't heard anything about — officially, that is — Resident Evil 5 for the Wii. To say that we were surprised to hear it mentioned would be an understatement, despite our non-reaction if front of Mr. Jeffery.

We followed up with a couple folks about the on camera slip of the tongue, starting with Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime.

Discussing our Executive Pop Quiz, in which we asked Nintendo Corporate Affairs VP Denise Kaigler if Resident Evil 5 was getting a Wii version, Mr. Fils-Aime fired back with a "Not yet!" and a laugh that left us more confused than when we started the question.

Talking to Capcom's Chris Kramer outside the publisher's E3 meeting room, he seemed genuinely surprised to hear of such a product. We told him that we already knew about the existence of Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop and he suggested that Mr. Jeffery was simply confusing the two products.

As far as a Wii port of the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 title, Kramer asked of us "Have you seen Resident Evil 5?" implying that such a port would be almost impossible, adding that he'd not heard any such product was in the works for Nintendo's platform.

Finally, we followed up with Mr. Jeffery himself who said the mention of Resident Evil 5 for the Wii was just a "simple slip of the tongue."

"We’d been discussing the Res Evil 5 showing at the Microsoft event earlier, and it was still on my brain – that’s all," he wrote in an e-mail.

After the surprise announcement that Dead Rising was making the transition to the Wii — as Resident Evil 4 did, very successfully — we wouldn't discount anything at this point. Capcom seems to love all platforms equally. Resident Evil 5 for Wii has been officially denied, albeit in roundabout ways, so we won't cancel our pre-orders for the superior Wii version just yet.

But who knows what the future holds?

To answer the question that was posted on your blog, there are black members in the development team. We do have staff working on the game, who are aware of the historical background and we are constantly checking these kinds of things with them.

Course, he doesn't say how long those staff have been working on the game, but slow, reactive progress is progress nonetheless.

‘Resident Evil 5′ Producer Comments On Horror, Chainsaw Ownership And Whether Black People Worked On His Game [MTV]

The demo starts off with my character (Chris) holed up in a shack with Rosario Dawson.

Okay, so she isn't Rosario Dawson, but the South African B.S.A.A. member Sheva Alomar bears a striking resemblance to the Clerks II actress. In fact, throughout the demo I could be overheard mumbling, "out of the way, Rosario" or "I'll save you Dawson!" Perhaps an unintentional likeness, but I'd like to think that if I found myself in the middle of a zombie holocaust Rosie would be nearby, just in case.

Chris and Rosie are holed up in a shack, peering out the window as a big boss baddy has a character executed by a bulky figure with an axe, much like RE4's giant guy with chainsaw. Of course we all know what happens when you peek. The bad guy sees Chris through the dirty window and orders his minions to attack.

You're in a dirty shack in a small African town and you're surrounded by zombies. What do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO!? You and Rosario Dawson open fire, of course. The controls are very similar to RE4 right now, though of course that's subject to change. Hold down the right trigger to pull your gun, aim with the stick, fire with one button, reload with another. Pull up the menu to switch weapons, left trigger does a melee attack with your knife.

These new zombie-ish enemies begin pouring in, crawling over obstacles, coming through windows, or using the door like polite diseased madmen. Killing them is extremely enjoyable. Shoot them in the head and it could blow off, revealing a strange tentacle creature sprouting out of their necks. The enemies react to where you shoot them, which is even more enjoyable when you switch to the shotgun and start shooting them...well, everywhere.

From time to time you'll be forced to do the old left-stick waggle out of a grapple trick, or you'll get the opportunity to deliver a special attack with a button push in certain situations. Rosie gets into a lot of trouble with the zombies, required you to rush to her aid, brutally brushing off her attackers. She also returns the favor, responding to your calls for help when things look most dire.

Your enemies keep coming in relentless waves, as the whole point of the demo is to survive until your support opens an escape route via missile strike. The game looks slick, though there are a few places where nitpicking can be applied. At one point I took cover against a wall and could see the zombies on the other side clipping through as they lined up to scale the surface and take us out. Other times enemies reacted strangely, such as the executioner from earlier, who would take a swing at me and then just stand there with his back turned until I did damage to him. Of course an E3 demo isn't the full game, and I am sure they'll get that cleaned up in post.

While I am not the biggest fan of the Resident Evil series, I have stuck with the series over the years and am happy with the evolutionary steps the franchise has taken. Resident Evil 4 wowed me when it debuted on the GameCube, with graphics unlike anything we had seen on the system and new gameplay mechanics. Resident Evil 5 isn't as much of a leap. It looks great, but aside from a few mechanics (you crouch to pick up items) it feels the same as the last one. That fact bothered me for a moment, and then I pulled out the shotgun and took out six of the crazy bastards at once. Not too big of a leap, but when your starting point is as excellent as 4 was, anything above that is icing on the cake.

It's possible that a lot of people who play Resident Evil 5 may not have played Resident Evil 4. But they might have played Gears of Wars or Call of Duty. Those are both games that I and our team really, really like. So don't be surprised if at the Tokyo Game Show, the controls are different. For now, we have the control set up for RE4. I'm not confirming or denying anything, but we like to surprise people.

Another interesting tidbit: When Takeuchi saw Gears of War, he thought the guys that made it must really like Resident Evil 4. And when he met the Gears of War team, they told him, yes, they were big RE4 fans. And like that, we come full circle! Or something.

The Microsoft press conference at E3 2008 saw a game demo of Capcom's Resident Evil 5, after which Jun Takeuchi announced the release date for the eagerly anticipated title. Resident Evil 5 will be launching worldwide on Friday, March 13th 2009, except for Japan who get it a day earlier. Friday the 13th? Really? How many months do you think they pushed it back just to get that special, more-evil Friday the 13th release?

Director Paul W.S. Anderson recently talked to MTV's Movies blog about the likelihood of another Resident Evil movie. It's still being discussed. Hey, they haven't even got the storyline worked out yet (if they'd actually stuck to anything at all resembling the game, that might not be an issue).

I'm just starting to talk to Sony about it,” Anderson confessed. “I don’t even know if anything will come of it, but there’s a possibility it might happen.”

The last flick ended on a cliffhanger, as MTV recalls, so another film is likely at some point:

“I love the ‘Resident Evil’ franchise and we always try to make the best possible movie we can. If we could find a good ‘Resident Evil 4’ to make, then we would do it,” he said. “But I wouldn’t just do it for the sake of it, that’s for sure.”

Wouldn't do it just for the sake of it, huh? Then salve me by making a Code: Veronica flick, utterly faithful to the game, Ashfords and bug jewels and the whole nine yards. That, I'd go see.

What about you guys? Do you like the RE movies or find them an abomination? What would the "good" Resident Evil film look like?

‘Resident Evil 4’ Likely, Says Director Paul W.S. Anderson [MTV Movies Blog, Via Multiplayer]

BioHazard [Yamaza via Hatimaki]

A couple weeks ago, a friend sent me a A couple of weeks ago, a friend sent me a YouTube link. He described it as “African genocide.” Not knowing what to expect, I clicked on it. What I witnessed for those next 3 minutes, was nerve-wrecking, painful, mind-numbing and heart-racing. It was a trailer for a Video Game called “Resident Evil.”

This specific trailer was an eyeful in the most horrid sense. It wasted no time in capitalizing upon the long history of blatant depictions of Africans as savages and helpless imbeciles. The trailer featured a Caucasian male mutilating African villages, along with Africans. With the not-so ancient history of colonialism and neo-colonialism in Africa, the issue of racial insensitivity and indifference must be brought to the centerfold. This patent-reality must be interrogated excruciatingly to expose the silliness of those who claim the 21st century marked the dawn of a post-racial world.

These are strong words, but the trailer's imagery could also be construed as strong. I personally would be hesitant to accuse anything, least of all a video game, of racism without seeing its full context - in other words, playing the entirety of the game. In the absence of that context, imagery alone doesn't necessarily have a message one way or the other.

At the same time, though, I remember when N'Gai Croal said, "this imagery has a history." I'd be lying if I said I didn't find the trailer unsettling, actually. Which is not necessarily a bad thing in media, if it's used to promote a civil discussion, or to create a realistic environment for a game about African zombies free of ignorance or pique.

For my part, I'd caution all of us against a knee-jerk reaction to Olarunda's revulsion. While it is a complex issue, I surely don't find myself aligned with those who see absolutely no potential for, at the very least, misinterpretation of these images.

And comments like Olarunda's remind us that we should be prepared to receive and respond to the games we play in a thoughtful and intelligent way. I feel we'll need all of our facts, both those that support our position and those that don't, in order once this game is actually released and more pairs of eyes begin to fall on it.

Be civil to one another in discussion, by the way - self-righteousness is not righteousness.

Resident Evil 5: A Travesty On All Counts [Your Black Writers via GamePolitics]

New Resident Evil 5 Interview [Capcom Blog]

Update: We've moved the video to the jump because it was causing issues with our front page.

Nothing is ever final, but we’ve been asked twice if we’ve wanted to bring it Westward and twice we’ve declined.

Yeah, would any American Wii owners actually buy it if Capcom ever did decide to port it? Sure a few would, but...

Capcom USA Declines [Capcom BBS via Go Nintendo]

Biohazard 5 Trailer [The-Horror via NeoGAF Thanks, Paul!]

Enhanced RE5 Trailer [Albotas]

Capcom have released a couple of pieces of art showing off Chris Redfield's locally-based, zombie-dispatching partner for the upcoming Resident Evil 5. Her name? No idea. They're not saying. Her purpose? No idea, Capcom are only hinting that she's a mysterious character whose true identity is unknown. One thing's for sure, though: African heat be damned, she's going to need to think more about upper-body protection, and less about her cleavage, if she's going to make it out of the game alive.

Newsweek's general editor of tech N'Gai Croal later levied a similar but more measured assessment, saying that much of what was shown in the initial trailer "dovetailed with classic racist imagery," leaving him with the impression that "Clearly no one black worked on this game."

We were curious, in light of new media that seems to show a more racially diverse set of enemies and a noticeably less WASP-y new partner for Chris Redfield, if the team had taken that criticism to heart and altered some of their design decisions

Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi told us "No, not really." He said via his translator that cries of racism "didn't have any effect on the game design."

On the subject of Chris Redfield's new sidekick, one who appears to lean toward ethnically ambiguous, Takeuchi said "We wanted Chris to have a partner who was familiar with the environment. She's been in there since pretty much the beginning."

"In terms of the reaction, we're in the business of entertainment," Takeuchi said. "We didn't set out to make a racist game or a political statement. We did feel there was a misunderstanding about the initial trailer."

The Resident Evil 5 producer said they'd sent a team of Capcom staffers to Africa to do research in the area, stressing that they had decided to include Arab and Caucasian peoples based on what they'd seen while on location. We found it odd that there was virtually no non-Black representation in RE5's debut trailer, but Takeuchi was adamant that the current product is in line with their experiences.

Whether the inclusion of a supporting character who isn't of the white guy persuasion and a more ethnically diverse cast of slaughtering victims will in any way address concerns of racism or insensitivity remains to be seen. What we do hope is that, regardless of the changes to this marquee title, the discussion continues about the topics it seems to unintentionally address.

Our demo started with S.T.A.R.S. team member Chris Redfield in a crude cabin, watching as an angry, infected horde of locals passed by bearing clubs, axes and machetes. After the initial shock of seeing Resident Evil 5 being played for the first time, on an Xbox 360 we should note, it became clear that anyone familiar with Resident Evil 4 will feel right at home with this chapter.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, mind you, just that if you're looking for a revolutionary step forward in the gameplay department, a la RE3 to RE4, you might be left wanting. But we digress...

As the town villagers entered the cabin in which Chris was taking shelter, they began to behave almost exactly like their Resident Evil 4 predecessors, dodging fire with a familiar style and lunging after our hero eager to wrap their mutated mandibles around his head. Kawata, at the controls, spent a good portion of his hands-on time shaking off inhuman villagers with a rapid flick of the left analog stick. When Chris fired on the game's zombie-like enemies they took a bullet just like the Spanish villagers in 4, squirting copious amounts of blood then dissolving in a pile of bubbling black goo.

While the majority of the enemies Chris was battling were of the disposable villager type, he was being regularly harassed by a much larger hooded character wielding a giant hammer. Analogous to the giant ax-bearing Ganado from 4, it would knock down walls in houses and swat Chris to the ground like an insect. It's clear that Capcom knows that there was plenty to like about RE4 and doesn't appear to be mucking around with the new formula, from familiar enemies to a recognizable HUD.

What else is returning? When we talked to Jun Takeuchi later that day, he confirmed that the next Resident Evil wouldn't do away with the "quick time events" that peppered the successful fourth entry in the series. In fact, he said that we should expect more in the way of frantic button pressing, not less.

Takeuchi and Kawata then showed off a good portion of Resident Evil 5's outdoor environments, brightly and realistically lit, drenched in sunlight, with impressive draw distances. When Chris Redfield climbed to the top of a wooden structure, it seemed he could see for miles, the smoke from fires burning in the distance visible from all angles.

While Chris had the height advantage, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Kawata lobbed grenades—of the concussive and fire grenade type—showing off some of the graphical candy the team must be proud of. There's little to complain about in the visual department, as RE5 looks to favor stylized realism over gratuitous flash. Even with a relatively drab setting, the game doesn't suffer from too much brown, with blue skies and green tones making things pop.

There was a bit of cinematic flair thrown in as well, with camera angles switching up when Chris elbowed a zombie in the face or when he was thrown to ground, the latter giving us more of a worm's eye view of the action for a brief moment. As Chris took damage, he was also increasingly covered in spatters of blood and dirt, a good visual indicator of his vitals.

Unfortunately, we didn't get to see much in the way of the game's dark portions—areas seen in the trailer where Chris is holding a lantern—but Takeuchi told us that those scenes were more horror driven. The brightly lit sections were geared toward straight up action.

Our brief time with a hands-off playable certainly kept our interest in Resident Evil 5 piqued, as Capcom seems to be wisely sticking to much of the gameplay conventions set forth in RE4. Everything looks better with a new-gen coat of paint, with cool tweaks like a more kinetic over-the-shoulder camera and smoother animation—we especially liked seeing Chris swap out the numerous guns strapped to his back and hip—keeping our eyes entertained.

Takeuchi played coy about the majority of RE5's new features—he refused to talk about co-op gameplay or divulge any info on Sheva, but we expect to see much more at E3. What we saw, we definitely liked. We're hoping that they'll be a bit more open about the game the next time we see it, eager to learn more about how it plays and, hopefully, getting a chance to go hands-on with it ourselves.

OK, after much teeth gnashing, I realized that the trailer referenced in Gametrailers TV super-galactic exclusive show last night is actually available unto itself at, naturally, Gametrailers. So there it is.

But the countdown has stopped at Capcom's official Resident Evil 5 site , so the site has fully launched. You can catch the trailer there, and check out other eye candy for the game. That is all.

Resident Evil 5 Official web site [Capcom]

If you're looking for a reason to continue your existence until at least late Friday night, be aware that the new trailer for Resident Evil 5—rumored to feature Chris Redfield's sidekick—will be debuting on GameTrailers TV this weekend. In addition to that, we'll also get a peek at EA's Facebreaker and an updated look at LucasArt's Fracture, which seems to have received one more facelift. The GT TV promo teases it all.

Resident Evil infects pachislot parlors [Siliconera]