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Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City might not be the new hotness for the series (try this week's Resident Evil: Revelations) or the most anticipated franchise announcement (that's Resident Evil 6), but it is set to include some familiar faces. See them cringe as they fire indiscriminately at zombies!

#residentevil It might be as fair to write about playing Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City solo as it would be to rate a fish's ability to haul itself across dry land. But during this past weekend, I played March's multiplayer-intended Resident Evil game as a single-player game. More »

Where are the Craigs and Johns and Alecs and Adams and Jims? Capcom wants you to get to know the people that’ll be stalking the streets in their Left 4 Dead-ish multiplayer shooter, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. Their first defence against the undead: they’re too busy laughing at their names to bite them.

“Lupo”, “Vector”, “Bertha”, “Spectre”, “Four Eyes” and “Beltway” are being hunted by “Dee-Ay”, “Willow”, “Harley”, Party Girl”, “Shona”, and “Tweed” through the streets of Raccoon City, as both teams have to contend with the years of psychological torture their names brought them at school. And zombies I guess.

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Over there, strangulation is reserved for only the most honored guests.

A concept only takes a game so far. At some point execution takes over, separating great games from great ideas. The concept of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City takes the world of Capcom's survival horror series and turns it on its head, both in design and story, allowing players to see events ...

For those hoping Resident Evil 6 will play like a classic Resident Evil title, with more puzzles and less emphasis on (not) running and gunning -- look away now. Go watch the My Little Pony Skyrim mod and live in ignorant bliss for a while longer. You'll thank us later. Still here? All right, but we warned you:

Capcom UK Marketing head Dave Turner said Resident Evil wants to tap into the Call of Duty market with its coming titles, noting Operation Raccoon City in particular: "The dream would be that the millions of Call of Duty fans that are enjoying these fast-paced online games are attracted to this Resident Evil," Turner said.

Resident Evil has attracted more players since incorporating more action, with Resident Evil 5 leading the charge, Turner said. "We've seen the popularity of Resident Evil increase massively as the series became more action oriented -- Resident Evil 5 is the biggest seller in the series," he said. "So, it makes sense for us to follow this action area more fully."

Turner was speaking mostly with Operation Raccoon City in mind, it sounds like, although the trailer for Resident Evil 6 doesn't make it look like the riddle-ridden games of yore.

This feels like an inundation of Resident Evil footage but the trailer that is but two days old didn’t contain any actual gameplay, and Capcom have decided to release a video today that is entirely made up of just such action, making it infinitely more interesting. Hectic monster-shooting, defending and escorting is on the cards. In fact, it looks far more hectic than just about anything else I’ve seen today, although, as always, I’ve been playing turn-based strategy games since I woke up so may not be the best gauge for hecticosity. Judge with your own eyes and mind.

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The first thing I like to do on a Tuesday morning is expose my ignorance to as many people as possible. Here’s today’s effort – I didn’t know Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (ReOrc) involved people killing other people as well as people killing zombies and mutants. Perhaps you didn’t either. A new trailer shows that the mean nasties of the Umbrella Security Services will be using all kinds of fancy technowizardry to clean up the bio-contagion errors of their employers while a US Spec Ops team will be trying to expose the company’s nefarious doings. The results of those nefarious doings, running the gamut from zombies to tyrants, will be making everyone’s life miserable. Also, things explode a lot. Observe.

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After seeing two RCPD officers get chased through the streets, vulnerable and injured in previous Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City vids, we finally see them meet their ultimate end in today's super long addition.

Update: This post originally stated that Resident Evil 4 star Leon S. Kennedy was killed during the clip, but apparently our eyesight is just really bad today. As it turns out, it's a RCPD officer -- not Leon -- taking a bullet to the head at 2:41. Please accept our apologies!

After seeing poor Leon Kennedy get chased through the streets, vulnerable and injured in previous Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City vids, we finally see him meet his ultimate end in today's super long addition. We always figured that luxurious hair would pull him out of any jam! Apparently we were wrong.

#residentevil The newest Resident Evil game definitely falls into the Survival Action category of things, per the chart seen here. We get a chance to see what kind of action will be on tap in the clip above. There's running, gunning, explosions and a few familiar faces, too. You'll get your chance to visit Resident Evil's hometown when Operation Raccoon City comes out on March 20th. More »

#residentevil The single-player campaign of Capcom's upcoming humans-vs-bioengineered zombies-vs-humans title has you controlling an all-new squad of characters in Resident Evil's most iconic locale. But Operation Raccoon City's multiplayer will let you play as some more familiar faces from the survival horror series' history. The trailer above showcases out Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Hunk and other classic RE characters that you'll have access to in the competitive online Heroes Mode. Heroes Mode will pit eight players against each other in four-on-four action. The third-person shooter will hit shelves on March 20, 2012 for PS3 and Xbox 360. More »

When you're in a city overrun by zombies, the most welcome sight (that isn't attached the top of a gun barrel, at least) is a friendly face. In this spirit, Capcom has just unveiled Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City's Heroes Mode in which two teams of beloved franchise stalwarts like Leon. S Kennedy, Jill Valentine, Hunk and Ada Wong will square off.

Of course, since they'll be pitted both against each other and zombies and bio-organic weapons, "square off" doesn't really cut it. So get your first look at this trapezoid-off in the video above.

Last week, Jeff and I had a chance to preview Capcom’s 2012 lineup for PS3, which currently consists of Asura’s Wrath, Dragon’s Dogma, Street Fighter X Tekken, and Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. Read on to learn more about this eclectic mix of games, and leave your questions in the comments so we can provide more details!

Street Fighter X Tekken
First, we sat down with Capcom’s resident fighting expert Seth Killian to discuss the upcoming Street Fighter X Tekken, which blends the fluid 2D elegance of Street Fighter with the rough-and-tumble brawling of Tekken. We were particularly curious to learn about Gems, which work as customizable loadouts for your fighters, and how inFAMOUS 2’s Cole McGrath will stack up in battle. Watch the video for more on this eagerly anticipated PS3 and PS Vita fighter.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
SID: With Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, Capcom and Slant Six seek to unite the suspense of the genre-defining Resident Evil series with contemporary squad-based military shooting and a healthy dose of online co-op for up to four players. The narrative fills in the story gaps between the first three Resident Evil titles, so you’ll explore settings and sequences from an entirely different perspective while guiding USS Delta Team “Wolfpack” on its grim mission to destroy all evidence of Umbrella’s nefarious deeds — up to and including the assassination of Resident Evil 2 protagonists Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield. As you carve through zombies, clueless security guards, and the odd Super Tyrant, you’ll collect VHS tapes and Zip drives (how quaint!) to fill in the backstory and accumulate XP towards unlocking new weapons and special abilities.

JEFF: It’s amazing how a change of setting can completely alter the otherwise familiar feel of a tactical third-person shooter. However, if you thought RE5 messed with the Resident Evil formula, Raccoon City throws it out completely – not a criticism, but know what you’re getting into here. You’ll be controlling the bad guys (Umbrella) and they’re much better funded than S.T.A.R.S. You won’t be scraping by with puny 9mm bullets, but rather blowing apart anything that moves with a wealth of weapons at your disposal. The most interesting thing to me was the unusual variety of character types. I demoed “Four Eyes,” a scientist with the ability to manipulate the infected. Using the Triangle button, I switched to the control dart, fired into a crowd of zombies, then used R3 to send my now highly suggestible friend off to fight my battles for me. When it finished off the room, I repaid my minion with a face full of shotgun scatter. Sometimes, life just isn’t fair.

A shame we weren’t able to demo the game with full four-player co-op – I think that’s where Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City will reach its full potential.

Asura’s Wrath
JEFF: Do you find the wrathful, rage-filled Kratos to be a bit too… mellow? Or perhaps you wonder why boss characters aren’t bigger. Like… bigger than the Earth. Asura’s Wrath was made with you in mind. The four chapters we experienced were filled with incredible hyperbole; punching missiles back at a giant starship, fighting a demigod equipped with a 30,000 mile long katana… on the moon. And then there’s Wyzen, the boss demigod who eventually dwarfs you by such a massive scale that you can only attack his thumb. Asura’s Wrath makes even over-the-top games like God of War and Bayonetta seem restrained by comparison.

SID: Asura’s Wrath is an intriguing blend of sweet and savory tastes, not unlike hot and sour soup or kombucha. It’s got bombastic beat ‘em up sequences, massive boss encounters, and quick time events reminiscent of God of War, but the action is coupled with a hyperkinetic visual style inspired by anime bruisers Dragonball Z and Fist of the North Star. The action evolves rapidly and seamlessly, and one battle may shift from an on-rails shooting sequence to a chase scene to a conversation to a crowd beatdown before it finally ends in an over-the-top boss battle. The pace is blistering, the scale is sprawling, and the villains long-winded. What’s not to like? Asura’s Wrath lands on PS3 this February 21st. Hey, that’s one day before PS Vita!

Dragon’s Dogma
SID: The very first point on my notepad reads “the character creator is scarily in-depth.” Dragon’s Dogma has the most extensive character creator I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot. In this open-world fantasy RPG, you can forge a hero of almost any size, shape, and color and then festoon him or her with all manner of scars, wrinkles, and physical attributes. I appreciated how the physical size of your hero defines their combat prowess. Creating a huge, musclebound character will automatically bestow him with the ability to wield oversized swords and hammers, while a smaller character will receive bonuses in agility and speed. As for me, I’ll be creating a seven foot-tall lady barbarian with a pendulous gut and embark on a fantastic quest. It’s been my lifelong dream!

JEFF: No, your lifelong dream was eating the world’s biggest hoagie. What’s interesting is that you don’t just create your own character, but that you put an equal amount of effort into your NPC companion, the “Main Pawn.” There’s a story behind all that which has yet to come to light, and some of it is hinted at in the new trailer seen here. Consider my interest piqued.

The concept of an open-world RPG with prominent dragons immediately had me thinking of Skyrim, but after seeing Dragon’s Dogma in action, I don’t think the comparison is apt. In our demo, we encountered a golem, which became an optional sidequest. The stone creature was quite large, and with his super-long life bar, I was reminded more of Monster Hunter than anything. Our character at this point was in command of three NPC pawns which filled various roles during the battle. For instance, we were able to request a healing spell with a tap on the d-pad. While the golem was engaged with our teammates, our player was able to traverse the environment, climbing up a rock formation to an arrow turret, which greatly weakened the creature. We were also able to clamber up onto the golem itself, Shadow of the Colossus-style, to wail on a weak point and finish it off. The whole encounter lasted over 10 minutes – now I know why the game made that quest optional.

At Capcom's Gamer's Day event last month, following a presentation on Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, producer Mike Jones made some statements that this writer took as intent to launch a public beta early next year. "Obviously there are some camera issues and stuff," he said of the build we just watched his colleague play through, "but we're nearing a pretty solid beta, which will be out early next year."

Today, Capcom posted this statement on its Capcom-Unity site dismissing the notion. So, as it stands right now, there will not be a public demo or beta for Operation Raccoon City. We here at Joystiq apologize for any confusion and strive to offer you only the facts. And the occasional Photoshop day, of course.

Capcom's admittedly going out on a limb with Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City, its re-interpretation/re-telling of the events that transpired in Resident Evil 2 and 3. At just about every trade show this year, Capcom has brought out multiplayer builds of the squad-based shooter to get feedback and, at Capcom's Gamers Day 2011 event last week, producer Mike Jones revealed the public at large will get a stab at the game before its launch.

A public demo is planned for "early next year," Jones said, though he wouldn't offer exact details on the nature of the demo or when we should expect to be able to download it. That should give you plenty of time to come to grips with your new position as "the bad guy."

Resident Evil has come a long way since Wesker first warned us not to open THAT door. Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is a marked departure from other Resident Evil games, and even feels vastly different from the Outbreak spin-off series, which would be the closest approximation, offering a bigger focus on action and gunplay as opposed to the latter's emphasis on survival horror elements...

Grab your vial of T-Virus antidote and a swath of bullets, as Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is set to launch just five short months from now on March 20, 2012. Unfortunately for PC owners, the wait will be a bit longer, as the game will initially launch on just Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with the PC version launching at an unnamed date after that.

Beyond revealing the launch date, Capcom also ran down the contents of the game's "Special Edition," which contains a "Steelbook with exclusive art," an "Umbrella Security Service" patch, a "stylized foil sleeve" (what?), a "Spec Ops Field Unit" patch, and eight bonus weapons. And hey, if you pre-order at GameStop, BestBuy, or Amazon, you'll snag yourself a bonus outfit for each of the game's playable characters. Maybe it'll make Bertha look less creepy, eh?

Despite an expected release in the fourth quarter of 2011, it appears that the next Resident Evil might move to 2012. Speculation began after Operation Raccoon City failed to make an appearance at last week's Tokyo Game Show, fueling rumors that the game might see a delay. In a statement to ...

#residentevil Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City was a no-show at the Tokyo Game Show, according to our folks on the ground, and it still hasn't gotten a hard release date. Does that mean it could be getting a delay? More »

It's not the best quality footage, but Capcom's done us all a solid and uploaded 32 minutes of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City gameplay, direct from its Comic-Con booth. Honestly, we feel pretty bad for the zombies. These Umbrella operatives are strapped to the nines, and with giant Hunters running around, it seems it just isn't safe for a zombie to wander the streets at night any more.

Survive the opening moments of the Raccoon City outbreak in this clip from Comic-Con 2011 in San Diego!

The demo continues onto the appearance of an iconic Resident Evil Tyrant in the second half of the Operation: Raccoon City!

Slay dozens of zombies in this gameplay from San Diego Comic-Con 2011!

#fullauto This is like no Resident Evil game you've ever played: You run, you gun, you eat through boxes of ammo. More »

#handson I haven't had a good scare since 2005, at least not at the hands of Resident Evil. More »

Find out what it's like to be on the other side of the never-ending struggle caused by the Umbrella Corporation in this Interview from E3 2011 with Producer Masachika Kawata!

In Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, you play as an elite team of Umbrella tasked with cleaning up the mess in Raccoon City during the events of Resident Evil 2. It's 1998 and even though you'll be playing as these corporate guns for hire, you won't find any endearing qualities about these individuals. They're not here to save the day, they're here to save Umbrella's ass by killing all survivors and erasing all evidence of Umbrella's involvement.

Who's the real undead, flesh-eating monster here?

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City certainly isn't Left 4 Dead, but I wouldn't blame you for confusing the two. ORC is, after all, a four player co-op zombie shooter, featuring a variety of zombie types that largely resemble what both Left 4 Dead games featured before it (a large tank-like zombie, a zombie who scurries on the ceiling and reels you in with his tongue, etc.).

In fact, other than a third-person perspective and a Resident Evil landmark setting, I was getting some serious déja vu playing ORC. Except for one crucial point: it wasn't quite as fun as Left 4 Dead.