As with most members of Generation X, I grew up with video games. From arcades to the earliest home systems to PC games, video games were simply an accepted part of popular culture. But, during my late teens, I lost interest in video games, as I discovered other distractions. In 1997, hearing the hype surrounding this new thing called PlayStation, I decided to give video gaming another try. A friend recommended a game called Resident Evil, and I was immediately hooked. This was like being in a horror movie! The graphics were great (at the time) and I'd never played a game with an actual storyline! Since that time, I've been a devotee to the Resident Evil universe, and I've stuck with the games through thick and thin. That is, until recently. I was one of the few people on the planet who thought that Resident Evil 4 was a miscue, and I've no interest in trying Resident Evil 5. However, I was intrigued by the Resident Evil games appearing on the Wii, and I decided to give Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles a try.

(Yes, unlike most video game reviews, I feel that I must discuss the game's story.) Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles opens in 2002. Leon S. Kennedy (from Resident Evil 2 and last seen in Resident Evil 4) and Jack Krauser (a new character) are moving through the jungles of a South American country. They are looking for Javier Hidalgo, a shadowy figure who has reportedly been dealing with pharmaceutical giant, Umbrella. Leon and Jack come across a small village (which looks like something from Resident Evil 5), where they were to meet their guide. Instead, they find the village crawling with zombies, and giant creatures, such as spiders and frogs. Disturbed by what he's witnessed, Jack demands that Leon tell him what is going on. Leon's tale becomes the focal point of the game. We travel to Raccoon City, where Leon and Claire Redfield take on zombies and monsters as they try to escape from the doomed town. Then, Claire moves on to an island in the Antarctic, as she and Steve Burnside try to make their way off of the island while avoiding the undead and vicious creatures. The game makes use of familiar locales and situations from Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil: Code Veronica during these sections of the game, and those familiar with those classic games will immediately recognize everything.

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is the sequel to Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, which came out in November, 2007. Like that game, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is an "on rails" shooter. What does that mean? The game acts like a first-person shooter, but instead of using a controller to target enemies on-screen, you simply point the Wii-mote at the screen and use the "B" button as the trigger. A large cross-hair appears on-screen to help target all of the monsters and zombies. It's that simple. There are also items, such as green herbs and gold, which appear on-screen which can be "picked up". You use the "A" button to grab these items. The nunchuk can be used with this game, but it's not necessary. Also, an apparatus such as the Wii-Zapper can be used. Two players can play at once, with a red and a blue crosshair appearing on-screen to differentiate.

As for the "on rails" part, this means that the game's story is pre-determined. Save for a few points where you have the option of choosing one of two ways to reach the same destination, the game's entire path is laid out for you. Thus, save for how many monsters that you kill and which weapons you use, you have little say in what happens throughout the game.

One of the nicest things about Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is that it has a very shallow learning curve. You simply pick up the Wii-mote and begin blasting away. The only thing that you have to learn is that many of the items in the environment --statues, windows, fire extinguishers -- can be shot and some of these items yield gold. The gold can be used to purchase upgrades for your weapons. As you don't have to plan your route, the only real strategy involved is what weapon to use and when to use your green herbs. The game features several different weapons -- handgun, shotgun, grenades, etc. -- and the player toggles between weapons using the D-pad. (You can customize the four buttons to the four weapons of your choice.)

However, none of this should imply that the game is easy, even on easy mode. For the most part, the player has plenty of time to prepare to shoot an enemy, but they occasionally pop-up directly in front of you and attack, with no time to fend them off. The boss battles are the biggest challenges, as these baddies can hit you, causing you damage, no matter how much you are shooting them. Each boss has a life-bar, so that you can tell how close they are to dying, but some continue to attack even after this bar has been depleted. Also, just as with any game of this nature, I always found that the enemy would lunge just as I was trying to reload.

During the game, players can collect special icons which will allow you to open text files in order to learn more of the backstory to the game.  Also, completing levels allows viewers to view the cut-scenes individually.

The graphics of Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles show that the Wii can draw a pretty picture, but it has difficulty making that picture move. The cut-scenes in the game are simply beautiful and it's great to see the fully animated (motion-captured?) characters interacting. These cut-scenes run very smoothly and show no stuttering or slow-down. I knew that I wasn't going to get the same kind of quality in the actual gameplay from the very first screen, when a fence, which I can only assume was meant to be stationary, kept moving. On the whole, the gameplay graphics are good, but not great. The game moves so quickly that the lack of detail won't bother most players. However, some of the zombies definitely have a pixellated look and the squirting blood looks as if it were taken directly from the first Resident Evil game. In the game's defense, the backgrounds and settings look very good, and they certainly took me back to those older games. Of course, if the Wii could be connected to an HDTV through HDMI, all of this could be different.

The game has Dolby Pro Logic II audio. This provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The stereo effects are good and do a nice job of immersing the player into the game. They are true to the on-screen placement of the action, so a zombie attacking from the left will come from the left speaker. The in-game music also sounds fine, but there were some moments where the music overpowered the dialogue.

You may be asking, "Isn't this all just a rip-off of House of the Dead?" Well, yes it is, and I probably could have saved a lot of space in my description by simply saying that before. Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles plays just like a House of the Dead game, but in the Resident Evil universe. (However, I prefer the fact that House of the Dead shows you each boss's weak spot!) Does this make Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles bad? Of course not. Fans of "on rails" shooters should find plenty to like here, as the game is fast-paced and it rewards vigilant players who can spot all of the items laid about the place. And it's certainly a treat for Resident Evil fans. Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil: Code Veronica are two of my favorite from the series and re-visiting those worlds was a blast. I still prefer the old story-driven, survival horror Resident Evil games, but until Capcom begins making those again, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is a fun distraction.