Resident Evil 5 demo infects 360s Jan. 26

Given their awkward gait and lumbering demeanor, zombies often rely on the element of surprise to ensnare their victims/meals, springing out from behind doors and from under beds at the last second. Despite that protocol, Capcom is giving gamers plenty of heads-up for its upcoming zombie-centric action game, Resident Evil 5.

Not only has Capcom already announced a Friday, March 13, release date for the anticipated title, but the publisher today confirmed that a demo version of the game would go live (or at least undead) on Xbox Live on January 26. The demo will be exclusive to Microsoft's platform for one week, after which it can surface on the PlayStation 3's downloadable game service.

The demo will show off the game's two-player co-op mode, allowing players to fight their way through two sections of the full game and solve a handful of puzzles along the way. In addition to online multiplayer and single-player action with a computer-controlled teammate, the demo will include split-screen multiplayer. Finally, the demo will let players select traditional Resident Evil-style controls or a new action-oriented configuration that the publisher claims was inspired by Halo 3 and Gears of War 2.

For more on Resident Evil 5, check out GameSpot's latest preview straight from the floor of last week's Consumer Electronics Show.