After the bloody gorefest that was Resident Evil 4, a lot’s been expected of Umbrella Chronicles. But rather than simply take the zombie packed series to the next level, Capcom have decided that what we all crave is a Resident Evil based light gun shooter.
It’s not the first time the series has taken this turn. The Survivor spin offs on PS2 were rightly damned for being about as scary as an episode of Neighbours. Like the Aussie soap, they weren't much fun either.
With the Wii Remote ready to be utilised as a satisfying gun, hopes are high for Umbrella Chronicles. Bringing together some of our favourite characters from the entire series, something big will have to happen to drag this one down.
They say:
Eurogamer: “Admittedly it's not everything it could have been, but taken at face value Umbrella Chronicles is a huge amount of fun while it lasts.”
Gamespot: “If you don't care for either Resident Evil or light gun games, this won't change your mind, but if you do, it's a pretty fun ride.”
1UP: “Series fans will devour it as an excuse to flesh out the Resident Evil canon, but there's enough casual slaughter of the undead for anyone to enjoy.”
We say:
For staunch fans of the Resident Evil series, this going to bring back all those gory zombie infested memories of yours.
Remember the mysterious Umbrella corporation that was the source of all the evil nasties? Well, Umbrella Chronicles will spin you the full tale of this dastardly company.
Fans shouldn’t expect too much in the way of new yarns mind you. Umbrella Chronicles takes many storylines and locations from the first handful of Resident Evil titles (none of that Spanish Resident Evil 4 stuff here) and crams it all into a brand new gaming style.
If Resident Evil 4 with its over the shoulder gun obsession was too much of a change for you, you’ll want to avoid this one. Here’s its all first person action, playing more like old House of the Dead or Time Crisis titles.
Like most other light gun controlled games, your path is nearly 100% predetermined. In fact, other than the odd opportunity to choose between two different paths, your character will meander along the same trail every time you play that level.
The Wii Remote makes for a pretty handy light gun. It’s deadly accurate and makes blowing off zombie heads an absolute breeze. You shake said Remote to reload your weapon, with the rest of the meagre number of controls introduced during the first chapter of the game.
To make the Remote feel more like a gun, Nintendo have fashioned a plastic add on called the ‘Wii Zapper’. These shops will have probably sold out of these come Christmas too, but don’t worry as you’re not missing much. Snapping it on to the Remote actually makes the whole thing a little unwieldy and wiggling to reload is more awkward.
Speaking of the chapters, this is one lengthy game. Most light gun games last a couple of hours at best, but this beast packs in over double that amount of gaming goodness. Capcom certainly understand how to give us ample gaming for our cash.
It’s not all bright and rosy though. This latest Resi is in no way an unattractive game, but it’s certainly no Mario Galaxy or even a Resident Evil 4 in the visuals department.
The aiming can feel a little off at times too. One close range blast to a zombie head should see them plummet to the floor stone dead, but all too often, for no apparent reason, it’ll take three or four shots to the old noggin before they’ll sink down to the floor.
Equally as irritating are some of the boss bottles. While all are populated by ‘quick time events’ that prompt you to perform a required shake or poke of the remote to avoid a hit, some attacks are seemingly unavoidable, leaving you dying time and time again. It’s only after a handful of tries that you discover some way of avoiding said bouts of aggression, with no help offered by the game whatsoever.
Give ‘Easy’ mode a try first out too. Most of you might want to jump straight in at normal, but be warned that this setting starts getting really hard really quickly.
If you miss those old bouts of Time Crisis in the arcades and you’re a Resi fan, this is definitely your bag. Just don’t expect to be gripped for weeks on end, especially with its beastly flaws.
Like this? Try these:
Resident Evil 4 – Wii, GC
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess – Wii, GC
Resident Evil 2 – PS2, PC, GC
FORMAT REVIEWED
Wii
OTHER FORMATS
None
POSTED...
Tue 18 Dec 2007 at 9:24am
