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Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
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January 20th, 2008 by Dynamo
Honing and perfecting your skills
While all the scenarios in the game can be completed in less than ten hours, there is a ton of things to collect and scores to perfect for the hardcore gamers out there. Each scenario, all of which can be played through multiple times, is swarming with items. For the most part these may be little more than ammo, grenades and healing items, but there are a lot of collectibles hidden throughout each level as well. These can be viewed in the game's Archive section. Collectibles appear in the form of documents, ranging from character and enemy profiles to letters to loved ones. Of course, these collectibles aren’t just left lying around for anyone to pick up: almost every object in the game can be shot and destroyed and while a few may serve some purpose, such as exploding a drum of oil next to a group of zombies, most are simply chairs, lights and picture frames that may be carrying a hidden item.
If collecting a bunch of documents isn’t reason enough for you to replay scenarios, you may want to look into getting a better rank. After each mission, you’re given a rank depending on your performance (C, B, A or S). Often it pretty hard to get an A or S on your first time through a mission, however you can always return latter with a kickass weapon and knowledge of what to expect throughout the mission. The game doesn’t just leave give you a ranking to stick on the fridge however. The Umbrella Chronicles awards its gamers: if you achieve a good rank in a mission (A or S) you’ll receive an item, usually mementos from previous RE games, to store in your Archives. In addition, depending on the rank you receive, you’re awarded with a number of STAR points which can be used to customize your firearms.
If you find you’re having considerable trouble with a mission, the best thing you can do is go back and replay some scenarios to build up some STAR points and max out a weapon. With items to collect, guns to improve and ranks to push up, there’s a ton of stuff to do in this game. Even if you’ve won the missions, it’ll be quite a while before you’ve done all there is to do in The Umbrella Chronicles. Just don’t make the mistake of expecting an easy ride...
Reasons to go Easy...
If you’re not a fan of difficult games, then you’d better give the Normal and Expert difficulties a wide berth. Yes, I did say Normal. Even on the Normal setting this game is harder than most other titles out there. Expect to die. A lot. In almost every mission. The bosses are usually very brutal in attacking; if you fail to dodge an attack (through timed button presses) you could find a significant portion of your health bar diminished. I’d be very surprised if you can find me a single guy who can play through this game on Normal (using a fresh file of course) without dying once. It’s not all bad news though; herbs can be picked up to immediately restore health while first-aid sprays, which are usually hidden behind objects, will revive you once you die. Thankfully, if, or rather when, you do die you won’t have to start back at the beginning of the mission as each scenario has predetermined checkpoints. However, this will increase the mission time, making it much more difficult to get an excellent rank.
...or to invite a pal over
The Umbrella Chronicles isn’t only tailored to be a one man ride; it features two-player co-op throughout each of the main missions although bonus scenarios with only one playable character cannot be initially played with two people. Co-op in this game is highly enjoyable, making it a great game to pop out when you have a friend over. It also makes the game a lot easier, bringing the Hard difficulty level within the grasp of most gamers. You’ll both be sharing the same health bar and the overall rank depends on the performance of both players so playing with an incompetent partner will get annoying.
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Graphics
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8 |
How hooked?
8
(not an average)
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Sound
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8 |
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Interface
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8 |
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Replay
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9 |
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Gameplay
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8 |
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Stability
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9 |
Total votes: 6 - give us yours!
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Developer:
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Capcom |
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Publisher:
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Capcom |
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Release:
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November 13th, 2007 |
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Genre:
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Shoot-'Em-Up |
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The Umbrella Chronicles offers an above average shooter for the Nintendo Wii. While it has a few quirks, it provides an enjoyable experience and features great co-op multiplayer. |
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