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Resident Evil 4 misses 2004

With a release date now seemingly confirmed in Japan, it seems that we'll have to wait until next year to play Resi 4 anywhere at all.

Resident Evil 4 looks set to debut in the USA before it makes an appearance in Japan, judging by retail reports and magazine clippings we've seen this week. And yes, that does mean that the Cube-exclusive survival horror title will now miss 2004 entirely.

Capcom USA has previously confirmed that Resident Evil 4 will be released in the States on January 11th, and now it seems that Japanese gamers will actually have to wait more than a fortnight to get their hands on it - on January 27th. Capcom has yet to officially confirm the news, but Japanese media and retailers now appear to be singing from the same hymn sheet.

Resident Evil 4, which Capcom has been showing off at various media events over the last few months, is expected to revitalise the survival horror series following the Cube-exclusive Resident Evil 0, which was generally felt to be more of the same. It adopts a different perspective, zombies are faster and more organised (if they are indeed zombies) and visually it's doing things no one thought the Cube could do.

For more on the game, check back on our first impressions from earlier this year, and rest assured that as soon as we can get our hands on it, we will. Resident Evil 4 is due out in Europe next spring.