This year’s Tokyo Game Show proved highly significant for the folks at Sony, with the Japanese hardware manufacturer unleashing a barrage of triple-A software offerings for eager punters to get their grubby mitts on for the first time, such Polyphony Digital’s hotly anticipated Gran Turismo 5. Chief among the show’s highlights, however, came courtesy of the latest developments surrounding the company’s forthcoming motion-sensing controller, the colloquially dubbed ‘PS3 Wand.’ Giants such as Media Molecule took to the stage during Sony’s press conference to demonstrate their software running on the new device, and unsurprisingly, Capcom was also among the many developers hopping on the wand-waggling bandwagon, taking the time to showcase their latest offering in the form of Resident Evil 5: Alternative Edition, due out next spring.
Designed specifically for use with the PS3 Wand, this revamped release of the critically acclaimed action horror classic allows gamers to manipulate the action concurrently with the DualShock 3 and Wand, utilizing the latter to point and shoot much like Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition. Furthermore, the game is also packed with additional game modes, including a brand new scenario, plus several as-of-yet unannounced goodies. With Capcom recently confirming that the game will launch in DLC form only, we figured this was as good as any time to divulge five reasons why we’re utterly stoked for the Alternative Edition.
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1. Chris & Jill co-op
Now, don’t get us wrong – we were chuffed that Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine both managed to show up in the same game with the original version of Resident Evil 5. However, the fact Capcom robbed us of the chance to utilize both characters in co-op play for the main scenario left a bitter taste in our mouths. After all, with the duo first appearing in the original Resident Evil and subsequently maintaining a strong friendship throughout the series, Redfield and Valentine have become in many fans eyes the quintessential RE partnership – a sentiment we here at PSU very much concur. As such, we’re absolutely thrilled we get to see them teaming up together in the Spencer Mansion for a bit of cooperative action.
2. Motion Controls
We’re itching to get our hands on Sony’s waggling wand device, and Resident Evil 5 should provide more than a suitable testing ground for the new peripheral; just look at RE4: Wii Edition for proof that motion-sensing controls work wonders with Capcom’s survival horror franchise. No more pesky laser aiming module shenanigans this time around – just point, shoot and bob’s your uncle. Hopefully Capcom will see fit to inject a little creativity in to the game’s Quick Time Events via the application of the wand, though, especially when it comes to those featured in the new scenario, Lost in Nightmares.
3. The Spencer Mansion
Smell that? It’s the fine whiff of nostalgia. Indeed, one of the highlights of Alternative Edition is the chance to explore Spencer’s gloomy holiday home seen in Redfield’s flashback in the original game, which forms the basis of Alternative Edition’s sumptuous looking Lost in Nightmares sub-scenario. Frankly, this looks to be a long time RE aficionados’ wet dream; a return to the ominous, winding claustrophobic halls and estate rooms of old school Survival Horror, replacing the sprawling, sun-baked locales of Kijuju’s action-orientated onslaught. Juxtaposed with the crumbling estate featured in the original Resident Evil, it’s obvious Capcom has taken many architectural inspirations for Spencer’s luscious European hideaway, with many rooms baring striking resemblance to the mansion in the first game – even the old Dining Room is back, complete with cracking fireplace (no bloodstain this time around though, you’ll find that in the Main Hall – though we highly doubt it’s “Chris’s blood!” this time around, as the great Barry Burton would say)
4. Puzzles
Over the years, Resident Evil’s brain-taxing, and often incongruous puzzles have become as synonymous with the survival horror franchise as much as the buckets of gore and legions of shambling undead. Sadly, recent entries neglected this particular avenue of pleasure to the background, so we’re eager to see it make a profound comeback – and from the look of things, Alternative Edition’s Spencer Mansion scenario looks set to do just that. Indeed, virtually every screenshot we’ve seen has been utterly devoid of enemies, instead focusing on the more explorative elements and puzzle solving antics the series has become renowned for. One particular scene depicted Redfield and Valentine operating a crank; an innocuous item at first glance, but one that the more discerning fan will instantly recognise for its ubiquity during the first three Resident Evil titles. Furthermore, with co-op play firmly integrated, hopefully we’ll see something a little more intricate in terms of team work for the new scenario, as the majority of riddles we tackled in RE5’s main scenario proved decidedly uninspired.
5. Return of the Living Dead?
Capcom is remaining disturbingly tight-lipped in regards to what abominations Redfield and Valentine will be pitted against in the new Lost in Nightmares scenario, though we’re crossing every finger and toe conceivable in the vein hope that the zombies will finally make their triumphant return in Alternative Edition. Producer Jun Takeuchi has divulged that the team will be taking in to consideration the fact players are traversing Spencer’s home, so the enemies will reflect this. Not the most encouraging news, considering it’s unlikely the aging Umbrella boss will have legions of walking corpses lumbering through the halls of his humble abode, but on the flip side, it’s unlikely they’ll be Majini’s either, as Redfield had no previous encounters with them prior to Kijuju. Fan enhanced images of the trailer appear to show some sort of hulking humanoid foe – speculated to be that of a classic bio-weapon such as a Tyrant or Hunter – though this remains to be seen. Either way, this is the home of one of the founders of Umbrella – if ever there was a chance for Capcom to inject some classic RE BOWs back into the mix, this is it.
What do you want to see from RE5: Alternative Edition, PSU readers? Are you excited for the motion-controls? Would you like to see the zombies make a comeback in the new scenario? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below.