Resident Evil 5 Revealed

Only six months after the release of the critically praised Resident Evil 4 onto GameCube, Capcom has already followed up with the first official details on Resident Evil 5, the next survival horror game in the latest issue of Famitsu. The surprise? It's not headed to GameCube, but PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. No more exclusivity for Nintendo, it seems.

Scans of the publication originated from website Game Front before their servers overloaded and message boards lurkers took over. The low quality of the scans means translation work hasn't made it's way out just yet, but while I slowly work through my Japanese-to-English dictionary, we already a vague idea of what to expect from the first screen shots.

Producer Jun Takeuchi of Street Fighter 2 and the Onimusha series is overseeing the project. Current speculation suggests the main character featured in the screens is none other than Resident Evil 1 and Code Veronica star Chris Redfield, but we can't confirm that just yet. It's already obvious Capcom's following in the successful footsteps of Resident Evil 4, with several in-game images clearly mimicking the game's over-the-shoulder action style.

What is surprising, however, is the game's bright atmosphere, a stark contrast to the dark, dreary environments usually found in Resident Evil games. There's even one screen shot where a blaring sun high up in the sky blocks the camera's view of several approaching enemies who happen to look suspiciously like zombies. Could we be seeing a return to classic form this time? Time will tell.

We'll be watching for an official announcement from Capcom soon. Expect more information on Resident Evil 5 (and likely other Capcom next-generation games) during the upcoming Japanese conferences from Microsoft and Sony.