Resident Evil 5

Resident Evil 5, known in Japan as Biohazard 5 (バイオハザード5), is the forthcoming installment in the Resident Evil survival horror series, which is set to debut for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It will be developed and published by Capcom. Capcom officially announced Resident Evil 5 on July 20, 2005, and is expected to release the title before the end of the current fiscal year (March 31, 2009).

Gameplay
Jun Takeuchi, the game's producer, stated the Resident Evil 5 will feature similar gameplay to Resident Evil 4; The player will control Chris Redfield, the protagonist of the original Resident Evil and Resident Evil Code: Veronica. The game's environment will also play a significant role. For example, if Redfield suffers prolonged exposure to heat, he will begin to see mirages and hallucinations. Also, the game implements various lighting effects. If Redfield moves between bright and dark areas his eyes will have to adjust, causing the player to briefly lose some visual of their surroundings. The player will be able to take cover and dodge (using a similar control scheme in God Hand). The Mercenaries mini-game, which was featured in both Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil 4, will also make a return in Resident Evil 5.

The game will also feature new types of enemies. The extended E3 trailer revealed several sequences involving Redfield attacking hordes of fleet-footed enemies, who possessed melee weapons. Takeuchi has also stated the game's enemies will also possess human-like intelligence and awareness. Furthermore, he stated they will be different from the previous zombies and ganados.

In an interview with XBOX360ISM, Keiji Inafune briefly stated that the game will feature some online elements. Resident Evil 5's main story mode can be played with two players, in a co-operative online mode. The feature will allow players to enter or leave anytime during the game. Both players will not always stick together, and can be separated at points during the gameplay.

Plot
Few details have been released about the game's storyline other than the fact that the setting will have a similar feel to the film Black Hawk Down. Takeuchi added that the development team is composed of staff members who worked on the first Resident Evil. He has stated that Resident Evil 5 will be an actual sequel to the Resident Evil series. Before Takeuchi took over, the game's former producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi stated "it's safe to say that Resident Evil 5 will naturally proceed from where Resident Evil 4 left off."

In a July 2007 Famitsu interview, producer Jun Takeuchi revealed the main playable character as Chris Redfield and the game takes place ten years after the events of the original Resident Evil. The story will explore Chris' life during the ten year interval between the two games. During the game's events, he is a member of a group known as BSAA, and sent to investigate an incident in a desert area that serves as the game's setting. Takeuchi also confirmed that a female character from the series, who is seen briefly at the end of the trailer, will appear in the game. In an online interview, Takeuchi revealed that the game's plot will be set in Africa, and will concern "the origins of the virus." He also stated one of the plot's key elements will revolve around the whereabouts of STARS and Redfield's life after the first Resident Evil game.

UK-based publication Xbox World 360 revealed that the game takes place in a unnamed African country near a line of active volcanoes that stretch across Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Kenya, where volcanic activity is threatening to release a previously dormant virus. They also confirmed the return of recurring antagonist Albert Wesker, as well as Sherry Birkin (last seen in Resident Evil 2). Another game trailer that was released on May 31, 2008 depicted an unknown female character who assists Redfield.