Fifteen Fresh Resident Evil 5 Screenshots
Resident Evil 5 is still expected to ship March 13 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Resident Evil 5 is still expected to ship March 13 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
"We'll be making an announcement about that relatively soon," producer Jun Takeuchi told Eurogamer, adding that the company is also considering downloadable content. "People seem to want it, so it's possible that it's something we would like to respond to," said Takeuchi.
Interestingly, the team may be working to avoid the long installation process that accompanied the PS3 edition of Devil May Cry 4, which required a one-time installation of 5GB on the system's hard drive before the game could be played.
"We're still working on those technical elements in the last couple of months, but we can tell you that if users are dissatisfied with that kind of thing, then it's certainly something we keep in mind when we develop," explained Takeuchi. "We'll do our best to come up with something that users will not criticize, but love."
The survival horror sequel, offering chainsaws, co-op play, a cover system, lots of gore, and a control scheme all inspired by Gears of War, releases March 13, 2009. A PC version may follow after the initial console release.
In its response, the company merely stated that "Resident Evil 5 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will hit retail shelves on Friday the 13, March 2009 in North America and Europe," leaving the door open for a later PC release a la most Capcom PC games.
Original Story: The oft-speculated PC port of Resident Evil 5 (PS3, 360) appears to have been confirmed, as Capcom lists a PC version of the zombie-killing survival game alongside the console editions in a release schedule sent to MCV.
The list shows Resident Evil 5 PC shipping in the UK on March 13, the same day as the console versions. However, the same list also shows a simultaneous PC-console release of Street Fighter IV, something Capcom has previously denied.
In keeping with the tradition established by other Capcom releases, such as Lost Planet, Devil May Cry 4 and the impending Street Fighter IV, it is far more likely that the PC version of Resident Evil 5 will arrive a few months after the console releases.
Shacknews has contacted Capcom for more information on the the matter.
Resident Evil 5 is due out on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on March 13 of next year.
The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game, featuring large doses of cooperation, lands on March 13, 2009.
"All major titles launched during the next fiscal year or thereafter will be developed as multi-platform games," reads Capcom's shareholder report for its fiscal year 2008, which ended on March 31 of this year.
Henceforth, Capcom will develop many of its games using its internal MT Framework technology, "an integrated development environment built to provide common development tools for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC platforms."
As a result, the company "will aim to increase revenue and dramatically increase the number of users by launching, for example, Resident Evil 5 ... Street Fighter IV ... and Bionic Commando [on multiple platforms]."
Capcom's strategy appears to already be in action. Aside from its work on MT Framework platforms, the zombie-smacking Xbox 360 action title Dead Rising is already getting some multi-console love, and several games including Street Fighter IV may be Wii-bound.
The newest entry in the series will feature a control scheme inspired by Epic's successful Xbox 360 shooter Gears of War, as reported by Kotaku.
The feature wouldn't be the first one for Resident Evil 5 to be borrowed from its chainsaw-wielding, gore-fest cousin. The sequel will also sport 2-player, drop-in / drop-out co-operative play, and Gears' trademark cover system.
The now Gears-esque Resident Evil will debut on March 19, 2009 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
The latest iteration in the long-running survival horror series will be the first to feature cooperative play, and borrows heavily from gameplay concepts as featured in the previous effort Resident Evil 4 (GCN, PC, PS2, Wii).
Resident Evil 5 is due out on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on March 13 of next year. For more on the title, check out our hands-on preview.
"No, we certainly didn't anticipate the reaction," Takeuchi said. "We think it was a bit of a misunderstanding when we published the first images of the game back in the day. And we think that as we move along and allow people to see more the game and more of what's going on and more of the story, people will get a better idea of the game."
Consumers and gaming journalists alike have offered criticism of the trailer following its debut almost a year ago. Last April, Newsweek tech editor N'Gai Croal said that the trailer contained imagery which was "dovetailed with classic racist imagery."
"There are black members in the development team," Takeuchi offered. "We do have staff working on the game, who are aware of the historical background... Read more
It's been a good few years for sequels—less of the radical changes and outlandish departures, and a more pronounced focus on making improvements where necessary while preserving what already functioned well.
Capcom's Resident Evil 5 (PS3, 360) is definitely among those games—one of only two titles that successfully inspired cackles of glee as I witnessed my own head cut free from my body.
The other, of course, is Capcom's incredible Resident Evil 4 (GCN, PC, PS2, Wii), a game from which this latest chapter in the company's long-running survival horror saga draws a great deal of inspiration. The successes of RE4 are intact and accounted for in this follow-up: a solid control scheme, an excellent camera, and the ... Read more
The other player assumes the role of Sheva, Chris Redfield's new partner in the BSAA. They are in Africa investigating a "bioterrorism incident."
The two characters were shown working together to take down a variation of fast and slow zombies. Gameplay resembled Resident Evil 4, with the final reveal being a chainsaw enemy reminiscent of the sack-headed enemies seen in the previous title.
Speaking with Eurogamer, Takeuchi revealed that the survival horror title is being primarily developed on the PC and then ported over to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Capcom previously used a similar setup for the development of Devil May Cry 4, which began life as a PS3 exclusive but was eventually moved to Xbox 360 and PC as well.
"By developing [DMC4] on the PC, it's very easy for us to work with the graphics and the gameplay, and see how the game is going to play," DMC4 producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi said of the setup last year. "We're still continuing to develop it on the PC, as well as being able to check how it runs on the 360 and the PS3."
While Capcom has yet to confirm a PC release of Resident Evil 5, the company has been making a greater effort to support the PC across the past year... Read more
But Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi told Kotaku that the controversy didn't prompt any change in the title's production, and had no effect on the design.
"In terms of the reaction, we're in the business of entertainment," Takeuchi stated. "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 trailer also saw the introduction of Chris Redfield's possibly cooperatively controlled partner, who was described by the report as "ethnically ambiguous." When asked of her debut, the producer said that her inclusion reached... Read more
Along with the new screenshots, the company released some renders of the unnamed female companion who is officially known as "mysterious woman."
Packing online co-op play and a cover system, Resident Evil 5 (PS3, 360) is due out before Capcom's current fiscal year ends on March 31, 2009.Combined with the now-removed GamesRadar preview, which revealed a number of previously unknown features and a vague 2009 release date, the FY2008 window suggests that Resident Evil 5 will launch in the first quarter of 2009.
Though some speculate the title would be best served with a holiday launch, the company previously debuted Resident Evil 4 (GCN) in January of 2005, which became one of Capcom's best-selling titles.
"Great content can succeed regardless of when it is launched," NPD analyst Anita Frazier noted after Grand Theft Auto IV and Mario Kart Wii and collectively sold almost 4 million units in April.
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