Capcom's Resident Evil consolation for Wii: 'best of' compilation?
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Sep 21st 2006 at 5:25PM }
Games Are Fun has posted a grab bag of new Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles details. As speculated, the Wii exclusive will play out like a "best of," revisiting scenarios from past games, including Resident Evil, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Resident Evil Zero, and Resident Evil 4. Gameplay will be similar to RE4, but tweaked to complement the Wiimote (Quick Time Events will call for specific motions, etc.).While Umbrella Chronicles will no doubt reveal certain key elements of the series' overarching plot, we can't help but suspect that the game is a cop out -- a chance to make a quick buck on an enhanced remake compilation. In other words, our concern is that Capcom's focus in on Resident Evil 5, which is not currently Wii-bound, and that Umbrella Chronicles will end up a cheap, gimmicky offshoot. Hopefully, Capcom can prove us wrong when it officially unveils the title at TGS in the coming days.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
knot_U @ Sep 21st 2006 5:30PM
I hope, I hope, I hope Wii get rez5. Capcom, don't you love us anymore?
knot_U
niindre @ Sep 21st 2006 6:00PM
I wonder how long this will stay exclusive (resident evil 4 anyone?).
striderhayasa @ Sep 21st 2006 5:36PM
That's what I was thinking. Capcom bitched up and come up with this Chronicles nonsense instead of a dedicated sequel. Thanks for nothing. Didn't you re-release all of the RE for the Gamecube. We can only hope that it turns out to be a great game but in all honesty, i doubt it. It reeks of a quick cash in.
Chris @ Sep 21st 2006 5:40PM
Ugh, thank god the only Resident Evil games I've played were Code Veronica X and Resident Evil 4. As long as they can make this "best of" collection take advantage of the Wii's power, controller and run off the Resident Evil 4 engine I'd still have my hopes up. It could have been worse, I was afraid we would be getting another Resident Evil: Dead Aim.
Thad @ Sep 21st 2006 5:41PM
Designed to compliment the Wii-mote?
"Hey, Nintendo, that's a really nice controller you've got there."
Subnet6 @ Sep 21st 2006 5:43PM
If they use the RE4 engine and you basically get to play through the best parts of previous versions remade for Wii control with updates and some new content? It could definitely be cool. It won't negate the need for RE5 but I'm still looking forward to this title. Hopefully TGS will bring more details.
SuicideNinja @ Sep 21st 2006 5:49PM
I think any past RE'ing will only be on Gamecube for me (unless via Wii BC). Anything new will need to be via 360 and the PS3 with the former preferred.
greatn @ Sep 21st 2006 5:46PM
James-Ransom Wiley post.
corwin @ Sep 21st 2006 5:56PM
i like Thads comment.
Don Jose @ Sep 22nd 2006 4:09AM
That's sort of a disappointment, unless you're a huge fan of the entire series. I'm not. RE4 was the only on I couldn't put down.
Want some potential RE news that should really make you cringe? In this month's EGM, there's a rumor that Sony's trying to bogart (i.e. pay Capcom to keep them off 360) RE5 and the sequel to Dead Rising. I hope this turns out to be nothing more than a rumor, because I'd hate to have to refrain from ever purchasing another Capcom game.
Considering how well Dead Rising has sold on 360, though, Capcom would have to me run by a bunch of dolts (or maybe Giant Enemy Crabs?). Who knows, maybe real-time weapon change is the final piece that would make RE the perfect game...
Derbeste @ Sep 21st 2006 6:03PM
"Hey, Nintendo, that's a really nice controller you've got there."
Nope. I'm just happy to see you. :)
vidGuy @ Sep 21st 2006 6:06PM
If the parts get remade to use the Wii's power in addition to the controls, I'm buying. Otherwise, meh, no thanks.
Intellectualdiot @ Sep 21st 2006 6:18PM
@Thad:
Hahahaha.
@Capcom:
I swear to God, if this is just another excuse to shovel RE1 on the masses, many, MANY people will die. If you're so desperate to make ports, why not make an
"enhanced" RE2? Surely you haven't forgotten how brilliant of a title this was, have you?
But if I'm going to be stuck with a remake, at least it'll have the still viable RE4 control scheme. It should be interesting to see how well this adapts to the Wiimote, it at all. Either way, the game itself should serve as a decent enough antecedent to the main course of RE5.
Except for those unfortunately restricted to a single console which so happens to be a Wii. Single platform gaming simply doesn't pay.
gameclu @ Sep 21st 2006 6:21PM
Just speculation... Perhaps the game will star a key RE character that's never been playable before, but has a presence through out these games. Wesker, maybe?
delldude420 @ Sep 21st 2006 6:47PM
why not do full remakes of all the games even of the remake of re1 , all based on the re4 engine but make an upgraded version of the game engine to take advantage of the wiis extra power. :) i'd so buy it i hated the controls in the old re games.
Sam @ Sep 21st 2006 6:49PM
I own all the Resident Evils on the Gamecube and for some reason i still want this. I still think we deserve our updated RE2 though!
Zell @ Sep 21st 2006 6:57PM
"Designed to compliment the Wii-mote?"
Hey, Nintendo, that's a really nice controller you've got there... wanna f#&k?
devian @ Sep 22nd 2006 12:24PM
That image is probably the only part of a game that has given me nightmares, ever.
Babylonian @ Sep 21st 2006 11:29PM
You're being pretty misleading. All the reports I've read say that the scenes are played from a RE4-esque gameplay perspective, despite being from RE0 through RE4. Meaning obviously this isn't a port or a "cop-out".
Really, guys, the speculation has gotten pretty ridiculous lately.
mandarin @ Sep 21st 2006 7:51PM
What happened to resident evil online?
KevlarGibs @ Sep 21st 2006 7:58PM
This sounds like it should be what I need. I could never get into RE because the damn camera drove me completely insane... now that RE4 is out and 5 is coming soon, I have interest in the series, but only very broad knowledge of the story arc. This could be a way for me to learn all that stuff, assuming that it isn't just going to be bits and pieces at random from the previous games.
pacokorn77 @ Sep 21st 2006 8:05PM
There's also something interesting on RE for the Cube.
Capcom is apparently going to be releasing a 10th anniversary package on the Cube containing REmake, RE Zero and RE4. And, it's supposed to hit America on October 24. I'm not too sure on the legitimacy of this, but it came from Cubed3.
http://www.cubed3.com/news/5987/1/Resident_Evil_Turns_10_On_Gamecube
@ #14, delldude - You don't know how long I've been clammoring for exactly that. I love RE, but I never fully finished REmake or RE2 (read: both characters) because of the shotty controls and camera. I would KILL for that.
Tom @ Sep 21st 2006 8:07PM
@James Ransom-Wiley
compliment: an expression of praise, commendation, or admiration
complement: something that completes or makes perfect
Would you like to choose or should we just flip a coin?
Tao68 @ Sep 21st 2006 8:28PM
@Intellectualdiot
"Single platform gaming simply doesn't pay"
Well actually, it does... for the price of a PS3 and a 360, i'll have 20 excellent games on Wii and DS...
I like great games, but i don't care if i don't play them all... i don't have the time, anyway...
Btw, a Resident Evil collection with the quality of RE4 and the Wii controls sounds fine...
But it's so fashion to find anything Wii related cheap and gimmickly, isn't it Mr Ransom-Wiley?
Well, at least, Matt C. in his latest IGN blog entry make things clear: in short, i believe...
http://blogs.ign.com/Matt-IGN/
Have a nice day!
justchris @ Sep 22nd 2006 3:35AM
Know what this reminds me of? Reminds me of the creator of Resident Evil saying (I believe shortly after E3) that he'd prefer to make another game to test out Wii controls before putting the main RE game on the Wii. That's probably what this is.
Intellectualdiot @ Sep 22nd 2006 3:49PM
If I'm not mistaken, a DS and a Wii would constitute more than one console. Far be it from me to point out the obvious in my original statement, but I didn't discriminate between gaming platforms, I merely said that I find it more appealing to spread my gaming worth over the bulk of the platforms rather than align myself solely with one. Perhaps I'm just a bit of a completist, but I tend to not want to miss any of the brilliant AAA titles irrespective of their console affliation.
@Mandarin:
Would Outbreak qualify as Resident Evil Online? Because it shouldn't. Take a mulligan Capcom.
Duo @ Sep 21st 2006 9:29PM
Note how RE2 isn't included in that list of games being included. Is that hinting at something? Another RE2 remake perhaps?
Tony @ Sep 21st 2006 11:11PM
The information on this game basically implies that any of the "revisits" to the previous games are to further explain key Umbrella information that really wasn't pushed too hard in the titles... which in turn implies, to me, that these will be new senarios, albeit in somewhat recognizable environments.
I don't see what the problem is.
Insomnia Bob @ Sep 21st 2006 11:41PM
I disagree that this is just a shameless cash in. While a new RE would be nice, I won't sneeze at a revisitation of some of the more important scenes from the games history, packaged together with a new, interesting interface.
I only started playing the RE series at #2, which I beat in a day. One very scary, very caffinated, day. The only other game I beat, or even got more than half way through, was 4. I just found the others to frustrating from a control standpoint. ("There is no reason why I shouldn't be able to head shot these damn things without button mashing!!!" I was heard to scream at my TV.)
Anyway, I've got a basic idea of what the hell's been going on, but a recap before 5 would be nice. Especially since it seems like 5 is going to be a kind of reckoning from the storyline. (I'm referring to a lot of forshadowing in RE4 about a certain spectacled captain.)
I'll pick it up, probably.