Ever wondered why they called it Biohazard in Japan and Resident Evil in the US? Games Radar asked that very question that I'm sure a lot of you guys out there want to know as well. The answer comes from Chris Kramer, senior director of communications and community at Capcom US, who even reveals that he found Resident Evil super-cheesy.

The virus is spreading and Japan is about to be overrun by zombies...in a manner of speaking. The newly-launched Resident Evil 5 (PS3, Xbox 360) took the Japanese gaming scene by storm from March 2nd to the 8th. Figures inside.

The Resident Evil series has been known for unlockable alternate costumes for its playable characters. The latest in the franchise is no exception. Resident Evil 5 will be getting unlockable attires. Here we have screencaps from BioHazard 5, showing Sheva's unlockable attire. Whoever took these screenshots sure had some creative angles, making sure that we got all our bases covered (figuratively).

One upped by Japan once again, we get to see more stuff that will most likely be in our dreams only. Capcom has announced that Resident Evil 5BioHazard 5's street date in Japan (March 5) will also see a simultaneous release of respective console bundles for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Check out the full article to see some pics and more details.

The rivalry continues, and now the games are getting in on it. When you get Resident Evil 5 (PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360) next year, you'd find yourself torn between the console wars as to which exclusive has a greater pull - for the PS3? Or the Xbox 360? RE5 offers one thing for PS3, and another for Xbox 360 - offers are exclusive so you'll just have to compare and decide who got the better out of the new RE.

Fresh meat from Famitsu! (Which is already a cue for you: all info below applies for Japan - for now...) The recent issue of the Japanese gaming magazine reveals a bulk of info for Resident Evil 5. Grab your chainsaw wielding Sackboys, this might get bloody. Choice tidbits: a demo for the 360, an earlier-than-scheduled release date, and a limited edition for the game.

At the Tokyo Game Show, SCEJ announced that they'll be opening up the open beta before the year ends. Via press wire, they released more details for the event.

If Capcom revealed the cast of Resident Evil 5, the whole gaming world would probably know about it. Sadly, the company is still keeping that info under wraps. IMDB however, hosts a list of some stars from different backgrounds - all of them under Biohazard 5's belt.

It is noted that "Because this project is categorized as being in production, the data is subject to change; some data could be removed completely," but the selection of characters alone make quite an interesting revelation.

Dead guys Osmund Saddler (RE 4) and Steve Burnside (RE: Code Veronica) are apparently making a comeback. Ada supposedly died in RE 2 but came back alive and kicking to help Leon in RE 4, but it's pretty hard to imagine how Saddler and Steve could've survived their death scenes. Assuming that the list is real, either they both appear in flashbacks or we're up for a radical spin on Resident Evil's story.

It's also difficult to miss that Chris Redfield isn't around, considering that the first trailer unveiled made everyone believe Chris will be the main character. Yoko Suzuki and Rita from Outbreak also made the cut; will they be the next RE stars?

Here's the list - feel free to make your own speculations.

• Alyson Court - Yoko Suzuki
• Tara Platt - Jill Valentine (voice)
• Wendee Lee - Rita (voice)
• Michael Gough - Osmund Saddler (voice)
• Richard Waugh - Albert Wesker (voice)
• Sally Cahill - Ada Wong (voice)
• James Harper - Ozwell E. Spencer
• Dan Cool - Steve Burnside

 

The big difference between the latest Famitsu most wanted and the last one? Well, that's just it, except for Super Mario Galaxy breaking into the top 20 and Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings leaving the charts, the big names that were there are still, well, there. Check out the charts:

1. (1 / 1) Dragon Quest IX - Square Enix (2.846)
2. (2 / 2) Final Fantasy XIII - Square Enix (2.758)
3. (3 / 3) Biohazard 5 - Capcom (1.916)
4. (4 / 5) Metal Gear Solid 4 - Konami (1.496)
5. (8 / 7) Odin Sphere - Atlus (1.166)
6. (5 / 6) Monster Hunter 3 - Capcom (1.164)
7. (6 / 9) Zelda no Densetsu: Phantom Hourglass - Nintendo (1.104)
8. (7 /10) Super Robot Taisen: Original Generations - Banpresto (1.036)
9. (14/15) Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Nintendo (862)
10. (16/16) Shining Wind - Sega (859)
11. (10/11) Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors - Square Enix (844)
12. (9 /14) Everybody's Golf 5 - Sony (834)
13. (11/ 8) Devil May Cry 4 - Capcom (769)
14. (12/12) Lost Odyssey - Microsoft (744)
15. (17/20) Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War - Square Enix (702)
16. (19/17) Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core - Square Enix (650)
17. (15/19) Doubutsu no Mori [Animal Crossing] - Nintendo (615)
18. (18/18) Final Fantasy Versus XIII - Square Enix (590)
19. (21/21) Super Mario Galaxy - Nintendo (576)
20. (20/23) Gran Turismo 5 - Sony (511)

As for Revenant Wings not being there anymore, we think that has something to do with the fact that the game's already on retail, thus transforming the people who wanted it into the people who have it.

Given that Lost Odyssey's already 70 percent done, it'll probably be leaving the charts as well. Devil May Cry 4 - a multi-platform game - is hardly a representative title for the Xbox 360 in Japan. To be fair, the rest of the world will probably be getting the Xbox 360 version but in Japan? ...Well miracles do happen. This blogger might just be forced to eat his words.

 

GameFront.de alerts the internet about what games the readers of Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu want the most for this week. We're posting the chart below, all for your voyeuristic needs. Please note though that the numbers in the parentheses after the position indicate the game's rank in the "Most Wanted" charts in the previous weeks.

1. (1 / 2) Dragon Quest IX NDS Square Enix
2. (2 / 1) Final Fantasy XIII PS3 Square Enix
3. (3 / 3) Biohazard 5 PS3 Capcom
4. (5 / 4) Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 Konami
5. (6 / 7) Monster Hunter 3 PS3 Capcom
6. (9 / 8) Zelda no Densetsu: Phantom Hourglass NDS Nintendo
7. (10/ 9) Super Robot Taisen: Original Generations PS2 Banpresto
8. (7 /12) Odin Sphere PS2 Atlus
9. (14/11) Everybody’s Golf 5 PS3 Sony
10. (11/10) Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors Wii Square Enix
11. (8 /17) Devil May Cry 4 PS3 Capcom
12. (12/14) Lost Odyssey Xbox 360 Microsoft
13. (13/16) Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings NDS Square Enix
14. (15/13) Super Smash Bros. Brawl Wii Nintendo
15. (19/15) Doubutsu no Mori [Animal Crossing] Wii Nintendo
16. (16/18) Shining Wind PS2 Sega
17. (20/19) Final Fantasy Tactics: Shishi Sensou PSP Square Enix
18. (18/20) Final Fantasy Versus XIII PS3 Square Enix
19. (17/21) Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII PSP Square Enix
20. (23/23) Gran Turismo 5 PS3 Sony

It seems that for the past three weeks the number one spot's been a toss up between two of Square Enix's franchises, Final Fantasy XIII, and Dragon Quest IX. Biohazard #@%!8
9#@%! (Resident Evil 5 in other shores) is planted firmly at third spot, While MGS 4 is hovering somewhere above that.

We'd like to describe the titles in the chart in more detail, but we'll skip that. It seems more pertinent to note that perhaps Microsoft needs more titles like Lost Odyssey, or at least titles that have as much hype as that game in Japan, as it is the only Xbox 360 title in the top 20.

Of course, to keep the console analysis level, we'll balance out that assertion by noting that we're wondering how many of those PS3 titles listed will stay for the exclusive to the PS3. Exclusivity may not matter in Japan but it may make a difference in other regions where the PS3 sees stiffer competition. As for the Wii? Well, we're still waiting for online play. There. Equal opportunity console analysis. Happy?