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Some of the scariest moments in my video-game history have been within the Resident Evil series. It's credited with defining the survival horror genre and taking it to new heights in popularity. From the monsters, locations and camera angles all the way down to the surprisingly entertaining character narrative, the series has made good on providing gamers with excellently memorable moments. In fact, some of the only black marks on the series' long-standing record are when the franchise was trying to root the same kind of atmosphere in the first-person shooter arena and fall flat on its face to deliver.

Under the guise of an on-rails shooter, Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles has more than enough negativity to overcome, while trying to deliver an equally creepy experience, yet provides some of the finer plot points that new Resident Evil fans post-Resident Evil 4 may be looking for. With such a large order to fulfill, does Umbrella Chronicles march faithfully with the other entries in the series, or should it be left as dead for the unholy zombie scourge?

The characters you'll control over the span of the game's duration will be easily recognizable to any Resident Evil fan, as the game paces itself through the crux of the Raccoon City Outbreak. Chris and Jill are more then accounted for, with other mains like Rebecca and Carlos ready as support, should co-op play with a friend arise. While none of the characters control differently, the sense of nostalgia in most cases of re-traversing old dives from past Resident Evil games is certainly one of the main focuses of the game, and it fairs quite well in portraying Resident Evil 0 and 1 in an accurately spooky light. With a slight nod to original content as well, players will get a thrill in seeing how Chris and Jill continue to try to stick it to Umbrella in an all-new chapter of their surprising downfall.

Area's like the train, the Umbrella training facility and even the infamous mansion itself are recreated faithfully and do a great job of reliving the tension you felt the first (or second or third) time through. While the Wii may not offer the best graphical rendering of the title - the Game Cube did show how beautifully terrifying the remake made the mansion out to be - most of the ambient effects like the contrast of light and dark only serve as excellent reminders of why old-school Resident Evil scares gamers the right way. The Umbrella building is represented appropriately in a grand way for the new chapter in the story and provides waves of awesome enemies in a new environment that does well to add further insight of how taking down Umbrella physically is much more interesting than just a financially flopped stock crash.

While certain liberties are taken to give the environment a little something extra in destructibility, the perk of blowing up everything in sight not only balances the rail shooting elements but increases replay value as well. Files that help reveal to you (or remind you of) what exactly was going on in the time frame you are playing through adds greater appreciation of the fun B-movie vibe going on throughout the series.

The events are split into sub-scenarios with halfway checkpoints to make for easily marked progress. Three difficulties cater well to beginners and those who will take solace in the consistent fun of a multiple play through in one area. A ranking system familiar to the Resident Evil schema also is present to add further incentive to be the best damn T-virus exterminator you truly can be. With the rankings come the stars, and the more stars you get, the more points you get for the upgrading and unlocking of an assortment of better weapons, such as improved machine guns, rocket launchers or magnums. When coupled with how well the game lends itself to co-op, you have what seems like a dozen scenarios with as many interesting ways to go through them.

While the mechanics of rail shooters have been established for over a decade now, the game does not take it on itself to throw any gimmicks at the player, with the exception of timed action sequences a la Shenmue. A situation will arise, and you'll have to react as quickly as possible with the press of a button. While I have always enjoyed the practice, I have observed disinterest in the implementation with a few of my co-op buddies. The harder difficulties make for split-second timing and may frustrate certain players who aren't as enthusiastic of this seemingly forced gameplay method on top of an already incredibly controlled movement.

In a controlling aspect, the developers did a great job of giving the Wii-mote fluid control with the crosshair on the screen. The sad truth here is the Wii-zapper that has been advertised for sometime to further improve the Umbrella Chronicles experience is all but false. At first I realized I had not set up the proper control scheme to go with the Wii-zapper, and then soon after I wondered if it had made a difference. It's true that the customized scheme for the Wii-zapper makes the action time sequences easier, but the overall clunky feeling makes you realize that not only is it not adding any level of immersion, but it also is hindering comfort by making the aiming experience awkward at best.

I tried going halfway through the game with the Wii-zapper, and I didn't truly start having fun until I ate the $20 I spent on the piece of hollow plastic and just went with the bare bones Wii-mote. The big difference in control becomes apparent with the rankings, as extra points are awarded for critical hits, and they became unnecessarily difficult and ultimately dragged down my performance, whereas the Wii-mote performed without fail. If you get Umbrella Chronicles, avoid the Wii-zapper.

The unlockables continue to be solid with the extra Wesker scenarios available after every incident is finished, to give you control of one of the series' fan favorites. These small side stories provide cool insight on how he was pulling all the strings from the shadows and even goes as far as to reward any unfortunate monster that gets to close with a one two thrust punch. Other even more enjoyable secret scenarios are available after certain stipulations are met, and they are among my favorites in the game. The deeper you go with the game, the more there is to enjoy.

The one major complaint I can register with the game that truly bothers me is the highly bizarre choices Capcom made in conveying how the events are portrayed, or not portrayed for instance. Resident Evil 2 is left completely out, and Resident Evil 3 was completely devoid of any regards to the cannon events portrayed in Resident Evil 3. Not only do I question why they have to stage some of the bigger events out of order (they didn't really sacrifice much with 0 and 1), but also they ended up creating a path that Jill and Carlos traverse that wasn't even in the original game. The story of Resident Evil 3 was out of order, with little respect to what kind of killing machine Nemesis was portrayed as in regards to one of the pivotal points of suspense in Resident Evil 3. Nemesis relentlessly indestructible? I had to fire less than a full clip before the final battle ... right.

The other, what seemed like to me as almost sacrilegious and should be to any fevered Resident Evil fan, is the inclusion of the Red Queen from the "Resident Evil" movies. Not only did she seem far out of element in the actual storyline, but the entire character's presence felt like a forced reference of no substance. Seemingly irrelevant of questionable value in why they introduced her in a recap game when there was never a miniscule allusion to her in the main series. I always separated the movies and games (because I thought the movies did little service, let alone lend themselves for storyline relevance), and this was all the reminder of why the separation of the two should have stayed intact.

In short, any real Resident Evil fan will likely raise an eyebrow at some of the ridiculous choices made in a cannon aspect, and they might scoff at the liberties taken with some of the properties they've become attached to. Anyone who isn't in agreement with Resident Evil storyline, or may mock it for a seemingly lack of depth, could be taking it too seriously the wrong way. The series has always lended itself well as a popcorn action flick rolled into a game, and it should be enjoyed as such. The Wii relying on an all but phased-out genre of gaming with no innovation in regards to the Wii-mote is a further commentary on the system, but it is only pointed out here as a small observation. The fact never hurts the game, though I keep asking myself when the Wii-mote will start proving itself up and beyond more than just a competent gun within a game environment.

From a gameplay standpoint, Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles is fun as hell, and I think any curious Wii owner with the love of zombie killing would do well to pick it up. I imagine the game's appeal to Resident Evil fans will be slightly less, much like a surprised dismay with Resident Evil 4. While some story elements will definitely make Resident Evil vets groan, once the cinematics are said and done, the solid gameplay will be more than enough to win them over and will provide hours of good wholesome slaughter. Though, I'm happy to be the first to say I'll take a Jill sandwich over a Red Queen any day of the week.