Rumor: Resident Evil 5 features co-op and cover system

by Alexander Sliwinski { May 23rd 2008 at 12:00PM }

ShackNews reports that a Resident Evil 5 preview, originally posted by GamesRadar, stated the game would feature online co-op throughout the campaign and that a cover system had been added to the franchise. Sadly, we can't report on this information directly from GamesRadar because the article has been removed. We blame the Umbrella Corporation. We always blame the Umbrella Corporation.

The preview allegedly revealed that there would be also be a dodge mechanic (using the right analog stick), a mercenary mini-game and a challenge mode. In the co-op campaign, players would be able to drop in and out at any time, with the AI taking over when there's no pesky human with yummy brains to control the second character. RE5 is expected sometime before the next decade and follows the possibly racist Chris Redfield as he indiscriminately kills all of zombie-kind between him and his goal.

Tags: capcom, re5, resident-evil-5, rumor

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Eric @ May 23rd 2008 12:02PM

Kill Kill Kill Kill the Poor!

J @ May 23rd 2008 2:09PM

DK = +1

:)

ViagraFiend @ May 23rd 2008 12:04PM

see, they're not people, they're zombies

xFenixKnightx @ May 23rd 2008 12:08PM

AWESOME!!!

Co @ May 23rd 2008 1:36PM

Looks like a PS3 might be in my future.

xFenixKnightx @ May 23rd 2008 1:50PM

You cut me deep Co, you cut me real deep right there. :0
C'mon Co join the Good guys on the 360 team!

Hey well heres a tip. On top of that $400 bluray player go ahead and pick up an $80 to $160 HDD for those mandatory installs and a $50 DS3. It's Sony so its sooooooo worth it! Don't even give it a second thought.

Co @ May 23rd 2008 1:52PM

lol I hear ya i hear ya.... Just the Wii for Mii!!

lmao

xFenixKnightx @ May 23rd 2008 1:58PM

Okii Dokii

See what I did there? :P

cc123 @ May 23rd 2008 2:24PM

Yeah Co you should totally go for the $350 defective hardware. And when you get sick of deleting stuff off the 13 gigs you're allowed to use on your HD, you can pay MS $180 for their totally super duper special proprietary 120GB upgrade!

And don't forget XBL at only $50 bucks per year in case you ever feel like using the online part of any game you already bought!

Honestly MS is just too good to us.

baby sea tuna @ May 23rd 2008 2:42PM

Hey, all of you, stop being assholes.

ssuk @ May 23rd 2008 3:45PM

Yeah, fuck exclusivity, range of titles which suit you and your preferences. Go for the console *I* bought, because it's obviously the right console for EVERYONE.

xFenixKnightx @ May 23rd 2008 7:03PM

Yeah, guess you didn't know *I* bought every single one...PSWII60 and prefer 360 OVERALL (online, multiplats, exclusives, controller, achievements, everything) as do many. Therefore I suggested 360 would be a better choice. M'kay?

Stay Alpha Bro!! -Brucie ;)

Princess Skittles @ May 23rd 2008 12:10PM

Cover system? Well it's off my list now.

tooPrime @ May 23rd 2008 12:17PM

I wouldn't be considered. RE4 was so good I have faith that the people making this game know what they are doing. Plus as kick ass as RE4 was, Leon’s slowness and lack of dexterity was made up for by the slowness of the zombies. These zombies look a little more faster, so more moves to deal with them seem appropriate. I wouldn’t want this to turn into Gears of War or anything. To me Gears of War was, “How can we make RE4 with guns!?” The cover mechanic allowed a RE4 paced game without the limitation of you can’t move very fast, rather you’re just stuck behind a wall.

FOXHOUND @ May 23rd 2008 12:19PM

Skittles---
For me, it depends on how they implement it. In fact, I'm kinda upset it took this long(recent gaming as opposed to ... -thinks- just before the SEGA SATURN was released?)to truly give videogames a significant "cover" and "attacking from cover" tactics, instead of just crouching.

RE5's going to need more of a hook than this for me though. I'm more interested in SILENT HILL HOMECOMING.

mmxzero @ May 23rd 2008 8:53PM

Foxhound-
Isnt the hook for RE5 that it is the sequel to RE4?

Phranctoast @ May 23rd 2008 12:10PM

Great News. This game needs MP Co op!!! Hopefully we find out if its a rumor or not quickly.

SadExchange @ May 23rd 2008 2:05PM

Maybe it's just in my mind as I never played RE4 (just religiously watched a friend play it) but I played all of the originals.

Alongside your comment, I wonder if they're doing to do mini-games and such if they could add some really cool modes like a 2 player "survival mode". It could be cooperative or competitive. How could would it be to have swarms coming at you and having to keep one another alive or live longer than your buddy?

Fun fun!

Kristof @ May 23rd 2008 12:11PM

After using the Wii in RE4, I wonder how easy it would be to go back ... and how many times I'll scream "This would be so much better with the Wii controller!"

But no matter, I'm sure it will be fun, since I played through RE4 twice on the GC, it's just that using the Wii was really way more fun and offered precise shooting.

voodoomage @ May 23rd 2008 12:14PM

I second that... After playing the RE Wii and going back to say bioshock or any other shoot ... I can't help but think this would be way better with the Wii setup....

ViagraFiend @ May 23rd 2008 12:14PM

It was too easy. It seemed like they needed to make the action faster to make it even remotely challenging. It felt like I was playing the first level in duck hunt the entire time.

tooPrime @ May 23rd 2008 12:21PM

I didn’t play the Wii version so I won’t comment on the relative superiority of the control schemes, (that said that huge circle of aiming seemed sort of lame to me) but my main beef would be one of the main aspects that made RE4 so great was the amazing graphics that heightened that sense of fear and intensity. If RE5 would be on the Wii that would be a totally waste in my mind. Also I think we should banned comments, “I wish it was on the Wii, I wish it was in Rock Band”

Kristof @ May 23rd 2008 12:30PM

I'm not saying I "Wish" it were on the Wii, I'm saying I liked the controls of it and it became really fun. I think someone has too many fanboy nerves exposed here. There's nothing wrong with me saying I liked the Wii control scheme. What I'm saying is "give me a Wii-mote to play this game on the PS3 or XBox" ... there, happy? you fanboys are so touchy. And sure it was easy, I was glad to play it on the high difficult mode, which didn't change much, but overall, I enjoy games because they are fun.

samfish @ May 23rd 2008 1:08PM

I was never a huge fan of the RE games, including 4, until I played 4 on the Wii. I thought it was fun enough on the GC, but the Wiimote really added a whole new level of interaction to the game. I would find myself getting into it and hugging corners or whipping the Wiimote up really fast if I head something.
To me, the Wiimote made RE4 go from maybe an 8 to a 10. It's one of the only Wii games where I really feel it did offer a completely different, new experience.

I don't know if I want RE5 on the Wii, but I would like a traditional RE game in vein of RE4. I think us Wii owners deserve it after the sales or RE4 and RE:UC!

Phranctoast @ May 23rd 2008 12:13PM

Heres the preview since it was pulled.

Resident Evil 5

A shining light in a veil of darkness

When Chris Redfield laced his boots to go search for the missing Bravo team nearly ten years ago, few could have imagined where he’d end up. With Umbrella’s coffin nailed firmly shut, and Leon’s battle against the Las Plagas resulting in a fairly successful conclusion, Chris’ fourth outing sees him squaring off against a brand new virus deep within Africa. In an interview with Japanese mag Famitsu, Chief Producer Jun Takeuchi explained why the action’s moved to a new continent. “We settled on the fact that we wanted to show the origins of the virus. So for the setting we thought, how about using the place where humankind was born?”

The key word here is ‘virus’. Although the enemies may look like Ganados, there’s no parasite to blame this time. Resident Evil 5 takes place in an anonymous country (naming it would only serve to exacerbate issues of racial controversy that arose from last year’s extended trailer) somewhere along the Eritrean/Ethiopian/Kenyan line of active volcanoes. While the beginning of Resident Evil 5 echoes 4’s startling opening there’s one major difference; when Chris enters the village its residents are uninfected. The tranquil start is quite unlike anything else in the series, as up until now we’ve only ever explored locations with hostile inhabitants. Originating deep below the surface, the virus is released due to volcanic activity and turns hosts into maniacs that, crucially, retain all their intelligence and communication skills.
Not only are these enemies more intelligent than the Ganados, there are more of them too. Chris is no pushover, but we don’t like his odds. However, something that may play in his favor is the landscape. Resident Evil 5 will expand on two features from 4’s opening level: space and verticality. The days of exploring corridors are over, and, like Carnby’s run of Central Park in Alone in the Dark, Chris is going to have gigantic areas to explore with balconies and rooftops coming in to play thanks to his heightened athleticism. Shifting focus from narrow spaces to large areas has allowed Capcom to up both the number and intelligence levels of enemies, so when you’re running up stairs and ducking in and out of buildings you’ll not only have more people chasing you but enemies who can actually pre-empt your moves and block your way too.

If Resident Evil 4’s Dr. Salvador set your pulse racing, then get ready for a heart-attack. The ante’s been upped, and Chris has two of the *******s to deal with now. While we’ve seen plenty of the ‘Executioner’ - the sack-headed freak with a giant makeshift axe - the first glimpse of an even more terrifying foe reveals a chainsaw-wielding psycho. This guy doesn’t need his fellow villagers to wrestle you to the ground before lopping your head off, he simply needs to charge at you and let those nickel teeth do all the bloody work. Two super-baddies means twice the panic. In the areas where you’re separated from your partner there’ll be one roaming for each player, but when you’re thrown together you’d better have more than one escape route in mind. Resident Evil 5 is far less linear than its predecessors. The open locations have multiple exits to utilize (and hence entrances for the enemies to swarm you) instead of the staple diet of ‘corridor action’ we’ve grown accustomed to. If you really want to stand and fight, make sure you’ve got the weapons to do so.

Thankfully an improved arsenal will help deal with everything the game will throw at you. Chris isn’t going to wield any unrealistic weapons (so don’t expect to see giganto laser cannons strapped to his back) but there will be plenty of powerful guns used for laying waste to entire crowds. New to Resident Evil 5’s combat system is the ability to lock to a wall and fire around the corner. Say goodbye to awkward shuffling in order to find a line of sight through a doorway. Strafing is still out, but factor in Chris’ ability to duck and dive with the right stick too and he’s much more agile than Leon. This is just as well, because with a fragile girl in tow you need all the firepower and new skills you can get. Like 4, Resident Evil 5 will appeal to your paternal instincts by asking you to lay down your life for the young lady in need of rescue.

Or should we say maternal? It all depends on whether you’re Player Two or not. Joining Chris’ fight is a new female character. Now that Chris has a partner he needs to keep in constant touch. He has both a Bluetooth headset (and phone) and a walkie-talkie; one is for chatting with the female mercenary and the other for speaking to the outside BSAA contact, Metal Gear Solid codec style. Currently nameless, the mercenary’s inclusion means that, for the first time, you’ll be able to tackle a true Resident Evil game co-operatively online. Like Gears, the entirety of Resident Evil 5 features jump in/jump out gameplay with the AI taking over the reigns of our mysterious female mercenary when you’re playing alone.
Online features aside, Takeuchi is placing huge emphasis on the power of next-gen consoles, which allow the series to push boundaries like never before. The main difference, it seems, is in the lighting. Past Resident Evil games have always handled dark situations well, but have never really tackled bright-lit areas with any conviction. Takeuchi claims that by looking at how western developers deal with less murky games he’s been able to implement light and shadow in a way which is new to the series. Translation: it’s going to be hard to see when you move from a light area to a dark one and vice-versa. Just because you can’t see anyone, certainly doesn’t mean they’re not there. Accompanying this step forward in lighting, Takeuchi also promises, in his own words, varying weather effects and different ‘passages of time’ - which, buried among talk of the importance of light, was taken by many to mean different times of the day. While the action will take place during both day and night, Takeuchi’s true meaning is far more startling.

Eager to live up to Shinji Mikami’s extraordinary legacy, Takeuchi is trying to give fans of the series exactly what they want on two fronts. First of all, he’s listened to everybody who believed a high-definition ‘more of the same’ approach would be ideal, and has created a spiritual remake of Resident Evil 4. We’ve got classic hero Chris (not Leon) who’s sent into a distant country (not Spain) by the BSAA (not the US Secret Service) to rescue a young girl (not the president’s daughter Ashley) and end up fighting a mob of angry locals (not Ganados). If it wasn’t for the new features the game would read like a massive re-skinning job, but thanks to the inclusion of God Hand’s dodging abilities and a fully integrated online co-op story there’s enough on the new features front to avoid those damning accusations of cashing in on the same idea.

Jun’s also painfully aware of Resident Evil’s massive fan following, which is why there will be plenty of familiar faces. On the character front, we know that Chris Redfield, Albert Wesker and Sherry Birkin will be returning. Persistent rumors about Billy Coen shouldn’t be ignored either; remember he was sent to Africa during a civil war to fight guerrilla forces, and ended up wrongly accused of genocide. However, it’s likely that we’ll see more than anybody thought thanks to exploration of the cryptic ‘passage of time’.

“Everything he’d experienced in the past ten years, we wanted to allow the player to experience as well.” With playable flashback sequences offering the player a chance to escape from the dingy, dusty village locale, they can do just that. The ‘passage’ here doesn’t just refer to hours, it refers to years. Delivering fan service in this was a combined effort. Capcom is keen for both Resident Evil 5 and CG movie Resident Evil: Degeneration to delve into the stories of each individual Resident Evil character of yore. The film explores Leon and Claire’s stories seven years after the Racoon City incident, which means that there are still a few characters remaining who may crop up in Resident Evil 5’s flashback sequences. Jill? Carlos? Barry?

With all this excitement it’s easy to forget the rest of the package. Resident Evil 5 doesn’t just feature a story; there’s the returning Mercenaries minigame and a whole host of other extras that are still safely under wraps. We’ll admit to being just a wee bit concerned when it was revealed Shinji Mikami would not be heading up the production of Resident Evil 5, but in spite of this loss on the development team the game is looking like the ultimate game of the series. 2009 is going to be the year that every Resident Evil fan’s nasty, bloody and terrifying dreams come true

ronald.raygun @ May 23rd 2008 5:06PM

longest comment ever

ComradeTrotskii @ May 23rd 2008 12:18PM

AI controlled team mate: DO NOT WANT.

I wonder how much this mechanic (whether you are playing with a friend or AI) is going to ruin the 'traditional' single player experience.

343 Guilty Fart @ May 23rd 2008 12:23PM

I'd be fine with the exact same controls from RE4, just in a new setting with a new story.

xFenixKnightx @ May 23rd 2008 12:24PM

Zombies...check
Awesomeness...check
Online Co-op...check
cover mechanic...check

Now wheres mah roadie run? :( I need a fast getaway from teh zombeez. Seriously games with no sprint option seem kinda funky now.

License to ill @ May 23rd 2008 2:08PM

Got to agree playing RB6V2 and then going back and playing RB6V1 without sprint sucks, its a necessary feature...

N @ May 23rd 2008 2:33PM

Zombies...check
Awesomeness...check
Online Co-op...check
cover mechanic...check

THAT'S HOW WE ROLL!!

James Lockwood @ May 23rd 2008 12:25PM

I'm just waiting for N'Gai to scream 'Ban this sick filth'! That guy should work for a British tabloid newspaper.

Take it in the context of the game, you douche.

Nigeria @ May 23rd 2008 12:31PM

He never said anything like that.

Maybe you should go back and read the article in question.

http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/04/10/newsweeks-ngai-croal-on-the-resident-evil-5-trailer-this-imagery-has-a-history/

You shouldn't shoot from the hip so much.

samfish @ May 23rd 2008 12:45PM

Yes, yes, you hate black people. We get it.

ManicBomber @ May 23rd 2008 1:00PM

Actually, he did. He dances around the subject and you have to read between the lines a bit, because he's smart enough not to be so direct about it, but anyone with any education should be able to see the context in what he's saying.

He is definitely saying that the game looks to be wildly inappropriate, racist, and that retailers might want to think twice about stocking the game. He says he doesn't think censorship is the answer, but if you really read it he obviously wants the game changed quite a bit and the reasons given for that was the colonization, racism, historical precedent, and so forth. He basically keeps saying that Capcom is ignorant and racist as well.

ManicBomber @ May 23rd 2008 1:06PM

"I’m saying that the same rights that allow Capcom to put the game out are the same rights that allow people to bring pressure on people who might release that game. This is why it is important to whoever works in the American office of a company like Capcom to be able to show this is the history, this is where this comes from, this is where we need to be more sensitive. I’m not sure they’ve done that yet." - N'Gai

I think this quote from the article sums it up. I mean really are you going to tell me he isn't saying "change the game or I'll support people protesting, boycotting, and pressuring retailers not to stock the game"?

Why do I hear "by any means necessary" when I read things like this?

N

James Lockwood @ May 23rd 2008 1:10PM

Of course, that must be it. I hate Black people. Almost as much as these new adverts!

I like you Mr. Fish - if only for your irreverent profile pic, so I'll take that comment with a pinch of salt.

I just have an axe to grind. Yes, perhaps I hijacked this topic for my own trollish desires, but N'Gai cut me deep. I thought he was one of us.

(P.S. 50th Joystiq Podcast out SOON! DL then join the Facebook Group)

samfish @ May 23rd 2008 1:29PM

Oh, I can't be mad at anyone who says they like me. My apologies.

Although I do think you're off base.

Nigeria @ May 23rd 2008 2:12PM

You kinda took that quote out of context, Papa Smurf.

Preceding those words quoted, Croal said:

"I think there are people and organizations who aren’t very understanding of games that if that imagery is brought to them they’re going to be like, “Wait, hold up. I don’t know how you could put that out.” Then you have to say, “Does Wal-Mart want to deal with that? Does Target want to deal with that?” I’m not saying that censorship is the answer."

I haven't read the article again - it's friday - but from what I remember Croal never explicitly states disapproval of the game's imagery. Though, I could be terribly wrong, I can't quite remember.

What he was saying was that the game conjures up certain imagery of a certain period. This imagery could, in turn, be interpreted as being racist. And, to be honest, he does have a point.

He never called for a boycott, protests, or such. He just said he could envisage a possibility in which that could take place. And with many topics dealing with race, in America, often taking the emotional route, Croal does make another valid point.

Many people felt let down, for some reason, and those same people attacked the man without reading what he actually said - I'm aware of the contradiction. Lockhead's quick-bash reminded me of all that, you know.

TL;DR: a douche is a stream of water, often containing medicinal or cleansing agents, that is applied to a body part or cavity for hygienic or therapeutic purposes.

DangerMouse @ May 23rd 2008 12:30PM

Time Crisis 2?

PojoMofo @ May 23rd 2008 12:46PM

If the shop keeper is gone, Im gonna be pissed

If the shop keeper is there, "I'll buy it at a high price"

chimp o death @ May 23rd 2008 1:03PM

Did you see the Mega64 episode where the Shopkeeper is acosting people at the mall? Classic.

PojoMofo @ May 23rd 2008 4:01PM

fucking phenominal!!!! up until the cops came :)

Sam Earl @ May 23rd 2008 12:47PM

Nowhere in my tiny little mind is there a place where another AI controlled follower in an RE game is a good idea. They just end up feeling like a pain and I don't see many ways in which they could make them feel like actually help.

Now, Zombie killing co-op on the other hand is a completely different story, as demonstrated by Left 4 Dead.