Many gamers’ first experience with the legendary Resident Evil franchise began with the action-packed RE 4 and 5. For newcomers eager to catch up on the predecessors, the series’ backlog hasn’t aged well. Clunky tank controls, inconsistent voice acting, punishing difficulty, and patience-testing backtracking present a high entry barrier for modern gamers. Luckily, the Resident Evil: Chronicles Collection HD allows players to catch up with the franchise’s backstory and colorful cast of characters, all within the framework of a solid Move-only on-rails shooter.
The downloadable PSN title consists of two titles: Resident Evil:
Umbrella Chronicles and Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles. Both
originally arrived on the Nintendo Wii earlier this generation. This HD
collection looks better than the Wii versions, but still suffers from
muddy character textures and fuzzy cutscenes. The overall presentation
reminds me of the 2002 Resident Evil remake for GameCube – a
standard-definition title that still looks great for being last-gen, but
doesn’t hold a candle to most new games. For most of the adventure,
however, you’re too busy watching reticles flick across the screen to be
distracted by the middling graphics.
Umbrella and Darkside Chronicles are fast-paced affairs, especially when
compared to the survival and puzzle-based games of yesteryear. You’ll
plow through packs of zombies, mutated animals, and hulking
scythe-clawed abominations on your way to victory. Blasting apart rabid
monkeys and lining up headshots on zombies feels more precise with the
Move controller compared to the Wii remote. Even the waggle-oriented
quick-time events and knife slashing feel better. Mechanically, these
are just better versions of the original games overall.
These games are fun to play solo, but destroying hordes of undead is
always better with a buddy. Chronicles HD Collection supports local
co-op, and your partner can hop in and out between missions.
Distinguishing the red and blue reticules can be tricky at first, but it
becomes second nature. Enemies seem slightly more difficult during
co-op, but good strategy easily overcomes these challenges. Discussing
who should wield the shotguns or SMG is part of the fun in balancing
your duo.
Resident Evil: Chronicles HD Collection offers a breezy,
brainless-but-fun way to relive the essential moments from Resident Evil
0 to Resident Evil: Code Veronica. Each game also features original
supplemental scenarios to the main Resident Evil storyline, presenting
fan-favorite characters in new bioterror incidents. Between the updated
visuals and improved gameplay, this is definitive way to experience the
Resident Evil: Umbrella and Darkside Chronicles.
