Just in time for Halloween, I was able to play through Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles for the Wii.  What's not just in time is its sequel The Darkside Chronicles or Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.  They are being released November 17th and 3rd respectively, missing Halloween by a matter of days.  But Umbrella Chronicles will do fine for now.

The game is an on-rails shooter, similar to what you would find in an arcade (like House of the Dead) only using the Nintendo Wii remote as a gun.  It has a fun-house quality to it, having you wander about several zombie and monster filled locations including trains, a mansion, and subway tunnels.  It's best enjoyed with a friend, and with the Wii-zapper peripheral that allows you to hold the controller like a gun.

The game follows the events of previous games in the series: Resident Evil Zero, Resident Evil, and Resident Evil 3.  Aside from the environments, you won't find yourself playing for nostalgia for the earlier games.  This is the cliffs notes for the series: cut and dried.  Characters and stories are one-dimensional, even for Resident Evil, but that doesn't stop it from otherwise bringing the campiness to the game that the series is known for.

Umbrella Chronicles is much more fun to play with friends as it minimizes the games flaws.  With friends, you'll be laughing whether you're blowing away zombies or getting munched on by them.  By yourself, you'll get tired of annoying quick-time events, cheap shots, short amounts of time to grab on-screen items, and no ability to dodge attacks.

It's a excellent rental for Halloween.  The frights aren't intense enough to dissuade friends with a weak heart or stomach from enjoying it.  Other good games for Halloween that I'd recommend are Silent Hill Homecoming (PS3, 360), Dead Space (PS3, 360), and Dead Space: Extraction (Wii).

Watch the trailer on Youtube

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