Resident Evil 5

Resident Evil 5 (バイオハザード5)
Japanese logo.
Developer(s)	Capcom
Publisher(s)	Capcom
Designer(s)	Jun Takeuchi (producer)
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3 Xbox 360
Release	Sony PlayStation 3: TBA TBA TBA Microsoft Xbox 360: TBA TBA TBA
Genre(s)	Survival horror Third-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single player

Resident Evil 5 (バイオハザード５, baio hazaado 5, Bio Hazard 5) is the forthcoming installment in the Resident Evil survival horror series for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and was first announced on July 20, 2005. The official release dates are to be announced. According to Capcom's fiscal year report at Capcom's Investor's Relations page, Resident Evil 5 is expected to be released before March 31, 2007 which ends their current fiscal year (2006). The report notes six Xbox 360 SKU's (three announced titles, one SKU per territory), and three PlayStation 3 SKU's.

Game information

Taking over producer duties from Hiroyuki Kobayashi is Jun Takeuchi (director of Onimusha, character designer for the original Resident Evil and animator for Resident Evil 2). Several staff members who also worked on the original Resident Evil are involved in development. According to Takeuchi, the game will utilize the same gameplay model introduced in Resident Evil 4, while implementing thematics from the original Resident Evil into the game. The game will be a full-fledged sequel taking place after the events in Resident Evil 4, and is said to be a major turning point in the series' overall storyline.

No official release date has been announced,though it was rumored to come out in 2008. In an interview with executive producer Keiji Inafune published in the Japanese publication Xbox 360ism, he states that both versions of the game will be released simultaneously if possible, depending on the launch date of the PlayStation 3, which has now been confirmed as mid November 2006. The game will have online features that have yet to be disclosed.

It is noted that Resident Evil 5 and Devil May Cry 4 were not shown at E3 2006. Capcom supposedly reasoned that the company doesn't want to unveil the titles until they are available in a playable form. This could mean that it will be sometime before any new information will be released; although it is speculated that the titles will make an appearance at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show later this year prior to the Japanese launch of the PlayStation 3.

Storyline

File:Re5screenshot.jpg

The unidentified main character of Resident Evil 5.

No details have been released about the game's storyline other than the fact that it is set after the events of Resident Evil 4 and that it will take place in a desert setting, similar to the film Black Hawk Down.

The main character's identity has not been officially released, but an article in the August 5, 2005 issue of Weekly Famitsu suggests the possibility of the protagonist being Chris Redfield by pointing out a resemblance, as well as hinting that the protagonist is a character the developers are "very fond of" (with most of the team having worked on the original Resident Evil, including Takeuchi himself) although it is not yet confirmed. Umbrella special operative HUNK and former Lieutenant Billy Coen have been put forth as potential main characters, in addition to Chris Redfield. Coen is unlikely to be the main character because he is missing his tattoos from Resident Evil 0.

It has been rumored that the game is shaping up to be a true sequel to Resident Evil Code: Veronica. Although with the demise of Flagship's Noboru Sugimura, the team itself will be handling the story. Keiji Inafune, who served as promotional producer for Resident Evil 2 is overseeing the project; he served as the executive producer for the PlayStation 2 version of Resident Evil 4 as well.

Weapons and gameplay

• Although enemies were faster in Resident Evil 4 than in previous Resident Evil games, the Japanese teaser trailer shows enemies that are now even faster and capable of running at least as quickly as a human, à la the Dawn of the Dead remake, making them more deadly enemies.

External links

• GameSpot gamespace
• 1UP gamespace
• IGN gamespace
• GameRankings PlayStation previews
• GameRankings Xbox 360 previews