Umbrella Corps

Umbrella Corps can be fun with friends in multiplayer mode, but it is definitely a game that is not for everyone.

I gave this game several chances, but after turning off my PS4 and walking away from it just now, I'm realizing that I have no motivation to boot Umbrella Corps back up when there are so many alternatives that look, sound, feel, and play better. Wait for a sale and pick this up cheaply if you're a die-hard fan, but keep your friends close and your expectations low.

Umbrella Corps’ intentions are clear, but this target was missed due to an apparent disregard for the game’s core feature.

It was clever to cut the name Resident Evil from the title. Even better it world have been to cut all ties to the Zombie-IP. With its technical flaws and abundant content this shooter is as much needed as another Operation Raccoon City or another hole in the head.

Umbrella Corps is an unusual online shooter. Unfortunately, its odd mix of mechanics don’t come together well, and its online matchmaking is a total joke. I once waited almost 20 minutes for a match that lasted less than 10 minutes. In that amount of time, you could drive to the store and buy a better game.

It doesn’t feel like it’s finished, and even if it were to be further refined, it would just be a low-budget Gears of War-style shoot-‘em-up. There’s no reason to play it.

As it stands, Umbrella Corps is a hard sell even at $29.99. The content just seems void of enjoyment and entertainment because of the broken feel of the overall gameplay design. I will give Capcom and its developers props for trying something different in the RE series. The idea seems to be built on good intentions.

There is the sense that this was a quick and dirty project, created for who knows what reason, but here it is, and it’s only recommended for players extremely curious.

Umbrella Corps can’t decide if it wants to be Counter Strike or Quake, but there’s still some solid gunplay action to be had with the right teams despite its problems. It’s not the disaster that it could have been, but it also isn’t something that’s worth putting at the top of your game pile.

If you are a fan of the franchise, there are better ways to celebrate the 20th anniversary than this game.

If you’re in the market for a good team-based, third-person shooter game, look elsewhere. You can certainly find better shooter games that aren’t plagued with sticky cover mechanics and awkward animations. And if you’re looking for the next terrifying Resident Evil game to satisfy your zombie-killing tendencies, this isn’t the game for you either; Umbrella Corps is simply a mediocre third-person shooter hiding under a Resident Evil skin.

A muddled shooter where a lack of braaains and finesse derail any brief undead thrills. [Sept 2016, p.73]

Umbrella Corps is not the game Resident Evil deserves in its 20th anniversary. Scarce content and lack of depth means that it is not a good multiplayer action game either.

Umbrella Corps is a great idea with really poor development and a lousy execution. Somebody should have checked the game twice before release, because the mechanics and gameplay are absolutely awful. The only mode that could keep you relatively engaged would be the single player mode because the multiplayer front is completely deserted.

Four years after Operation Raccoon, Capcom ventures once again in the TPS multiplayer genre with Umbrella Corps. But the game isn't quite up to the standards of today, and it would have been a better idea to use it as Resident Evil VII's multiplayer mode.

Umbrella Corps is another Capcom mistake. There are a lot of competitive multiplayer games better than this, and there is no reason to play this game. That is a shame for the entire Resident evil saga.

Umbrella Corps is a mediocre shooter, with several issues in terms of balance, gameplay and modes.

With its sloppy gameplay mechanics and unbalanced weapons, Umbrella Corps is a really disappointing spin-off.

The best thing that can be said about Umbrella Corps is that it isn't as bad as it looked, which wasn't actually really hard. Several mistakes in its gameplay mechanics turn interesting ideas into something tedious and repetitive.

Umbrella Corps is basically its subject matter: an experiment that became a hideous-looking horror that does more harm to the company name than good. [September 2016, p77]

This is one of the few times where a re-master would have sufficed in place of a new title.

A pile of fresh garbage.

On the whole, Umbrella Corps is very much a missed opportunity. Light on content, unbalanced, and rough around the edges, it has some good ideas but they are drowned by its issues, making for an experience that is rarely fulfilling.

Umbrella Corps has some good ideas going for it, but the speed of the game really dampens the enjoyment one will have with the game. If the game was slowed down and played like a traditional tactical-based cover shooter, it would have an easier time finding its audience.

There is no reason for you to play Umbrella Corps. There isn’t if you’re a shooter game fan, because there is a low number of options and contents, and the online infrastructure is unstable. There isn’t even if you’re a Resident Evil fan: the only association to the series is the map design, that resembles some of the places of the main chapters.

A boring and broken game that fails even to offer a little bit of fan service.

Umbrella Corps is a poorly made spin-off and probably the worst game in the Resident Evil franchise. A bunch of interesting idea can't overcome all the technical flaws and the forgettable gameplay created by Capcom.

It's probably one of the worst spin-offs of the Resident Evil franchise. There's nothing worth highlighting, and we would only recommend trying it if it were free-to-play.

The general lack of polish and content makes 'Umbrella Corps' highly disappointing. There are rare moments where the round-based gameplay really shines, but it just doesn't happen often enough to make up for the title's many other shortcomings.

It feels more like an indie team’s first prototype than a new entry in a blockbuster franchise, but the truth is there have still been a lot worse Resident Evil games than this.

A confused and confusing shooter which can't capitalise on the famous franchise it leans on.

Umbrella Corps is a bad competitive shooter that doesn’t even know how to take advantage of its few strengths. Its mechanics frequently contradict each other, balance is absurd, controls are clumsy, and it fails to pull anything meaningful from the Resident Evil universe other than some recognizable settings. With no great story hooks for horror fans and mechanics that can’t compare to most modern shooters, Umbrella Corps feels like a game made for no one.

Umbrella Corp is a game that should have been scrapped, not released. It may have started with the best intentions, but the end result is a game that relies on tired gameplay and a familiar name. Going back to the drawing board would have been better than what was released now.

The idea was there, but the execution of the final product is a confused and chaotic mess. It’s unfortunate to say, but Umbrella Corps has taken the title of being the most poorly executed Resident Evil game to date.

Probably, the worst chapter in the whole Resident Evil saga, a really unnecessary game.

The only part of the game that satiated me on any tangible level was revisiting iconic locations from previous Resident Evil games.

Umbrella Corps is a weak shooter that seems far too rushed and empty for any real fun to be had with it.

An ill-conceived mess that goes down as the worst PlayStation game to besmirch the Resident Evil name. [Sept 2016, p.110]

There's little satisfaction in downing an enemy who can't see you, less in getting flattened by an unseen assailant. [Issue#296, p.114]

At least Resi can't get any worse than this. [Issue#177, p.78]

It is uncertain what influence this game will have on the future of the series, but what we do know is that this competitive multiplayer shooter is a colossal waste of time, and a total failure.

It’s an experiment that went terribly wrong. Nothing really works in Umbrella Corps which makes us wonder why it even got released.

Its systems are either unreliable or illogical, and as a result, it feels almost impossible to get a foothold. The first time an enemy kills you when they should have been dead, you may shrug it off. When it happens the dozenth time, you'll probably wonder why you're playing Umbrella Corps at all. There's ultimately no good excuse.

Even diehard Resident Evil fans should save their money, as I can't think of a single reason anyone should buy this.

Resident Evil Umbrella Corps is a really disappointing game, whether it be in terms of graphics, gameplay or content.

Umbrella Corps is a brain-dead mess of good ideas gone wrong. It partially hides its flaws underneath a veneer of pretty graphics and promising gameplay concepts, but it can't hold up under its own weight in execution.

An embarrassment to the series.

Dreadful from a technical, mechanical, and financial standpoint, Umbrella Corps sets a newer, lower bar for Resident Evil spinoffs. While Operation Raccoon City met fans with a lukewarm reception, Umbrella Corps leaves diehard Resident Evil supporters with no expectations at all.

If Umbrella Corps was a free-to-play title, it'd probably be a mildly inoffensive novelty, but it's not. It's a costly mess of confused messaging that adds almost nothing (bar a ‘shocking' revelation about an established character that's about as shocking as the Scottish Premier League table) to the Resident Evil universe. The game's lack of quality is almost dwarfed by how utterly pointless it is.

If you hated Operation Racoon City, I urge you to try it again after playing Umbrella Corps. You’ll think it’s fucking amazing...At least it doesn’t have microtransactions, weirdly. At least not yet.

Umbrella Corps is another failed attempt from Capcom to capitalize on the current trend of team-based shooters. Aside from the locations and Umbrella logo, this game couldn't be further from the ideals established by Resident Evil in the last two decades. Maybe someday Capcom can find a formula that works, but Umbrella Corps is a cheap, uninspired, and unbalanced take on the genre that’s far too simple and messy to be worth the time. This game is a virus that should be avoided at all costs.

A downright awful dagger in the hearts of Resident Evil fans. We can only hope that, with one final nail in the coffin, Capcom will bury this tragic era and leave it dead forever.

I didn’t think it would be possible, but Umbrella Corps has officially taken the title of “biggest Resident Evil cash-in” away from Operation: Raccoon City. Brief moments of online merriment don’t even come close to saving this muddy, jumpy, bot-filled mess.