For 12 years you’ve wanted to find out the horrifying secret behind Resident Evil, and when 5 comes out, that’s exactly what Capcom is promising. With Chris Redfield hunting down the origins of the Progenitor Virus, it’s here where we shall receive the answers. But enough of what will be. At Capcom’s Captivate event we witnessed Resi 5 playing in all its glory; by the end, we were no longer ‘dry’.

It started out in a similar village to the start of Resident Evil 4, although on a far larger scale. Mr Redfield’s safehouse had been infiltrated by villagers and our ripped friend was fending them off as quickly as possible… until an axe-wielding maniac came bursting through the door. Time to run! To slow down the potential onslaught, Chris popped a bullet in one of his assailant’s legs before climbing onto the roof, using a bus to reach another building before dropping down into it. It’s far more intense and fast-paced than what you may be used to, but it works, near perfectly.

Capcom has also injected a fair amount of technology into Resi 5. The AI’s brain is now far bigger and will pick up on what you’re trying to do. Point a laser sight at a foe and they’ll move out the way and if one manages to grab ahold of your lapels, some giant death-looking plant comes out of their mouth and tries to rip Chris’s face off. To try and counter this, you will be able to throw punches, launch kicks and push adversaries back. If you check out the latest trailer (which is on this month’s dvd) you can watch Redfield literally knock two zombies flying towards the floor with one giant right hook. Fail to repel these attacks, though, and your injuries will be more than visible. Blood runs down Chris’s body and clothes and he becomes less able as the smack is continually laid down on him.

There’s certainly a large comparison to Resident Evil 4, but as chief producer Jun Takeuchi himself said, he doesn’t think it needs changing that much. It really is coming across as an evolution of 4 rather than a complete revolution (like one-time GameCube exclusive was), but we’re utterly convinced this will have a similar impact when it enters the sphere next year. Best to make your expectation level that touch higher.