Topic: Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles

[broodwars]

The regenerators in RE4 were awesome and very much a Resident Evil-type enemy.  In fact, I'm astonished that they didn't return in RE5, instead of the Lickers that took and dealt Hunter-type damage.  Unfortunately, as great as RE4 is it is not a "scary" or remotely survival horror game in the least.  I kind of wish we got a new RE on Wii that followed that Silent Hill-ish early concept of RE4 with Leon fighting that Shadowy thing with the hooks and those possessed dolls.  That would be pretty awesome if done right.

[mac<censored>]

Well sure, but the main thing is to nip this stupid on-rails thing in the bud...
all else is irrelevant until that problem is solved.

[broodwars]

Well sure, but the main thing is to nip this stupid on-rails thing in the bud...
all else is irrelevant until that problem is solved.

So to that end do we hope that Darkside Chronicles spectacularly fails or flourishes?  If it does well, that will just verify to Capcom that their current strategy with Wii is working and they can just keep throwing out these rail shooters instead of the real thing.  If it fails, that verifies to Capcom that the Wii still isn't worth putting full projects on the Wii.  Damned if we do, damned if we don't.

[NWR_insanolord]

We want it to be a modest success, profitable but not overly so. Prove there's a market for games on the Wii, but maybe they should change things up a bit next time.

[Stratos]

We want it to be a modest success, profitable but not overly so. Prove there's a market for games on the Wii, but maybe they should change things up a bit next time.

I want this to be a raging success bigger than RE4 and the previous Chronicles game. Then Capcom will either treat the system to better titles or release some other cheap spin-off that hopefully fails to epic proportions so they see they made a big mistake and alter their game plan for the better down the road.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

REDC Update:

Been asleep from 830PM to 230AM.

I feel hot and cold.

itchy scratchy

[Peachylala]

Well sure, but the main thing is to nip this stupid on-rails thing in the bud...
all else is irrelevant until that problem is solved.

So to that end do we hope that Darkside Chronicles spectacularly fails or flourishes?  If it does well, that will just verify to Capcom that their current strategy with Wii is working and they can just keep throwing out these rail shooters instead of the real thing.  If it fails, that verifies to Capcom that the Wii still isn't worth putting full projects on the Wii.  Damned if we do, damned if we don't.

Why should we even care?

Clover is gone, and the still decent Phoenix Wright team hasn't suffered their trolling. RE5 only sold well because of HOLY **** HD GRAPIKS crowd, and I absolutely hated that game.

We are better off waiting for another Platinum project. (that hopefully lasts more then six hours.)

[Stratos]

Well sure, but the main thing is to nip this stupid on-rails thing in the bud...
all else is irrelevant until that problem is solved.

So to that end do we hope that Darkside Chronicles spectacularly fails or flourishes?  If it does well, that will just verify to Capcom that their current strategy with Wii is working and they can just keep throwing out these rail shooters instead of the real thing.  If it fails, that verifies to Capcom that the Wii still isn't worth putting full projects on the Wii.  Damned if we do, damned if we don't.

Why should we even care?

Clover is gone, and the still decent Phoenix Wright team hasn't suffered their trolling. RE5 only sold well because of HOLY **** HD GRAPIKS crowd, and I absolutely hated that game.

We are better off waiting for another Platinum project. (that hopefully lasts more then six hours.)

Well, Beyonetta is about to come out, right? And their DS space game is already out in Japan. So that leaves the field wide open for a new project to appear. I'm going to guess we'll see something by the time E3 rolls around. Though I doubt it will be remotely close to RE in any form. Though having them revisit the classic RE formula would be interesting.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Bayonetta looked like fun. wish they would port that over.
if not possible on the Wii..... maybe they can make an iPhone version instead.

[Stratos]

Bayonetta looked like fun. wish they would port that over.
if not possible on the Wii..... maybe they can make an iPhone version instead.

Because downgrading to iPhone is so much easier than downgrading to Wii...

[ShyGuy]

Hey Pro, quit puking and give us a REDC report.

[Peachylala]

Well, Beyonetta is about to come out, right? And their DS space game is already out in Japan. So that leaves the field wide open for a new project to appear. I'm going to guess we'll see something by the time E3 rolls around. Though I doubt it will be remotely close to RE in any form. Though having them revisit the classic RE formula would be interesting.

They proved they can handle it since MadWorld and Bayonetta may have been started around the same time. The DS Space game was developed by an outside development studio, and supervised by Platinum.

MadWorld's genre and shortness kind of killed it. I did, however, love everything else. So over the top in violence, it was wonderful.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Bayonetta looked like fun. wish they would port that over.
if not possible on the Wii..... maybe they can make an iPhone version instead.

Because downgrading to iPhone is so much easier than downgrading to Wii...

That's the joke.

(i don't own an iPhone)

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Played the first two stages, it's a noticeably better product than the last one, that is, a deluxe RE fanservice package with gameplay refinements over REUC, yet still falls short of being a real Light Gun Game.  Ghost Squad still offers the best shooting experience around (Overkill several steps behind), but I suppose the typical casual on-rails gamer will find satisfaction in the visually updated RE scenarios, weapon upgrading, and the ton of RE extras.


CONTROLS

- NO CALIBRATION.
- Aim is much more responsive, reticule moves about more smoothly and accurately.
- IR sensitivity is adjustable, fast and twitchy on the high end but stable w/ slight lag (not bad) on the low end.  The default is nice, and the rest of range feels approapriate for different tastes.  My problem with first game was the reticule didn't seem to move at all for small movements (especially the kind that would've provided the corrections needed for headshots) about half the time, and that problem hasn't occurred at all in this game.  Sensitivity adjustement may help if you feel your B-trigger pulls interfere with your aim too much.
- Reticule elevation adjustment is available, just like the one included in Twilight Princess.  Good for suiting different seating arrangements; find an angle to hold the Wii Remote's that's most comfy for you if your PHYSICAL default aim angle is too low/high.
- No more manual camera control (it was slow and useless to me anyway); Nunchuk is NOT USED in the basic scheme.
- A useless Zapper Scheme is included, but requires the Nunchuk, continuing a tradition of retarded Zapper controls by all developers except the people who ported Ghost Squad.  The motion inputs and some Remote face button commands are assigned to the Nunchuk, so no waggling the Zapper (or whatever prosthetic you have).
- Some pairs of buttons can be switched/reconfigured.
- Defaults:  B = shoot; A = pickup item, activate knife; Dpad = 4 user-assigned weapons; Minus = status screen; Plus = instantly use a Green Herb in your inventory; 1 = Pause/Options; Shake = reload
- Shake sensitivity has low/med/high adjustments.
- Grenades now take up a weapon slot on the Dpad, and must be swapped and "fired" like any other weapon, so the A+B combo no longer works.

[mac<censored>]

(i don't own an iPhone)

Nice to know I'm not the only one left...

[mac<censored>]

soooooo, you basically have no control whatsoever over your character, it's just aiming the gun...?

[broodwars]

So how are headshots in Darkside Chronicles?  They were extraordinarily hard to pull off in Umbrella Chronicles since you had to target the exact center of a zombie's forehead, and supposedly one of the big things they were supposed to tweak in this game was making headshots more reasonable to execute.

[Halbred]

Just got the review copy today. I'll be playing it after a dinner party. NinGurl has given me some hope, though I wasn't blown away at E3.

I also got Modern Warfare 2 Mobilized. It is radically different from CoD4 DS, and not in a good way (so far).

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

VISUALS

- More detail everywhere, better lighting and shadows and effects, better transitions between objects and surfaces, overall better cohesion throughout the picture.
- Max framerate is 30fps, but often drops below in busy areas like the previous game.  However, the camera, the animations, and the IR aim don't become lag-jerky despite the framerate drop, unlike the previous game; seems the framerate was properly taken into account (you'll notice frames that would've shown your reticule are missing, but its tracking isn't lagged).  Everything animates more smoothly now.  In REUC, none of the animations seemed right even at a solid 30fps; the animation frames just weren't matched up with the framerate properly so you never consistently saw the fluidity you witnessed throughout RE4.
- The hyperactive shaky "person camera" is well presented and gives the footwork a livelier feel.  A much more engaging feeling than the last game which was more analogous to ASIMO wearing a helmet cam.
- Choice of playable character affects the various camera angles that the player witnesses throughout the stage.  It's a minor supporting detail that also enourages replaying a stage when you intend to complete the OTHER branching path that you skipped the first time.
- The 1p/2p targetting reticules are red and blue, respectively, a differentiation technique applied by just about every other videogame in history except REUC.  They don't have the ammo count stuck on them so they're much easlier to look through, like normal games.  The laser dot shadow isn't as obnoxious.  The blinking laser dot that indicates the weak point for headshots is more noticeable now.
- Enemy shadows are shaped like their respective hosts instead of being "dots," but overlapping shadows tend to flicker.
- CG FMV quality is improved, in both graphics and video compression.
- The new giant spiders look awesome, boss monsters look awesome.  Brand-new zombie models are implemented; zombie animations aren't cut/pasted from the GameCube games anymore, they have some new animation routines to go along with the adjusted attack behaviors.
- Zombies appear to get closer to the game camera now, appearing larger on screen.
- Headshots don't have the same flare they used to.  The blood spray seems smaller, the spray animation ends more quickly (no fountains), no large chunks/fragments fly in all directions, and the corpse drops to the ground quickly.
- Lights can be shot out.
- There are less destructible items on average (we're not in a mansion full of stuff anymore), but there's still plenty at various stretches.  Breakables are focused on objects that would have a tendency to explode/shatter/fragment in all directions (fruit baskets, small brittle containers).  The stuff that doesn't break will shake up as a reaction (or do funny things like spinning umbrellas).  Only select glass surfaces are completely destructible, others will get bullet holes.  The cars I shot wouldn't explode.
- Doors that shatter are the ones that block your way and must be shot.


AUDIO

- Supports Dolby Pro Logic II surround.
- The original music is meh like previously.
- CG Jack Krauser doesn't sound like Jack Krauser D=
- In-game Jack Krauser sounds like Jack Krauser.
- I remember when Dan Smith in killer7 had different voices for in-game audio and the anime cutscenes.  WTF went wrong?
- Rest of the voicework sounds like the usual decent Capcom stuff.  Haven't heard the other key NPCs yet, in comparison to their historical voice work.
- Guns and stuff make noise.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

GAMEPLAY

- Shoot stuff.
- Handgun has unlimited ammo, but is upgradable.  Acquire weapons during play to make them available for upgrading.
- Weapons are assigned to the Dpad as 4 shortcuts.  If you carry more than 4 weapons, the "unassigned" extras are listed in your Status Screen where they can be swapped.
- Gone thru a few button QTEs already.  On Normal Difficulty, the QTE time window seems more generous than REUC.  Haven't seen a waggle QTE yet.
- Your partner character has a Health Gage, and I think any time there's a grapple with a zombie a bit of health is lost, despite no bites.  Bummer.
- If YOU grapple with a zombie, you can perform a counter-attack.  The more you let this happen, the harder it will be to counter.
- First Aid Sprays act as instant continues just like the Bottled Fairies in Zelda, health reaching zero.  Cannot be used manually, and I'm not sure if more than one can be carried.
- Multiple Green Herbs can be stored, shown on the Status Screen.  You manually use Green Herbs in-game by pressing Plus.  They are not instantly consumed upon pick-up.
- To upgrade weapons, you spend Gold.  Gold can be found in the stages, and I think some Gold is calculated from your Stage Rating, I have to confirm.  The currency seems less abundant than the Star Points in REUC (that, or the upgrades seems more expensive given the amount of work).
- You are rated at the end of each stage.  The scorecard tracks a few more details than last time, and computes a numerical score in addition to a letter grade.
- The Status Screen does count against your Completion Time rating.


HEADSHOTS

- I'm having a much easier time with headshots despite the shaky cam people like to whine about.  I became good at headshots in REUC, but that involved 1) a big screen TV; 2) frustrating practice with the aim and reticule.
- Summary of improvements:  superior aim (I encourage trying the Sensitivity Adjustment), smoother screen action, cleaner reticule, larger weak point on the zombie forehead, and less stupidity in the form of jackass REUC zombies that leaned their heads back hours at a time after you unsuccessfully shoot them in the head, making headshots nearly impossible cuz they got too close to you by the time they raised their heads up.
- Because of shaky cam, you won't have forever to get you headshots like you were riding Disney's Small World, you gotta act fast.  But it shouldn't take long to get a feel for the character's camera behavior; don't count on getting those distant enemies or shooting anything when the character spins in circles in panicked confusion.  In between those moments you'll run into narrower passages and many "stand and fight" situations, which will host the majority of your headshots.
- The camera still sways a bit during "stationary" moments, but the controls still prove to be effective.
- My Stage1 headshot rating was a C, my Stage2 headshot rating was an S.  My IR Handjob has been out of practice.
- I'll play another stage tonight then re-evaluate my opinion if necessary.
- Advice:  aim high, aim above the eyes, and not simply at the face.


EXTRAS

- You can view the CG FMV cutscenes from completed stages.
- Some bonus files/pickups go toward the logbook, where you can view an info snippet and the 3D model of an enemy/character, displayed at 60fps.
- Bonus costumes for later.

[Peachylala]

That one trailer scene (I forget which trailer) had a scene with four of the hairy eight legged fuckers. Can you confirm this Pro? Was it in the sewers area?

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

I encountered giant crawlers WAY EARLIER than I expected, and these were nowhere near city sewers.  Old Muscle Head almost **** his cammies.

They're even MORE MASSIVE inside the logbook.

[EasyCure]

i was thinking about picking this game up, but i wanna see what kinda black friday deals i can find next week so i'll  be saving my paycheck.

SMBW here i come.

[Halbred]

Now that NinGurl has basically reviewed the game for me...:-)

I agree with basically everything. I'm having MORE trouble with headshots, though. There are still some "stand there until they're all dead" scenes where it's easier. The fire effects are nice. I was hoping the anti-aliasing would be improved since E3, but alas, it is not, and is very noticable all the time. Giant Jumping Spiders are AWESOME, as was the first boss. Character models are good, but have limited behaviors. Zombie dogs are tougher to take down now. Personally, I think Krauser sounds different, but I'll have to replay some RE4 to be certain. Leon's facial model in the South America missions is closer to his appearance in the RE CG movie than RE4, which I don't like.

The Racoon City missions are very dark. Too dark in places. Crows are tough to kill because of this--they just blend into the sky. Just finished the first two missions, though, and I'm very much enjoying it. Feels like UC, but the tone is much different.

[ShyGuy]

Does the tone feel dark? Darkside Chronicles with the darkness and the emo?