E3 07: Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (Now With The Zapper)
A few months back, Tiny and I attended a Capcom event in NYC and reported back with our findings on a few titles, one of which was their upcoming rail shooter, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. At the time we got to check an early version out using the free-wheeling new Wii remote control system, but at E3 we were treated not only to a new level, but the opportunity to try the game out with the help of the new Wii Zapper.
The new level, which I believe was extracted from the beginning of RE had me patrolling the streets of Raccoon City with plenty of cop zombies and dilapidated cars. I mention the cars here because if you are lucky enough to get a bunch of zombies clustered around a car, you can use it to your advantage by shooting the car, thus blowing it to smithereens and the zombies along with it.
While the new level was certainly nice to see, the real test came when I picked up the zapper. An odd contraption to be sure, but once you get the hang of it, it's really quite nifty. Controlling with the Wii remote and nunchuk separately was fine, but having them all together in one tight group courtesy the zapper made things much easier. My aim was dead on without the use of a lock on and I felt like this was the way I might be able to enjoy an FPS. Having both hands on the gun was a big help as wellI also did a pretty good job throwing grenades which, as some of you may remember, was my downfall with games like Gears of War where I managed to not only NOT do it right, but blew myself up in the process.
People are definitely of two different camps when it comes to the Zapper. For me, it was a godsend, overriding my grandma style of aiming with a nice, tight control system where everything was in one place. Yet it still gave me the freedom to point the reticle wherever I wanted it without fear of swinging wildly past my target and shooting at the wall. Others may find it's two handed approach a little unwieldy, but with a little practice you'll soon find yourself (and a friend if you wish!) plowing your way through the undead hordes, making head shot after head shot like the true zombie hunter you always knew you were.
Fruit Brute
Posted to E3, Hot Stuff on 19 July 2007
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