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[Ghosts Of Gaming Past] A Review Of ‘Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
Welcome to Ghosts of Gaming Past — here we’ll be reviewing older horror games, classics and non-classics we missed when they were originally released. Have a game you’d like reviewed? Send us an email.
Written by T. Blake Braddy, @blakebraddy
With The Umbrella Chronicles, Capcom managed to cobble together the events just before and just beyond the first Resident Evil in the form of a first-person rail shooter, with mixed results. A hit for fans of the series, the game still had its share of mechanical and structural issues. To Capcom’s credit, in 2007, developers still didn’t quite know what to make of the Wii, but since it had motion controls, a couple of companies seemed to shrug and put out games that required pointing at the screen and firing.
However, with its sequel, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, the Resident Evil rail shooter improves upon what worked with the predecessor, while also adding several ancillary features that take the game beyond being a slavish recreation of the early games. Several new mechanical elements provide some much-needed gameplay variety, while the responsive controls and dynamic enemy types also give the player a balanced and yet challenging experience.
While the original felt sluggish and monotonous, this iteration moves along with a more arcade-y feel, and the upgrades and modifications add to the overall gaming experience. Basically, this game is just really fun to play. It is a simple, yet thoroughly enjoyable addition to the franchise, one fans might want to have more than a single time.
I hate to couch so much of the review in how it relates to the original, because Darkside Chronicles isn’t just better in relation to Umbrella Chronicles but is definitively better, in my opinion. It deserves to be lauded for its accomplishments in absence of a previous game. It could have been a carbon copy of the original, without any creative distinction, but instead it pulls away from the original in very specific and meaningful ways, and is the better for it. It’s just a really good game.
The Darkside Chronicles primarily concerns itself with the events of Resident Evil 2 and Code: Veronica, although I’m pretty sure some things have changed from the originals. Players can choose between one of two characters in each level, generally, and a second player can join the game at any time, providing what I’m sure is a great couch co-op experience.
RE2 and Code:Veronica complement one another quite well, and they also make the vignette feel of each mission somewhat organic, rather than arbitrary. The developers make this game move a lot more quickly, and each mission is paced perfectly for a single gaming session, a great improvement upon The Umbrella Chronicles. Moreover, the checkpoints are frequent enough that dying isn’t such a miserable penalty, and oftentimes they do not interfere with the flow of the game for the sake of showing players that, hey, you’ve reached a save point, and here’s your score.
And speaking of scoring, the addition of gold, points for headshots, and semi-achievements (called Titles) give it a more traditionally game-y feel and provide players additional motivation for performance within the level. While an end-level score sometimes feels punitive, rather than encouraging, rewarding accurate marksmen with score multipliers within the level provides some secondary motivation for doing a better job.
The gold is not merely an end in itself but can be used to purchase weapon upgrades, which pushes players to “explore” environments by shooting lights, paintings, and crates for added entertainment. It might also entice players to revisit earlier levels in order to find more gold, especially if they’re having a more difficult time with later levels. The Titles (Achievements) are rudimentary but are somewhat reminiscent of Left 4 Dead, and players can receive kudos for reaching 100 headshots or scrabbling together 50000 gold, for example.
Guns can be selected both at the outset of a level and in-game, so running out of ammo for a particular weapon type isn’t necessarily as much of a pain as it could have been. Players get four slots, and unlocking a weapon during a chapter means that the weapon is selectable in the next level. Ammo for the specialty weapons generally doesn’t show up over the course of a normal level, however, so players should probably save the grenade launcher for the bosses or some other strenuous zombie encounter.
The latency is less noticeable this time around, so aiming and firing feels more natural. The reticle is more responsive to movement, as is every other controller action, so fighting off particularly quick enemies is a challenge, rather than an eye-rolling hassle. On that same note, the controller scheme is more conducive to the Wiimote and seems to have been designed with the controller in mind, meaning that players do not have to fight controls in order to enjoy the game.
All of the weapon customization seems to complement interactions with the various enemy types. Some weapons are more effective on some enemies than others, and though players might develop a favorite – unlimited ammo pistol? Yes, please! – situational encounters require mastery of a few weapons. To that end, the enemy types are just varied enough to differentiate themselves, but there aren’t so many monsters as to become ridiculous. It’s actually quite a nice balance, all things considered.
The writing is still bad and melodramatic but is entertaining in that awkward Resident Evil fashion, and it nevertheless feels like an improvement upon the original. The sidekick character isn’t relegated to shouting “Shoot it in the head!” from the corner of the game, and s/he even becomes an active participant in the shooting at various points throughout the story. You wouldn’t believe how much it helps to see your companion actually do something – like fire a gun – rather than just be a weird voice in your head.
Where the game still struggles is in the boss battles. Now, the two-act structure has largely been cut from this game, and players are not required to fight a giant, disfigured zombie creature and/or plant at the close of each chapter, but occasionally, one is required to take on a superhuman figure, sometimes two or three times in a row.
However, what is different is that in these limited instances the boss battles feel warranted and earned. They come at the end of a lengthy struggle with zombies and do not directly follow a similar boss battle, so even when the they are particularly frustrating or overlong, they still can be forgiven, because some thought was put into level design and pacing.
And not to put too fine a point on it, but some of the later boss battles are quite epic in both scope and length. If ever there was a thing Resident Evil could convey, it’s that genetically-modified people can be a nagging bitch to kill. The game takes players to both jungle and arctic climates, sending them into crumbling ruins and abandoned scientific bases, mansions and aircraft carriers alike. It’s quite the adventure, and despite Resident Evil’s history of making narrative nigh-incomprehensible, The Darkside Chronicles feels oddly coherent, by comparison.
The Final Word:The truth of the matter is, The Darkside Chronicles improves upon most, if not all, unflattering failures of the first game. It looks better, sounds better, handles better, and moves better than The Umbrella Chronicles. It is also more customizable, and the story, despite dealing with some more minor parts of the fiction, has a cohesion that the first game couldn’t manage.
Most importantly, it is really fun to play, and with the upgradeable weapons and various paths for completion, The Darkside Chronicles turns out to be a Resident Evil game I’d really consider replaying. I’d suggest it for anyone who likes rail shooters, even those who aren’t necessarily followers of the franchise, because – ultimately – the gameplay comes first, and the story second. Or third. Maybe even fourth.
We are now one full month into Spring 2024, which kicked off on Tuesday, March 19 and comes to an end with the start of Summer on Thursday, June 20. This year’s summer movie season has a whole bunch of exciting horror highlights, including A Quiet Place: Day One, MaXXXine, and Alien: Romulus, but let’s hold that particular thought until June rolls around.
We’re here today to talk about Spring 2024 and the many horrors we still have left before the weather gets warmer and we find ourselves in the heat of one hell of a spooky summer.
Here are 12 horror movies you don’t want to miss in Spring 2024!
STING – April 12
Two words: SPIDER HORROR. Writer/Director Kiah Roache-Turner (Wyrmwood) hopes to induce eight-legged terror with his brand new horror movie Sting, only in theaters April 12.
Of particular note, Sting features practical spider effects from 5-time Academy Award Winner Weta Workshop, with the spider in this one inspired by H.R. Giger’s Xenomorph!
In Sting, “One cold, stormy night in New York City, a mysterious object falls from the sky and smashes through the window of a rundown apartment building. It is an egg, and from this egg emerges a strange little spider. The creature is discovered by Charlotte, a rebellious 12-year-old girl obsessed with comic books. Keeping it as a secret pet, she names it Sting.
“But as Charlotte’s fascination with Sting increases, so does its size. Growing at a monstrous rate, Sting’s appetite for blood becomes insatiable.”
BLACKOUT – APRIL 12
Indie darling Larry Fessenden is back with new horror movie Blackout this Spring, Fessenden’s third movie – following Habit and Depraved – to put his own spin on classic monsters.
While Habit was centered on vampires and Depraved was a fresh take on Frankenstein’s Monster, Larry Fessenden’s Blackout is the filmmaker’s contribution to werewolf cinema.
The film follows Charley, an artist whose drinking binges blur with his sneaking suspicion that he might be a werewolf. He distances himself from those he loves and sinks deeper into solitude, his flashes of memory of his nighttime grisly acts manifested through his artwork.
ARCADIAN – APRIL 12
If Nicolas Cage is covered in blood, you better believe we’re going to be watching. Cage gets his own A Quiet Place with Arcadian, a new creature feature coming to theaters April 12.
In Arcadian, which also comes to Shudder later this year, “After a catastrophic event depopulates the world, a father (Nicolas Cage) and his two sons must survive their dystopian environment while being threatened by mysterious creatures that emerge at night.”
Jaeden Martell (IT 2017) also stars in the post apocalyptic monster movie.
ABIGAIL – APRIL 19
If you’re bummed about Melissa Barrera being fired from the Scream franchise, you’ll definitely want to get out to your local theater this month to support Abigail, the new VAMPIRE BALLERINA horror movie from Scream and Scream VI directors Radio Silence.
Barrera stars alongside fellow horror favorite Kathryn Newton (Freaky) in Abigail, which is actually the latest horror movie in Universal’s relaunched Universal Monsters Universe.
In the film, “After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.”
LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL – APRIL 19
One of the most talked about horror movies of Spring 2024 has been the Halloween 1977-set Late Night With the Devil, which has been playing in theaters since its premiere on March 22.
Late Night with the Devil will begin streaming at home on April 19, 2024, less than one month after arriving in theaters. Shudder will be the exclusive streaming home of the movie.
David Dastmalchian (Dune, The Suicide Squad) stars as the host of a late-night talk show that descends into a nightmare in Late Night with the Devil, set on Halloween 1977.
In the found footage-style film that captures a period aesthetic, “A live television broadcast in 1977 goes horribly wrong, unleashing evil into the nation’s living rooms.”
INFESTED – APRIL 26
Spring 2024 is all about SPIDERS – sorry, arachnophobes! – with the previously mentioned Sting being followed by the French creature feature Infested (Vermines) later this month.
What’s particularly exciting about Infested is that its director, Sébastien Vaniček, has been hired to direct the next installment in the Evil Dead film franchise, so this will be our first taste of what Vaniček is capable of within the genre. And the buzz for this one is strong.
In his review out of Fantastic Fest last year, for starters, Bloody Disgusting’s own critic Trace Thurman raved that Infested is “one of the best spider attack movies in years.”
In the upcoming horror film, “Fascinated by exotic animals, Kaleb finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap.”
HUMANE – APRIL 26
The daughter of horror master David Cronenberg, Caitlin Cronenberg is making her own mark in the genre filmmaking space with IFC Films’ Humane, coming to theaters this month.
The film is described as “a dystopian satire taking place over a single day, months after a global ecological collapse has forced world leaders to reduce the earth’s population.”
The wild premise? 20% of the world’s population must VOLUNTEER TO DIE!
“In a wealthy enclave, a recently retired newsman has invited his grown children to dinner to announce his intentions to enlist in the nation’s new euthanasia program. But when the father’s plan goes horribly awry, tensions flare and chaos erupts among his children.”
I SAW THE TV GLOW – MAY 3
Fresh off the haunting and singularly creepy indie We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, Jane Schoenbrun is back with A24‘s I Saw the TV Glow, releasing only in theaters this May.
Meagan Navarro wrote in her Sundance review for BD, “I Saw the TV Glow offers a layered and authentic portrait of identity, wrapped in ’90s nostalgia and surreal imagery that embeds itself deep into your psyche.” Meagan continues, “Schoenbrun delivers a singular vision of arthouse horror that entrances for its fevered dream style and insanely cool imagery.”
In A24’s latest, “Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.”
TAROT – MAY 3
Originally titled Horrorscope, a much better title if you’re asking me, Screen Gems returns to the big screen with studio horror movie Tarot this Spring, a Tarot-card themed spookshow.
When a group of friends recklessly violates the sacred rule of Tarot readings – never use someone else’s deck – they unknowingly unleash an unspeakable evil trapped within the cursed cards in the upcoming Screen Gems horror movie Tarot. One by one, they come face to face with fate and end up in a race against death to escape the future foretold in their readings.
The hook for this one? Artist Trevor Henderson designed the film’s eight monsters!
THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1 – MAY 17
Bryan Bertino’s 2008 home invasion classic The Strangers spawns a brand new reboot trilogy this year, with first film The Strangers: Chapter 1 kicking things off in theaters on May 17.
The Strangers: Chapter 2 is expected to follow in Fall 2024.
Madelaine Petsch is the lead of the new reboot trilogy, playing a character who drives cross-country with her longtime boyfriend to begin a new life in the Pacific Northwest.
When their car breaks down in Venus, Oregon, they’re forced to spend the night in a secluded Airbnb, where they are terrorized from dusk till dawn by three masked strangers.
IN A VIOLENT NATURE – MAY 31
Slasher fans who have been hungry for a new Friday the 13th movie won’t want to miss In a Violent Nature, which plays out like a Friday movie… entirely from Jason’s perspective!
IFC Films will release In a Violent Nature exclusively in theaters on May 31.
In the film, “When a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a vengeful spirit spurred on by a horrific 60-year old crime, his body is resurrected and becomes hellbent on retrieving it. The undead golem hones in on the group of vacationing teens responsible for the theft and proceeds to methodically slaughter them one by one in his mission to get it back – along with anyone in his way.”
Meagan Navarro wrote in her Sundance review for Bloody Disgusting, “In a Violent Nature may offer slasher thrills and a delightfully gory rampage across the wilderness, but the approach captures the carnage through ambient realism. It results in a fascinating arthouse horror experiment that plays more like a minimalist slice-of-life feature with a grim twist.”
THE WATCHERS – JUNE 14
M. Night Shyamalan returns with the new thriller Trap this coming August, but the road to that film’s release will be paved by the feature debut of his daughter, Ishana Night Shyamalan.
Ishana Night directed The Watchers, in theaters from WB/New Line on June 14.
The film follows Mina, a 28-year-old artist, who gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. When Mina finds shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers who are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night.
Which Spring 2024 horror movies are YOU most looking forward to?
4 New Horror Movies Releasing This Week Including ‘Late Night with the Devil’ at Home
Spring 2024 Horror Preview: 12 Horror Movies You Don’t Want to Miss
The ‘Scary Movie’ Spoof Franchise Is Getting a Reboot at Paramount!
‘Ready or Not’: Radio Silence Filmmakers Tease the “Absolute Banger” of a Sequel That’s Taking Shape
“We Built Every Creature” – ‘Alien: Romulus’ Goes Heavy on the Old School Practical Effects!
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