Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles – Side Commentaries

March 25th, 2010

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Here’s everything I couldn’t add to what I said before. Some pretty substantial comments this time, unlike with Dead Space Extraction. So, dig in!

Faithful Enemies Types Stretched Thin

One of the unavoidable issues when adapting a survival horror franchise like Resident Evil into an on-rails shooter is the cast of enemies. The original Resident Evil games were rather sparsely populated, creating moments of quiet solitude which would enhance the ensuing scares. An action-intensive rail shooter, on the other hand, lives off its fodder, and as a result, the selective cast of bio-organic weapons are spread thickly and stretched thinly over the action to the cause of trite repetition. You’ll constantly confront the same slew of primates, hunters, dogs and zombies, because that’s all that the source material can afford. Balancing continuity with prior games and the enjoyment of the rail shooter is a tricky task, one that minor enemy variations (visually, in the form of attack patterns and/or weak spots) could have proved a sound solution. Another possible solution is a less action-intensive direction as with Dead Space:Extraction. This would be more akin to the original games, however, I have doubts that it would have worked quite as effectively.

Weapons Cache

Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles‘ weapon cache of 15 unique weapons is spread across 5 main weapon types: shotguns, machine guns, revolvers, explosives, and uhh more powerful explosives. Only two types of weapons are ever all that useful: shotguns and machine guns. Shotguns are effective at clearing enemies quickly in tense situations and managing hordes of zombies ready for the critical shot. The machine guns are good for stunning enemies and clearing destructible objects. They both also double as functional main weapons. The other three types are too high-risk due to their destructive power and limited ammunition. Frankly, you’d be stupid to both using these weapons. I did for the final segment of the Resident Evil 3 chapter and wasted 40 minutes on Nemesis. And anycase, why use a magnum to headshot a zombie when the default weapon is equally as effective? As I said in the previous post, the critical shot system practically makes these weapons redundant.

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Burnt Toast

I’m surprised that in all I’ve read about Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles not one person has commented on the overcooked visual presentation. Don’t read me wrong, I do like the visual presentation, but it clearly has a very dark, raw look to it, often bordering on monotone. Comparing the recreation of the Spencer estate to RE Remake reveals a weaker textual hue, the wallpaper is the most noticeable difference between the two. Furthermore, compare Umbrella Chronicles to its bloom-lit sequel Darkside Chronicles and there’s a remarkable gain in detail and richness. Also, the sound of the Samurai Edge, the default gun, is abhorrent and contributes to the style.

Cheating the Default Configuration

Anyone who plays this game with just the Wii-mote is a dill. The default configuration is plain horrendous, over-mapping actions to the most prominent buttons, requiring the player to reload by shaking the pointer and losing some minor camera control from the nunchuck. The best way to play is to use the Zapper configuration, but not to use the mold. That way reloading won’t throw off your aim and switching between weapons is easy. It’s unbelievable that this control scheme was not accepted as default, or at least firing off screen made available for those not using it separately (as much as the rapid movement isn’t appropriate to the accuracy-focus of Umbrella Chronicles).

Clear Visual Indicators

It’s almost funny how much information you can display on a firing reticle, in the case of Umbrella Chronicles the amount of ammunition held in your gun and the type of shot based on the hover of your cursor. Four dashes appear in each direction around the central dot to indicate that you are shooting an object, be it a zombie or a some destructible object, which is really handy for scanning rooms for hidden files.

Adapting Survival Horror to the On-Rails Format

On Twitter, if I recall, I said that I’d like to explore the differences between playing Resident Evil 0 (which I’d recently completed) as a survival horror game and a rail shooter. I hate to disappoint you, but the differences are pretty self-evident. What is interesting are the cuts made to adapt the original titles into a rail shooter. Chapters from Resident Evil 0 are more or less a straight conversion with some of the solo bits chopped out and re-thinkered, the other two games however are heavily redone. While it has been some time since I played Resident Evil 3, I don’t recall a hefty majority of the locations, supposedly much of the layout of Raccoon City was adapted from the Outbreak games which were made by the same developers. Nemesis also makes his appearance at the start of the third and final act, so the order is completely muddled and there is seemingly no intermission for when Jill is knocked out. The original mansion incident is more faithful, but at the same time, feels like a remade adventure where Chris and Jill’s story is meshed together (there’s always two players together and they are never apart, this justifies the co-op). Only purists are likely to complain however, and all of the adjustments and cuts are understandable.

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An Added Word on Cannon

Just as a rider to my comments above, the Red Queen computer system, as seen in the new Umbrella Ends chapter, was actually from the Resident Evil movies, and then we have dilemma. Capcom has denied the Resident Evil movies from ever being a part of cannon, yet, right here, Capiva have created a thread. Interesting to ponder.

Being Reasonable with the Game’s Intents

I was originally planning on writing an article taking another swipe at the enthusiast media’s silly criticisms of this game, but somehow I couldn’t find enough reputable sources talking unfounded trash to fill an entire article, so I will just talk generally to eschew any accountability. There are two comments used to discredit this title which have really frustrated me: this is not a “proper” installment in the franchise and there’s no Resident Evil 2, waaaaaahhhh! People, we need to judge this/any game on what it’s trying to do and not what it isn’t. Just because Umbrella Chronicles isn’t a new 3^rd person installment does not make it a bad game. Umbrella Chronicles is a great stopgap for fans to do their homework and experience the original games in a new format, or, alternatively, as a point of entry for new players. In fact, I think that Umbrella Chronicles fits in quite well with Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition and the Gamecube remakes and ports—anyone can get their Resident Evil fix (minus RE5) on the Wii, and that’s pretty awesome.

Widescreen, Dammit!

This game is the first title in my collection to have mandatory, forced widescreen. There doesn’t seem to be any way to play in standard box-TV view, and that kinda makes me angry since I have a nice, box-TV at home. One of those decently-sized flatscreen models that went cheap as HDTV and all that rubbish was coming into the market.

Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles – For and Against the Critical Hit

March 23rd, 2010

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One of the most contentious aspects of Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles is the targeting of critical, insta-kill shots. It’s understandable why this mechanic has received such harsh criticism, most of it’s founded, yet despite all the hoo-rah, there are solid reasons to defend the seemingly wonky. I wish to present both arguments as I see it. Again, video is a good point of reference, pity I can’t capture any myself.

Targeting System Introduction

Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles employs a two-tier critical hit system. On hitting any enemy’s weak point, a white flash is emitted (think photography flash), when your cursor is pointed over a zombie’s critical weak point the reticle will blink red and on landing a hit a blue flash is emitted and the zombie dies instantly. Insta-kill, “critical” hits only apply to zombies or crimson heads and not to any of the other enemy types. The weak point target is the head, the critical hit target is their brains, located at the tip of the head.

For

Being a little more specific and targeting the brain adds a layer of depth to the weak spot concept
Using the brain as the insta-kill, critical hit target makes logical sense
The inclusion of a second weak point forces players to be more methodical and strategic (particularly when confronted with a zombie up close, which then becomes a method of stunning and gunning for the insta-kill).
In turn, this system pushes players towards playing for accuracy and not to just spam enemies
And this ties in well with the hidden files, moments of gameplay where spamming bullets at destructible objects is encouraged. Overall, the critical hit supports RE: Umbrella Chronicles in being tidily organised and segmented

Against

To balance the 2 types of hits (3 if you count body shots), zombies takes roughly 3-5 head shots to down, this destroys the pacing
Including two types of critical attacks is just confusing
The system works against commonly accepted norms, being: head shots equal death, and that zombies go down with head shots
Zombie’s heads therefore seem to be made of metal or something

Only Applicable for Zombies and Crimson Heads

(I didn’t want to preempt myself here, but it was necessary to include it in the above point as well). Zombies are the only enemy type whereby this targeting system is applicable, every other enemy in the game (snakes, dogs monkeys, lickers, hunters, all boss battles, etc) dies instantly by shooting their weak spot with the default gun (this is not so much the case with the other weapons).

For

Zombies are a mainstay of the series, so it’s only appropriate that they’re given generous air time (through the long time it takes to aim precisely for critical hits, and the fact that zombies necessitate the critical hit variable)
The confrontations with zombies are the most tactical of the entire game, they allow players to move between attacking and stunning (zombies in preparation for a critical hit) states

Against

Presence of zombies become far too overbearing
It’s also repetitive to be constantly met with the same enemy type
Sequences with a mob of zombies act as pockets of slower gameplay (as the player tries for precision), this creates a wave of inconsistency throughout the experience
Logically it doesn’t make much sense that the targeting rules in regards to zombies don’t apply to the other enemy types

Only Achievable with One Gun

I almost preempted this point too. This system, which I’ve just elaborated on, applies mainly, but not exclusively, to the default gun (the Samurai Edge). With zombies, insta-kill shots (the ones which add to your tally at the end-of-level grading) can only be triggered with the Samurai Edge. With other enemies though, a hit to the weak spot with the Samurai Edge is an insta-kill, but with other weapons, this isn’t always the case.

For

Again we’re seeing a construction of rules which invite the player to be strategic, since only one gun can land a critical hit, it’s important that the player use the other weapons to aid in landing that critical shot, whether it be through stunning enemies or clearing non-zombie distractions
Since the Samurai Edge has unlimited ammo, the targeting system doesn’t privilege those with a stockpile
If any weapon could cause a critical hit, then obviously the rapid-firing weapons would reign supreme over the entire game, so it’s best to let the default weapon grant this power

Against

Further unnecessary confusion, not only do critical hits only apply to zombies, but with use to a certain gun as well
For players concious of critical hits, this design makes the selectable weapons cache partly redundant

Closing Statements

For

The dual layered critical hit system works to give Umbrella Chronicles more depth and strategy. Without the restrictions to enemy and weapon types, players would simply rely on a machine gun to spam-critical-hit their way through the title. Instead, Umbrella Chronicles disposes of norms to create a rich shooting system which encourages strategy and accuracy over random blasting.

Against

Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles‘ critical hit system is a non-unified one, and illogical at that. Zombies and the default gun are heavily favoured by way of establishing this system through the critical hit variable, and play therefore suffers from repetition. The other types of guns are also made redundant by this system. Furthermore, Umbrella Chronicles breaks the accepted norm that zombies die on head shots.

Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles – Inviting Replayability

March 21st, 2010

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Rail shooters, being a coin-sucking genre from the arcade, have traditionally been cursed with limited playtime—it’s part of the reason why console ports of popular arcade rail shooters always get a bad wrap. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (just going to omit the ‘the’ from here on out), as a shooter, brings little additions to the standard formula (bar some neat tweaks and flourishes), what it does do, however, is address this long-standing issue of replayability. For reference/a general overview of this title, please refer to the video review below:

There are two facts which ought to first be distinguished. Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles is a game which features a large amount of content (22 separate levels, each lasting roughly 15-20 minutes) and invites players to replay its large selection of levels. The former point speaks for itself itself (more content equal longer play time) and although it’s unprecedented for this type of game, it’s a point which isn’t of interest for this discussion. What’s of greater interest is the way in which Umbrella Chronicles maximises replayability by selling itself to different types of players. In a sense, Cavia (the developers) are attempting to solicit extended play time from players, and this is how they do it.

NB: Assigning a type of gamer to a respective heading just adds a nice touch. Of course, I’m talking in generalities, there is overlap.

Grading System

Player Type: The Perfectionist

On competition of each level your performance is graded on five different factors: clear time, number of enemies killed, number of critical hits, number of objects destroyed and the number of files obtained. Ranking systems such as this always prey on perfectionist tendencies, particularly in a twitch-based genre such as the rail shooter.

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Sorry for the Japanese.

What I really like about the grading system is the individuality of each ranking variable. The tally, as a combination of factors, doesn’t entirely hinge on the player’s reflexes or shooting consistency (as with many games of this nature) and in turn opens itself up to being rather inclusive. The ‘files obtained’ variable is fixed on multiple play throughs (ie. once you’ve gathered a file at any stage, it will add to your ranking, you don’t need to find it again on subsequent play throughs) and along with the ‘objects destroyed’ variable (which is pretty easy to score well on) loosens the rigidness considerably. These variables act as bait, so that when a player does the rail shooter part well, and is graded respectively, their overall rank is pulled up, encouraging them to consider going for another round. You’re more likely to find new hidden files on repeated play throughs, so even if you don’t do so well, you’re rank is still likely to increase some, again, acting as motivation. So, in this regard, the grading system serves both perfectionists and normal players, inviting them to better their high score.

Hidden Files

Player Type: The Resident Evil Fan

Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles is basically one big fangasm, so it’s unsurprising then that one of these points would be dedicated to the fan children. The hidden files, strewn behind destructible objects in each level, provide insight into the characters behind the events of the four main chapters—a damn compelling reason for fans to replay completed levels. Sadly, most of the archives contain previous material ripped straight from the original games themselves (the journal entries and so forth), however, all bits of information pertaining to the final chapter, Umbrella’s End, are entirely new. So although the rewards are a little gimped, the most significant files are those which are the most difficult to obtain. In anycase, completing the archive (quite a momentous task), is quite the feat, one that should satisfy fans and completists alike.

Upgradable Weapons

Player Type: The Completist

Your ranking at the end of each level gives you stars which you can then spend to power up your weapons. I guess this serves the completist audience most, however, any type of player can benefit from improved weapons. Improved weapons assist with score board chasing and provide more ammo for random environment blasting in pursuit of hidden files. Since my 22hrs of play time didn’t reward me with enough stars to upgrade even half the weapons cache, I figure that only a completist would replay levels to max out all of the available weapons, making it the most likely candidate.

Alternative Paths

Player Type: The Tourist

Alternative paths are a genre staple and depending on how they’re handled can multiply play time significantly, ideal for tourist players who prefer to see all the locations on offer. The traditional method of divergent paths is to simply present two options, encouraging the player to replay in order to experience the path which went previously unselected. Other games are much more elaborate, House of the Dead II, for instance, is famous for its organic path system where the player’s route through each level is skill-dependent, allowing for a myriad of pathways which open and close depending of whether the player meets certain conditions. Umbrella Chronicles plays is pretty safe, going down the traditional route. In the final chapter though, there are sequences in a maze-like laboratory where many options are presented. Fortunately each route is quite substantial and makes at least a repeated play worthwhile.

Co-Op Play

Player Type: Multi-player

Explains itself really, cooperative multiplayer invites players to approach the content with two angles: with a friend or by oneself.

Conclusion

Cavia succeed on two fronts, the first of which is to offer a generous amount of content, the second is to farm that content for as much as its worth. The second option is the more intelligent one, in regards to development efforts, it takes much less effort for developers to convince the player to replay stages than it is to create all new ones. Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles is therefore quite intelligently designed to address this issue which has plagued the genre for many years, in turn establishing a new identity for the console rail shooter.

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