Capcom have today said that the Alternative Edition of Resident Evil 5, previously announced at the Tokyo Game Show in September, will be available to Western markets as downloadable content on the Xbox Live and PlayStation 3 networks early next year.

The Alternative Edition will include a new episode featuring Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine and will be told as a flashback as the two enter the European Spencer Estate. The other significant addition will be support of Sony’s camera motion-controller, also due for launch in autumn.

 

Capcom have released the PC hardware requirements for Resident Evil 5, which is due to be available in New Zealand on the 18th September.

In Resident Evil 5, Chris Redfield is joined by new character Sheva Alomar, an African special agent tasked with investigating an epidemic in Africa. Resident Evil 5 is currently available for Xbox 360 and PS3, you can read our review here.

The PC requirements are as follows;

 

I don’t know how many of you have ever watched a movie series called “American Ninja”?

The series had two main characters (Joe and Michael) who never actually starred in the same movie until the fifth and final one in the series. Resident Evil reminds me of this series a little because it also has two main characters; Chris Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy, and again, neither of these characters has appeared in the same game together (but won’t it be awesome when they eventually do!).

The last Resident Evil game had Leon as the front runner but for Resident Evil 5 it is finally Chris’s time in the spotlight again. But this time he’s not alone, oh no, this time he has a new female partner named Sheva.

Following the demise of Red Ant, Capcom has announced its appointment of THQ as the distributor of Capcom products in Australia.

As the distributor for THQ in New Zealand, Monaco Corporation will now also be releasing these Capcom titles in the New Zealand market.

“We are excited to be working with Capcom,” said Rodney Block, General Manager – THQ Australia/NZ. “Capcom is renowned for great gaming experiences and have such incredible franchises as Street Fighter and Resident Evil. THQ are looking forward to bringing these highly-anticipated Capcom titles to gaming audiences across Australia and New Zealand.”

Capcom has revealed that a playable demo for Resident Evil 5 will be made available on the PlayStation Network on February 2nd.

Xbox 360 users however will still have exclusive access to this demo on Xbox LIVE from January 26th.

The demo is set within two stages from the beginning of the game - Assembly Place and Shanty Town - and features plenty of co-operative action, shooting, hordes of bloodthirsty infected Majini enemies and a few puzzles to round out the action.

Capcom have issued a press release stating that Xbox 360 gamers worldwide will be able to download and play a demo of Resident Evil 5 well ahead of the March 13 release date;

[quote]
The next instalment of the landmark survival horror franchise from Capcom will take action to a new level with a two-level, playable demo available exclusively on Xbox 360 for one week beginning Monday, January 26. In the demo, players will have a first glimpse of the fear they will never forget, as Resident Evil 5 makes daylight just as terrifying as darkness. Additionally, a new exclusive high-definition trailer of the game, shown only at the past Tokyo Game Show in October of 2008, will be made available for download on the Xbox LIVE service on Friday, Jan. 16.

 

Capcom has released three new trailers and a bunch of new screenshots for the upcoming release of Resident Evil 5.

In this sequel, the biohazard threat has not ended: just when it seemed that the menace of Resident Evil had been destroyed, along comes a new terror to send shivers down player's spines.

Chris Redfield, returning Resident Evil hero, has followed the path of the evil literally around the globe. After joining a new organization, Chris heads to Africa where the latest bioterrorism threat is literally transforming the people and animals of the city into mindless, maddened creatures.