Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (Wii, 2007)

I haven't played any of the other arcade-style shooters on the Wii, but from what I've noticed, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles appears to be one of the best offerings so far, as it was tailor-made for the system and not simply a port. If you love playing games such as Time Crisis, House of the Dead, or Area 51 at the arcade, then you'll probably love Umbrella Chronicles.

To get the technical aspects out of the way, the graphics are generally clean and crisp for a Wii game, and it looks great on an HDTV. The visuals aren't spectacular in some aspects (the occasional slowdown), and there are a few odd flaws here and there (such as the blurry typed introduction to each level), but they are essentially unobtrusive since the focus tends to be on shooting all the undead creatures. A great amount of interactivity is also provided in the form of destructible environments, and it's put to good use as rewards are often hid in miscellaneous objects (providing a welcome excuse to shoot everything in sight just to see what happens).

Controls are simple enough for anyone to play the game immediately, since pointing, shooting, and reloading are very intuitive. Occasionally, the added responsibility of swapping weapons, throwing grenades, picking up items, moving the screen, and mashing buttons to dodge enemies can be overwhelming for new players in the middle of a firefight, but a quick leaner or anybody with video game experience will quickly become accustomed to the more nuanced controls.

Each level needs to be completed before the next is unlocked, but easy mode is simple enough (although the difficulty increases as you progress, especially towards the end of the game), and the difficulty mode can be ramped up for those who want to test their marksmanship. The inclusion of weapon upgrades, item collection, and ratings on your skill at the end of each level also provides a significant amount of challenges for the perfectionist gamer to tackle.

Naturally, Umbrella Chronicles follows the various Resident Evil plots, which are conveyed through cutscenes and dialogue interspersed with the gameplay. The stories told aren't that compelling, per se, as they follow the typical B-movie characters stumbling through the typical B-movie horror-film world, but they are interesting arcade-shooter filler nonetheless. Actually, the campy nature of the early Resident Evil games is part of what makes them endearing to so many people, and Umbrella Chronicles delivers in that aspect. The dialogue is often laugh-out-loud awful, and the deadpan delivery by the voice actors just adds to the ridiculousness. What would possess people to say things like "Don't call me princess!" and "I don't think this is just someone's summer home..." in the middle of a zombie onslaught? A classic bomb my friends and I like to recite is dropped by Chris, who, after shooting his buddy-turned-zombie, salutes his death with an oh-so-reminiscent "I'll miss our target practice sessions." Oh, the irony.

I would highly suggest this purchase to those who are big fans of the Resident Evil series, as it contains a huge collection of information from the many games leading up through the third installment (minus the second).
Umbrella Chronicles is also a fantastic choice for those who like to have a thrilling, challenging, and easy-to-learn game to play in short bursts with friends. There is two-player co-operative play, and it's fun to watch if people are waiting to take turns.