Bringing Resident Evil back on a new handheld platform

Jan 17, 2012 23:41 GMT  ·  By

What we know:

Resident Evil fans are still waiting for a full new console game in the franchise but the developers at Capcom have decided that the Nintendo 3DS handheld is compelling enough to get a full game for itself.

Revelations will take place right between the fourth and fifth game in the series and will follow Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield on one of their first missions as part of an anti bio-terrorism taskforce.

There are also suggestions that their partners Jessica Sherawat and Parker Luciani will have important roles and the development team has shown areas like a shop, inner city space and a mountain.

The game will be very old school when it comes to gameplay, with the player having to switch between first and third person depending on what he is doing and slow movements while holding a weapon ready, complete with limited ammunitions for the weapons.

Capcom also promises more scares and twists to the story.

Given the avant-garde nature of the original it seems a little baffling that the developers have chosen to go back to what they see as the core of franchise but the fans will certainly be happy.

Japanese gamers will get access to Resident Evil: Revelations on January 26 and European will be able to play it one day later but those who are ready for a dose of undead action in North America will have to wait until February 7 to get the game.

Why it matters:

So far the success of the 3DS has been linked to the launch of Nintendo properties and no third party publisher has managed to deliver a true, worldwide hit (Monster Hunter in Japan does not really matter) so Resident Evil: Revelations is a good chance for Capcom to show that it can launch a hardcore 3DS game and make it prosper.

The full Incoming 2012 series of articles can be read on Softpedia right here.