Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles

Dead good

Despite existing in a gaming market that has largely abandoned the on-rails shooter, 2007's Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles clearly amassed enough positive feedback (and dollars) for Capcom to offer up Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. Built around the same simple premise of shooting indiscriminately at lumbering undead before the game camera (the player's POV) automatically hurries to the next scripted event, Darkside Chronicles includes a veritable smorgasbord of classic series characters popping heads aplenty while padding out backstory and narrative gaps across various points in the existing series.

Considering that EA's thoroughly impressive on-rails shooter Dead Space: Extraction has recently bombed spectacularly, you'd be forgiven for thinking Darkside Chronicles may be facing a similar fate as gamers continue to prefer the roaming (but still predominantly linear) experience provided by most modern FPS titles. However, unlike Dead Space, the longstanding Resident Evil series boasts a massive installed fan base that could and should grant some retail traction... as long as the relentless zombie bloodletting in Darkside Chronicles cuts the gaming mustard, and not the cheese.

Happily, while the frantic zombie destruction is peppered by the cheesy character localisation synonymous with Japanese action adventures, the gritty gameplay tears along at a pleasingly breakneck pace and is punctuated by increasingly more savage and testing boss fights. And, factor in eerie atmosphere, jumpy moments galore, cash-connected weapon upgrades, the odd quick time event, and Capcom's performance-based chapter scoring system, and Darkside Chronicles is pretty much a pure Resident Evil title - just without the freedom of player control while shooting. But, hey, if it was good enough for Resident Evil 5...

It's easy to curb stomp the majority of Wii games for having shoddy visual presentation, but, while Darkside Chronicles probably won't break that particular trend in some circles, its grimy environments and unrefined character models actually lend the game a strange air of authenticity when gauging it against the Resident Evil series entrants it often references. Looking and feeling not unlike Resident Evil 4 in terms of overall aesthetic impact (which isn't necessarily a bad thing), the graphics also escape the disappointment of prolonged scrutiny thanks to a game camera that never dwells and a screen constantly filled with ever-willing zombie cannon fodder.

Clearly not trading on its good looks, the strength of Darkside Chronicles lies in it utilising the Wii Remote to create an effective light gun shooter that provides a thrilling test of player reactions alongside a healthy nod of nostalgia towards cabinet arcade game inspiration such as House of the Dead. Now, unlike other Wii light gun offerings, such as the fleetingly brief Ghost Squad and even The Umbrella Chronicles, the gameplay action in Darkside Chronicles totals a whopping 10 to 12 hours. While a dozen hours of quality zombie bashing is not to be sniffed at, and certainly well executed via reliable point-and-shoot control mechanics, there are two physical aspects of note that light gun fans should consider before taking up the Wii Remote (with or without an optional Zapper attachment).

The first of these is that the constant on-screen movement and incessant action of Darkside Chronicles is a huge strain on the eyes - not in a 'help, my retinas have exploded' kind of way, but rather in a ' help, I haven't blinked for three hours' kind of way. Beyond jokingly recommending short bursts of gameplay with breaks to drizzle in a few eye drops and pull focus on something other than the TV, the second physical concern can be somewhat more intrusive. Specifically, while the Wii Remote is far from heavy, holding it up towards the screen for any length of time can be a tad uncomfortable. Granted, resting it on a knee can alleviate any mounting discomfort (the Zapper doesn't really help), but that somewhat sullies the core immersion value of this and any other light gun game. Luckily, however, the individual story chapters of Darkside Chronicles are fairly short, which enables players to duck in and out of the game at regular intervals. Ultimately, it's just that sore, dry eyes and an aching wrist, elbow and shoulder are almost inevitable, unavoidable consequences for such addictive gameplay.

Although it lacks online multiplayer functionality, Darkside Chronicles does still manage to extend its arcade credentials via two-player full screen co-operative play, Much as with any cabinet shooter worth its salt, a second player is able to join the fray at any point and double the firepower, which greatly increases appeal, ramps up the fun factor, and also magnifies an already formidable level of in-game addiction. And don't forget that, unlike a hungry arcade cabinet, the Wii doesn't demand a steady stream of coinage when it comes to post-death resurrection, so figuring out attack patterns during clammy-palmed boss battles will only require patient retries as opposed to a minor bank loan.

Offering fans of Resident Evil a chance to experience the longstanding zombie series from directly behind the gun barrel, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles ably builds on its predecessor and perfectly encapsulates all that's good about ye olde arcade shooter. Spread across a progressively challenging 10 to 12 hours of game time, Darkside Chronicles is a genuinely decent thrill ride that, if your arms and eyes can suffer the mounting strain, delivers a worthwhile experience that sits somewhere between retro distraction and gory tour de force.

83%

By Stevie Smith