Remember the thrill you felt when you first heard about Resident Evil 5? At that time, GameCube owners were the only people enjoying Resident Evil 4, though the promise of a PlayStation 2 version was imminent. RE4 was critically acclaimed and with good reason; it was a reimagining of the franchise that had relied too long on annoying camera angles.

The announcement of RE5 intrigued gamers everywhere. RE4 was already a visual masterpiece of the then-current generation. What would the end-result be if Capcom were to place the same harrowing action in high-definition?

This question would be answered in March 2009.

According to GameSpot, Capcom has shed some light on RE5’s release in a business strategies presentation. During Capcom’s projections for its fiscal 2008 (which is up to March 31, 2009), the publisher said:

“(It) aims to sustain solid growth by introducing Resident Evil 5 and titles in other core franchises.”

Capcom’s sales projection for RE5 is at 2.3 million copies worldwide. The publisher also expects to sell 1.5 million units for Bionic Commando and 610,000 for Lost Planet: Colonies.

Image of Resident Evil 5 is courtesy of Capcom.

Post from: EveryJoe

Capcom sheds light on Resident Evil 5 release date

Capcom has again reinvented survival horror. Forget about Resident Evil 4—they’re coming up with something even bigger and scarier. The adult diapers industry must love them for it.

It’s Resident Evil 5 folks, and the new screenshots alone is enough to make you see the entire genre differently. Consider the old survival-horror conventions that we’re all used to: creepy haunted houses, moaning zombies, tank controls, and dark places, among others.

In Resident Evil 4, Capcom made the tank controls obsolete and put in a new scheme that propelled the game to overnight immortality. This may be a tough act to follow, but the Japanese developer/publisher just might pull it off.

Have you seen a survival horror game set in a clear day?

I haven’t. Sure, Silent Hill may have parts that involved daytime, but the fog sure didn’t make it feel like the sun was shining.

Based on what we’ve seen in the screenies, we can make the following observations:

• Like Leon Kennedy, Chris Redfield has bangs. Bangs are a must in male Resident Evil protagonists.
• Los Ganados have been replaced by dark-skinned natives.
• The screenies seem to be rendered in-game.
• Not all places in RE5 are in broad daylight—some parts are dark, and this is where the vision adjustment comes into play.
• The red laser-light reticule makes a comeback, and the camera seems to be placed a bit higher on the protagonist’s shoulder this time.
• Shedding tears of blood are both cool and creepy.
• Chris Redfield has an even bigger knife slung on his shoulder. I can’t say I recall the machine gun he’s using, but here’s to even better rifles in part five.

Post from: EveryJoe

New Resident Evil 5 screenies shed some light

But wait, let’s not get too eager, folks. According to Jun Takeuchi, the game’s producer, this installment might come out as late as 2009.

The magazine revealed that Resident Evil 5 will be using a perspective similar to that of Resident Evil 4. Why change a good thing? The third-person shooter-esque model used by RE4 changed the franchise’s direction for the better.

You’ll also be happy to know that the main protagonist will be Chris Redfield, formerly of S.T.A.R.S. Redfield now works for an organization named BSAA, and is tasked to investigate a strange incident in the desert. It’s good to see that Capcom is bringing familiar characters to the series.

Takeuchi revealed that RE5 will provide some answers to the mysteries in RE4, which no one probably paid that much attention to anyways. What I couldn’t forget about RE4 was the chills and the gameplay, but the story escapes me, so I can’t say I care about the revelations in part 5.

Aside from the familiar gameplay, we should expect new elements to make part 5 more interesting, particularly the interplay between light and dark. Chris would have to adapt his sight when he moves from light to dark and vice versa. If you move from the shadows into a bright area, expect the glare to hamper your vision.

Your enemies would also make life more difficult because Chris won’t be shooting shambling zombies and brainless Los Ganados. Takeuchi said enemies are semi-human in appearance, and has better intelligence compared to previous RE gun fodder.

Unlike other upcoming shooters we’ve previously featured, I’m actually looking forward to RE5. The E3 trailer alone is enough to give me the heebie-jeebies. I can only imagine how it plays. And rocks.

Post from: EveryJoe

More Resident Evil 5 details revealed in Famitsu