All I see... is death.
Resident Evil 5 is, intuitively, the continuation of the series' storyline which has been unfolding for over a dozen years. The story of Resident Evil has been called many things, but as many gamers will publicly attest (and just as many who secretly agree) it's the yarn weaving together S.T.A.R.S. members, Umbrella Corporation and zombies that keeps them coming back, sequel after sequel. When asked if wrapping up the plot of the previous Resident Evil titles was serious incentive for fans to jump right into Resident Evil 5, Webster responded, "The producer Takeuchi-san might be able to provide a better answer than I can. What I can tell you is that the team in Japan are incredible story-tellers. The best I have every had the pleasure of working with in this business. I wouldn't be surprised if this is what they had planned all along. They are that good."

Of course, the bread-and-butter of Resident Evil 5 is its action, and for fans of Resident Evil 4, there's plenty to like. The game has a number of impressive set pieces, though the game was commonly criticized as having too many of them resemble the previous game in the series. Still, the inclusion of co-op play helps shake up what could be seen as a very by-the-numbers sort of shooter.

"Cool bosses certainly do represent a signature element within any Resident Evil game and RE5 was no exception. The level design in RE5 was laid out in such a way so that when consumers turned a page within the story the new page felt different from the last helping to move the story along and keep the player engaged. Breaking up the action really highlighted the depth within the gameplay and the richness of the story," asserted Webster. "If you look at how many people are engaging in co-op on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network it works out to about 60 percent of the audience that is playing RE5 together. In addition, when the demo dropped it was the most downloaded demo on either platform and co-op sessions went through the roof. All of the fans couldn't wait to try it out and then get online and start talking about it. Based on these stats I can say with confidence that co-op was a major draw for consumers."

To top things off, Resident Evil 5 has some of the most impressive graphics of this generation. The animation, lighting and character models were all good examples of what's possible in the HD generation. Add on the inventory system, which allows items to be switched out actively during gameplay [although item management in single player is painful – Ed.], and you have a very frenetic and intense game. "I think that the technology and power of the Xbox 360 and the PS3 helped increase the realism and intensity for RE5," noted Webster. "The inventory system was part of that, but the fidelity the team was able to achieve using the MT-Framework engine truly showcased the power of the next gen platforms."

Resident Evil 6, coming 2014!
Capcom really went all out on Resident Evil 5 to make sure as many consumers as possible heard about it. Early on, the company distributed beautiful (and sometimes controversial) trailers over the web, along with their online viral campaign 'It Came from Kijuju.' Right before and after the game's release, Capcom also conducted a TV campaign, hitting all of the major networks with ads emphasizing the action packed nature of the game. To read more about Resident Evil 5's marketing, please read GameDaily BIZ's Ad Watch.

While it's suspected that Resident Evil 5 is going to be an end of an era and the final chapter in the current storyline, the franchise is most definitely not going away. Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles has already been announced for release on Wii later this year, and while it may take years, the next entry in the main franchise (rumored to be a reboot) will eventually come. After all, horrible creatures aren't going to blow off their own heads with a shotgun.