Would any of you kind villagers know the way to the American embassy?

The extended, 3 minute long trailer for Resident Evil 5 can now be found on Xbox Marketplace, and watching it again and again must be a thrill for fans. There’s a ton of new footage that we can assume to be gameplay, due to the over-the-shoulder perspective and moves that seem to be a natural extension of what players could do in RE4.

Without revealing the exact location of the game, the sun beaten locations and villagers’ attire suggest either an African village, or possibly Haiti. Haiti seems to be an especially attractive possibility, because of the connection to zombie lore through its voodoo roots, as explored in the book and film “The Serpent and the Rainbow”. All of the background signs are in English, which might support the notion that the game is set in Haiti due to its close proximity to the United States.

What’s especially impressive about the graphics in the trailer are the detailed eyes of the zombified foes you’re facing. Instead of the bloodshot red eyes of “Las Plagas”, the villagers seem to have a different infection that makes their eyes glow yellow. This is especially noticeable at the 30 second mark, and the realistic eyes are a sign that this Resident Evil won’t surrender to the Uncanny Valley.

For the first minute or so we are given a voiceover by Chris Redfield (who is actually identified in the trailer this time). “Casualties have continued to mount over the long years I have struggled. More and more I find myself wondering if it’s all worth fighting for. Who knows?” He glances upwards into the sun, as the shadow of an overhead wire sways on the ground.

The scene shifts to an indoor assault- a man is held on the ground, and gives way to a zombie-like infection. His eyes begin to leak blood. This was all we saw of zombies in this year’s E3 Microsoft press conference, but this new trailer shows us what happens when zombies attack.

Around 1:30 the action kicks in big time. There are a flurry of action shots that appear to be very similar to the combat in RE4. A group of villagers approach the hero quickly, while he tries to hold them off with a variety of weapons. A pistol, shotgun, and machine gun are all fired in this trailer. We also get quick flashes of certain special moves- a villager puts Chris’s arm behind his back and forces him to the ground, and in one of trailer’s final shots we see Chris fighting back by throwing a punch in self-defense (similar to Leon’s kick move in RE4).

We also have our best look yet at the zombies themselves. Mostly these are villagers– young men wearing jeans and dusty tees, but also women in headbands and dresses. Some are wielding scythes, and throwing them at Chris like the Ganados in RE4. There are also a few shots of a mysterious enemy with a sack-like bandage over his face, carrying a giant axe of some kind. Towards the end of the trailer, this creature smashes a section of wall with his weapon. Apparently these will be the tougher creatures of RE5, similar to the chainsaw-carrying Dr. Salvador in RE4.

The trailer ends with a mysterious blonde woman opening her eyes underwater. Could this be Ashley, the President’s daughter who Leon rescued in RE4? Is she in some kind of containment tank, perhaps?

The trailer still leaves a lot of details to the imagination- we are still dying to know where the game is set, which other STARS are returning, and whether or not this is a new form of the Umbrella/Plagas virus. Still, the gameplay snippits should excite anyone who loved RE4, and the next-generation graphics steal the show here. It’s a long, long wait until RE5 comes out in 2008, but hopefully we’ll get a little more information soon that will make the wait bearable.

Tags: Capcom, Resident-Evil-5

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