The specter of a world with no physical games available at retail is one that is raised often, especially by executives of traditional brick & mortar stores. In an article at Reuters, author John Gaudiosi raises the question yet again. He makes an effort to simply present the facts about the growing role digital distribution plays in how we purchase games today, and the facts are there. However, I believe that entire premise of the article is flawed.

Digital distribution really offers gamers only two highly positive benefits: First, it’s easy. You can purchase a game without ever leaving your house. Heck, you don’t even have to leave your chair. Second, it’s extraordinarily simple to keep games purchased over a platform like Steam updated. Since the Steam client must be running to launch the game, you simply download the update before you start the game. What could be easier?

The Reuters piece even quotes that great bastion of gaming knowledge, Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter (seriously, who died and made this guy king? Am I the only one who thinks he talks out his ass most of the time?), who says, “Downloads will become 20 percent of the market within five years, and probably peak at around 50 percent of the overall market in 10 years.”

I’m sorry, but this is not only purest speculation, it’s not even good speculation. Why? Hit the jump, and we’ll examine it.

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The Resident Evil 5 original soundtrack is in stores today ready to give gamers music to shoot zombies by. The OST features the chilling work of composers Kota Suzuki, Hideki Okugawa, Akihiko Narita and Seiko Kobuchi who bring ‘panic horror’ in the steaming jungles of Africa to life.

Of course the OST has already been pirated of is up on the Internet for download, but if you enjoy the series and the music that makes RE5 that much scarier, please purchase it legitimately. You can get a copy in retail stores, from iTunes, or as a complete digital release or individual tracks from the  Sumthing Else Music Works Distribution site. It’s $9.99 for a 3 CD set with almost 3 hours of music.
More details follow the break.
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Capcom has sent out a warning to gamers that it’s relaunched the Resident Evil 5 website. The resurrected site will allow visitors wander through the streets of Kijuju thanks to the new Flash design. Although the site is taking a while to load possibly due to heavy traffic, Capcom has promised screenshots, RE5 downloads and more.

The rating on RE5 is still pending, but anyone who’s played any of the previous games in the series will understand why there’s an age gate on the site. Resident Evil 5 will shamble onto retail shelves March 13, 2009. Until then keep your eye on the RE5 website and stay tuned to 1UP for the latest news on the game.

Hooray for Capcom and not bowing down to pressure.

Recently, Capcom promised that Resident Evil 5 will not have any of the gore cut just to garner a lower ESRB rating for a mass audience. According to Rhys Cash, Capcom’s UK Research and Planning Manager:

“We’re never going to create a gore-free Resident Evil title to try and get a lower rating as it’s a game about the horror experience and gore is part of that. We’re primarily about making great games and if it’s appropriate to the title we won’t shy away from making a 15+ or 18+ title.”

This comes in the wake of recent cuts to Mature games to get a lower rating, thus being able to sell games in certain areas – ex: GTA IV in Australia and Fallout 3 being denied certification by the same board.

Cash also went on to comment about how he feels that although both the Ninetndo Wii and DS are more “casual” and “family friendly” types of gaming systems, he belives that there is still a market for Mature games on each one.

“As we’ve shown with Resident Evil 4 Wii and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles there’s still a market for more mature titles even on these formats. There’s no reason why an appropriate adult title should be seen as something to be shied away from. What I do see publishers moving away from is titles whose only raison d’être is ‘adult themes’ and only goal is to shock.”

Resident Evil 5 is slated to be released sometime in May 2009 for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Via: MCV

With a strong boot to the opening, Microsoft kicked off E3 with the first press conference out of the gate. There was a lot of speculation before the show.. Microsoft would announce a price cut, a motion controller, avatars, the cure for cancer.. the list goes on. While we didn’t get the cure for cancer or a motion controller it definitely felt like Microsoft was aiming at a pretty wide audience with some of its announced new titles and a number of not-quite innovations aimed at broadening the reach of the console in the media and casual markets.

The focus of the entire conference this year seemed to be on the multi-player experience. Not the static gamer matches, but co-operative experiences, media and experience sharing. Many of the titles shown reflect this philosophy and Microsoft’s internal announcements definitely reflect it.

So lets get the hysterics out of the way… Gears of War 2 does LOOK good. Fallout 3 does have VATS. Resident Evil 5 has co-op online play. There.. now to my impressions of the event, for another take, be sure to check out Johnathan’s impressions of exactly the same event, now with less sarcasm…
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Looks like anyone who plans to attend Comic Con July 24-27 this year will be in for a treat other than Dark Horse Comics and Vivendi if Capcom has their way.

“Tournaments! Moviestars! Rockstars of the Art World! Cosplay! Mega Man dancing with Bionic Commando in our boxing ring!”

Great lords of gaming! That sounds like a helluvalot more fun than E3 if you ask me. Anyway, should be present for the festivities, here is what you will get to see – INCLUDING – an exclusive RE5 trailer… lucky gougers. Plus, if you are a fan, Kristen Kreuk will be there as well.

Featuring over 1800 sq. ft. of interactive displays, exclusive merchandise, gaming tournaments, celebrity appearances and special events there will indeed be something from everyone at the Capcom booth. Add to this the full-size, 20′x20′ boxing ring that holds ten Street Fighter IV arcade units, direct from Japan.

The games being showcased at the event are:

• Bionic Commando
• Bionic Commando: Rearmed
• Dark Void
• MotoGP 08
• Mega Man 9
• Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
• Neopets Puzzle Adventure
• Flock!
• Plunder
• Capcom Mobile games

Exclusive trailers will be shown as well including:

• Resident Evil 5
• Resident Evil: Degeneration CG movie
• SF IV CG animated mini-movie trailers
• some surprise game demos and trailers!

Plus some celebrity appearances by:

• Yoshinoro Ono (producer, SFIV)
• Ben Judd (producer, Bionic Commando)
• Andy Diggle
• Kristen Kreuk (star of Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li)
• Justin Marks (writer of Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li, and the upcoming Bionic Commando comic book)
• Top comic book artists (contributors to Udon’s Street Fighter Tribute Book) including Adam Hughes, J. Scott Campbell, Mark Brooks, and more!
• Mega Man – IN PERSON!!!
• Bionic Commando – IN PERSON!!!
• Bonus: awesome Bionic Commando arm that you might get to wear

Wow. Sounds like a cosplay/cellar dweller match made in heaven. I am only kidding, so don’t leave any hateful comments. If I were going, I would dress as Ada Wong or Jill Valentine. You think I jest?

You can find out more by hitting the link below.

Via: Capcom Unity

Thanks to a link provided by VG247, we now have a list of developers confirmed for E3 2008 along with what titles they will be showing off at the event. While the list is still updated regularly, as of this post, this is what you can expect should you be attending.

Akella
Postal III (PC, X360)

Bethesda Softworks
Fallout 3 (PC, PS3, X360)

Capcom
Bionic Commando (PC, PS3, X360)
Bionic Commando Rearmed (PC, PS3, X360)
Capcom Project #1 [untitled] (other)
Capcom Project #2 [untitled] (other)
Dark Void (PC, PS3, X360)
MotoGP 08 (other)
Neopets Puzzle Adventure (PC, Wii)
Plunder (PC, PS3, X360)
Resident Evil 5 (PS3, X360)
Spyborgs (Wii)
Street Fighter IV (PC, PS3, X360)
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (PS3, X360)

For the full list, hit the jump.

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Since E3 is a rather important event, or used to be at least, it comes as no surprise to anyone that a game company would save its best reveal for an upcoming game for the lukewarm event.

Therefore, when Capcom announced that there would be a major reveal for Resident Evil 5 at next month’s E3, pardon me if I was not too blown away with shock and awe.

Speaking to VG247 this morning, a rep from Capcom stated:

“The next western world [media] drop will be to coincide with E3. We’ve got our press conference. At CAPTIVATE08 we told everyone that we would have some big things to reveal at E3. It’s our main game there.”

What this basically means is that unless something changes, or something is leaked, we will not see anymore “new” assets or receive any extra content updates until then. This is not too much of a shocker because at this time of the year (pre-E3), any sort of news on upcoming games is a bit dry.

However, all that being said – deep down I am a bit excited even if my cold, hard demeanor does not show it.

Thanks: VG247

The Australian game site Gameplayer has listed ten PS3 games that should not only make your system happy for having the opportuity to play them, but they are ones for PS3 owners to look forward to as well. As someone who does not own a PS3, I have to admit that theses games do indeed make a great argument for loosening the purse strings a bit. Especially RE5, Little Big Planet and Rock Band.

Here is the list, see if you agree with their choices:

1. Little Big Planet
2. Killzone 2
3. Resistance 2
4. Resident Evil 5
5. Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
6. Pure
7. PixelJunk Monsters Encore
8. Guitar Hero: World Tour
9. Rock Band
10. Shiki-Tei

While these games are listed as “upcoming” over on their site, you have to take into consideration that Australia does not have Rock Band yet- poor fellas.

Thanks: GamePlayer

I had planned on posting this the other day but for some reason it did not take, therefore it may be a bit of old news for you, but here it is just in case.

Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi recently spoke with GameVideos and in the video interview he spoke about the Progenitor Virus and its impact on the plot of Capcom’s newest entry into the survival horror series.

“The main reason that we chose Africa as the setting for Resident Evil 5 is actually from a clue that came up in Resident Evil: Code Veronica, where it was revealed that Africa was the original of the Progenitor Virus, which is the origin of all the viruses that appear in the series. It’s been ten years since the events of Resident Evil. One little hint we can give you is that Chris is no longer a member of S.T.A.R.S. and S.T.A.R.S. itself as an organization is defunct. You might see a little mark on his arm that talks about the new organisation that he’s a member of – who that organization is and what they’re up to, that’s going to be another important element of the story.”

Takeucho also promises that RE5 will tie-up some loose ends regarding the fate of Umbrella Corp.

“Certainly that will be a very important part of the game, to answer some of those questions. In terms of timeline the game does take place shortly after Resident Evil 4 and over the course of the game you will find out exactly what happened to Umbrella and certainly where the story is going to go from here for the continuation of the series.”

I posted all of that info for you here if for some reason you are not old enough to pass through the age gate, or if you just did not want to watch the full interview.