Capcom has just released a batch of twenty-two new screens for Resident Evil 5, in honour of...well quite frankly I don't know what they're in honour of, or if they really need a reason. There's a bit more of the interface included than I'm used to seeing in RE5 shots, but aside from that it's just Leon and Sheva, hanging out together, killing them some infected peoples. I can't think of a better way to spend a Friday evening.

Resident Evil 5 Gallery

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Using a conveniently-located typewriter to save your progress has been one of the few constants in the Resident Evil series over the years. Or, least it was. Capcom have finally waved goodbye to the old stalwart, with Resident Evil 5 to be the first game in the franchise to, well, get with the times and introduce a new save-game setup. Producer Jun Takeuchi:

Actually, I really like typewriters; they're really typical of the Resident Evil series. But this time, the save system will be a combination of checkpoints and chapters.

You old RE fans can take your nostalgia and cram it. This is good, good news.

Resident Evil 5 Dumps the Typewriter Saving System [1UP]

When it was still supposed to be shipping in 2008, Capcom forecast that Resident Evil 5 would ship 2.3 million copies in the year. Now that it's been pushed back to 2009, though, things are looking up! Producer Jun Takeichi has said that while he hopes the game sells 2 million at the "low end of the scale", he's really hoping the game does closer to 3 million, because "users in Europe and America will be particularly pleased with the game's content". Jun, users everywhere are pleased by zombie dirt bikes.

Developer Interview [Capcom]

Details are important. Really important. When gamers play a title and something looks off, they notice it right away. No wonder Capcom spent so much time recreating realistic guns and clothes. Capcom had to make the guns realistic guns because, as Takeuchi puts it, many Americans probably have held real guns. About the clothes, he adds:

...the footwear and gloves the main character wears are all based on real items. We contacted the makers of those items to find out all the little details that go into making them, that way players don't have a sense of the game being completely divorced from reality. And that's how we were able to realistically recreate the proper specs for the items used in the game. When you look at the trailer, you see the main character's clothing and all the fibers that comprise it.

We really paid attention to the details. We made it so that the fabric of his shirt actually gives the illusion of breathing like its real-life counterpart; it is also decidedly different from the heavier material that hangs down below it.

Finally! Gaming gets BREATHING SHIRTS. It's about time.

Jun Takeuchi Interview [Capcom IR]

Capcom have today released four new screens for Resident Evil 5. No idea who, exactly, at Capcom said "Hey, you know what we need? Zombie dirt bikes!", but the man should get a gold star.

Resident Evil 5 Gallery

That's Excella Gionne in the dress, a relative of the TriCell pharmaceutical founder and president of the Africa branch office. Next to her is not a new character per se, but confirmation of a returning character appearing in RE5. Yep, that's former S.T.A.R.S. captain Albert Wesker.

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Resident Evil 5 is being made by a couple of folks. It's been made by a lot of folks — over 400 people, actually. Wowzers. These days big games take big numbers of people — just check out the credits of any big game. According to Capcom:

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A big gripe for some Western players about Resident Evil 5 is that the game uses RE4's controls. Those feel, critics say, dated in all the recent advancements in how players interact with gamers. No wonder, while at E3, Capcom producer Jun Takeuchi hinted that Resident Evil 5 would be getting a revamped control scheme, going as far to say: "So don't be surprised if at the Tokyo Game Show, the controls are different... I'm not confirming or denying anything, but we like to surprise people." After the Microsoft Media Briefing, Takeuchi confirmed that RE5's new controls will be on the TGS showroom floor. While he didn't go into any great detail about the changes, he did refer to them as "Gears-like" controls.

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And another episode of Japanese-Devs-Being-Down-On-Themselves, Resident Evil 5 composer Kota Suzuki think American game music has surpassed Japanese game music — especially regarding post-production elements like recording and mixing:

I get the impression that production at western, particularly American developers is ahead of those in Japan. But, I think that more and more in Japan, the process of making video game music is becoming specialised.

...More and more Japanese production companies are working together with foreign companies, and sound production quality in Japan is approaching that of the west.

Stuff like this doesn't just make Japanese development, it makes game development better. Interesting side note: Capcom recorded the RE5 parts of the soundtrack at Newman Scoring Stage at 20th Century Fox with a hundred plus Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra. This was the first time Capcom has ever recorded a live orchestra for a Resident Evil game.

Interview with Resident Evil 5 [Music 4 Games via Develop]

Yes! you heard it right, a new Resident Evil 5 Trailer. With each new trailer Capcom releases, the game looks that much more chilling and polished. The game will be released in North America on Friday, March 13th, 2009 for PS3 and Xbox 360.