Resident Evil 5 Co-op Play Detailed

Resident Evil 5 is set to be one of the main attractions at next week's Tokyo Game Show where co-op play will make its playable debut. Ahead of that, the latest issue of Famitsu got the full word on this new addition to the RE world via an interview with producers Jun Takeuchi and Masachika Kawata.

The two gave a bit of background on the co-op mode. While co-op play was unveiled late in the RE5 development time frame, it's actually the base for development, explained Takeuchi.

That's not to say that the game is best only when played online. Takeuchi made the distinction that RE5's online play is really just the game's story mode played either by one or two players. The development staff is putting a lot of effort in that story, added Kawata.

Those who are looking to enjoy the game as both Chris and Shiva may be out of luck. Players take control exclusively of Chris as they work through the game. It's only in co-op mode that players who join in can take control of Shiva. The host player always controls Chris.

At TGS, Capcom will have a total of 50 playable kiosks split 25 to 25 between the Xbox 360 and PS3. This could rise as high as 70 when including demo units in the Sony and Microsoft booths. This is the highest number of demo units Capcom has ever given to one of its games, said Kawata.

After a five minute theater video presentation explaining the game's control system, players will be able to play a short demo that can be cleared in just about 15 minutes.

The developers also shared a few details on Wesker, whose appearance in the game was confirmed in last week's issue. He's quite strong in this latest appearance, explained Takeuchi, noting that he was a strong character in Code Veronica, and it would be unacceptable to make him weaker here. TGS attendees will get to see Wesker in an all new trailer, and Takeuchi thinks fans will make note of his strength.

Development on RE5 is currently at 75%, said Takeuchi during the interview. Actual game content is at 99%, but the next few months will be spent fine tuning the product.

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