Resident Evil 5: Is This The Scariest Resi Yet?

For months now details on Resident Evil 5 have been scarcer than talking monkeys. All we've had is the initial teaser trailer then a sloooooow drip feed of tiny tidbits of information. Infuriating! But now Capcom have seen fit to finally release a more accomplished trailer revealing that the game will retain the new over-the-shoulder perspective that made Resi 4 such a groundbreaking instalment in the hugely successful survival horror series. Additionally the traditional T-Virus zombies and Las Plagas infected are taking a break to make way for a new breed of fleet-footed uber-zombie bastards. In the trailer we see aggressive gangs of zombified villagers wielding machetes and scythes, knocking Redfield to the ground, stomping him like a group of happy-slapper chavs outside Mc.Donalds, wide-eyed and absolutely terrifying.

Resi 5 will star Resident Evil stalwart Chris Redfield, as we'd already guessed but this time he's working for the BSAA, whoever they are. So far there's been no allusion to the shady, omnipotent Umbrella Corporation and no sign of series villain and Val Kilmer wannabe, Albert Wesker...yet. However to write off the possibility of an Umbrella resurgence would be stupid, absent as they were from the last game, it would be timely to have the all-powerful, evil corporation making a comeback.

Also present in the trailer is a tantalising glimpse of the much vaunted light and dark gameplay element. When Chris enters the hut to see a native having his face chewed off by two fellow villagers, we see that Chris's eyes have to adjust to the darker environment. It appears to be a well implemented feature that could enhance the scares when moving from light to dark and vice versa. In this scene we see the aforementioned savaged geezer scramble up to his feet, his eyes and nose bleed before he leaps at Chris. This means that when natives are bitten, the infection is accelerated so that the transformation is virtually instantaneous. Wow. Maybe those Umbrella fruitcakes decide to fuse their T-Virus with the Las Plagas?! Logically, this could be the case as it would mean that your enemies possess attributes of both viruses, which would explain the potent mixture of speed and intelligence that these new zombies exhibit. Scary stuff.
Luckily, it looks as if Chris has been spending his spare time in the gym beefing up. At one point in the trailer he kicks the zombie hordes back, just like Leon in Resi 4, but-get this-he follows it up with a meaty right hook. Yeah! Punch that zombie in his rotten face!!

<~ At the very end of the trailer this bint submerged in water opens her eyes in a typically sinister fashion. Who is she?

Aesthetically, Resi 5 looks as if it will utilise the same down and dirty, dusty brown colour pallette as Resi 4, upping the grimy detail for next-gen consoles. Early specualation that the game would take place in a sun drenched European locale have been eschewed by the ethnicity of the natives. Resi 5 is set in what appears to be an oppressive African regime, hinted at by the Idi Amin-esque dictatorial guy with the aviators wielding the megaphone. We're thinking maybe Haiti or Uganda? Either way, Resi 5 is shaping up to be one of the hottest titles for 2008 and our eyes are already bleeding in anticipation. Yeeeargh!!

Resident Evil 5 is pencilled in for an early 2008 release, subject to slippage of course. Check out the full uncut E3 trailer at the PlayStation Store.