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Zombies and guns. Slap those things together to make a gory, sloppy sandwich, and you'll attract an endless stream of the undead's hungry fans. They'll expect you to build something off of that fantastic foundation, whether it's a book, movie, or a game, and how well you do will determine whether you've created the next Day of the Dead or another Zombi.
A lot of those folk already look to the Resident Evil series for the quintessential zombie experience, as far as games go. Shoddy dubbing and lots of bloody action made the series' first PlayStation entry famous, and the far more recent Resident Evil 4 catapulted the franchise to new heights. Coincidentally, the finest version of RE4 was released for the Nintendo Wii, and that's the stage Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles has taken, too.
There's tons to do, it's all sharply presented, and unless blood and guts makes you puke, every Wii owner should give this a go.
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When I first played RE:UC, cumbersome controls and a few other nuisances disappointed me. Before that demonstration, various news outlets talked about Capcom's concepts, including the look-around functionality. At E for All, the game was only playable with a single Wii Remote in a Zapper shell, and the player couldn't move the camera or otherwise control their on-rails experience.
Now that the finalized game is out, you have three control schemes to pick from. Two of them are as useful as a plastic butter knife against an advancing Tyrant. Believe it or not, the controller configuration you choose determines whether you're in for a great or horrible experience. Both "Remote" options are junk, with wondrous benefits like unreliable reloading and no viewpoint manipulation whatsoever. Whether you own a Zapper or not, you should be picking the Zapper configuration.
Like RE4:WE before it, Umbrella Chronicles brilliantly utilizes the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. Once you've grown used to holding down the Z button and swinging the Remote as your knife and flicking the Nunchuk to reload, you're in for a fun, gory time. Various features and touches help this stand out from its predecessors (like House of the Dead and Time Crisis), including the aforementioned flawed camera movement.
Usually you're looking straight ahead, but sometimes, beasts will attack from beyond your view. During movement, you'll feel boxed in when you discover you can hardly look around. Capcom did this to keep your eyes on what's in front of you, but it's annoying when you miss an item and can't look back to get it, even if you're in the same room. This happens occasionally while you're blasting everything in hopes of a higher score, and more loot.
There isn't any money, but lots of items are waiting to be found. From unlockable chapters to letters and game summaries, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles is brimming with content. This isn't just to appease the completionists, either. RE:UC summarizes Resident Evil 0 through (and beyond) Resident Evil 3 chronologically, condensing each game's storyline into shorter and more action-packed romps. There's no boring exposition, yet those who want lots to read can try hunting down all the articles hiding behind chairs, tables, and even ceiling lights. These goodies don't stop at explaining things for RE newbies – they invites longtime fans to learn things they never knew.
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