Release Date: March 13, 2009
Genre: Survival Horror
Platform: PS3, Xbox 360
Rating: TBC
Developer: Capcom®
Price: TBC

This game is shaping up extremely well after the initial debate about how the game was allegedly racist but beyond the political red tape lies a visually stunning and atmospheric videogame which builds on the Resident Evil 4 platform which re-invented the series from the ground up. After a strong showing at E3 and the new feature of online co-op with Sheva it adds another dimension of gameplay where the two of them must work together to solve puzzles and to survive the harsh terrain and enemies within. Below is the official press release information about the game for those who have not read up about the game.

The biohazard threat has not ended: Just when it seemed that the menace of Resident Evil had been destroyed, along comes a new terror to send shivers down player’s spines. Chris Redfield, returning Resident Evil hero, has followed the path of the evil literally around the globe. After joining a new organization, Chris heads to Africa where the latest bioterrorism threat is literally transforming the people and animals of the city into mindless, maddened creatures. He is joined by a new partner, Sheva Alomar, who lends her strength, intelligence and sharp-shooting skills to the mission. In order to survive, Chris and Sheva must work together to take on the challenges of discovering the truth behind this evil plot. Utilising a revolutionary new co-op mode of gameplay, players will be able to assume control of either Chris or Sheva and experience Resident Evil in new ways. In Resident Evil 5, Capcom will have players fearing the daylight as much as they have feared shadow in previous games.

Co-producers and series veterans Jun Takeuchi (Lost Planet) and Masachicka Kawata (Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles) unleash an unprecedented level of fear for the next generation in Resident Evil 5, the sequel to one of the highest-rated videogames in history, according to Metacritic.com and Gamerankings.com. Promising to revolutionise the series by delivering an unbelievable level of detail, realism and control, Resident Evil 5 is certain to bring new fans to the series. New technology developed specifically for the game, as well as incredible changes to both the gameplay and world of Resident Evil will make this a must-have game for gamers across the globe.

The Resident Evil series has sold over 34 million units since the original game was released in 1996 and has spawned a multi-million dollar trilogy of films from Sony Pictures. Resident Evil 5 will revolutionise the Resident Evil series, just as Resident Evil 4 did.

Features
• Chris Redfield, protagonist of the original Resident Evil and Resident Evil: Code Veronica, returns
• Chris is joined by new character Sheva Alomar, an African special agent tasked with investigating the epidemic
• 2 player co-op online gameplay means that players are not alone in their fight against the horror lurking around every corner
• Simultaneous Pan Western release date for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on March 13, 2009
• New enemies bring new challenges: speed and intelligence make adversaries as dangerous singly as they are in groups.
• An arsenal of weapons at the player’s command to keep the evil at bay, including knives, pistols, machine guns, sniper rifles and more.
• Lighting effects provide a new level of suspense in both harsh light and deepest shadow
• True high definition gaming on multiple game platforms, using an advanced version of Capcom’s proprietary game engine, MT Framework, which powered the next-gen, million-plus hit titles Devil May Cry 4, Lost Planet and Dead Rising.

eMagi has previously reported that the studio behind the Street Fighter 4 animation was unknown… Not any more! It was announced at Comic-Con International that Capcom has teamed up with Studio 4°c (Memories, Tekkonkinkreet, Genius Party) and boy, did they do an ace job with the project! Tekkonkinkreet is a beautiful, dark and edgy movie that is worth watching (even if it does drag on a little) and it was premièred in London at the recent London Anime All Nighter event.

For those who have still haven’t seen the animation for the seminal Street Fighter IV game then here it is once more! SHORYUKEN!

As mentioned in my Street Fighter 4 Update, there will be an animated short involving Ryu and his storyline against Akuma. Well it looks like Gametrailers has managed to source a world exclusive of this trailer and here it is in all its glory. Enjoy!

Now if only this were a true OVA…

More details have been released about Street Fighter 4, especially about the home console versions on the Playstation 3 and XBOX360. First up, there will be a 2D animated bonus video featuring Ryu and his master from the early years and all character endings will also receive the same animated treatment. Long gone are the stills of yesteryear and about time too! Also it will be nice if more background story was given to the characters so this is a perfect opportunity to advance the story further. Thus far the studio used for the 2D animation has yet to be released but we should know more details soon.

Beyond that characters Fei Long and Dan Hibiki has been confirmed to be playable in the home versions only. I’m not sure if they will be unlockable or available from the outset but it should be interesting to see if they have become stronger as they were not the most powerful characters in the Street Fighter universe, with Fei Long getting plenty of tweaks in the soon to be released Street Fighter II HD. check out more screenshots below as its shaping up beautifully. Can’t wait for this baby to be released!

Square-Enix has announced a multiplatform RPG (PS3 and XBOX360) title in The Last Remnant, powered by the impressive UnReal 3 engine. It does look very good and the engine itself is very capable of rendering superb scenery at high detail and the characters within without too much of a sweat. Check out the images below for more insight and then the trailer too.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope (formally known as Star Ocean 4) has been announced by Square-Enix that it will be an XBOX360 Exclusive which is a massive coup for Microsoft’s console. Developed by the established Tri-Ace company the game is on track to be released in Japan in 2009.

The premise takes place after the Third World War which happened in 2064 as the Earth was destroyed by such conflict. As life and the surroundings were decimated beyond repair, humanity had to then flee out into space to survive as a race once more as we forward 6 years on to 2070 to where the story takes place. The two heroes are Cara, a 20 year old male employed by the Space Frontier Corps and Remi, a 19 year old female that specialises in archery who is also a childhood friend of Cara.

Not much else is known about this game as such but it is shaping up very well judging from the screenshots which is a mix of CG and realtime graphics. It certainly looks like a good year for RPGs as many big titles are expected to be released soon. Below is the debut trailer for the game. Check it out!

Looks like Namco have released more information about Soul Calibur IV and carrying on with the Star Wars theme to appeal to more Western gamers, it looks like there will be a third playable character from the massive franchise. The Sith apprentice will be available to play! Coming from the story of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, he will be on a mission to search and destroy Rahm Kota. I wonder what his moveset will be like…

This new Fatal Frame game is coming to the Nintendo Wii and is looking pretty decent so far. The story revolves around a group of teenagers that have been kidnapped several years ago in a remote island in Japan. Sadly two of the girls have died but the remaining three managed to survive, only without their memories. You control the three girls going back to the remote island to reclaim their memories and to further understand what exactly happened. Armed with only a flashlight camera, the girls then use this to seal the spirits into the film for further investigation.

The plot line will hardly win any awards but fans of the previous games will know how atmospheric and dark this game can be. Here are some screenshots of the game.

At long bloody last the seminal racing simulator for the PS3 will obtain real time damage come the latter half of this year! The main stumbling blocks were not Sony Polyphony themselves, but of the racing manufacturers not wanting to see their cars deformed in a videogame. It will come part of a digital download for Prologue (which was released not long ago on our shores) and will be integrated in the final GT5 game.

Trouble is, even though real time damage might happen, the developers have been pretty coy about the extent of the damage physics… One idea that was touted about was that the damage would simply be superficial, where the body would deform but performance would not be hindered, must like in Burnout. If this is the case then there will me many fans pretty upset about the whole ideal…

For now though here are some more fantastic screenshots taken from the game!

At long last, around 8 months I believe since word got out that a version was in development it has been released! For those who don’t know what this will actually do, here are the official features…

Features

* Play ANY region of Wii or GameCube game on ANY Wii.
* Easy to use.
* No console modification required.
* Doesn’t invalidate warranty.
* Play games never released in your region.
* Play local games on your imported console.
* 100% unofficial.

The last point is quite funny as Nintendo wouldn’t make sure a product official! I actually own a US Nintendo Wii so would test this out as its annoying not being able to take advantage of sales and rentals over here because of it…

If you have a US Nintendo Wii, then pop over to Datel’s website here and place your $19.99 order!