Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles Review

By Kristan Reed Published 27 November, 2007

Brain dead fun.

Version tested: Wii

What's this? An on-rails zombie shooter as good as The House of the Dead II? In 2007? Shame it's taken Capcom eight years and four attempts to get it right. Shame the genre is as outdated as 56k modems. Shame it's so short and that there's not a single new idea in the entire game. But hey, it's never too late to have fun shooting undead Umbrella employees between the eyes. Right?

Right. Almost despite itself, there is something bafflingly moreish about the whole on-rails genre when it's handled in the right way, and Umbrella Chronicles has a reasonable stab at rehashing the age old 'blast everything that moves' premise.

For starters, the concept of revisiting Resident Evil's 'Umbrella' storyline chronologically is a fantastic means of getting you right into the action, and taps into any fan's latent nostalgia for how the key events, set-pieces and boss monsters unfolded in the original survival-horror classics. Kicking off on the train in Resident Evil Zero, you can choose to play as escaped convict Billy Coen or S.T.A.R.S. Bravo team member Rebecca Chambers and work your way through a sequence of short scenarios which approximate the timeline - minus the puzzling, of course. Each crams all the key events into roughly ten-minute chapters - complete with the exact same enemy types, locations and even some of the dialogue, culminating with a boss encounter.

Everybody dies

'Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles' Screenshot 1

Now's not the time to get the funk.

If you've played the original games, then Umbrella Chronicles is admittedly short on surprises, but that's kind of the point. Knowing what's going to happen next doesn't stop it from being a great deal of fun to relive some of the set-pieces in a more action-focused setting - especially as the game engine has been radically overhauled and no longer has that pre-rendered look. As you can probably imagine, the game takes care of the movement for you, leaving you to simply get on with pointing and aiming at the onslaught of mutated beasties pouring out of each and every location. The control system strips away added complications of ducking behind cover, and simply adds a somewhat superfluous degree of head movement in any direction via the thumbstick on the Nunchuk. As useful as this is for being able to nab pick-ups at the last minute, for the most part your main focus is on pulling off headshots and trying to save the more powerful weapons for enemies and situations that demand it.

So, while you'll get by just fine with your unlimited ammo handgun, when you're crowded out and under pressure, you'll invariably be forced to switch to the shotgun, sub-machinegun, machine pistol, magnum, grenade launcher or grenade to deal the maximum possible damage in the shortest possible time. Cycling between weapons is a simple, intuitive process of pressing the C button (or up and down on the d-pad), while reloading functions involve either shaking the remote briefly, or simply pressing the fire button again once you're dry.

'Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles' Screenshot 2

What do zombie testicles look like, anyway?

Just like in the original, you'll see ammo and health-giving herbs and first aid sprays lying around, but in Umbrella Chronicles you'll also get used to shooting breakable objects and glancing around for otherwise hidden pick-ups. Getting through to the next checkpoint is crucial, so you soon find yourself making the most of the powerful weapons and ammo by learning when the real danger points of the level are coming. On the game's Easy difficulty, it's a useful exercise in not only learning the 'script' as it were - preparing you for the game's more ferocious harder settings, and giving you a chance to know where the quick time events are, as well as knowing how best to respond to the occasional melee attack. Shake boy, shake!

As you go along, the game also unlocks some interesting side-quests, such as Wesker missions which flesh out what this devious little sod was up to at the time. Although they tend to recycle locations and monsters in filler fashion, the real series obsessives will no doubt be thrilled to find some of the plot holes filled in by the typically hammy cut-scenes.

Maniac Mansion

Once the Resident Evil Zero scenarios are done with, the events of the 1996 classic Resident Evil unfold, this time with Rebecca Chambers side-quests available. But rather than simply work through the entire series, Resident Evil 2 is effectively sidelined into the bonus sections of the Resident Evil 3 chapter, rather than having the full focus it richly deserved. This, along with the complete absence of any of the scenarios of the excellent Resident Evil 4 (or Code Veronica) makes it feel like a needlessly curtailed offering (maybe to leave the door open for a sequel).

As nice as it is to have an all-new (new, as in set in 2003) scenario bolted onto the end of the game, I think most fans would rather this served as a full chronicle of the events of the series, rather than just the selected highlights (and rather brief highlights at that). We were expecting a rather more meaty offering, put it that way.

Naturally for an on-rails shooter, it's an incredibly repetitive experience, and not one you should think about charging through all in one go. Best played in small doses, there's no getting away from the pick up and play intensity that it offers - especially when it really starts to test you with the often monumental boss encounters. The fact that you can play the whole thing in simultaneous two-player co-op adds an extra dimension, too, and it can't be underestimated how much fun you'll get out of it with a pal round for some post-pub frolics.

'Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles' Screenshot 3

This is what Robert Green was talking about.

In terms of how it actually feels to play, the Wii is the perfect home for such a game. On-rails shooters demand absolute precision targeting, and the Wii remote offers that for free. Not having to go out and buy an extra peripheral to play it 'properly' is fantastic news, especially as it's a game that lends itself to two-player fun. As the first 'proper' game to support the Wii Zapper, you can pretend you're pointing a gun at the screen instead of just lazily pointing the remote at the screen, but it's not a game that particularly demands that you point a gun-shaped object at the screen to get the most out of it. If anything, you might actually find it slightly easier to play it without the Zapper; as any light-gun veteran will tell you, holding your arms outstretched for extended periods isn't the most comfortable gaming experience you could ever have. Still, (undead) horses for courses.

Retro progressive

'Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles' Screenshot 4

Your amazing ability to pick up objects the other side of the room is a very useful one.

As with the Wii edition of Resident Evil 4, you can expect top-notch visuals as an added bonus. Seeing almost the whole series re-rendered in an engine as capable as this makes me wish Capcom would re-issue the entire series like this. Presented in 480p widescreen, it's definitely one of the better Wii titles to date - though doesn't quite match the ambition of 4, if only because there's an evident desire to keep things recognisably consistent with how you remember them. On the downside, I did notice a few glitchy moments, and odd texturing, but such nitpicking is overwhelmed by the generally exceptional character model excellence and the hugely atmospheric locations throughout. As for the soundtrack, though - what were they thinking? It seems entirely at odds with the action for the most part, and does absolutely nothing to enhance the ambience.

Needless to say, Umbrella Chronicles isn't the most long-lasting affair, and in absolute gameplay terms it's probably one of the most wafer thin offerings you'll have experienced for years. But in a landscape dominated by epic, sprawling complexity, it's refreshing now and then to kick back and blast away in a game that's as knowingly brain-dead as this. The Resident Evil fans will lap it up, and those of you that fancy a good old fashioned arcade-style zombie blaster can't go wrong. 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. Having taken a few left turns over the years with the various Gun Survivor titles, it's good to see Capcom come up with an on-rails game which does everything it should.

7 / 10

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Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (63) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • bushwod #1 4 years ago

    predictable score.

  • Katsumoto #2 4 years ago

    Excellent, I was worried this would be a flop! It's staying on the Christmas list. Huzzah!

  • Phattso #3 4 years ago

    So the "twenty hours of gameplay" they were touting earlier in the year was... stretching the truth a little then? :) Perhaps they meant including a half dozen replays?

    Still, I'm a sucker for 'lightgun' games and this sounds just the ticket.

  • rhinoxious #4 4 years ago

    This looks more like it

    [link url=http://www.renchi.com/renchi/Wii_Accessories_Wii_L ight_Gun.htm
    ]http://ww w.renchi.com/renchi/Wii_Accesso...[/link]

  • krudster #5 4 years ago

    Yeah, eight hours is nearer the mark, though there is replay value to be factored into that if you want to get better ratings and take all the different paths (not that the game's littered with deviations or anything).

  • Lemming81 #6 4 years ago

    "What do zombie testicles look like, anyway?"

    Hairy BRAAAAAAAINS!


    Sorry, had to be done.

  • barnard666 #7 4 years ago

    8 hour i til pretty long for a ight gun game. time crisis was about an hour and a half!
    Edited by 1 at 27/11/07 @ 14:19

  • trav #8 4 years ago

    Wait wait wait. The best Resident Evil in the PSOne series is side-lined to a bonus section?!?!?

    Bastards. Game needs more Leon and Claire.

  • bushwod #9 4 years ago

    Does anyone know if you need a second nun-chuck when you play co-op?

  • Phattso #10 4 years ago

    Eight hours sounds amazing for a game in this genre - you could turn the kettle on and finish all three House of the Dead games before it had boiled. ;-)

  • krudster #11 4 years ago

    Well, you could probably nail it in 4 or 5 if you had no problems on any of the sections. It's definitely miles bigger than the HotD games, either way.

  • LeD #12 4 years ago

    Bought.

  • Wayne #13 4 years ago

    I get the feeling I'll love this. Love RE and the wee plunger shooting games on Rayman made me really want a good on rails shooter for the Wii.

    Also, I seen this mention on HITUKDEALS for 28 quid.

  • JackyB #14 4 years ago

    I am thinking this will do me well amongst all the other games that need "commitment"

    @Krudster. I take it there is a save feature? I cant play a game for 8 hours solid! ;)

  • Goffee #15 4 years ago

    Given that we still dig the Dreamcast and HotD2 out for a good blast from time to time, I don't think replayability will be an issue, its not the game - its the shooting things in the face that makes these so fun...

  • morriss #16 4 years ago

    /wants

  • krudster #17 4 years ago

    Yes, it saves progress automatically at every checkpoint (about every 5 - 8 mins of gameplay).

  • morriss #18 4 years ago

    Is there any way of sharing your progress with other Wii users like in SMG? You know, the star list or whatever?

  • JackyB #19 4 years ago

    Hmm great can play co-op between Pro Evo and Halo sesh's, and solo for a break.
    one more thing....

    @krudster. Can you have a single player and co-op saved at the same time?

  • monkie_king #20 4 years ago

    krudster, re: the pin-point accuracy or the Wiimote etc., is there any special calibration like in Ghost Squad? Or is it just a "move the crosshair around" type of think like Wii Play's shooty game?

  • Santino #21 4 years ago

    will prob get this, and House of the Dead pack, and Ghost Squad, and (hopefully if sega oblige) the Virtua Cop games.

  • homerramone #22 4 years ago

    Needless to say, Umbrella Chronicles isn't the most long-lasting affair, and in absolute gameplay terms it's probably one of the most wafer thin offerings you'll have experienced for years.
    Hence a score of 7/10. Obviously.

  • Kay #23 4 years ago

    How repetitive is it, exactly? No point in having an eight-hour game if it gets boring after 10 minutes.

    I'm hoping there's enough variety in locations, enemies and set-pieces, otherwise £30 is just a little too steep for this sort of game.

    K

  • krudster #24 4 years ago

    No way of sharing progress that I could see, no.

    No special calibration required. Point and shoot, away you go.

  • CannonAnBall #25 4 years ago

    I'm looking forward to this and have been for a while. With the Wii I just want to be able to put a game on like this and d*ck about for a bit. Great fun!

  • krudster #26 4 years ago

    Indeed, the variety is in the locations, monsters, and set pieces, rather than the gameplay, which barely changes from the first minute to the last.

  • Darren #27 4 years ago

    Hmmm, sounds interesting and much better than I thought it would be. I'll definitely consider buying it in the inevitable post-Christmas games drought I think.

  • ZuluHero #28 4 years ago

    @rhinoxious

    wow thats pretty cool looking (its nice the way they have intergrated the wii-mote into the gun and there must be something that pulls the wiimote trigger when you pull the gun trigger (rather than just have a 'space' like the zapper).

    And for the price - you could get 2 of them and duel-wield them - John Woo stylee!

    (although it might be hard to change weapons and stuff if the d-pad is on the top of the gun)

  • Evolution #29 4 years ago

    Bit miffed to hear they didn't cover Leon and Claire, thought the idea was they'd cover the whole "Umbrella" series which really includes RE2 and Code Veronica, oh well... still gonna get it I think =)

  • JetSetWilly #30 4 years ago

    krudster - what did you make of the feedback, visual or otherwise, when shooting the zombies? IGN constantly complain this is very unsatisfying.

  • Kay #31 4 years ago

    One more question - is it all frantic shooty stuff, or are there some slower-paced, RE-style atmospheric sections? Do some enemies require different tactics to defeat? I know it's just a lightgun game, but still.

    K

  • ChrisS #32 4 years ago

    Brilliant review. And I totally agree. It's just FUN. Dumb, unpretentious fun. It's hard to see anyone actually hating it. Apart from maybe some of the Resi Zero bits.

  • krudster #33 4 years ago

    It's frantic stuff with the odd quiet respite. And there are different tactics required for some.

    As for the visual feedback, there's not much blood and gore, which is mildly disappointing, but they get knocked back by the bullets. but it's not a locational effect - i.e. shooting their legs doesn't knock them from underneath them or anything like that. Occasionally stupid things happen, like monsters clipping through one another, but it's fairly rare.

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #34 4 years ago

    This sounds like it does exactly what it sets out to do which is provide excellent shallow zombie-blasting fun.

    It'll be interesting to see what the trolls say when they turn up! ;)

  • monkie_king #35 4 years ago

    Pac man: I could try moaning that's it not a proper gun game if you need to rely on a cursor, if you like. But nobody else seems to care about that.

    /hangs onto CRT a little bit longer for Time Crisis and Point Blank

  • Hog-lumps #36 4 years ago

    but it's not a locational effect - i.e. shooting their legs doesn't knock them from underneath them or anything like that.

    That's a shame after all the fun you could have with RE4 :(

  • absolutezero #37 4 years ago

    Its also worth noting that most of the extra scenarios open up by just playing through the game. Apart from one which needs an A or S rank to open it up.

  • Hog-lumps #38 4 years ago

    I could try moaning that's it not a proper gun game if you need to rely on a cursor, if you like. But nobody else seems to care about that.

    Whilst you make a good point - I would add that some real life guns rely on a cursor in a form of a laser sight? ;)
    Edited by 1 at 27/11/07 @ 15:04

  • symbiote #39 4 years ago

    Ah the joy - the innovative, next-gen, groundbreaking input method being put to use in, er, party games and rail-shooters.

    Operation Wolf, anyone?

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #40 4 years ago

    "Ah the joy - the innovative, next-gen, groundbreaking input method being put to use in, er, party games and rail-shooters.

    Operation Wolf, anyone?"

    I'd like to see you pull this off on the 360 without having to shell out for an expensive peripheral.

  • chrisjm #41 4 years ago

    "oh dear oh dear oh dear!"
    another game to buy!

  • Killerbee #42 4 years ago

    I'm actually quite tempted to get this, though I'm less inclined to bother with the Zapper.

    krudster - are there different control schemes depending on whether you're using the Zapper or just the wii-mote and nunchuck? I'd have thought pressing the face buttons in some of the QTEs would be pretty difficult with the Zapper...?

  • Kryon #43 4 years ago

    "I'd like to see you pull this off on the 360 without having to shell out for an expensive peripheral."

    Lol, I'd like to see you play in two player mode without having to shell out on an expensive peripheral. As far as I remember the Wii is only supplied with one controller...

    Ah the joy - the innovative, next-gen, groundbreaking input method being put to use in, er, party games and rail-shooters.

    XD Sad but true.

  • Killerbee #44 4 years ago

    Lol, I'd like to see you play in two player mode without having to shell out on an expensive peripheral. As far as I remember the Wii is only supplied with one controller...

    Er... as is/was just about every other console ever made. At least Nintendo are doing the decent thing by bundling a game with their controllers (Wii Play / Link's Crossbow Training). Yeah, okay, neither would be worth getting as a full price independent release, but it nevertheless is better than nothing.

  • krudster #45 4 years ago

    You can swap buttons around to suit, but there's no major set up differences on the Zapper than normal.

  • Hog-lumps #46 4 years ago

    Lol, I'd like to see you play in two player mode without having to shell out on an expensive peripheral. As far as I remember the Wii is only supplied with one controller...

    Umm, I thought the X360 only came with 1 pad as standard too? Am I mistaken?

    Anway, I think Pac-man-ate-my-wife's point was you don't have to shell out extra dosh for a peripheral that only works with a handfull of games (ala guncon) - the wii-mote works straight from the box with this and all other wii games so won't likely be shelved like my megadrive menacer gun.......

  • Killerbee #47 4 years ago

    Thanks kruds.

    :)

  • AlvySinger #48 4 years ago

    Sorry Capcom but this sounds really boring. I'm all for a few old school thrills but this sounds like you're pushing your luck.

    I demand excessive gore and locational aiming in my zombie shooters, this is 2007 FFS.

    /storms off to play Endless Ocean and calm his angry spirit

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #49 4 years ago

    Lol, I'd like to see you play in two player mode without having to shell out on an expensive peripheral. As far as I remember the Wii is only supplied with one controller...

    It's a shame that if you bought another controller you'd only be able to use it on this... and Wii Sports... and Wario Ware... and Kororinpa... and Excite Truck... and Strikers etc etc. So just like any other extra controller for a console you mean?

    Ah the joy - the innovative, next-gen, groundbreaking input method being put to use in, er, party games and rail-shooters.

    And action adventures, driving games, puzzle games, FPSs, platformers, RPGS, fighting games, diving simulators etc etc.

    You two really are priceless! I'm bored this afternoon, so let's FIGHT!!

    /enters Crane Beak stance

  • Bragelonne #50 4 years ago

    I didn't expect any of RE4 to be featured in this, but it is a shame that they didn't include a Code Veronica section.

  • J.C #51 4 years ago

    Once the Resident Evil Zero scenarios are done with, the events of the 1996 classic Resident Evil unfold, this time with Rebecca Chambers side-quests available. But rather than simply work through the entire series, Resident Evil 2 is effectively sidelined into the bonus sections of the Resident Evil 3 chapter, rather than having the full focus it richly deserved. This, along with the complete absence of any of the scenarios of the excellent Resident Evil 4 (or Code Veronica) makes it feel like a needlessly curtailed offering (maybe to leave the door open for a sequel).

    That's the killer right there. there's been more cuts to this, than the Order of the Phoenix movie. shame on you capcom.

  • manic_mouse #52 4 years ago

    RE2 needs a remake, it's by far the best of the old Resi games.

  • Nikanoru #53 4 years ago

    Lol, I'd like to see you play in two player mode without having to shell out on an expensive peripheral. As far as I remember the Wii is only supplied with one controller...


    Hahaha "you have to buy a second controller to play two-player games" as a negative? Oh man, I literally laughed out loud, and I'm not just saying that to make a point.

  • darc #54 4 years ago

    And the EG Word of the Week is: "moreish". But what does it mean?

  • darc #55 4 years ago

    Ah. "(of food) so good that you want more." Probably best to give "moreish" a break for a couple days though. :)

  • VMerken #56 4 years ago

    @Krudster
    "As for the soundtrack, though - what were they thinking? It seems entirely at odds with the action for the most part, and does absolutely nothing to enhance the ambience."

    Just your opinion, I found it quite nice (scenario select screen tune is sweet, liked the Rebecca secret scenario tunes). What troubled me far more is the hall effect on the ambient sounds, as if every area is a gigantic church, even outdoors. And since when does Jill sound like a guy? I thought Claire was the tomboy :)

    Anyway, game is great, mindless fun with tons of unlockable stuff for the RE purists which will take quite a few playthroughs to get.
    Edited by 1 at 27/11/07 @ 20:19

  • Kryon #57 4 years ago

    @Nikanoru

    "Hahaha "you have to buy a second controller to play two-player games" as a negative?"

    Tbh I don't take it as a negative that to play a light gun game on the 360, I may have to purchase a light gun type peripheral (just like some people buy a GC controller or a Wii classic pad to play games that suit those mechanisms better on the Wii). A lot of people prefer the conventional joypad controls for certain games (especially VC titles for obvious reasons) so is it then not a negative that you have to buy "an expensive peripheral" (i.e. a normal joypad) to play (or enjoy to the fullest) certain Wii games?

    It works both ways I think you'll find.

  • Nikanoru #58 4 years ago

    tl;dr


    I don't see how any of that negates what you said being incredibly funny. Thanks for the laugh. :)

  • Eraser #59 4 years ago

    I've played the better part of this game already and it's pretty good fun. It's quite hard though.

  • Landmaster #60 4 years ago

    They forgot to mention you play through the "Fifth Survivor" Scenario as HUNK and you hear all his team mates dying over the radio as you blast through the undead! :p

  • Bumhug360 #61 4 years ago

    "Er... as is/was just about every other console ever made. At least Nintendo are doing the decent thing by bundling a game with their controllers (Wii Play / Link's Crossbow Training). Yeah, okay, neither would be worth getting as a full price independent release, but it nevertheless is better than nothing. "

    Shame they arent making enough of them, Wii Play seems to be selling out just as fast as Wii's at the moment and its next to impossible to get the remote on its own for a decent price :(

  • stephen #62 4 years ago

    WANT.

    light gun type games ftw.

  • Nithron #63 4 years ago

    Annoyingly, i'd really like this game, but there isn't a *single* other game on the Wii that i actually want.

    And i don't think this counts as a system seller.

    *sigh*...