Resident Evil 5 Demo to Premiere Exclusively on Xbox 360

[fitbabits]

Anyone who's been waiting for news on the North American demo for Capcom's Resident Evil 5 should pay attention to the following - the demo will premiere exclusively on Xbox 360 some time during the week of January 26th.

Major Nelson's post on the exact contents of the demo is inconclusive, so I'll post it here for you to make up your own mind:

Originally Posted by Major Nelson

...but you’ll be able to get your hands on a two-level playable demo the week of January 26th. According to Capcom, the demo will have has three levels of co-op play: single-player with AI support, two-player split-screen on a single Xbox 360 and two-player across Xbox LIVE.

Also revealed by the good Major is news of new trailers on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

We just uploaded five new screenshots for Resident Evil 5. You can check them out here.

NOTE - PlayStation 3 owners have no need to fret as the same demo will appear on the PlayStation Network on February 5th.

I'm perhaps one of the few people who openly admit to not getting along well with Resident Evil 4, instead preferring Dead Space over any of the RE games. That said, I'm interested in this and will download it the second it's available.

Thanks to Kielaran for the tip, sent via the wonders of electronic mail to our very own CoG Tips Line.

[Sandman]

So will the demo have two or three playable levels?

[Disgustipated]

It's already available... all you gotta do is download it off the 'net and burn it to a CD!

Originally Posted by Sandman

So will the demo have two or three playable levels?

Two, read it carefully. There's three ways to play it: by yourself, split-screen, or co-op on live.

[pomeroy]

Is this going to be the same demo as the japanese one that I already don't like?

[Banacek]

Originally Posted by fitbabits

I'm perhaps one of the few people who openly admit to not getting along well with Resident Evil 4, instead preferring Dead Space over any of the RE games. That said, I'm interested in this and will download it the second it's available.

But Dead Space jacked its gameplay from RE4. What didn't you like about it?

[Grifter]

Originally Posted by Sandman

So will the demo have two or three playable levels?

Two levels with three types of co-op.

[Mortis]

Co-op in the US demo? Nice. I still feel it is hamstrung by the controls but it is one of the games I am looking forward to this year. Since I already played the Japanese demo I probably won't stop playing Skate 2 long enough to hit this up.

[fitbabits]

Originally Posted by Banacek

But Dead Space jacked its gameplay from RE4. What didn't you like about it?

It just felt overly stiff and restrictive.

[Mortis]

Dead Space set the new standard for control in the action horror/survival horror genre. Much better than RE4/5.

[Sandman]

RE4 felt like I was driving a tank instead of controlling a one man zombie killing machine. I never made it past the first village.

[Norse]

Yeah, I agree that Dead Space's controls are perfect, so RE5 feels a bit awkward. Still, the demo was great, and I can't wait for the full game. It'll be my first RE game actually.

[ElektroDragon]

Very nice! I wonder if it will give me enough time to cancel my Collector's Edition preorder if I find I don't like the game..... Yes, it's possible. My record not liking hugely popular titles lately is 50/50 it seems.

[Banacek]

Originally Posted by fitbabits

It just felt overly stiff and restrictive.

I guess I can see that. I loved it, but then I've been playing the series since the first one on the PS1, so I thought that the controls in RE4 were like a liberation.

[bean]

An exclusive demo? What does that do?

Maybe it could cause more sales on the Xbox 360 for this particular game, but it won't sell systems. Do you think they want most sales on the 360 for some future downloadable content?

[Urizen]

Originally Posted by fitbabits

It just felt overly stiff and restrictive.

Curious.

DS is the one set on the claustrophobic space ship. RE4 takes place all over a countryside and a giant castle. Apart from the on-the-fly weapon changes and the (very poorly executed) hologram map, DS is happily riding RE4's coattails and does nothing to break the mold.

I can't think of a single way DS improved on RE4's controls. Leon's animations aren't as good as Isaac's, but if that broke the deal for you in 2004, then I'm surprised DS met your standards almost five years later. Needless to say, we played two very different games.

[fitbabits]

Originally Posted by DaXIthR

Curious.

DS is the one set on the claustrophobic space ship. RE4 takes place all over a countryside and a giant castle. Apart from the on-the-fly weapon changes and the (very poorly executed) hologram map, DS is happily riding RE4's coattails and does nothing to break the mold.

I can't think of a single way DS improved on RE4's controls. Leon's animations aren't as good as Isaac's, but if that broke the deal for you in 2004, then I'm surprised DS met your standards almost five years later. Needless to say, we played two very different games.

No, we played the same games - we just felt differently about them. Nothing more. Personal preference is just that - personal.

[Mortis]

Originally Posted by bean

An exclusive demo? What does that do?

Maybe it could cause more sales on the Xbox 360 for this particular game, but it won't sell systems. Do you think they want most sales on the 360 for some future downloadable content?

I could have something to do with a contest that hasn't been announced yet. The Skate 2 demo was (still is?) a timed exclusive and had a contest associated with it on the 360.

[Banacek]

Originally Posted by bean

An exclusive demo? What does that do?

Maybe it could cause more sales on the Xbox 360 for this particular game, but it won't sell systems. Do you think they want most sales on the 360 for some future downloadable content?

I guess it all depends on how much weight the RE series carries nowadays. Back when RE2 came out, it was a easy system seller. RE5? Not so sure anymore. That being said I can't wait to check out the demo.

[bean]

Originally Posted by Banacek

I guess it all depends on how much weight the RE series carries nowadays. Back when RE2 came out, it was a easy system seller. RE5? Not so sure anymore. That being said I can't wait to check out the demo.

Oh, if it was an exclusive game altogether, then sure. . . but an exclusive demo?

Mortis - Huh. So it gives more coverage for the contest? I don't know. Skate is a fairly new IP and they want to get those of us who aren't skaters interested in the skating game with their marketing, but RE is a sure thing.

[National Kato]

Originally Posted by Banacek

But Dead Space jacked its gameplay from RE4. What didn't you like about it?

They may be of the same spirit, but Dead Space streamlined the RE mechanic and made a game 10x more playable. I tried to get through RE4, but I tired of fighting with the controls and, contrary to my characters training, wrestling with the shooting side of things.

I have high hopes for RE5 because I've read somewhere that there are more FPS-like control options, but at least with Dead Space I could hit what I was aiming for.