Resident Evil 5

There is a pause. "So, how do you think it should control?" asks Resident Evil 5 producer Masachika Kawata. It's a good question - the camera may have shifted to an over-the-shoulder perspective in Resident Evil 4, but the traditional Resi control scheme has remained pretty consistent over the years. The franchise's characters control like forklift trucks, turning on the spot and firing with feet rooted to the floor. Back at Leipzig, Capcom were still gathering feedback; still unsure whether to make the leap to a new control system - something more like Gears of War, or this issue's Dead Space...

We were granted the honour of an audience with Kawata to talk about Resident Evil 5, but ended up becoming one of the voices guiding the game's future. Just a week or two later at Microsoft's Japanese Media Briefing, Director Jun Takeuchi confirmed Resi 5's controls had changed to something more "Gears of War like". That means a sidestep, and maybe the ability to shoot while backpedalling or circling foes.

So, how did we think it should control? We spoke to Kawata, told him our ideas, heard some of his...

Resident Evil 4 was among the best games of the last generation; does the legacy intimidate you?

Kawata: We didn't create Resident Evil 4; Shinji Mikami created it. Mr Mikami is pretty much a genius anyway, so Resident Evil 4 was a once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing. We're under a lot of pressure to live up to expec-tations, but we've done what we wanted to do.

So, would you say that the team feels (Resident Evil creator) Shinji Mikami's absence quite a bit?

Kawata: Yes, we do feel his absence, but he's left and such is life... We have a lot of people among our team who worked on Resident Evil 4 with Mr Mikami, and Mr Takeuchi worked on Resident Evil (the Gamecube remake) and he's a truly incredible individual as well. Like Mr Mikami, he's very hard-working and he makes the team work very hard as well. He gets into big arguments with everyone; Resident Evil 5's development is like wartime, but he's got incredible leadership.

Without Mikami, will your take on Resident Evil tread its own path?

Kawata: Resident Evil 4 broke the boundaries of the franchise. However, there are things we wanted to do in RE4 which we can do now and will be including in 5. It's not going to be a revolution, but it will be an evolution.

Things? Resident Evil 5 looks superficially similar to Resi 4; what's been improved here?

Kawata: First of all, and quite obviously, the graphics. Even the title screen of this couldn't have been done on PS2 or Wii. Online co-op as well; the number of enemies you can have on-screen at one time; destructible scenery, physics - we're using Havok this time. We can do more complex stuff with AI; the concern I had in the very beginning is that sometimes an AI partner can become very frustrating. Now she handles fine and you can play through the game without her becoming a frustration. When you see the new stuff you'll say "Oh my God, I can do this and this and this", but you'll probably get used to it quite quickly and then get into the story.

And you're still pretty excited about the way the lighting can impact on the gameplay?

Kawata: Yes. In the daylight, you can see your opponents very clearly, so the gameplay is very action-oriented. In the dark, you can't see your enemies nearly so clearly, so we utilise the power of the next generation consoles; particularly the sound abilities. The sound effects are quite incredible - if you have a 5.1 stereo system you'll hear your enemies moving around you even if you can't see them. We spent about three to four times more cash on the sound effects in Resident Evil 5 than we did in Resident Evil 4.

Have you or any of your team particularly enjoyed any western games recently? Have any games influenced your ideas for Resi 5?

Kawata: Bioshock. It's a classic game which really utilised the next gen power very well. The world is very strong and very believable, and the whole game was quite inspiring.

What about away from games? What ese has inspired you?

Kawata: The team was inspired by manga and many other modern movies; the obvious one is Black Hawk Down. Having said that, that wasn't our only influence... The inclusion of co-op play was influenced by western gamers. I can't talk about it right at this moment, but we have incorporated some other aspects of western games into Resident Evil 5 during development.

Do you mean a change to the control system? Something less like classic Resident Evil and more like Gears of War?

Kawata: What do you think? Which way do you think it should go?

We do like the current system. It's scarier to be compelled to stand your ground, even if it is harder to navigate...

Kawata: Yes. I've never thought of it as a problem, really. I'm used to the system. However, we have to be open to comments from fans. One thing to remember is that Resident Evil is a horror game, so we're not trying to make a typical game where you can just shoot your way through.

Resident Evil is obviously a very different type of game now to how it was when it started out back in the old Playstation days. Why stick with Mikami's new vision, established in Resident Evil 4?

Kawata: Mr Mikami used to take the movie Jaws as an example of horror. First of all you don't see your opponent, but you know there's something scary out there; then it reveals itself and tension builds up. But at the end of the day, you shoot the huge shark and that's quite a thrill. By making Resident Evil an action game we wanted to increase that thrill and that satisfaction. Obviously, the horror genre doesn't need to follow our path - it's something totally different and something we're continually experimenting with.

Speaking of experiments, do you think Japanese gamers will be as interested in co-op play as their western counterparts?

Kawata: Capcom is dedicated to creating games suitable for the western market, but we didn't include co-op just for western fans. Our take with co-op is that it's an expansion of the action, nd Japanese fans are starting to go online. So, we're hoping it's as well received in Japan (as it willbe in the West).

Lastly, then, the African setting seems to have upset quite a lot of people, and yet you've remained steadfast... What are your thoughts on the controversy?

Kawata: We chose Africa because we're extending the storyline logically. Following the tradition of the Resident Evil franchise, you'll remember from Code Veronica - the Progenitor virus comes from Africa so we wanted to go back to the root of where the virus originated. For the people who think it's racist... well, we can't please everyone. We're in the entertainment business - we're not here to state our political opinion or anything like that. It's unfortunate that some people felt that way.

We've gone where the story has taken us. There isn't any particular storyline that we have to conclude upon, but in the franchise there are still a few mysteries hanging, and we're going to give you a conclusion to some of them. With Resident Evil 4 we didn't really talk about the storyline before the game's release, and we'll be keeping secrets now too...

Ren of Heavens · October 24, 2008

Resident Evil 5 looks superficially similar to Resi 4; what's been improved here?

Kawata: First of all, and quite obviously, the graphics. Even the title screen of this couldn't have been done on PS2 or Wii.

I'll say this is the final nail in the coffin for a Wii version...

Dante · October 25, 2008

RE 4 was ported to PS2 and to phones. :p

Chris the great · October 25, 2008

I'll say this is the final nail in the coffin for a Wii version...

capcom are hanging on dante's every word like.

in fairness, the wii couldnt do res 5. the graphics are too demanding. but to be fair, the wii should deal with substandard ports, it desreves exclusives. a resi 4 spin off would be perfect.

flameboy · October 25, 2008

capcom are hanging on dante's every word like.

in fairness, the wii couldnt do res 5. the graphics are too demanding. but to be fair, the wii should deal with substandard ports, it desreves exclusives. a resi 4 spin off would be perfect.

I am a bit annoyed by Capcom seemingly being happy to copy the old resident evils onto the wii. I would rather spin offs or reimaginings (bit like umbrella chronicles)

CoolFunkMan · October 25, 2008

Have you or any of your team particularly enjoyed any western games recently? Have any games influenced your ideas for Resi 5?

Kawata: Bioshock. It's a classic game which really utilised the next gen power very well. The world is very strong and very believable, and the whole game was quite inspiring.

I'm glad to hear that they've got some inspiration from Bioshock. If they can capture a similar feeling of fear within RE5, it'll be brilliant!

I am a bit annoyed by Capcom seemingly being happy to copy the old resident evils onto the wii. I would rather spin offs or reimaginings (bit like umbrella chronicles)

I was discussing this with a friend the other day, there's way too many RE games, and I find that only the main instalments (i.e: 1-4 + Code Veronica and remakes) are the really decent ones.

I say Capcom are doing the right thing by taking time to make a brilliant RE game, rather than a mediocre one. Look at the Silent Hill* series for example. It's been going as long as the RE series has, and there's only been about 6 games made. All of them are pretty good quality (except for possibly Homecoming. :heh: )

*I'm not trying to turn this into an RE vs Silent Hill argument btw, it's just an example.

James McGeachie · October 25, 2008

^Silent Hill is not a good comparison to make actually. Some people would argue that series has been dead since the third game, with "the room" being considered a joke by a lot of fans.

I'd say RE is definitely the higher quality franchise, it's at least had the guts to redefine itself and try new things.

CoolFunkMan · October 25, 2008

^Silent Hill is not a good comparison to make actually. Some people would argue that series has been dead since the third game, with "the room" being considered a joke by a lot of fans.

I'd say RE is definitely the higher quality franchise, it's at least had the guts to redefine itself and try new things.

Hmmm, fair point. I guess I didn't see it in that perspective. Still, I feel that Capcom are milking in RE franchise a bit too much by doing too many spin-offs...

Dante · October 28, 2008

Gamers hand-on:

Woah, I played Resident Evil 5 today and I am so pumped. Despite every incredible game coming out this year, I can't wait for March.

I beat both of the levels we've seen; two shanty towns that feature the more open and versatile levels that are remenisant of that town at the very beginning of Resident Evil 4. One had a dude with a freaking giant Axe and the other had a Chainsaw Charlie. Both are pretty overwelhming as the Axe will knock you to "Dieing" state (can't run, needs Sheva to inject you or something) and the Chainsaw will, obviously, lop off your noggin.

I played with the new "action" layout with puts aim on L1 or Left Trigger and fire on R1 or R Trigger. Definitly feels like a real action game, but of course no moving while aiming. Plus, no moaning from you PS3 R/L 2 haters.

Something that ramps up the intensity like crazy is the removal of Leon's briefcase, that magical place where time stops and you can rest from the rampaging Zombie Hoard. Triangle/Y throws an inventory overlay on your screen and you gotta act quick. Some jackasses I saw would go "combine ammo with gun", but thats not necessary. You can also press R2/RB to open Sheva's inventory and swap items. For example, from the E3 demo I knew Sheva would take Zombies head on while I sniped, so I gave her my AK47 and ammo, and took her Sniper rifle.

Sure, I'll miss the moment of relaxation in the inventory screen, but Resi 5's "Quick inventory" makes ramps up the game's speed and intensity.

Played both Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, and couldn't tell any differences. THe game also looks freaking incredible, so much detail on Chris and Sheva and I love all of his moves. I like how they're all named differently "hook", "uppercut", "straight". So uncessary, but so cool.

The build didn't have any co-op, but Sheva was pretty smart. The game was also pretty forgiving, but that might be because they don't want to frustrate new players.

ZOMG RESIDENT EVIL 5!!

Choze · October 28, 2008

Yeah it was great to play. I left it knowing its not worth spoiling. Looked pretty much the same on the PS3 and 360. Sony Bravia way outclassed the Samsung screens though.

Dante · November 13, 2008

new screens

**Retro_Link** · November 13, 2008

MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKKKEEE!!!!

Ryan · November 13, 2008

Do Capcom want PETA on their asses next?

Dante · November 13, 2008

Do Capcom want PETA on their asses next?

No!

Chris "Are we in Silent Hill?"

Solo · November 14, 2008

MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKKKEEE!!!!

Guess he's never gonna get that beer! :heh:

**Shorty** · November 14, 2008

Looks stunning, but when are these going to disappear?

Even though it seems so picky, I've got to agree :heh:

they seem to have put plenty of polygons into other things such as the gun holster, her face, her fingers, her... ladybumps. Why not make the shoulders look good, when they are so consistently on show?

Dante · November 14, 2008

EuroGamer Hands-On

Since we were last closely acquainted with a playable build of Resident Evil 5, Capcom has evidently gone back and had a little think about how to make the game more appealing to Western gamers.

The first thing to note is that a new alternate 'Action' control system has been introduced alongside the traditional one we all know and love/hate. Prompted by producer Jun Takeuchi's affection for first-person shooters, it remaps the aim and fire controls to the left and right triggers. "Obviously the Resident Evil series is really popular in the west, so we wanted to put in a system that western users might find a little easier to control," he tells us.

If you've spent any time with Call of Duty or Gears of War, you'll find it comes naturally, and as a result of being able to do what comes naturally, you don't have to clamber over the usual Resident Evil obstacle of rewiring your brain to adapt. Equally helpful is the decision to map the knife slash and various punches and kicks to the right trigger depending on the context.

But although the fire and aiming basics are retooled, the important thing is it still feels very much like Resident Evil, with the same stop-and-fire combat style that's characterised the series since day one, so diehard fans needn't panic. As ever, the tension comes from the need to conserve ammo, and to do that you need to pull off headshots on demand, aided by a laser pointer.

Fireworks night, Umbrella style.

Like the E3 demo, the section we're given to play also showcases network co-op, with a split-screen, offline version also shown. Similar to Resident Evil Zero, context-sensitive actions and puzzles are the order of the day, with lead character Chris Redfield providing sidekick Sheva Alomar with a leg-up (prompted on-screen where necessary), and the duo doing things simultaneously to solve puzzles, or providing crucial cover fire when set upon by shambling T-Virus victims. (Can we still call them zombies?)

In terms of Resident Evil 5's puzzle content, Takeuchi reckons, "It's probably about the same amount as Resident Evil 4," but claims it will feel like more of an adventure than last time because of more elaborate level design. "Resident Evil 4 didn't have much in the way of exploration or going off down different paths - it was very simple. Mikami-san himself described the game as a big circuit, basically. So, in Resident Evil 5, the layout of the game will be more complicated, so there will be more of an element of exploration and adventure than 4."

Set ten years after the events of the original, we're told that the game effectively joins the dots for Chris Redfield in the intervening period. "Bioterrorism is taking place in various parts of the world," Takeuchi states, "and people are using the T-Virus to commit various acts of terrorism. The reason Chris has been sent to Africa is to fight an incident of bioterrorism that's broken out there." Now a member of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA), Redfield meets up with fellow agent Sheva, who acts as your guide for the early portion of the game.

Asked if the game would reprise the roles of other familiar characters, Takeuchi said enigmatically: "You may see some familiar characters from other games that you already know." In terms of playable characters, however, "It'll just be Chris and Sheva." Later in our chat with Takeuchi-san, he allayed fears that Resident Evil 5 would be any less epic than previous efforts. "We've been saying it'll take 20 hours to play right through it, but recently the staff have been playing through the game, and even the really good members of the team are finding it still takes them about ten hours to get through it.

"For people who are new to the series it might take 30 hours to play through the whole game, so if you look at that, and look at the amount of content in the game, it's on a bigger scale than Resident Evil 4," he says. Good news - but its size hasn't meant that it has been a struggle to fit the game onto a single DVD. "It hasn't been that much of a problem, and one of the main reasons for that is that all of the movies in the game all use the game engine, so we don't have to fit in lots of pre-rendered movies onto the disk."

But what about the dreaded hard-disk install for PS3 owners? "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. We'll do our best to come up with something that users will not criticise, but love..."

Takeuchi also confirms that Capcom has ditched the infamous typewriter save system, and replaced it with checkpoints. In addition, the usual multiple difficulty levels have been retained, and there will be unlockable mini-games of sorts. "We can't say exactly what there will be, but we'd like you to look forward to it." Our spies reckon the Mercenaries mode will make a return, but no confirmation is forthcoming.

A downloadable demo, however, is definitely on the cards: "We'll be making an announcement about that relatively soon," he says. And what about downloadable content? "That's one of the things we're thinking about right now. We do get that question a lot, and people seem to want it, so it's possible that it's something we would like to respond to.

Happily, he also says he would personally be up for going back and remaking some of the older Resident Evil classics, given the opportunity: "If we had the chance to go back and remake Resident Evil 2...you know, I think there is the demand for it. It's certainly something we would like to consider and think about, but, quite frankly our hands are full with Resident Evil 5 right now, and trying to get that out of the door, so we're going to have to put all of our focus on Resident Evil 5 for the moment." Get the online petition started now.

Perhaps predictably, he quickly steers the conversation back towards Resi 5, which he reckons will be amazing. "We have the biggest budget of any game in the series so far, we have the best staff working on it, and Capcom is working as one to make this the best entry we have in the series. All the staff have been looking back at all the great games that have been in the series so far, and they all feel the pressure to make something better than any of the previous games in the series.

"Personally, though, the most amazing thing is seeing how the staff are doing their best and working all hours in order to make them even better than Resident Evil 4, which was a classic." If it's better than 4, I think we'll all be happy...

Resident Evil 5 is due out for PS3 and 360 on 13th March 2009. Check back soon for more news on the forthcoming demo.

Dante · November 29, 2008

Ex-Capcom Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami has said that he won't play Resident Evil 5.

Speaking in a recent interview with Official PlayStation magazine, Mikami, who's now working on games with ex-Capcom studio Platinum Games, said that playing Resi 5 would "just cause me stress".

"I probably won't play it. I won't like it, because it's not going to be the game I would have made," he said. "It'll just cause me stress if I play it. I think it could be fun for gamers to play it, but not for someone who has developed Resident Evil games.

"If I see anything in Resident Evil 5 that isn't done well, I'll be angry!"

On number five's similarities to Mikami's fourth Resi, he says "that's fine, isn't it? I think Resident Evil 5 doesn't need to change the series, but Resident Evil 6 will have to reinvent the series with another full model change or else it won't be able to keep on going."

Mikami's current projects are a joint Suda 51 horror game with EA and an unannounced game for Sega.

Mikami calls working on two projects at once "difficult", "but I'm director on my game for Platinum Games and producer on the game for EA. So if Suda does his job properly, my workload will decrease."

computerandvideogames.com

GamePro scans:

Cookyman · December 1, 2008

From PS3 Fanboy

Gamers planning to pick up the PS3 version of Resident Evil 5 come this March can expect to have a nice extra feature tucked away snugly on their game disc. Taking advantage of the massive space found a Blu-ray disc, Capcom is adding in a making-of-Resident Evil 5 documentary produced from "Hollywood staff."

While the bonus material is currently secured for the Japanese RE5 release, there's still no word whether it will be seen in Western releases. Considering that the PS3 version's content is on the game disc itself and is supposedly made from Hollywood, we're thinking there is a good chance Capcom will include it for North American and European releases.

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