Resident Evil 5...With Co-Op?

[Ark]

Enjoyed Resident Evil 4, but wished you had some company while slaughtering hordes of ravenously infected villagers? Then boy are you going to be happy to hear this: The UK mag Xbox World 360 (via sister publication GamesRadar) has a new preview of Resident Evil 5 where -- among other things -- they break the news of full online co-op throughout the entire game. The preview appears to have since been removed from GamesRadar (though links on the site still point to it), but we managed to catch all the juiciest details.
According to the preview, main character Chris Redfield will be accompanied throughout his ordeal by an as-yet unnamed female mercenary (probably one of the two new female character recently revealed in Famitsu). This character will be guided by the AI when going solo, but a second player can take control at any time. This includes online co-op play, with seamless "jump in/jump out" design. (We're assuming this game will actually have voice chat, unlike the woefully miscalculated Resident Evil Outbreak games.)
And speaking of mercenaries, the preview also revealed that the shoot-em-up Mercenaries mini-game from Resident Evil 4 will be making a return. Gameplay-wise, the preview reports that while the game will still lack strafing, it will add two contemporary features: a cover system to press up to walls and shoot around corners, and the ability to duck and dodge using the right analog stick.
The preview also revealed some new story details as well (and you might want to consider these some really small spoilers, just in case you want to know as little as possible going in). The game will apparently take place in a nameless African country near a line of active volcanoes that stretch across Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Kenya. When the game begins, everyone will at first be uninfected, and this time around it'll be a long-dormant virus released through volcanic activity that turns the locals into zombie-like killers.
Moreover (and you might consider this an even bigger spoiler), the preview states the game will feature a number of classic Resident Evil characters (with Albert Wesker and Sherry Birkin being confirmed), including flashback episodes that'll fill the player in on character histories that haven't been explored yet.
One last bit of information, perhaps just as noteworthy as the co-op, is buried at the end of the preview: that the game will be released in 2009. Many have speculated whether RE5 would make it out this year, but is this casually mentioned date confirmation that it won't see release until next year? Let's hope not...

New Resident Evil 5 Online Co-Op Details news from 1UP.com

[Darth Daver]

This has become one of my most anticipated games, shame it's coming out later than hoped though