Launch Event: Resident Evil 5 in San Francisco

So Resident Evil 5 has finally released itself onto the hoard of shambling consumers. Pretty great, huh? All I’ve got to say it’s about freaking time. We’ve known about this game for what, almost three years. Damn.

At least Capcom knows how to throw a debutante ball for its latest release. On March 12, Capcom and GameStop took over the entirety of Union Square, the heart of San Francisco, for a massive release party for RE5. Besides the hoard of jaded journalists, there were loads of exuberant fans ready to get some sweet swag, enter screaming contests, and get a solid hands-on time with the game.

There was even members of the dev team and actors such as Reuben Langdon (who performed stunts for the game’s motion capture, and also voiced Ken in Street Fighter IV) on hand for some autographs. It was a good night with some good fun, and even the “secret” announcement of Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles was charming in how Capcom put us on “quarantine.” Cute.

Oh! And community member (and superstar photographer) Tactix had IGN’s Jessica Chobot sign his Frisbee. So it was a night very well spent!