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'Resident Evil 5' Xbox 360 unboxing
Here's a note to humans of the future who may one day mail a limited edition Xbox 360 to someone at Engadget: stick it inside another box. Seriously -- the above picture is exactly how it arrived. Everything seems to be in working order, it's just a little disconcerting when a console lands on your doorstep looking like it was actually in the hands and mouths of undead killing machines. Regardless, the new system is pretty spiffy in red (unless you hate the color red, in which case it looks horrible), and having a Jasper unit in-house is probably more exciting than it should be. You can be sure that we'll figure out if everything is shipshape by playing hours and hours and hours of Resident Evil 5. But for now, let's all enjoy the unboxing!
Resident Evil 5 DLC delayed in Japan to April 9
Capcom has revealed that Resident Evil 5's Versus DLC will be available in Japan on April 9th, and not this week, as previously reported. Could this be in response to anger over the DLC, an attempt by Capcom to let some extra time heal the wounds? Who knows, but Capcom has confirmed the Versus pack will cost 250 yen ($2.60) and 160 on PSN and Xbox Live Marketplace in Japan, respectively, compared to the more expensive price attached to the DLC here in the US. We've asked Capcom whether the rest of the world will share Japan's release date -- after all, April 9th is "a few weeks" after Resident Evil 5's US and European release.%Gallery-47571%
Resident Evil 5 blood drive captured on video, lampooned
Last week, large-hearted gamers who attended Capcom's Resident Evil 5 blood drive event in downtown Los Angeles learned a very valuable lesson -- altruism won't protect you from the slings and arrows of comedic television personalities. Ben Hoffman, a correspondant for Current TV humor-news program InfoMania, got a chance to interview a few RE5-crazed hemoglobin spillers at the event, who were largely unaware that he was surreptitiously making fun of them.As incensed as we should be at this flagrant display of disrespect, it's actually sorta funny in a Triumph the Insult Comic Dog kind of way. Judge for yourself -- you can watch the whole segment on the Current TV site.
Fake severed limbs are totally hot right now
Occasionally, the gaming industry gets hooked on the most bizarre marketing trends, such as ARGs, and laughably unbelievable product enthusiasts. However, even with our usually spot-on industry clairvoyance, we didn't see this one coming -- for the second time in a month, a developer used fake severed limbs to attract attention to their ultraviolent title. Sega, promoting MadWorld, recently scattered monotone severed arms (all holding copies of the game) across London. Man, Londonites have got to be getting sick of these shenanigans.We hope this trend comes to a grinding halt before other companies can hop on the bandwagon. The thought of a major metropolitan city whose desensitized residents shrug nonchalantly when they notice human gristle littering their streets makes us a tad uncomfortable.[Thanks, Tagg.]
The Guide: Gears of Evil
Welcome to The Guide, an editorial feature in which former Xbox 360 Fanboy lead Richard Mitchell looks at issues important to Xbox fans. The opinions expressed here belong to the author and don't necessarily reflect those of Joystiq, Weblogs Inc. or its affiliates.If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery -- and I have it on good authority that it is -- then Capcom and Epic must just love each other. Cliff Bleszinski has said that Resident Evil 4 was one of the main inspirations for Gears of War. It's easy to see the comparisons, with Gears apparently borrowing Resident Evil 4's over-the-shoulder perspective, aiming system and even a bit of its sense of survival horror. Both games even have blind bosses you have to trick in order to beat.If Gears of War paid tribute to Resident Evil 4, then Resident Evil 5 is definitely returning the favor. I can't decide whether that's a good thing for Resident Evil as a series, but its definitely a good thing for the latest entry.
Capcom to update Home with Resident Evil, Street Fighter content next week
This is Home, not Resident Evil 5. Ready for more Capcom goodness in Home? The Resident Evil 5 game space gets some dramatic new content next week. On March 26th, the space will be updated with a Photo Studio, which allows multiple players to join a mini-game and compete for various rewards. Inside the Photo Studio will be "Adam's Shop," a brand new store that allows players to purchase RE-themed items for Home, including Chris and Sheva's costumes from the game.For those that are less into zombies, and more into shoryukens, Home will also receive Street Fighter IV content on the same day. Items themed around E. Honda, Zangeif, Dhalsim, and Blanka will be available to purchase in the virtual Home Mall.
United Majinidom: Resident Evil 5 tops UK entertainment charts
A new U2 album released in the UK last week, but nobody really noticed, because they were too busy jaunting through bright, deadly Africa in Capcom's Resident Evil 5. As if besting megastar Bono wasn't a big enough accomplishment -- watch your back, Chris and Sheva; Bono doesn't like being number two (NSFW linkage) -- Capcom's game also managed to beat out all of the top 5 movies at the UK box office ... combined. It's likely to be a short-lived victory, however, as games rarely manage to have the staying power other forms of entertainment do in the UK. But, a victory it is nonetheless.Looks like we know where Capcom is taking us in Resident Evil 6: Hull.
Resident Evil 5 topping charts in the UK
We learned yesterday that Resident Evil 5 had shipped 4 million worldwide, and it seems a hefty portion of those are being snapped up in the land where they spell "zombie" with a "zed" ... no, besides Canada. Chart Track reports the game's at the top of the sales pile in the UK, becoming the fastest selling in series history and Capcom's biggest launch ever.The first in the series on a Microsoft console, RE5 nabbed 55 percent of its sales on the 360 and the remainder on PS3. CT also reports that RE5 is the biggest multi-platform launch since Call of Duty: World at War, reaffirming our belief that zombies always equal sales.
Live top ten: Resident Evil 5 debuts at number 6
Major Nelson has posted Xbox Live activity for the week of March 9. Not much has changed from last week, with Halo 3 still occupying the top spot closely followed by both Call of Duty: World at War and Call of Duty 4. Rounding out the top five are Gears of War 2 and GTAIV in the fourth and fifth spots, respectively.Resident Evil 5 debuted at number six -- an impressive feat considering it released on a Friday -- pushing Halo Wars to the seventh slot. In turn, Left 4 Dead dropped from seven to eight, followed by FIFA 09 and Street Fighter IV at nine and ten. With versus DLC headed to Resident Evil 5, it will be interesting to watch its Live performance in the coming weeks.Peggle, unsurprisingly, was the most purchased Xbox Live Arcade game of the week. You should try it. It's harmless, we promise.
Capcom VP explains RE5 multiplayer development, calls complaints 'BS'
Although Capcom had previously responded to the flack it's received for the $5 charge on the Resident Evil 5 "Versus" DLC, a VP for the publisher has had enough with all the complaining and is calling "BS." Christian Svensson, VP of strategic planning and business development, explains on the company forums that people are getting plenty of bang for their $60 and says that if people don't see the value in the secondary offering that, "the choice is simple, don't purchase it."Svensson goes on to explain that paid DLC at Capcom has its own budget, with its own profit and loss analysis. He emphasizes that without this method, the Versus content wouldn't exist in the first place, because it "did not fit within the production budget of the base product." He continues that to hit the sweet spot of DLC releasing within 3 to 6 weeks of initial launch that development on these products starts before the actual product hits shelves.Although the whole situation definitely has some debatable points, Svensson certainly hit the nail on the head when he said if consumers don't agree with what Capcom did: Don't buy the product.[Via Kotaku]
Resident Evil 5 ships 4 million copies worldwide
Capcom this morning gave a hearty "Thanks, partner!" to its recently-shipped Resident Evil 5. According to the company, the survival horror action game has already shipped more than 4 million copies worldwide since March 5, when it first infected Japanese retail shelves. Granted, this figure just represents copies shipped, not sold, though we're sure those numbers are in a barrel around here somewhere.Echoing this, Capcom noted that the demo has also been downloaded over 4 million times since it was released. The latest adventure in Capcom's long-running series has been gaining some impressive, if predictable traction among reviewers. However, as you may have read (or heard), the experience is not without its problems, even if we can't quit staring at Chris Redfield's impressive guns.
The Digital Continuum: Zombies, zombies, zombies
I firmly believe persistent online games have a lot more to offer, and every so often that fact rises up to the front of my thoughts by games like Resident Evil 5. If a cooperative and ostensibly zombie game can exist, then why not a massively version? Let me present to you, the reader, my vision of a game that could quite feasibly exist in just four or five years time:The zombie apocalypse MMO.
Resident Evil 5 'Versus' DLC dated and priced in Japan
If you're a member of the enraged masses protesting the pricing of Resident Evil 5's 'Versus' DLC pack, which adds new online co-op and competitive options to the game, we doubt this news will do anything to soothe your frayed nerves -- Capcom recently revealed the DLC's price for Japan: 160 on Xbox Live, or ¥250 on PSN. That's less than half of the North American cost for the same content.However, if you're still planning on picking up the additional modes, you might be interested to hear the Japanese DLC received a release date that's far less vague than our "in a few weeks" release timetable -- Japan will be able to participate in immobilized online combat as of March 26. Why the disparities in pricing and dating in the two regions? We're not sure -- though we suspect some sort of zombie trade tariff is involved.
Capcom defends charging for Resident Evil 5 'Versus' DLC
Unsurprisingly, Capcom's recently announced "Versus" DLC for Resident Evil 5 is raising quite a stink from players who are convinced they're being nickeled-and-dimed, paying for content that should have been included in the game in the first place. Capcom recently braved the slings and arrows of their incensed fanbase to defend the five-dollar update -- they claim that the price covers development of the new features which go "above and beyond the initial scope" of the game, as well as bandwidth costs associated with implementing additional online multiplayer offerings.Capcom explained the "Versus" pack, which will bring four-player co-op and competitive online modes to the game within "a few weeks," isn't just an unlock patch for content already included on the RE5 disc -- despite the fact that it's composed entirely of assets from the core game. How about it, gang? Have you come down from your blinding, Majini-esque rage?
RE5 producer signing copies of game in Seattle today
A Major Nelson communiqué brings word that Resident Evil 5 executive producer Jun Takeuchi will be signing copies of the game later today in Seattle. If you want to touch the master of Las Plagas, head on over to the Gamestop in Redmond Town Center this afternoon from 2:30-4PM.Oh, and Major Nelson will also arrive sometime after 3PM. If you ask nicely, we're sure he'll autograph stuff for you too.
Joystiq at the Resident Evil 5 launch party
Click to El Gigante size As if compelled by some otherworldly force, hundreds of gamers converged last night at San Francisco's Union Square. Of course, they weren't some kind of brainwashed zombie parasite-controlled mob -- they were there for Capcom's latest act of large-scale fan service, the Resident Evil 5 launch party.The full RE5 development team, lead by producer Jun Takeuchi, was on hand for the event, joined by members of the game's motion capture cast. Oh yeah -- we were there, too. (Though we weren't sporting spiffy, personalized B.S.A.A. team jackets like the dev crew.) Screaming contests were held, cell phones were laser-etched with RE5 imagery and photos were taken as evidence of the night's activity; check 'em out in the gallery below.%Gallery-47647%
RE5 tops Japanese sales, PS3 version tops 360 nearly 4:1
Resident Evil 5 now sits solidly at the top of the Japanese sales charts, with the PS3 version leading the charge. The game released in Japan last week to long lines of eager fans. The PS3 version is the number one selling game at 312,000 units, handily beating the second place DS game, 7th Dragon, which sold 80,000 units. The Xbox 360 version of RE5 is in a close third with 79,000 units sold. It'll be interesting to see this week's Japanese hardware sales (coming soon!) to gauge how much of an effect the Resident Evil 5 Xbox 360 had.While the launch numbers for the game are certainly impressive, Gamasutra notes that they pale in comparison to the launches of both Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, both of which sold in excess of 1 million units at launch. We guess RE5 not being a DS game counts against it these days.
Metareview -- Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 5. It's a game and it's out on Friday, March 13. In preparation for his review, Joystiq's Justin McElroy actually spent time on the streets of Kijuju, West Africa, to take in the sights and gauge how realistic the Resident Evil 5 story was. We didn't have the heart to tell him there wasn't actually a zombie apocalypse ... or a Kijuju in West Africa. No worries, he's alive and was able to record a Review Roundtable with other Joystiq luminaries. Unless it was zombie Justin who hosted the Roundtable ... which would make this morning's memo about sending our brains to him for review way less suspect. GameTrailers (90/100): "You'll get a lot more out of it than you do from typical games with no competitive multiplayer and while played cooperatively it really sings. It's lost a lot of what has made the franchise a pins-and-needles experience, but that sense of dread has been replaced with pure action that's hard to match." IGN (90/100): "The creepy suspense of the earlier games has been replaced with an action-packed intensity that will instantly appeal to some gamers and disappoint others. As an action game, RE5 is a success, and there's a wealth of replayability through item collection, weapon upgrades, score chasing and the unlockable Mercenaries mode. But this is no gentle nudge to the formula of the previous main RE games; it's an evolution." 1UP (B): "Ultimately, Resident Evil 5 shouldn't be looked at as a failure in the series, merely too ambitious, inconsistent and uneven. Earlier entries in the series benefited from their simplicity and focus, and while it's laudable for RE5 to try and include so much variety, perhaps a little more of the same ol' same ol' would have resulted in a slightly better game." G4 TV (60/100): "Resident Evil 5 is mired in poor design decisions that drag down the experience and render single-player campaign a tedious exercise in working around the game. It's frustrating to see a game that I so looked forward to playing and carried with it such potential, sabotage itself in so many ways. Compared against the ambition of games like Bioshock, Mass Effect, and Assassin's Creed; Resident Evil 5 seems timid, unwilling to move out of its comfort zone. It's a shame." Source - Metacritic: Resident Evil 5 (Xbox 360)Source - Metacritic: Residen Evil 5 (PS3)%Gallery-5253%
Joystiq Review Roundtable: Resident Evil 5
If you're not content (or simply unwilling) to read all those words, we've got a special treat for you: A four-man, simultaneous Resident Evil 5 review team-up, featuring four (count 'em, four) Joystiq luminaries who've played through the game. The discussion is maybe lightly spoilerish, but nothing plot wise. It's just like listening to four really nerdy guys argue at your local Gamestop, only you don't have to look at their awful haircuts. (Note: all review participants have very nice haircuts. Nothing fancy, but, you know, nice.) Get the show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast in iTunes [Zune] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace [RSS] Add the Joystiq Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Hosts: Jason Dobson, Andrew Yoon, Griffin McElroy and Justin McElroy Music: "Re: Your Brains" by Jonathan Coulton But wait, you're not done with Resident Evil 5, not by a longshot! Have you read our review? Oh, well have you listened to the accompaning audio review roundtable? Oh, you have? Well, have you read every single post we've written about it? ... Wow, really? Huh, well, we guess you are done.
Joystiq Review: Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 5 is a game with an identity crisis. By attempting to straddle a line between action and suspense, playing to two different strengths, it manages to undercut the effectiveness of both. Resident Evil 4 took genre conventions and evolved them, making an experience that was more accessible, and, by most estimations, all but flawless. So it's even more puzzling when Resident Evil 5 retreats from that path, pulls back from what made its predecessor so strong, and finds itself in a very confusing place.RE5 marks the return of the not-particularly-notable-or-likable Chris Redfield, who ditches his STARS affiliation to join the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance and investigate a bio-organic weapons deal in Kijuju, a fictional African country. He's immediately joined by Sheva, a local BSAA member who acts as his partner through the entire adventure.%Gallery-5253%
