Resident Evil 5 to support PS3 motion control

TOKYO--Capcom's latest survival horror shooter Resident Evil 5 has seen ample success this year, selling 5 million units as of the publisher's last accounting. At Capcom's press conference during the Tokyo Game Show today, Resident Evil 5 producer Masachika Kawata unveiled that a new version of the horror survival game is currently in development.

Resident Evil 5: Alternative Edition is currently slated to arrive in Japan on the PlayStation 3 this spring, under the title Biohazard 5: Alternate Edition. Notably, the game will support Sony's new EyeToy-compatible motion controller, which reports indicate will launch in March.

Capcom hinted that an Xbox 360 edition of the game is also planned. "In regards to the Xbox 360, a lot of fans have enjoyed the game on the console. So we are working to release the additional content in another format, as a product." Project lead Miho Suzuki did not mention if the title was one of the Project Natal games that Capcom is currently developing.

The biggest change from the original Resident Evil 5 is that Alternative Edition will feature game controls that make use of Sony's recently announced motion controller. For series fans, another big change is the addition of a new episode featuring Chris and Jill. The episode will be based on the flashback scene from the original RE5, where the two characters infiltrate the Spencer estate in Europe.

"It was a key incident in Resident Evil 5, but it was only there as a flashback scene," Miho said. "In Alternative Edition, you'll actually be able to play through it. We had a lot of requests from fans about it."

Suzuki said that Alternative Edition is currently slated only for Japan. Capcom's North American representatives had not responded to requests for additional comment as of press time.