Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles review

Nostalgia replaces anxiety, but we appreciate the plot points

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We’re almost happy with that. Alas, as successful as Chronicles is as a fan-pleasing piece of Resident Evil cake, it’s a very ordinary shooter. Not very pretty and not very fleshed out, Umbrella Chronicles looks more like a GameCube port than a Wii-exclusive. For such a crucial recapof theseries, you’d think Capcom would’ve put some more effort into the graphics and level design. Instead, you’ll slog through areas you know you’ve seen before on PS2 and GameCube (literally - these seem at times to be the same backgrounds), every so often being jumped by the obligatory zombie or mutant or whatever. Then, when you get to the boss, it becomes an endurance contest instead of a thrilling struggle. The tension, the anxiety, the fear of Resident Evil is long gone and instead, we’re left with an un-scary ghost of games past.

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GenreShooter
DescriptionA mere ghost of the fear we felt in Resident Evils of years gone by, but a pleasant way to fill in plenty of plot holes.
Franchise nameResident Evil
UK franchise nameResident Evil
Platform"Wii"
US censor rating"Mature"
UK censor rating""
Alternative names"RE: Umbrella Corp Chronicle","Resident Evil: Umbrella Corp Chronicle","Resident Evil: Umbrella Corp Chronicle"
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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