Last week I posted news concerning the release of Resident Evil 5: Alternative Edition, Capcom's downloadable add-ons to the popular survival horror title that debuted earlier this year. At the time, details were fairly scarce. That changed yesterday when the popular publisher issued a press release highlighting what gamers can expect when the new material becomes available next year.

The main component of the new content is going to be the side episode "Lost In Nightmares, which finds BSAA agent Chris Redfield working with his partner, Jill Valentine, as they investigate Ozwell E. Spencer's hideaway."

Details about the second episode content still haven't been revealed (all we know is that it has a March 4th release date), but they did unveil "a new refresh of Mercenaries Mode, The Mercenaries Reunion, gives players new playable characters and weapon load outs which provide players additional challenges as they aim to shoot down as many enemies as they can within a limited time."

If you enjoy playing dress up with your online avatars, then the addition of new costumes should also make you happy.

Capcom also announced that all of this content will not only be available for download, but also offered on disc. The physical media release will be called Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition and be available for the Xbox 360 and PS3. The kicker here is that both formats feature the entire game and the new content, so those who own RE5 would have to buy the game again.

Jump past the break for pricing details, the trailer, and release dates.

The Gold Edition is set to retail for $49.99. No word on what the downloadable content will cost.

The other issue with the disc-based format is that gamers who go that route will be waiting longer to experience it. The downloadable first episode debuts in the middle of February, and the untitled second installment hits on March 4th, but the retail DVD/Blu-ray won't be in stores until March 9th.

At any rate, gamers who didn't get enough zombie-killing action in their first go-round with Resident Evil 5 should have something to look forward to early next year.