Reviews Surfing - Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (Wii)

While the DS has a dearth of survival horror games, the Wii, on the other hand, is releasing scary titles left and right. Perhaps the most widespread of these survival horror games are those of the rail shooting variety. Just last month, we’ve seen the critics weigh in on Dead Space: Extraction. Today, the experts speak their minds about Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, which is based on the events of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil: Code Veronica. What do the critics think? Find out after the jump.

Atomic Gamer: (92%) “In essence, what the game may lack in exposition or narrative complexity it makes up for in nostalgic capital, a refined weapons system and a classic Resident Evil feel. This is, for the most part, more than I can say about RE5; perhaps the dev team for the inevitable RE6 would do well to delve into their own past before deciding where to go from here.”

Destructoid: (85%) “Where many on-rails shooters are content to offer a short, standard arcade adventure, The Darkside Chronicles offers a campaign experience on-par with just about any action/horror game out there. If you don’t like the on-rails genre because you think the games are always too short or too shallow, you may want to rethink those notions. Games like Darkside Chronicles and Dead Space Extraction are evolving the genre in a fantastic way, and that’s something you might not want to miss out on.”

1UP: (83%) “And though I’m sure Darkside Chronicles can elicit a yelp or two from more casual players (co-op monster killing is always better with a friend or loved one!), storied Resident Evil fans likely won’t bat an eye at the umpteenth zombie ambush. About the only moments of real tension I had were when I spotted an herb or other valuable item, and frantically tried to grab it before the camera swung in the other direction. Not to say the game is boring, though, because even though it’s a little more passive, this will probably be the closest thing to a complete RE2 remake in our lifetime. Darkside Chronicles looks great, has a good amount of content, and is mindlessly fun without the mindless gaffes of its predecessor.”

Game Informer: (80%) “Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles acts as a fantastic primer for those who started with the more action-centric Resident Evil iterations, while simultaneously providing fan service and fun for dedicated followers. Novices and veterans alike would be doing themselves a disservice by passing up this game.”

The Darkside Chronicles is a Resident Evil I wouldn’t want to miss. I don’t normally say such things about a game I’ve never played, but this rail shooter might just be the exception. Consider: The Darkside Chronicles looks so good that certain Capcom 5 producers think it’s possible to bring Resident Evil 5 to the Wii. If you want to experience Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, then go for it—the game is already out.

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