Capcom is probably more than happy to announce that the demo version for Resident Evil 5, which is available on both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, has been downloaded four million times by gamers who are interested in seeing how the veteran videogame series is evolving.

Initially, the download was only available in Japan, where it arrived on December 5. Capcom says that 53% of all Xbox Live Gold subscribers got it and then played it. The demo arrived on the Xbox 360 on January 26 and, during the three days it was only available to Xbox Live Gold members, it was downloaded no less than 1.8 million times. All the data has been offered by Jun Takeuchi, who is a senior producer on the title, as he talked to the MTV Multiplayer gaming blog.

The game is set to be released for both the Xbox 360 from Microsoft and the PlayStation 3 from Sony on March 5, if you live in Japan, and on March 13, if you happen to live in North America or in Europe. The title should also be launched with hardware bundles on the Japanese market, with the consoles branded with the Biohazard logo and text related to the series.

Response to the demo has been mixed. Some players say that the way the game builds upon the gameplay mechanics introduced in Resident Evil 4 is coherent, while the graphical upgrades are spectacular. Others opine that the way the main characters handle is clunky and uninspired.

Resident Evil 5 already caused a row earlier in 2008, as the developers were criticized for the fact that all the enemies seen in the early demo versions of the game were black. Capcom dismissed any possibility or racism and said that the setting of the game led to the skin color of the enemies.