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Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles Shake It Preview - Wii

By Travis Moses
June 08, 2009 15:25 PM PST
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Better known as Resident Evil: The Shaky Cam, Can't Shoot Shhh... Chronicles.

I need to see more of Capcom's upcoming Nintendo Wii exclusive Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. I didn't play the first game, Umbrella Chronicles, but I heard it was a solid first-person on-rails shooter. GamePro's managing editor Mike Weigand, who is usually too busy putting the magazine together to play games, locked himself away for three weeks to earn the perfect score in each level. Darkside Chronicles, on the other hand, didn't impress me at this year's E3 Expo 2009. I had one thing on my mind the whole time playing the game...

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles Shake It Preview - Wii

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is like trying to play the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. It's so shaky it might make you sick.

Shake It Like a Polaroid Picture

The biggest issue with Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is the shaky camera and jarring head spins that make it near impossible to shoot zombies-it's frustrating and not exactly fun. The action spins and jolts onscreen as the camera is shown through the eyes of Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield from Resident Evil 2. I joked it's like trying to shoot zombies while constantly shaking your head, "No, don't eat my brains." It's understandable that Capcom is aiming for a more horrifying, heart-pounding and cinematic experience, but I think the shaky cam takes more away from the gameplay than adding to it.

Two-Player Co-Op, Yo!

Other than the annoying shakes, which I'd like to see be toned down before the game's release, Darkside Chronicles has you shooting zombies in recreated scenes from Resident Evil 2, my second favorite game in the series after Resident Evil 4, and Resident Evil: Code Veronica. Two players can play simultaneously sharing the same screen with red and blue aiming reticules. In two-player co-op, a neat feature requires one player to save the other from a close-encounter zombie attack-the attacked player is shown onscreen struggling with a brain muncher.

You shoot with the B-button on the Wii Remote, pick up health herbs and new weapons with the A-button, and switch between weapons on the Directional Pad. The inventory system is shared between the two characters, so only one person can carry the shotgun or hand grenades. This makes the game more strategic as you call out for your teammate to throw a grenade or switch weapons.

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is still in development with no release date, so developer Cavia has time to adjust the shaky cam issue, hopefully.