Blink and you may have missed it. However this weekend, for a frustratingly limited time only, Resident Evil 4 appeared on the Japanese iTunes Apps Store. True say…

Biohazard 4: Mobile Edition, as it is apparently known, popped up and was promptly pulled – almost as if some Capcom office junior had pressed the ‘send’ button by mistake. Many subsequently wondered whether their eyes had been deceiving them, although fast-fingered fanboys were able to capture video evidence before the game disappeared. We guess you’ll know where to find it.

Very tasty it looks too. A tad clunky to control, perhaps. Then again the brilliant original was a bit like that too. Otherwise the visuals ape the big console versions surprisingly well. They’re pleasingly smooth in motion too. In short, it’s a properly ‘killer’ app. But when’s it coming out and, more importantly, will it ever be released outside of Japan?

Answers: ‘July’ and ‘Yes’, which is monstrously good news. Japan gets it first, as you might expect, and Capcom has now confirmed that Resi 4 will trickle into other territories shortly thereafter - can't wait! Props to Pocketgamer for doing the digging on this. Here are a few murky first screens.