If there is one thing that is a given, it is that light gun type games should be tailor made for the Nintendo Wii and that is the machine that games such as the House of the Dead, Virtua Cop and Resident Evil games should thrive on. So when the new Resident Evil Chronicles game fell through the doorstep I thought I would be in for a real treat – and to be honest for the most part I wasn’t far wrong. This title is the direct sequel to Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles which was released earlier this year which took classic Resident Evil storylines and adapted them to the Wii and turned them into shooting experiences. This title does more of the same as it takes scenes from Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil Codename Veronica and a couple from Resident Evil 4 and adapts them in the same way. The game has been adapted so that you can use whichever controls you prefer. If you do not wish to use the nunchuck you can just play with the Wii Remote as the controls can easily be mapped just on to that. For purists you can use the Wii Zapper but here you must use the Nunchuck as well. Throughout the title (As in the House of the dead series) you use the Wii remote to aim and shoot at an endless swarm of infect monsters. These come in the shape of infected humans, giant frogs, piranhas, moths and plant life that seem to have acquired intelligence. Headshots of course give you maximum points and the game also allows you to shoot anything that seems destructible for added bonus points. There are pickups along the way such as extra ammo etc, which you shoot to pick up, although to be frank, quite often the game pulls you away from them before you get the chance to do this, unless you are really quick, or it is your second play through so you know where they are. As well as the single player experience the game also has a multiplayer option. Unlike some games another player cannot jump in anywhere except at the start of a mission which is a shame. Another disappointment is that in multiplayer mode you both share the same amount on ammunition that is present in the single player mode which seems a trifle unfair. Graphically this is a splendid game and really pushes the Wii’s capabilities. It is a fine example of what the machine can actually produce with excellent animation throughout, even when there are lots of characters on screen at once. The environments are all well designed and the cut scenes are a joy to watch (just ignore the lip synch problems). Sound wise the background music sets the mood perfectly. The vocal acting is good although you cannot help but wonder how they kept their faces straight with some of the cheesy lines that the script contains. Overall this is an excellent game, in some ways more RE than this year’s slightly disappointing Resident Evil 5 on the PS3. The storyline is farfetched but when in this series has it not been and it does rely on you knowing the universe of the series. The only problem with the game is for those like me who suffer with motion sickness. Usually this only occurs for me during normal FPS but because of the nature of this game it is very easy to succumb to this here as well. This is because the game is told through the eyes of the character that you decide to play and, because you do not control where he looks you quite often are dragged from one place to another in very quick succession. Having said that, the game is one of the highlights on the Wii this year and I wouldn’t allow this to put you off purchasing the game. With its online scoreboards it will provide quite a challenge and one that should have gamers playing for a long time to come – or at least till the next one in the series appears. | 
Wii 
