Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles

A light gun shooter that is more fan service than catering to a wider audience. The game is decent but it’s also hard - sometimes very hard - and manages to frustrate at times. It’s also bland looking and ugly. For Resident Evil fans only. [Jan 2008]

Good atmosphere and some unique mechanics make this a solid on-rails shooter.

So while this latest Resident Evil offers up some mindless fun (especially with co-op play), don't expect a full-fledged adventure, especially with the absence of the second and fourth installment, as well as Code Veronica.

Fast-paced action and a great presentation are hampered only by the steep learning curve for what should be a simple point-and-shoot experience.

Umbrella Chronicles delivers, but it doesn't go beyond simple competence.

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 sequence where you play as Albert Wesker right after he gets infected and takes on Lisa Trevor will undoubtedly be part of any RE fan's highlight reel.

Ultimately, Umbrella Chronicles proves to be great fan-service, and will no doubt keep fans of the Resident Evil series very happy until Resident Evil 5 arrives. On its own, while there are niggles, it still proves to be a solid, entertaining gun game that's worthy of carrying the 'Resident Evil' title.

Series fans will devour it as an excuse to flesh out the Resident Evil cannon, but it features enough casual slaughter of the undead for anyone to enjoy. [Jan 2008, p.82]

The Umbrella Chronicles should satisfy anyone looking for a solid light gun game, though some fans might be a little disappointed with its brevity.

The Umbrella Chronicles will inevitably attract attention for its roots above all other considerations, but it's a good game on its own terms, bringing together distinct genres and making it all work. [Jan 2008, p.86]

One of the most complete lightgun experiences you’ll see on a home console, with a wealth of extras and a lot of replay value. Slightly better controls would have made this a near classic. [Jan 2008, p.126]

It manages to escape the curse that haunted previous similar efforts from Capcom. It’s not highly recommendable, but offers some interesting moments for eager fans of the series. Good effort Capcom, but can we have Resi 5 now, please? [Jan 2008]

A thoroughly decent blast.

The lack of co-op through the Wesker storyline is a huge disappointment.

A tough light gun shooter that offers a good length. Weird glitches and detection problems, as well as heavily recycled assets hold this game back from becoming a triple A title in the Resident Evil caliber.

Its biggest flaw, no doubt, is its unoriginal gameplay; the few twists on the light-gun formula are minor and largely inconsequential, giving the impression of original gameplay rather than actual original gameplay.

If you’re a fan of rail shooters or of the Resident Evil franchise, Umbrella Chronicles is a solid, if not deep title that offers about 4-5 hours of mindless fun.

It's a big game, but will you come back to it? Are you a crazed fan of Resi? There's the answer. [Jan 2007, p.62]

The Umbrella Chronicles is mainly fanservice and doesn't do anything particularly innovative. There's no online integration and the Wii Zapper doesn't add anything significant to the experience. The shooting controls are tight and responsive, and the game makes better on the console's power than many third-party titles, but that's the extent of it.

It may be a strange thing to concede, but the Gamecube port of RE4, with tacked on Wii remote functionality, trumps this Wii-developed title in almost every department.