Resident Evil 5 producer talks

PS3 News | Jun Takeuchi on videogame stubble, reactive physics and the possible use of middleware for RE5.

In a recent interview with Famitsu Xbox, Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi has been discussing the fifth entry in the survival horror franchise at some length, focussing primarily on the visual effects that will be employed by the title.

And if the producer's claims ring true, then Resident Evil 5 looks set to boast some truly extravagant graphical detail, with Takeuchi even promising that the main character (widely reckoned to be previous Resi hero Chris Redfield, though Takeuchi-san wouldn't be drawn into confirming this) will be modelled in ridiculous detail, right down to individual blades of hair for his stubble, which sounds like a good enough reason to invest in a High Definition TV to us (Sold! - Ed). Not only that, but staff at Capcom are hard at work developing techniques that can set values for various muscles in each character's face, although the producer admitted this wasn't certain to make the final game.

Likewise, nothing has yet been confirmed on whether or not the game will utilise middleware, such as the Unreal 3 engine that wowed everybody at E3, with Takeuchi admitting they were 'looking into it' in an attempt to save the time and expense involved in building their own engine.

Gameplay-wise, Takeuchi again confirmed that the title will be closer to Resident Evil 4 than any other of the games, which is a good thing considering Resident Evil 4 is comfortably the greatest thing since sliced bread. The physics will be enjoying a huge boost as well, with something close to reactive physics being implemented. This should allow for the realistic breaking and toppling of items within the game world.

And that's it for now. Although we've yet to receive even a vague estimate as to when it'll be ready for release, Resident Evil 5 (due for an Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 release, don't forget) should be exhibited at September's Tokyo Game Show.