Gearheads of War

So, I've been absent from our community for a while, reasons ranging from making up term grades to working so I can afford a new car and, by the 12th, a Playstation 3. For my first diary back, I'm compiling all the known information for Resident Evil 5. The Story [Updated] * Takes place 10 years after the Raccoon City Incident in 1998, so it will be the year 2008. * Main protagonist is original ex-STAR operative, Chris Redfield. * Redfield is sent to Africa by the BSAA to investigate [possibly] a bio-terrorist threat. * The BSAA is the new organization Redfield is employed in. * The area in Africa is referred to "Kijuju" in the Captivate 08 trailer by the locals. Based on similar city names, this may be located in Tanzania in East Africa, the volcanic region fitting some of the visuals of the game. * "We settled on the fact that we really wanted to show the origins of the virus. So for the setting we thought, how about using the place where humankind was born?"- Jun Takeuchi, Producer. * Albert Wesker is confirmed to be involved in the game. * Two new African characters: Shiva and Josh. * Chris will run into Sherry Birkin, from Resident Evil 2, during his investigation. * Aside from the main village, there seems to be a riverside village, a cave-system, volcanoes, and a graveyard/shrine in a dormant crater or open cave. * Flashbacks on Chris' past will be explored and possibly playable (see Gameplay). * Chris is 35, Sherry is 22. • The Progenitor Virus, the precursor to the T-Virus, was discovered in Africa, and this will be explored in RE5. NEW Gameplay [Updated] * The game will take after Resident Evil 4's over-the-shoulder perspective. * Melee combat will return, but with more veritable animations, including: roundhouse kick, slugs to the face, front kick, tackles, and throws. * Lighting will figure highly into gameplay. Players will need to have their vision focus when entering dark or bright areas from an opposite-spectrum area. Lighting will also affect in-game temperature. * In original development plans from TGS 2007, players out in the sun for too long will overheat. They would need to enter the shade to cool down. * If a player is overexposed to the sun, they will see hallucinations and have trouble aiming. * A second character named Sheva, who is an African-born mercenary, will aid the player throughout the story. * The player will at some point in the game have to escort a young, female character (Sherry Birkin?), reminiscent of Ashley in Resident Evil 4. * "Everything he'd experienced in the past 10 years, we wanted to be able to allow the player to experience as well, so we're preparing a few ways to encourage the player to do just that."-Takeuchi. * There will be a dodge mechanic. * A cover system is being implemented. * Full, online co-op will be available. Player 1 is Chris, while Player 2 takes control of Sheva. • Xbox 360 version: X button performs melee or other prompts on screen, including jumping gaps between roofs. NEW Weapons [Updated] * Colt 1911 * Berretta handgun * USP handgun * Shotgun: cut-down * SPAS 12 * Automatic Rifle * Sniper Rifle * Explosive Barrels can be shot and detonated. * TGS 07 trailer suggests the player can upgrade their knife to a machete for greater stopping power and reach. • Incendiary Grenades NEW Enemies [Updated] * The new villagers are not zombies or ganados. * Though not ganados, the villagers are infected by parasites. * Parasites are given through consumption, as indicated in the Captivate 08 trailer. * The villager's skin hardens and their eyes whiten during infection. They also are granted greater strength. * Villagers carry and throw blades and clubs like in Resident Evil 4, and will also fight bare-handed. * The parasites emerge from the villager's mouths during the day as well, and have a variety attacks. One is where just the mouth emerges and attempts to bite Chris' face and jugular. Next, the parasite will emerge 12 feet out of its host, and will attempt to instant-kill Chris by decapitating him. There are sure to be many more variations. * Animals are infected as well. The Captivate 08 trailer showed Chris being attacked by infected dogs. * The chainsaw antagonist returns, who can cut through chained gates. * An executioner-type antagonist also wanders around, wielding a large, make-shift axe/hammer. Villagers will attempt to pin the player to the ground for a decapitating blow. The Executioner will also swing the weapon horizontally, resulting in an instant kill, or taking a chunk out of any environment piece it strikes. NEW * Super-Juiced Albert Wesker will return to make Redfield miserable for escaping. * Rumor is that Sherry Birkin may be being used by Wesker as a weapon against Chris. She was infected with the G-Virus, and though was cured, may have lingering effects such as super strength and senses similar to Wesker. She may also have deep resentment towards Chris, for his sister, Claire, abandoned Sherry to search for him in Code Veronica. • Not all of the villagers are black Africans. Some are white, others black, even a few Hispanic. Racial outcries: go to your silent graves. NEW The Rest of the Cookie Jar [Updated] * Due to his ties to Africa, Resident Evil protagonist Billy Coen may make an appearance. * With Chris and Sherry present, Claire will most likely join in on the shenanigans as well. * Though mentioned above, the heat element has yet to be shown gameplay or trailer wise. Has it been cut? * Join the party! Leon may show up yet again as he is familiar with the Redfields and Sherry. * No information is available on Josh, though theories range from Sheva's brother or RE5's version of Luis from RE4. Some say he may be another playable character, though not for a 3rd Player. * Sorry, but still no strafing...yet. * Scripted scenes of psycho-village drivers return, with bigger trucks. * The explosion and particle effects are much improved. * The game is about 40% complete, with most of the major graphical work finished. • The African village is four times as large as the Spanish village in RE4. NEW • The development team is shooting for, possibly, a 20 hour game, making it one of the longest Resident Evil games to date, if not the longest. NEW • The game’s development is currently in the 60% ballpark. NEW • A new gameplay mechanic is yet to be officially revealed, possibly online co-op or the cover system. NEW I'll add more to the list in the coming months.