Past the nude inanimate objects in an undisclosed NYC hotel was a special hands-on event of Capcom's highly-anticipated zombie shooter, Resident Evil 5. On tap was the third level of the game, one which had players traversing a deadened swamp area on a riverboat only to be confronted by a genetically-created monster I dubbed "Sea Godzilla" in my head.

Background — "Hello, Eyes. Meet Candy."
A Capcom PR rep handled navigation duties—"No, you're not supposed to hump the boxes in the corner"—playing Chris Redfield, the male protagonist of the game, while I laid claim to the newest member of the franchise, Sheva Alomar, a busty, highly trained member of the West African Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance. They are both essentially the same character, but apologies to the PR dude for staring at Sheva and silently drooling while his character was being eaten by the overgrowth of a headless zombie.

Demo Walkthrough — "Monstrous Sea Creatures and the Conveniently-Placed Guns Who Love Them"
For the first time in series history, players will be able to hook-up with friends and play co-op, which means that it is increasingly important to strategize, especially considering weapons and ammo are scarcer than Obama cabinet members without tax problems. The demo was set-up so that I would handle long-range duties, which meant I was packing a handgun (the same kind RE fans have come to know and love) and a sweet rifle with enough scope to take down bad guys from several hundred feet away. It came in handy when we were forced to hide behind a wall while the walking undead pelted us with a minigun. (By the way, how the hell does a zombie know how to use a minigun?!)



After mowing down opposition, shooting open dozens of explosive barrels, and pulling some switches, our boat eventually made its way to an open area in what looked like a small marina. In case you're not versed in video game clichés, open areas usually mean you're about to be attacked by something 75 times bigger than you. As luck may have it, we were attacked by something 76 times bigger, some evil dude who injected himself with a virus, jumped into the water, and transformed into the aforementioned "Sea Godzilla." At the risk of giving away too much on how to beat it, I'll just mention that there are minigun and rocket turrets conveniently positioned on each of the platform's four corners.

Preview Verdict — "REally Good"
It's hard to measure exactly how good this game will be when everything is said and done. On the one hand, the familiar action makes me believe that this is Resident Evil 4 with better graphics and a sexy partner, while on the other, the African setting, a large amount of explosions, and wider open areas provide just enough of a different experience to not warrant a feeling of "been there, done that." But know that, from what I've seen, it's a finalist in the "Who's Worthy of My 60 Bucks This Month" contest.

Resident Evil 5 infects Xbox 360 and PS3 on March 13.