Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (Wii)

'Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles' is an on-rails, arcade shoot 'em up, taking you back through Resident Evils 0, 1 and 3 from a new perspective, giving you the full story of the T-Virus outbreak. You take the role of either Rebecca or Billy in Resident Evil 0, Chris or Jill in Resident Evil and Carlos or Jill (again) in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.

GAMEPLAY - 4/5
The Umbrella Chronicles makes full use of the Wii's interactive controls with the remote used as the gun or knife and the nunchuck used to change weapons and look around. The aiming is very accurate and if you've got the new Wii zapper attachment, the gameplay is even more realsitic. As the game's on rails, you are limited to what you can do and where you can go, but if you're after an arcade shooter in the style of classics like House of the Dead or Ghost Squad, than this is the perfect game for you on the Wii. There's not a great deal of gore and the game also isn't that scary (although there are a fair few jumpy bits) so younger gamers could also play it, as it isn't like the blood-filled as previous Resident Evil games from the series. The thing that shines the most about this game is the co-op mode where you and a friend can team up and play through the main missions together on the one screen. So it is just like the arcades!

GRAPHICS - 4/5
Although it doesn't quite match up to the likes of Gears of War or Call of Duty 4 when it comes to visuals, it still looks extremely good. The lighting effects are spot-on and the character models are also very realistic. The formerly static backgrounds from the original games have also been put into 3-D for the first person perspective, so that is a nice change to the settings. The graphics are basically the same style and quality as those of the Resident Evil 1 remake on the Gamecube and Resident Evil 0. Resident Evil 3 has also been re-vamped to this style, making me hope that a remake of this is in the works too (please, Capcom!). I'd strongly recommend getting a HD cable for your Wii though if you're playing it though a HDTV, as it does lose a lot of it's sharpness and looks quite shoddy otherwise.

SOUND - 3/5
This game is loud! There's simultaneous gun-shot sounds from the TV and the Wii remote as well as groans and shouts from the enemies on-screen and the music in the background. The music is mainly remixed versions of the scores from the original games, given a new, faster pace to blend in nicely with the arcade action, as opposed to the usual slower, more atmospheric settings.

LIFESPAN -4/5
Each of the 3 games in The Umbrella Chronicles is split into 3 chapters, each taking about 30 minutes to an hour to finish depending on how good you are, so it does take a fair few hours to complete the first time round. Then there are bonus single player character missions that you can unlock when playing through the game. The co-op mode is probably the thing that would most likely bring you back to it as it is just like the arcade machines where you can just play it over and over again, There's also tonnes of upgrades to your guns and items to find, as well as trying to beat your highest scores and times. It probably is even more re-playable than the original Resident Evil games.

OVERALL - 4/5
This is very different to all of the other original Resident Evil games and is quite similar to the awful Survivor games on the PS2 - just a lot better thanks to the Wii controls. The only major let-down with this game is that it doesn't include Resident Evil 2 or 4 (the best ones) or Code: Veronica. Hopefully that'll mean that a sequel is in the pipeline as this game works brilliantly on the Wii and goes to show that this great console isn't just for kids! It's not the best game on the Wii but it is an excellent game all round that fans of the series as well as people who are just after an arcade shooter should enjoy. Highly recommended!

Seeing mixed reviews on amazon for this game initially put me off as several people found large faults with the gameplay. Having taken the gamble recently I can honestly say that I can't see where much of the criticism is based, particularly with reference to all the RE4 comparisons.

In the end this is a highly enjoyable shooter-romp with superb production values and easily deserves the sales (if not the press) accolades it is receiving. Whether you're a RE fan or newbie like myself its great to play through these atmospheric (and well-rendered) environments from the FP view.

First things first, it may appear to be a lightgun game but typical it is not. It bares almost no similarity to HOD, Time Crisis or Virtua Cop. Yes it is on rails, and yes it is essentially repetitive but that is where the similarity ends, and this is why REUC excels at what it does.

Firstly it plays out much more like a traditional FPS than you'd expect. There is a sound game engine with destructible environments and hoards of enemies that don't always come at you the same way. Depending on how you manage your weapons you can be picking of enemies at a distance with precision aiming or fighting them off close-up with melee attacks and shotguns.

And this is where I counter many of the game's critics. The control system is perfect for the gameplay. Rather than the unconnected and over the top blasting of SEGA lightgun games, REUC relies on the wii-mote's precision qualities. It may take time to get used to, but once you realise that the game is supposed to be a slow burning, tense, amd accurate shooter, you really appreciate its strengths. In the end it takes concentration, perfect head-shots and great weapon management to complete the game and this, on top of the brilliant graphics atmospherics makes REUC a highly tense, rewarding affair

Other complaints come from the on-rails game play itself. I, like many people was a new fan of the RE4 wii-edition. However, I was not a fan of light-gun games and so this purchase represented a risk. In the end i found i liked REUC for exactly the same reasons i liked RE4.

If you are one of the people who enjoyed RE4 for those moments where you were backed into a corner surrounde by 20 zombies with only your trusty pistol, desperatly saving your last shotgun round, then you'll love this.

Criticism that REUC doesn't allow you to explore is ridiculous for 2 reasons. Firstly this game was never intended or marketed as anything other than an on-rails shooter. Secondly, RE4 is one of the most brilliant but LINEAR experiences of the last console generation and as a resulty I honestly have not noticed one jot that I'm not controlling the exact movement of the player in REUC.

Its also refreshign to see a third party developer put time and lvoe into the production values. The graphics engine is as solid as that of RE4 with lovely ligthing and atmoshpere, if not quite the variety of its sibling. Cutscenes are great and tread that perfect hammy 'macho man and innocent defenceless woman' line beloved of many Japanese games,and in particualr the RE series.

So overall a top notch release. This review has tried to be as objective and realistic as possible to help those put off my less considered reviews (which almost stopped me from buying it). Yes its on-rails, yes its hard, yes it can get repetitive (but what action games doesn;t?) But with great production values, superb controls and an atmosphere loyal to the RE series, I couldn't recommend this game more.

Okay, lots of people complaining its not like RE4 and you cant free-roam but did you not check out the reviews and press before buying? As first-person shooters go this is all i expected and a bit more. Yes, you are 'on rails' so the game leads you around each scene and you have to pick off zombies and nasties as you go, just like Time Crisis or Ghost Squad. This is done well and the slow pace that some people complain about is good as it builds up suspense and had me looking at corners and the edges of the screen for the next zombie to appear. It also allows you loads of time to shoot up the environment and pick up much needed ammo and first aid before you get jumped at again!
The graphics do look really good and very atmospheric, just the right amount of dark gloomy areas and glowing lights...
The idea of having a close-up melee weapon (a knife) is a good one, and really needed when the zombies close in or the camera twists suddenly and you got monsters in your face - slash 'em!
One thing i did find unusual at first was the fact that you 'share' a health bar but my initial misgivings about this were dispelled when me and my shooting partner would take out anything because if it got through it would in effect, hurt both of us, (no more 'ill just shoot stuff on the left side of the screen'). The same works for the actions, like dodging because when the button prompt comes up on-screen, you BOTH have to get it right or you BOTH take damage. Good for causing arguments!!
Any BAD THINGS about it? Well, it is difficult but that is no bad thing, if you have perseverence you will keep trying to beat it, and get your moneys worth. The targeting sights are too big and too thick and i think they can get in the way of what you are shooting, especially in 2 player mode. Sometimes the onscreen action prompts are misleading, for instance it says 'press b' but it means keep pressing B repeatedly and not just hold it down as i was used to from RE4. This caused arguments in my house as to who was letting the side down when you had to redo a section...!
But these are minor niggles really, its a very good 2-player shooter and way better than the poor reviews some of these reviewers have given. And with it currently being discounted in the shops to £24, its well worth a go. Im looking forward to saving the world, or at least Raccoon City!