Month: January 2021

Capcom’s first Resident Evil showcase of 2021 covered a slew of upcoming projects in the long-running franchise, from the next major installment with Resident Evil Village, to a new multiplayer experience and one of the upcoming RE films.

Here’s a breakdown of everything announced, revealed, and shown during the showcase, including new gameplay, details, and more.

Resident Evil Village Release Date, Demo Details

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One of the biggest announcements of the showcase, Capcom confirmed Resident Evil Village will be coming to PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, PS4, and Xbox One on May 7, 2021. Additionally, there will be a demo later this spring for all platforms, but PS5 owners can get exclusive access today to the new “Maiden” demo.

You can find out all about Resident Evil Village’s release plans, including special edition details, as part of our coverage of the show.

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Resident Evil Village Gameplay

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Capcom centered much of the showcase around a new look at Resident Evil Village (aka Resident Evil 8)’s gameplay. First-person combat returns as players once again take on the role of Ethan Winters, but Capcom has introduced new melee elements like blocking and counters to the mix.

We also learned more about the environments, characters, and more about this new adventure, so be sure to read our detailed breakdown of RE: Village’s new gameplay, including its similarities to Resident Evil 4.

Resident Evil Re:Verse Announced

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But Village wasn’t the only Resident Evil game on display. Campcom producer Tsuyoshi Kanda announced Resident Evil RE:Verse, a multiplayer experience that will be free to anybody who purchases Village.

RE:Verse will have beta tests for RE Ambassadors soon, but be sure to check out some of the initial playable character reveals, gameplay, and more of RE:Verse from the show.

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Resident Evil and The Division 2 Crossover

Ubisoft made a surprise cameo on the Resident Evil stream, with The Division 2 developer Massive confirming a crossover event that will bring RE-themed earnable items to the Ubisoft shooter for a limited time. Players just have to log in to the event in February, from Feb. 2 – 15 to earn the Leon Kennedy RPD Outfit.

Resident Evil Netflix Movie Tease

Resident Evil has long extended beyond games, and there are plenty of other projects in the pipeline. Capcom teased one of those during the showcase, the previously announced Netflix animated movie, Infinite Darkness. Not much is known, but we did get to see some footage of the film, which is set to hit the streaming service sometime in 2021. Of course, Capcom is also working on a Resident Evil TV series with Netflix, which will tell a brand new story in the universe.

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Be sure to stay tuned to IGN for more coverage of the entire Resident Evil universe as Village, RE:Verse, Infinite Darkness and more approach.

Ever since Capcom teased its Resident Evil Showcase, people have been obsessed with the very tall vampire lady briefly shown in the video, expressing their undying love for her. Fanart is plentiful, tweets pledging eternal love have been rolling in, and more than a few people who are comfortable with being horny on main have expressed other desires we’ll avoid repeating here. Needless to say, she’s already the star of the survival horror show. But who is she? Many of the answers to that question remain a mystery, but we’ve got just enough new information to fuel the thirst.

First things first: If it wasn’t clear, she is extremely tall. In the video footage of Resident Evil Village, she’s shown ducking really low to get through a doorway and, in other scenes, is towering over literally everyone else in the room, including you. She is the latest in a long line of tall villains, following Resident Evil 7‘s Jack Baker (reasonably tall), Resident Evil 2 and Remake’s Mr. X (intimidatingly tall), and Resident Evil 3 Remake’s Nemesis (a towering pile of mincemeat).

As revealed on the PlayStation Blog, her name is Lady Dimitrescu. When the camera in the trailer gets close to her, face it’s revealed she has sharp fangs, kind of like a vampire. That, along with her pale skin and rather sophisticated outfit choice that simply has to be respected have convinced the world she is indeed a vampire. Only vampires have fits that clean. So, that’s the basics: Lady Dimitrescu is tall and she’s probably a vampire.

What we’ve now learned is that the castle we’re shown in various Resident Evil Village videos is her home. In one trailer Dimitrescu is on the phone talking to Mother Miranda, who doesn’t pop up anywhere else. It could be that Mother Miranda is the real mastermind behind all the strange things going on in the village. She may even be the vampire who sired the tall lady. During the phone call she mentions that “Ethan Winters has escaped that fool Heisenberg” and he’s proven “too much for my daughters to handle.”

During the gameplay video we’re introduced to three women dressed in all black. These are presumably Tall Vampire Lady’s daughters, though it’s not clear whether they are her blood relatives or women she turned. It seems like they have inherited some strange abilities either way, as they are shown forming out of flies. Vampires are traditionally depicted as turning into bats, but bugs also work, stylistically.

Familial relationships are a big part of Resident Evil Village, which is nice as it carries forward the theme from Resident Evil 7 and other entries in the series. Another member of the family is Heisenberg, the aforementioned person that Ethan gave the slip to. When Dimitrescu confronts Ethan, she says, “You escaped my little brother’s idiot games did you? Let’s see how special you are,” confirming that she has a sibling relationship with Heisenberg.

The last thing we learned is that there is some sort of ceremony happening soon, and Dimitrescu sounds like she’s in charge of making sure it goes off without a hitch. Given that Ethan is in her castle to rescue his kidnapped daughter, we’re guessing turning a child into a vampire might have something to do with it.

And that’s everything we know so far about internet sensation Tall Vampire Lady, so now you can go back to Twitter and tell people how you want her to step on you or whatever. Enjoy!

In today’s Resident Evil showcase, Capcom gave fans a closer look at Resident Evil Village, the next game in the company’s beloved horror series, and shared new details about its story and gameplay. In addition, Capcom announced Resident Evil Village preorders will be live starting today, and there are a number of different editions available. Depending on which edition of Resident Evil Village you preorder, you can get a variety of digital items to help you in-game as well as physical goodies to display on your shelf.

Resident Evil Village releases May 7 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It continues the story of Ethan Winters, the protagonist of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. The PS4 and Xbox One versions will include a free upgrade to next-gen versions.

Resident Evil Village preorder bonuses

Anyone who preorders Resident Evil Village will receive two digital items: the Mr. Raccoon weapon charm and the survival resource pack. Digital Resident Evil Village preorders will also include a mini-soundtrack.

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Preorder Resident Evil Village standard edition

If you just want the base game, then the standard edition is the way to go. Those who preorder Resident Evil Village’s standard edition for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, or PC will receive the base game and any preorder bonuses.

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Preorder Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 7 complete bundle

If you haven’t played Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, which acts as a prequel to Resident Evil Village, then you can snag both a preorder for Village and a digital copy of RE7 with this complete bundle, the latter of which will be available immediately. That gives you ample time to play through RE7, which earned an 8/10 in GameSpot’s Resident Evil 7 review, before Village releases on May 7.

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Preorder Resident Evil Village Digital Deluxe edition

The Resident Evil Village Digital Deluxe edition is available to preorder only digitally through the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, and Steam. The Digital Deluxe edition includes a variety of extra in-game content that pays homage to Resident Evil 7. These include new safe room music, a new save device, and the Albert-01 gun as well as a visual filter that makes Village look like the found-footage moments from RE7.

Here’s everything you’ll receive if you preorder the Resident Evil Village Digital Deluxe edition:

• Safe Room Music
• Mr. Everywhere collectible
• Found-footage filter
• Tape deck save device
• Albert-01 Chris gun
• The Tragedy of Ethan Winters
• Max Difficulty

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Preorder Resident Evil Village Collector’s edition

The Resident Evil Village Collector’s edition comes with a bunch of physical goodies, including a poster, steelbook case, art book, and Chris Redfield statue. You’ll also get a code for the Trauma Pack as well as a special box to hold all of it in.

Here’s everything you’ll receive if you preorder the Resident Evil Village Collector’s edition:

• Poster
• Trauma Pack Product Code
• Steelbook case
• Chris Redfield statue
• Special Box
• Art book

Ubisoft’s The Division 2 will be holding an event that celebrates the Resident Evil franchise’s 25th anniversary. For a limited time, the event will give players the opportunity to unlock iconic outfits and items from the original Resident Evil trilogy.

Those who log in during the event will automatically get Resident Evil 2 star Leon Kennedy’s Raccoon City Police Department outfit. From there, a variety of outfits, weapon skins, and more will be available to unlock. The announcement video shows off a costume that is very similar to Jill’s look from the first Resident Evil, as well as the iconic outfit worn by Hunk.

The Division 2 event will begin on February 2, and you’ll have until February 15 to log in and claim your Leon freebie.

Those interested in multiplayer with a Resident Evil flavor should keep an eye on RE:Verse, a new deathmatch-style experience that will be available to anyone who purchases Resident Evil Village when it launches on May 7, 2021.

Capcom has announced Re:Verse, a new multiplayer experience set in the Resident Evil universe. The game features multiple heroes and villains from across the survival horror series coming together in a deathmatch scenario. Naturally, there’s the added threat of zombies wandering around and also felled players returning from the dead. You can check out the debut trailer below.

Producer Tsuyoshi Kanda appeared during the Resident Evil Showcase to explain that Re:Verse is one of the ways that Capcom is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Resident Evil this year as the game is “showcasing so many of the characters that fans love.”

The Re:Verse showcase began with Leon and Claire facing off in a standoff situation, but other recognizable figures from the series are quickly introduced. Jill appears, engaging in combat with Leon and Claire, and someone is shown dying but then returning as a zombie.

The action takes place from a third-person perspective, rather than first-person. According to the mode’s official website, Re:Verse supports four-to-six-player matches. At least one component of the game will five-minute matches.

At one point, Nemesis joins the fray, Jack Baker from Resident Evil 7 appears, and a Tyrant is shown attacking a person. After dying, you turn into a bioweapon to attack other players. By collecting virus capsules, you can transform into stronger ones, helping you to continue racking up points in your battle against other players.

Although they’re not shown in the video, the key art for Re:Verse features Ada Wong and Hunk too, so they’ll probably be available in some form.

According to Capcom, Re:Verse will be available for free to anyone who purchases Resident Evil Village. The company did not say whether it will be available as a standalone experience. Notably, Re:Verse is available for PS4, Xbox One, and Steam, with PS5 and Xbox Series X|S playing backwards compatible versions. That’s contrary to Village itself, which has native next-gen versions. Re:Verse’s website notes an internet connection is required, so don’t expect any options for offline local play.

Resident Evil Village releases on May 7, 2021 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Read more about it in our RE Village preorder guide.

Capcom has released a Resident Evil Village demo on PlayStation 5, and it is available to download from the PlayStation Store today–and its impending release has seemingly crashed PSN’s store. The demo is being referred to as “Maiden.” Players will not be taking control of Resident Evil Village protagonist Ethan Winters in the demo.

As detailed by producer Pete Fabiano in the Resident Evil Showcase, the protagonist in the demo is referred to as the “Maiden” and, as such, the demo is standalone from the main game. In fact, the demo doesn’t feature any combat or the new blocking system detailed in the showcase’s gameplay demo, and it’s unclear if the Tall Vampire Lady will make an appearance. But you can expect ray tracing and 3D Audio support, the latter of which requires the use of headphones.

According to Fabiano, the Resident Evil Village Maiden demo is instead a bit of a mood piece that gives players a taste of the presentation. “We’re hoping to have players get a real feel for the visuals and audio as they take the Maiden on her journey to find a way out of the castle,” he explained.

As noted above, PSN and the PlayStation Store appear to be suffering from issues at the moment, with some users having trouble accessing them. That’s possibly due to a rush of people hitting the store to look for the demo. At the time of this writing, the demo is not yet available.

The Maiden demo is one of two that will be available. Fabiano said that a separate, new demo will be available this spring. This second demo will not be PS5-exclusive and will instead be available on all platforms.

During the event Capcom confirmed Resident Evil Village’s release date as May 7, 2021. It will be available for PS4 and Xbox One, alongside the previously announced PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC versions. For more, check out our RE Village preorder guide.

Capcom showed Resident Evil Village gameplay during a digital showcase event and, as expected, it looks a lot like Resident Evil 7. However, as producer Pete Fabiano details, a number of changes and new features have been added to mix up how the game plays.

The gameplay trailer, which you can watch below, begins in a part of the titular village. This area looks to be a snow-covered graveyard and, as expected, it’s rather ominous, with a dreary, overcast atmosphere and spindly trees looming overhead. In the distance is the castle, which players will need to venture into as returning protagonist Ethan Winters, who is there to rescue his kidnapped daughter.

Capcom has opted to keep the first-person perspective for Resident Evil Village, which was introduced in Resident Evil 7 and praised for bringing a new, more immersive quality to the franchise. “We think it really draws players into the detailed world we’ve created,” Fabiano explained. “The team put a ton of effort into creating a truly authentic feel. From art design to technology, everything ties in great, and creates some beautiful visuals.”

During the demo we get to see the interior of the castle, which looks incredibly upscale to the point of being a bit lurid. At the same time, it also recalls the first game’s Spencer Mansion, creating a familiar, distinctly Resident Evil feel.

We’re quickly introduced to the denizens of the castle, who are women that look like they’re dressed for a funeral. They appear to form out of hundreds of flies and drag Ethan to another room where a very tall woman assesses Ethan. Although there’s not a lot revealed about her in this video, the trailer shown at the start of the showcase does offer enough to piece together a little about her and the other three women.

Her name is not yet known, but in the trailer she is on the phone to someone called Mother Miranda. The women are her daughters, though it’s not clear whether they are her blood offspring or if they’re daughters in the cult sense.

Returning to combat, Resident Evil Village features more first-person shooting. Like the previous games, it doesn’t look to be the traditional shooter style and instead appears to be slower and considered, which is in line with previous games. This time, however, there’s more of an emphasis on defensive moves. Ethan is shown putting up his hands to block an enemy, then countering with a punch that pushes his attacker away, which he follows up on with a devastating kick.

According to Fabiano, “Each type of enemy has their own distinct way of fighting, so you will need to change up your strategy to defeat them.” One such enemy is a giant with a great big bushy beard. He wields a mammoth hammer that he slams on the ground, knocking away other enemies. This looks like an enemy that will take some serious firepower to bring down, or a well-placed gunshot into an explosive barrel, as shown in the demo.

One gameplay feature that is making a welcome return is the inventory management system from Resident Evil 4, which involved placing items into a briefcase. The limited space forced players to think about what they carried and also engage in a little Tetris-like minigame to make the most of their inventory space. For Resident Evil Village, crafting has been layered on top, as players will be able to create restorative items or ammunition.

Another returning feature is a merchant. While it’s not the iconic gravelly-voiced item seller from Resident Evil 4, Capcom has made Village’s vendor quirky in his own way. First off, his official name is The Duke. He is shown emerging from the back of a carriage and, somehow, knows exactly who Ethan is. “Anyone who is anyone has heard of the likes of you,” he says when asked how he knows who Ethan is. According to Capcom, The Duke will appear in different places in various circumstances. In another scene he’s shown sitting on a bed.

Other gameplay tidbits from the showcase include the ability to smash more objects in the environment with a knife–it’s not just wooden boxes anymore. There are also collectibles hidden in the environment to destroy. Naturally, puzzles will be plentiful in Resident Evil Village, as will terrifying environmental traps like a wall of blades.

Resident Evil Village’s release date has been confirmed as May 7, 2021. A playable demo releases today for PS5, with another to come to other platforms. The game will be available for PS4 and Xbox One, alongside the previously announced PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC versions. Also included alongside the core story mode is a deathmatch-style multiplayer game, Re:Verse. For more, check out our RE Village preorder guide.

Resident Evil Village, the eighth mainline entry in Capcom’s survival horror series, will launch on May 7, 2021. The release date was revealed during the Resident Evil Showcase digital event, where it was also confirmed that the game will be available for PS4 and Xbox One, alongside the previously announced PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC versions.

The digital PlayStation 4 version will include a free upgrade to the PS5 version, while Smart Delivery will make the Xbox Series X|S versions available to those that purchase it on Xbox One.

There will be multiple versions of Resident Evil Village available. In addition to the standard version, there’s a Digital Deluxe edition, a Collector’s edition, and Resident Evil Village & Resident Evil 7 Complete Bundle. There are also bonuses for preordering any of these versions. You can learn more about these in our Resident Evil Village preorder guide.

The Resident Evil Showcase began with a trailer that sets the mood for the upcoming game. Unlike Resident Evil 7’s more realistic, grounded setting, Resident Evil Village returns to the gothic style of survival horror the franchise has explored in the past. As the name indicates, it takes place in a large, sprawling village, with a castle being one of the main settings for the game. An RE Village demo will be available on PS5 starting today, with an additional demo coming this spring that will also be available on other platforms.

Much of the game’s story remains a mystery. Ethan Winters returns, and Chris Redfield, a recurring character in the series, looks to play a central role in what’s going on. Just like Jack Baker became a recognizable mascot for Resident Evil 7, the community has latched on to a rather tall, vampire-like villain in Resident Evil Village. Exactly what her schemes are and to what end she’s using them remains to be seen.

In the new February 2021 issue of the Official PlayStation Magazine, the number of Riders Republic players people can see in competitive online races on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 have been revealed. As expected, the PlayStation 5 supports more, sitting at 50 players total.

Conversely, the PlayStation 4 version of Ubisoft’s upcoming extreme sports title can only support a maximum of 20 players in competitive online races. Other notable but expected differences between the two consoles are graphics and frame rate, with Riders Republic targeting 60 fps and 4K on PlayStation 5. Neither specs have been revealed for PlayStation 4.

It’s worth noting these player-count limitations are specific to competitive online races, meaning players could see far more people online in the open-world and far less while participating in 6v6 game modes. Additionally, it’s unclear if these player-count limitations apply to other console generations and platforms, such as Xbox One versus Xbox Series X|S.

Originally slated to launch on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on February 25, Ubisoft announced earlier this month that Riders Republic has been delayed to “later this year.” The studio has not announced a new release date as of yet.

Riders Republic is an extreme action-sports title reminiscent of Steep, Ubisoft’s other extreme sports game from 2016. It features a variety of activities for players to participate in, including snowboarding, mountain biking, and wingsuiting. Hit up our Riders Republic preorder guide to find out what bonuses are available and when a new release date has been announced.

We got our best look at Resident Evil Village — or Resident Evil 8 if you prefer — today during Capcom’s livestream reveal event. Here is a breakdown of all the new features, gameplay, and story elements we learned from the nearly 30-minute event.

When the rumors began to go around that Resident Evil Village would be more supernatural, featuring enemies like werewolves, vampires, and witches, the internet became abuzz. Those rumors were confirmed during the official Resident Evil Village reveal last year, but that was only scratched the surface.

It’s still first-person, but combat has evolved.

Resident Evil Village is a sequel to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. Ethan Winters once again steps up to the main character role and he’s searching for a loved one, again. But this time it’s not his wife, but rather his kidnapped daughter.

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As with Resident Evil 7, Village takes the first-person perspective once again, but Capcom producer Pete Fabiano says there are some new melee elements this time around.

A big focus appears to be blocking and counters. During a fight against vampiric goons in a dungeon, Ethan can be seen blocking their attacks before kicking one in the chest. Ethan appears to have learned a few moves since the events of Resident Evil 7.

Resident Evil games now firmly seesaw between more action-heavy games and survival-heavy games, and Resident Evil Village is seemingly going for something more bombastic than in Resident Evil 7.

Melee attacks aside, enemies seem to attack in hordes now which should hopefully mean Ethan is loaded up with some extra firepower to take on the bigger numbers. So perhaps that’s an indication this entry will be a little more combat-heavy. Especially since the enemies are now bigger and more varied.

A spooky village, sound familiar?

The five-minute gameplay video reveals a variety of locations from the village itself, leading up to the castle interiors, to down below in what looks like catacombs or a dungeon.

But fans may recall this is not the first time Resident Evil took place in a spooky village and castle. I’ve been talking around it, but let’s face it, there are some serious similarities between Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 4. Melee-enhanced combat, varied enemy hordes, a vaguely European village in the middle of nowhere? And the similarities don’t end there.

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What are you buying, Stranger?

Ethan’s inventory system for Resident Evil Village gets an upgrade this time around in the form of a, that’s right, attache case. The same item management system from Resident Evil 4.

This time, Ethan can use the attache case to store weapons and items, but also craft new weapons or upgrades.

And helping Ethan with items is a merchant. He’s not the same one from Resident Evil 4, instead, he’s a new character called “The Duke.” You’ll be able to buy and sell weapons from the Duke, but I’m sure he’ll have more unique wares as the game progresses.

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Despite the similarities to Resident Evil 4 in some very specific ways, Resident Evil Village is still a departure for the series into new territory. While Capcom has flirted with supernatural elements in the past, this is a full-blown supernatural horror utilizing classic gothic horror elements like werewolves and vampires.

And we’ll hopefully find out, even more, when Resident Evil Village is released on May 7. Check out the full release details here, including pre-order info that leaked earlier, info about a PS5-exclusive demo; as well as other news from today’s reveal from the RE:Verse multiplayer mode, to IGN’s Rewind Theater.

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Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.