Tonight at Capcom's Resident Evil 5 launch event in San Francisco we cornered a producer on the just-announced Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. We asked the tough questions -- and he dodged most of them. We were able to get a few more details, though, about the upcoming sequel to Umbrella Chronicles.
The term "Darkside" refers to the series' horror roots. What started out as survival horror is now a straight action game in Resident Evil 5. The Darkside Chronicles is set during the events of Resident Evil 2, when the series' survival horror mechanics really hit its stride. The title is meant to convey that sense of the macabre.
Players will revisit the significant events of Resident Evil 2, but they'll have to blast through new areas, as well. We know Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield will be playable characters, and we can apparently expect to see more "main characters" from the series make appearances. Players will be able to switch between controlling Leon and Claire.
In its initial announcement, Capcom declared The Darkside Chronicles will allow players to perform a new evade move with the Wii remote. We asked for clarification, but Capcom didn't want to reveal any more information at this time, other than the new move will be something new to the on-rails genre. As for the upgraded camera system, the developers are trying to convey a sense of action. In Umbrella Chronicles, the camera was being used to communicate that classic, suspenseful Resident Evil feel, the producer said.
Finally, for everyone who thought it was too difficult to pull off headshots in Umbrella Chronicles, decapitating zombies is being made easier in the sequel.
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is set for a winter 2009 release. Make sure to check out the game's debut trailer.
