Capcom has released the first teaser trailer for the just-announced Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, which shows off the first glimpses of gameplay. Raccoon City is, of course, well known to fans of the series as a centerpiece to the saga, a metropolis that fell to the T-Virus outbreak and was eventually obliterated by a government-sanctioned nuclear blast. The new game is reportedly set around the time of Resident Evil 2 and 3, but Slant Six Games, the developer behind the new title, says they’re telling “a completely new story” that’s sorta/kinda/maybe set in “a parallel world.”

Slant Six is best known for the SOCOM series, and they’re bringing some of those tactical shooter sensibilities to Resident Evil for Operation Raccoon City. You’ll play in third-person mode as a member of the Umbrella Corporation’s task force, fighting both zombies and the U.S. Special Forces that you usually play as part of in the series. Even Leon Kennedy, protagonist from several titles in the series, is one of your targets in the new game.

What do you think of the trailer, and this surprising new direction for the series? Have they run out of ideas? Or have they found a creative entry point for new players?

WIN: The Walking Dead
Freshly edged out of its long-occupied #1 spot of most watched trailers on IMDB, The Walking Dead‘s TV adaptation (from a zombie comic penned by Robert Kirkman – for the uninitiated) is still buzzing hardcore. It won’t actually air until Halloween, but it’s been on fire since ComicCon. It’s already been granted a second season. What else can this fledgling program accomplish before we actually see it?

FAIL: Brand Secrets
Microsoft’s latest mouse has been leaked on a Russian web site, and it looks more like something Posh Spice would wear on her head than something you’d find on a desk. Called “Metro Mouse” (which is in fact a mini-win, since it brings to mind Mighty Mouse), it uses BlueTrack blue laser technology to allow it to cope with less-than-optimal surfaces. Biggest selling point, perhaps literally: it’s the cheapest mouse in the range at a mere $20.

WIN: Resident Evil 5
Milla Jovovich spilled the beans that Resident Evil 5 is already in the works, and that, most importantly, the plot will depend on input from fans of the series as collected via social media. Zombies and the Internet, double geek win. And speaking of zombies…

WIN: Zombies
Zombies are proving their cultural staying power is still in full force, as they’ve been trending on Surchur for several weeks straight. No doubt this is because of things like the most recent Resident Evil film, a blockbuster hit, and the aforementioned Walking Dead show. Or perhaps it’s the first sign of the zombie apocalypse?

FAIL: Spam Control
Specifically, Apple’s spam control. While this isn’t so much this week’s news – because it began early this month when Apple debuted its iTunes-based social media service Ping – the fact that Apple put in safeguards against inappropriate profile pictures (manual approval) but failed to anticipate the spam that plagues other social networks is a total fail. What elevates it to an epic fail is that the spam is primarily malware and phishing scams offering iPods, iPhones, and iPads – Apple’s very own products. Let’s just call it a timeless fail.

WIN: Catfish
This week saw a meteoric rise in interest in the upcoming social network movie Catfish, which will release nationally against rival The Social Network. From the relative obscurity of film festivals to the major social media radar, the word on the ‘net is it does for online dating what Jaws did for swimming. Now, I’ve absolutely nothing against online dating, but I’m positively all for movies that give social networking an intriguing spin. That Catfish is a documentary only heightens its appeal, whereas The Social Network, at least to me, has fallen flat as so much Hollywood flotsam – rooted in truth or not.

The Resident Evil 5 demo will feature two parts of the game that will not only have the crazy shooting segments but also the puzzles that have been a staple of the Resident Evil franchise. Players can decide to play split screen multiplayer, online, and of course single player mode.

I’ll have some first impressions ready the moment I finish downloading the game.