While it may lack high-definition graphics, the Wii console’s unique control schemes have been an absolute blessing to fans of the left-for-dead genre that is lightgun-style (often referred to as on-rails) shooters. There’s certainly no shortage of critical successes on the platform, like the hilariously profane House of the Dead: Overkill and the narrative triumph Dead Space: Extraction, few have the requisite brand-name recognition of Capcom’s definitive game of survival horror that is Resident Evil.
Indeed, the franchise houses the best-selling mature-rated titles for the console, with previous genre-title The Umbrella Chronicles a particular standout. Never one to waste a good opportunity, Capcom lays on the nostalgia and brings back several of the series best moments with the much-improved sequel Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles.
Unlike the superb Dead Space: Extraction, The Darkside Chronicles isn’t particularly interested in staking new ground in the franchise that spawned it, instead settling on retelling the events of past games in a cinematic fashion that cuts to the chase and puts the emphasis squarely on the main event – killing a whole lot of zombies. While Umbrella Chronicles busied itself with retelling Resident Evil 0, 1, and bits of 3, The Darkside Chronicles focuses almost entirely on the juicier bits of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil: Code Veronica, with new character arcs and storylines weaved throughout to keep things fresh and interesting.
The core of the game’s plot centers on the most popular (and cinematic) moments and characters from both Resident Evil 2 (Memories of a Lost City) and Code Veronica (Game of Oblivion) games, with an entirely new scenario (Operation Javier) serving as the ghoulish glue that attempts to bind the two narratives together. Series favorites Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield inhabit their proper place in RE2, while Steve Burnside joins Claire for a drastic retelling (and revision) of the Veronica storyline. Operation Javier tantalizingly hints at what’s to come in RE4 with lush outdoor landscapes and Leon Kennedy joining future-antagonist Jack Krauser hunting down a South American drug lord. The result is one of the most disjointed, nonsensical pieces of videogame storytelling I’ve ever had the pleasure of blasting my way through, with not a trace of the Metal Gear Solid-envy of the 5th chapter; this is Resident Evil brought back to its B-movie roots, and thankfully so.
The game is strictly a guided affair, with a forced perspective sweeping players through the various events in cinematic, shaky waves designed for maximum creepiness and controller-tossing difficulty. Prior to the start of each campaign you’ll be able to choose which character you’ll want to assume (Leon, Claire, Steve, etc), with your NPC (non-playable character) appearing alongside for the ride and chipping in when needed. The effectiveness of this virtual ‘cooperative’ play depends entirely on the health of your teammate, so better make sure he/she is defended and healthy, or that a friend joins in the for long haul (sadly, the game doesn’t support drop –in/out gameplay). Scores and weapon strength is based on accuracy, with headshots bringing the highest result (and greatest visceral thrill). Speaking of weapons, there’s plenty to pick up and use against the undead/infected masses, including the trusty shotgun, sub-machine gun, rocket launcher, and even the famed magnum. Your standard pistol may have unlimited ammo, but it’s also the weakest and least accurate choice for dispatching ghouls; best upgrade and improve your aim quickly.
Those familiar with the controls from Umbrella Chronicles will find some significant changes here, most notably in how weapon placement is now mapped to specific buttons (via d-pad or Nunchuk analog), as well as how grenades are used during battle. The game takes full advantage of a new status screen, which allows for on-the-spot weapon assignment and swap-outs (much like Resident Evil 5’s menus, only not in real-time). Grenades must now be assigned to a particular button and used independently from your main weapon, which will no doubt add new wrinkles in any lob-and-run strategies you might want to carry over from the original game. Handling your trusty knife and reloading both remain a Wii Remote-shaking affair, with the Nunchuk rendered practically redundant this time around (indeed, the game can be played without it entirely).
Another dramatic change from Umbrella Chronicles is the absence of camera-control via the Nunchuk’s analog stick, which as mentioned above is now used exclusively for weapon management. Replenishing health (via herbs or first-aid cans) is also a bit more strategic this time around, as herbs can be used by pressing the + button on the Wii Remote, or given to your NPC partner by navigating the Status screen. First-aid sprays are still automatically used when dying, and definitely a welcome holdover when battling your way out of a particularly difficult spot (think boss battles).
There’s no two ways about it, The Darkside Chronicles looks pretty spectacular running on the Wii, easily trumping the gratuitous gore and depravity of the original while nearly benchmarking visuals on the console. The game’s heroes and varied enemy models are rendered with fantastic detail and nuance, with particular attention paid to the various undead zombies and bosses. The backdrops have been given an insane amount of detail to help bring previously static scenes into the 3D world, with destructible elements like breakable furniture and shattering light fixtures (which can actually affect the gameplay), and plenty of strange monsters to blast into bits. If nothing else, the graphical display here should put an end to the strange speculation of whether Resident Evil 5 (albeit in reduced form) could be handled on the Wii.
Likewise, the game’s soundtrack is incredible, with dramatic reworking of familiar pieces from earlier games that just sound amazing during the action. Capcom brought back series composers Shusaku Uchiyama and Takeshi Miura to compose their respective themes, a smart move considering how elemental some of the more gothic and evocative moments of the franchise’s history have been linked to strong musical cues.
While it may sound like The Darkside Chronicles is an unqualified success, a few caveats to those who interested in picking this one up. Chief among them is the game’s erratic and ‘human’ character, which attempts to mimic the look and feel of how an actual person might react to these insane elements. The result is often a frustrating mass of moment, making pinpoint aiming nearly impossible and infuriating like nobody’s business; several times I wanted to just give up, especially during longer boss battles. The developers seem to take some perverse pleasure in making absolute accuracy as difficult as possible.
Also worth mentioning is the lazy CG and ridiculous voice-acting, which seem to be throwbacks to the early days of original PlayStation games and just awful. Of course, while shaky cameras may be a deal-killer, I suppose hardcore Resident Evil fans might enjoy hearing the atrocious (and atrociously delivered) dialogue by their favorite characters throughout the game, so that might actually be a bonus.
Like Umbrella Chronicles, there’s plenty of content to discover and unlock here, which helps add untold replay value to a game that will probably take most about 12 hours to complete the first go-around. Shooting destructible background objects will reveal a treasure trove of hidden goodies, including special Umbrella icons (helps unlock character models, story bits, etc) and gold bars (to upgrade your various weapons throughout). If you’re the type that just has to unlock everything the game has to offer (including a bizarre mode that renders the enemies into chunks of tofu) than best bring along a friend and blast everything in sight and finish the campaigns on every difficult level.
Like its predecessor, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles remains firmly committed to the franchise’s roots in survival horror, with healthy doses of zombie-blasting action and ridiculous narrative. While the incredibly shaky camera nearly caused me to prematurely dismiss the game outright, persistence paid off with an experience that easily holds it own, bursting with content and demanding repeat plays to help take it all in. The graphics are really great and the soundtrack is outstanding, both sublime efforts that will no doubt be much appreciated by longtime fans of the series. In a banner year already full of great lightgun-style games for the Wii, this is definitely one of the best.
