From the outset I noticed how yummy this game looks on the Wii. At first glance the level I played reminded me of the opening of RE 5. The heat effects bristled off the screen as my selected character of Leon (who else?) swaggered along with my first person perspective, sucking me in and creating a sensation of realism I didn't find in Umbrella. A short cut scene with some decent voice acting played out and in an instant I was thrown into battle alongside my game liaison, Heather.

The combat in Darkside is quick and intense and delivers on that arcade feel I crave. You can switch between weapons with the D-pad and reload with a flick of the Wii remote. Very satisfying. The environment is meant to be searched (shot to pieces) and yields bonuses like money and green herbs during the small amount of downtime between skirmishes. The enemy variety was lacking but the length and details of the jungle village level made up for the fifteenth encounter I had with a horned toad. I had no idea toads were so feisty! apparently not as feisty as the slippery serpent boss in the swampy church area. The battle played out in similar RE fashion: shoot the vulnerable body part with relentless fervor. It dies. The game did attempt to add some variety. When the creature's health dropped below a certain point the forced perspective zoomed in on the bell tower of the church. I became frustrated by the new perspective and was beside myself as to what to do! If there was any verbal direction in game it was lost to me in the heat of the battle and it wasn't until Heather blasted the bell tower with her magnum (she was an awesome shot!) that a cut scene took over and the boss was defeated by the ensuing debris. I know Heather has played this game a lot and knew what to do but from a new player perspective the direction of something "on rails" should never feel as vague as this.

Overall I enjoyed my "walk on the Darkside" with Leon and Krauser and I am looking forward to watching this heated rivalry pan out this winter.