Nintendo 3DS Resident Evil Going Online?

More news filtering out of the conference from Amsterdam is that Resident Evil: Mercenaries on Nintendo 3DS could well have an online mode.  When asked about what would be on offer in the final game, producer Masachika Kawata spoke about how there will be four character to choose from (something that was already shown in the demo version at the event, where Clare Redfield was seen to be making her debut in the title, along with Chris Redfield, Hulk and Jack Krauser), and that there could well be the inclusion of a co-operative mode, which could in fact be online, yet the finalised details have yet to be confirmed and the team is going to see what can be squeezed in before the final release.  A question about Friend Codes was posed, but considering news of the 'one Friend Code per system' had already emerged by the time of asking, it was rather a moot point.

Other details that came from the developer roundtable session with Kawata-san was that Resident Evil: Mercenaries came to light purely because of its popularity amongst fans of the series in general, and will not simply be a port of the side-game, but will incorporate the best characteristics of the Resident Evil series and add improvements based upon feedback received.  A key aspect that will be retained from the home console editions is the time restriction during missions, although there is the opportunity to receive time boosts whilst on your killing spree.

The Nintendo 3DS-specific version of Capcom's MT Framework is being used for Resident Evil: Mercenaries, hence the high level of visual quality compared to some of the other Third Party 3DS offerings, and there will be a wide range of weaponry on-hand for blasting away at incoming zombies.

Whether or not the co-operative mode ends up using the Wi-Fi support, Capcom will be making more characters available for play after the game's release, confirming extra download support in the future.  The aim is to make Resident Evil: Mercenaries more of a 'complete' experience than the console side-games, with more character poured into the action, as well as certain missions with varying gameplay styles and character skills to keep things fresh.

There is still a lot of work to be done, and plenty of unknown elements at this moment in time, but with the promise of a full-on experience that certainly justifies the price-tag, Resident Evil: Mercenaries is definitely one to watch out for.

Has Capcom won you over with Resident Evil: Mercenaries, or is Revelations more your cup of tea?