Having previously announced an expanded edition of Resident Evil 5 for Japan and vowed to release the new content in downloadable form for current owners, Capcom today issued a release schedule and screenshots of the forthcoming expansions.

Along with the previously detailed "Lost in Nightmares" prequel mission, a second new episode will be released, as will new constumes and a new "Mercenaries Reunion" mode that packs "8 new playable characters and weapon load outs."

• "Lost in Nightmares" Episode: 2/17/10 (Xbox 360), 2/18/10 (PlayStation 3)
• Costume Pack 1: 2/17/10 (Xbox 360), 2/18/10 (PlayStation 3)... Read more

The official Capcom blog announced today that extra content included in the upcoming Japanese release of "Resident Evil 5 Alternative Edition," will be available in North America and Europe as downloadable content for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

"You will not be asked to purchase a new copy of the game just to get at the new stuff," states the announcement, "just make sure to hold on to your RE5 disc and you'll be ready to roll in Spring 2010."... Read more

With an enhanced "Alternative Edition" of Resident Evil 5 coming soon to Japan, maker Capcom has opened a poll to help determine if the new content should instead hit North America as downloadable content for those that already own the game.

"[The physical re-release] makes absolutely perfect sense for the Japanese gaming market, where the uptake of digital content is a bit behind the western markets," Capcom's Chris Kramer explained in a blog post accompanying the poll.

For votes to be counted, users must have registered and logged... Read more

Last week, we got word that Capcom was planning to re-release Resident Evil 5. Yesterday, we got details on the new content. And today? Today, we have a trailer.

Packing support for the new PlayStation Motion Controller, Resident Evil 5: Alternative Edition arrives on PlayStation 3 next spring in Japan. The new mission is also coming to Xbox 360 in some form, though Capcom says it's too big to be downloadable content.

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Following word of an expanded Resident Evil 5 release and the revelation of a motion-controlled PlayStation 3 re-release, Capcom has unveiled additional details on a new Resident Evil 5 mission coming to both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in the future.

The new content allows players to experience Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine's assault on Ozwell Spencer's horror-filled castle, an event that took place three years prior to Resident Evil 5 and constitutes a major plot point for the zombie-shooting game.

This new mission won't be released as downloadable content, according to IGN, as it became "too large to be offered as a download." However, the site also reports that producer Jun Takeuchi, in a chat with Japanese publication Famitsu, "would not rule out being able to play the new episode between the two versions... Read more

With the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 both set to receive new motion-tracking controllers next year, it has been revealed that some existing PlayStation 3 software will be updated with enhanced control schemes via patches while Xbox 360 games probably won't.

Though Microsoft has demonstrated the Xbox 360's motion-sensitive Project Natal camera with retrofitted versions of existing titles, such as Burnout Paradise and Beautiful Katamari, project head Kudo Tsunoda told Destructoid that such efforts required a significant amount of code to be changed--presumably more than a patch could.

Meanwhile, rival Sony used Tokyo Game Show to reveal that some existing PlayStation 3 games will be patched to support the upcoming PlayStation Motion Controller, including LittleBigPlanet, PAIN, Flower, EyePet, Hustle Kings and High Velocity Bowling.

In addition, Sony unveiled several upcoming titles that will make use of the wand-shaped ball-tipped device, including an "Alternate Edition" of Resident Evil 5, Ape Escape, Echochrome 2, Motion Party, Sing and Draw, The Shoot and Tower... Read more

Resident Evil 5 voice actress and Power Rangers veteran Patricia Ja Lee has revealed that a director's cut of Resident Evil 5 is on the way, though few other details are known. "I did a voiceover last week for the director's cut that's coming out for Resident Evil 5," she said in a video interview noticed by NeoGAF. "I guess it's obvious at this point that it's going to be, at least, somewhat involving Jill Valentine. I look forward to it, it's some good scenes. You should look forward to it too. Some good scenes."

With the Tokyo Game Show set to kick off tonight, it's possible we'll see more news on this director's cut--be it a re-release or a downloadable add-on--in the coming days.

Capcom has revealed the system requirements for the PC release of Resident Evil 5, which is due to arrive on September 14 in North America then September 18 in Europe.

Of course, if technical terms leave you in a tizzy you can always download the Resident Evil 5 PC benchmark version to directly test how well it will run on your computer.

• CPU
  • Minimum: Intel Pentium D Processor or AMD Athlon64 X2.
  • Recommended: Intel Core2Quad Processor or AMD Phenom X4
• Video card
  • Minimum: 256MB VRAM; DirectX9.0c/Shader 3.0; NVIDIA GeForce 6800 series or ATI Radeon HD 2400 Pro.
  • Recommended: 512MB VRAM; NVIDIA GeForce 9800 series or ATI Radeon HD 4800 series... Read more

The PC edition of zombastic action game Resident Evil 5 will arrive in North America on September 14 and Europe on September 18, developer Capcom announced today.

Enhancements over the previous Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 editions include support for Nvidia's GeForce 3D Vision hardware, higher resolutions, new costumes and a "new and improved mercenaries mode with three times as many enemies."

If you're wondering about system performance, you can find a "Benchmark Version" of Resident Evil 5 on FileShack. The demo runs through several non-interactive cinematics, complete with stereoscopic visuals if you have the hardware.

According to Capcom, RE5's use of Nvidia's stereoscopic 3D technology marks "an industry first" as the effects are utilized "in all of [RE5's] cut scenes," not just gameplay.

Capcom has revealed that sales of its zombie shooter Resident Evil 5 now stand at 4.97 million worldwide, according to a Reuters report.

Capcom CFO Kazuhiko Abe noted in a speech at the Reuters Global Technology Summit in Tokyo that the game sold over 4.4 million units in March alone. Resident Evil 5 was released on March 5 in Japan, with the game hitting North America and Europe on March 13.

Sales of as many as 570,000 units in April brought the game near the 5 million mark, with May sales likely pushing it easily over the impressive milestone.

The company now expects sales of the game to total over one million copies in its new fiscal year, which would bring the total to around 5.4 million sales by the end of March 2010.

Developer Capcom today released an updated list of its best-selling franchises, in addition to the standard list of million-selling individual titles.

The shows an expected bump in the Resident Evil franchise due to the recent release of Resident Evil 5, with the series of 56 titles--all platforms and versions being counted--now totaling over 40 million copies sold worldwide as of March 31. The fifth sequel is now the company's third best-selling title, at 4.4 million copies sold.

Street Fighter IV sales have now reached 2.5 million, pushing past Devil May Cry 4 to land the eight slot. The lists can be browsed below:

Total franchise unit sales as of March 31, 2009*

1. Resident Evil Series (56 titles - 40 million)
2. Mega Man Series (124 titles - 28 million)
3. Street Fighter Series (62 titles - 27 million)... Read more

With Resident Evil 5 officially on its way to the PC "later in the year," publisher Capcom has provided some new details about the features that will be found in the port.

As with the July-due PC editions of Street Fighter IV and Bionic Commando, Resident Evil 5 PC will support DirectX 9 and 10 along with "ultra-high resolutions." Furthermore, all three games can be played with either a gamepad or mouse and keyboard.

While higher resolutions are standard fare for a console-to-PC port, it's still good to have confirmation, considering Capcom was rather quiet on the specifics last week. At the time, the only PC-specific feature mentioned for RE5 was GeForce 3D Vision support.

"Laugh at console player's lowly 1080p as you crank your monitor up," wrote Capcom communications director Chris Kramer. "[There is] mouse and keyboard support for all three titles, but for God's sake, go buy a gamepad with analog sticks."

Surprising no one, developer Capcom today confirmed that the oft-rumored PC version of Resident Evil 5 will arrive "later in the year," with the PC editions of Street Fighter IV and Bionic Commando due in July. All three will be sold via retail and digital distribution.

"All three games will be optimized for the PC platform and will have new PC-specific features added to the already great games," wrote Capcom. Both Resident Evil 5 and Street Fighter IV hit PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 earlier this year, with the console edition of GRIN's swinging action game Bionic Commando slated to hit on May 19.

Details on the "new PC-specific features" for each game follow below... Read more

Offering a glimpse into the fascinating world of game sales, research group NPD has released its take on the software and hardware sales in the US over 3/1/09 to 4/4/09.

New releases dominated the software chart, with Resident Evil 5 surpassing 1.5 million units thanks to a dual-platform debut, and Halo Wars racking up an impressive 639K.

Meanwhile, Nintendo continued its dominance of hardware sales charts.

The month's ten best-selling consoles games were:

1. Resident Evil 5 (Capcom, 360) - 938,000 units
2. Pokemon Platinum Version (Game Freak, DS) - 805,000 units
3. Halo Wars (Ensemble, 360) - 639,000 units
4. Resident Evil 5 (Capcom, PS3) - 585,000 units
5. Wii Fit (Nintendo, Wii) - 541,000 units
6. MLB 09: The Show (Sony, PS3) - 305,000 units
7. Killzone 2 (Guerrilla Games, PS3) - 296,000 units... Read more

Capcom has announced today that the Versus multiplayer mode downloadable content for Resident Evil 5 will arrive on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 tommorow, April 7.

Versus adds online 1v1 and 2v2 play in two new modes. Slayer's Rule is a simple and harmless point-based jaunt where teams compete to slaughter hapless subhuman Majinis. In Survivor's Rule, players hunt the most dangerous quarry of all--each other.

Versus will cost 400 Microsoft Points ($5 on PS3), a price Capcom defended as reflective of the costs and effort involved after fans reacted angrily to the announcement.

Continuing Capcom's tradition of announcing shipment figures in the wake of a major release, the company revealed today that its most recent zombie-killing effort, Resident Evil 5, has shipped over 4 million copies worldwide.

The publisher added that this is "the biggest launch of any title in the series." In all, the series has shipped over 40 million copies since it premiered in 1996, and the Resident Evil 5 demo has been downloaded over 4 million times on Xbox 360 and PS3.

The anticipated action game hit PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 last week in Europe and North America, following a Japanese release earlier in the month, with a downloadable Versus add-on coming soon for $5. For more on RE5, check out our review.

Following backlash from fans, Capcom has defended its decision to put a price on two upcoming competitive multiplayer modes for the just-released Resident Evil 5.

The modes, Slayer's Rule and Survivor's Rule, will enable four-player Versus multiplayer in the game for $4.99, or 400 Microsoft Points.

Because the DLC will be released within the next few weeks, and appears to not include any content beyond the modes themselves, fans have argued that the pack should be free--as in the case of the free patch enabling online functionality to the existing Mercenaries mode.

"Although Versus mode makes use of the assets that exist in the game, the functionality is not currently in the game and is above and beyond the initial scope of Resident Evil 5," said Capcom to CVG.

"We have never included a Versus mode in Resident Evil before, and as well as the costs of development of the feature, there's also additional bandwidth costs associated with it," the company added.

I had a hunch that Capcom was heavily influenced by Gears of War when developing Resident Evil 5. But sometime during the fifth chapter, when the zombies with AK-47s forced me to take cover behind conveniently placed barricades, it became less of a hunch and more of a verifiable fact.

Resident Evil 5 is truly a strange beast; a Zonkey of a game. Consider the following observations:

• It's the first numbered Resident Evil game to feature cooperative play.
• It may be the first Resident Evil game that doesn't include a full stage set at night.
• It features zombies that shoot AK-47s.

Of course, these oddities seem like minor elements at first. In fact, Resident Evil 5 mimics the broad strokes of Resident Evil 4 well. It has a similar sense of pace, beginning with the "surprise" of a zombie infestation, and steadily... Read more

Calling Resident Evil 5--due on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in North America and Europe tomorrow-- a "soon-to-be-blockbuster," developer Capcom has announced that paid downloadable content will soon deliver new multiplayer modes to the action game.

Due in "a few weeks," the "Versus" DLC will run $4.99 on PlayStation 3, and 400 Microsoft Points ($5) for Xbox 360 owners. Here's the skinny on what it packs:

Versus allows up to four players to match wits in online battles across two very different game types. Slayer's Rule is a point-based game... Read more

While North America and Europe don't get Resident Evil 5 for another day and a half, developer Capcom has inadvertently revealed that the zombie-killing action game will soon get more multiplayer modes, presumably as downloadable content.

Slayers, Survivors, Team Slayers, Team Survivors and Versus modes are all listed among the game's numerous PlayStation 3 trophies, as noticed by Joystiq.

Out of the box, Resident Evil 5 supports two-person online and offline cooperative play through the main story. The unlockable Mercenaries mode is also playable online, but requires Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 players to download an automatic update first.