Resident Evil : Darkside Chronicles Information, Media, & Development Notes

Quick Note: [11/19/2009] With no Wii and no time, I will not be able to play Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles for a while. For now, I've compiled information about Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles from various sources. More media and information will follow. Venture here for my old update stream of Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles information, it has behind the scenes information & interviews with game creators. For now, much of this information is from Wikipedia and the Resident Evil Wika.

Resident Evil Darkside Chronicles Reviews & Information

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles Cover Art Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, known as Biohazard: The Darkside Chronicles in Japan, is a on-rails shooting game for the Wii developed by cavia and Capcom. The game was released on November 17, 2009 in North America. It is to be released in Europe on November 27, 2009 bundled with the Wii Zapper accessory.

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles Plot

The game's plot will revolve around the personal stories and tragedies in the series. Its main focus is retelling the events of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil Code: Veronica, and a new chapter will be featured. For the Resident Evil 2 segment, the player will take control of protagonists Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, with Ada Wong and Sherry Birkin acting as supporting characters. The Code: Veronica chapter will again feature Claire, accompanied by fellow Rockfort Island prisoner Steve Burnside. Albert Wesker is set to make an appearance in a flashback. Chris Redfield will also make an appearance.

In addition to the retellings, there will be new aspects to the series' storyline that will be explored, including a new chapter featuring an original storyline. The new chapter, dubbed "Operation Javier", is set prior to the events of Resident Evil 4 and features Leon S. Kennedy and Jack Krauser, as they are sent to the South American village of Amparo to rescue a young girl named Manuela.

As the game's development began before the production of Degeneration and because of the different timeframe, Kawata ruled out connections to the CG film and Resident Evil 5, though he hinted at the appearance of new characters and the exploration of the Birkins' and the Ashfords' family ties.

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles Gameplay

The Darkside Chronicles will be an on-rails shooter. The player's partner will be seen on screen during gameplay, unless a co-op game is being played. There will be a new evade attack to set The Darkside Chronicles apart from other on-rails shooters. There were also changes to make the game more appealing to casual gamers. For example, head shots will be made easier for players to perform and a status screen has been implemented to intuitively change weapons with the D-pad. The game will adjust its difficulty itself, depending on the players' skill level. Other new features include online leaderboards and a system to tell the players' reticules apart from each other in a co-op session.

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles Development

The development of The Darkside Chronicles as an on-rails shooter was decided because Kawata considered it the best way to retell the scenarios that could not be included in the previous game. With this title, however, he wanted to put a much bigger emphasis on horror, employing a camera system that will try to convey a sense of actually being in the game. To research realistic camera shaking in hectic situations, one of the team members went out in town for a day to make motion tests with a camcorder. Another important aspect to create the game's atmosphere was achieving high-quality graphics, which cavia used all their resources for. Kawata was very satisfied with the result and went on to say that the only thing really setting the visuals apart from next-generation consoles is the lack of HD display. He also mentioned that there is a plethora of attractive content to use for more games in the Chronicles series and the decision of their development would largely depend on cavia's future involvement.

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles Weapons

Though a complete list of playable weapons has not been released, the trailers confirm that both the VP-70 and the Ingram M-11, two of Resident Evil 2's signature weapons, will be making a reappearance. Steve's signature Gold Lugers have also been confirmed.

There has also been some changes to their arsenal as Claire can be seen using a Samurai Edge , though how she obtained this weapon has not yet been revealed. Canonically, Claire has never used one of these weapons. Screenshots also show Leon using a Samurai Edge in addition to the VP-70.Also in TGS '09 trailer,a SPAS-12 shotgun can clearly be seen.

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles Soundtrack

For the music of The Darkside Chronicles, series veterans Shusaku Uchiyama and Takeshi Miura have been brought back to compose and arrange tracks for the retellings of the games they originally worked on, with Uchiyama being responsible for Resident Evil 2 and Miura in charge of Code: Veronica. Part of the soundtrack has been recorded with a group of over 40 musicians known as the Tokyo Chamber Music Association and a chorus of 30 singers. The orchestral arrangements were done by game and anime composer Yoshihisa Hirano who is also highly experienced with classical music.

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles Current Reception

IGN gave The Darkside Chronicles 8.1 out of 10. Compliments were given to the graphics, music, playability, and longevity of the title, but the camera was said to be mildly distracting and the story can be confusing for those unfamiliar with the Resident Evil franchise.

Reliable & Official Links for Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles Information

Resident Evil: Darkside, Behind The Scenes Information & Development

Leon Scott Kennedy Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles Official Twitter Page

On August 12, 2009- An Official Leon Scott Kennedy Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles Twitter Account became available. Oh yes, you just read that.

Things seem different, or maybe it's just me who's no longer the boy I once was... I wish the world looked like it did to me in 1998, before Raccoon City. Before I knew who I'd had to become to survive.

Leon, I wish you looked and acted like you did in 1998, too.

Two of the popular characters from the upcoming game, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles have just recently created twitter accounts.

To follow them:

@leon_darkside

@claire_darkside

You can also check the feed at www.residentevil.com/darkside

Here's what Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles Director Yasuhiro Seto-san had to say:

In anticipation of his next assignment, Leon S. Kennedy has decided to tweet his thoughts as he heads off on his next mission. The mission, which will be available for you to experience this winter in Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, will give followers a taste of what to expect in the game... He can't disclose too many details of his new mission, (no spoilers) but may give out some exclusive info for those that pay attention. Also, as time goes on, he may find relevant items and share the intel with his followers as it becomes available.

In the fight against bio-terror, events of the past may provide essential information that aids the situation in the present. Leon has a few things etched in his memory that makes him invaluable. Some of these memories were formed in Raccoon City, in Resident Evil 2, during his first encounter with bio-terror. These experiences changed his life and sent him on the path that has lead him to his current mission.

Claire Redfield, his partner from Raccoon City, was thrown into a horrific situation on a quest to find her brother. Leon and Claire set off to re-live the past they barely survived.

Half the posts make Leon sound like a complete asshole- but hey, that's his new image. Go team, go!

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles Blog Post, Concerning Leon Scott Kennedy

[From May 20, 2009]

Mr. Suga already has experience with Leon in writing the script for Degeneration. In re-imagining Leon's Raccoon City exploits, he has strived to create a character that is more consistent with the "resourceful special-agent" Leon we know from newer Resident Evil stories. What happened to Leon that made him choose that life?

So these couple of lines are telling us that instead of doing the hard work and writing a real motivation or transition for Leon, they're simply going to "Reimagine" him and pretend his Resident Evil 2 Era Persona doesn't exist? I can't know for sure with the ambiguous writing. But luckily, here's another Leon-related blog entry to offer us some clues.

The Leon of 1998

The Leon in Darkside Chronicles appears as he was in 1998. This was the year the T-Virus spread throughout Raccoon City and started the whole Resident Evil series. Leon must endure a bitter struggle to escape the doomed Raccoon City.

Leon looks a little different compared to his other appearances in Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4. He's a fresh rookie cop, and his looks are somewhat soft. But we wanted to leave hints of the man Leon would become in Resident Evil 4.

We debated long and hard about what kind of voice to give this young Leon and still maintain his character's image.

Paul Mercier did most of the voice work for Leon in Resident Evil 4. He also played Leon in the CG movie Resident Evil: Degeneration. Paul has become our image of what Leon's character is.

We did the voice recording in Los Angeles. Paul's real voice is actually low and cool, as it is in Degeneration. But since for this setting we needed a very young Leon, we had him say his lines in a higher pitch. Early recording sessions were drawn out at times because during intense lines, sometimes Paul would revert back to his natural, low voice. But, he was very professional. Once he understood what we were trying to accomplish with the character, recording went quite smoothly with little need for multiple takes. In my mind, Paul's voice as Leon is dazzling. It's perfect.

In Resident Evil 2, we were shown a Leon who was serious (almost to a fault), and a sucker for the ladies.* We tried to maintain those qualities for him in Darkside Chronicles. The aim of the scenario concept for Darkside Chronicles was to preserve the feeling of the old games while making them more interesting, and to retell those stories from the first person perspective. So, we've decide to give Leon a little girl trouble in this game as well. With Claire, Ada, and Sherry as the scenario's female characters, something is bound to happen. ;-)

More than 10 years has gone by since the release of Resident Evil 2, and graphics technology has come a long way since then. Likewise, advancements in sound technology have made equally great strides. As such, I knew I would have to take character dialogue very seriously. So, I got together with Mr. Suga, whom I mentioned before, to put together the script. We decided to use dialog to give the audience a deeper look into the characters.

How could we create an emotional drama between Leon and another female character? I met with Cinematic Director Hide Gondoh over and over trying to come up with a solution. I've worked with Mr. Gondoh before on titles like Resident Evil Remake, and Resident Evil 4. He's an extremely talented director who can handle everything from event scene choreography, to staff coordination. It just so happens that he is fond of Leon's character. And he wisely suggested that we write Leon with a focus on realism.

Will all this tension and realism Leon is feeling fit into the game's overall theme of "presence"? At first I thought that with a pre-existing Resident Evil scenario, the lines for that scenario would be, for the most part, already written. But, for Darkside Chronicles, we are taking it to another level.

We will continue to challenge ourselves and make this one of the most epic Resident Evil games yet!

Source: http://www.capcom-fc.com/re_dc/2009/05/the_leon_of_199.html

I'm glad they've worked with Paul to make sure he speaks in a higher pitch for Leon in this game. Calling Leon a "sucker for the ladies" because he worked to save 3 lady's lives in Resient Evil 2 is a little harsh, but that has proved to be a consistent them over the years, hasn't it? Where there's Leon, sexual tension and/or unrequited love may follow. Additionally, calling Leon's Resident Evil 2 persona serious to a fault is ridiculous. Compared to his Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Degeneration personas, Leon in Resident Evil 2 is just plain light hearted. But I digress. I hate first-person shooters, but it looks like I might be forced to give this game a try.

I don't know what the fuck they mean by overall theme of "presence" (as in, when we play we feel like we're really there?), but it would be refreshing to see some realism after they forced Leon to survive the absurdity in Resident Evil 4. No more chests of gold from birds!

Reimagining Leon Scott Kennedy, Blog Post from May 11, 2009

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles has an official Blog that you can check out for useful tidbits and information. I wish I was the hardcore pimp that uncovered this. But actually, this hardcore guy named Paul dropped me a line to give me the official scoop. He's so awesome he eats rocks and shits gunpowder, holy shit. I implore his fellow pimps to share more information with me regarding Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles via E-mail. Thank you.

The best news about this game that I've read thus far is the blog post I linked to, regarding Re-imagining Leon Scott Kennedy. A whole official blog entry dedicated to Leon? Thank the Gaming-Gods! The best Leon-relatd bits are in bold and my notes follow the post.

Reimagining Leon

If you watch the recent Darkside Chronicles trailer, you will see the names of some of our staff displayed at the end for a few seconds. We are a very enthusiastic team that is looking forward to bringing you a quality game. I'd like to introduce you to some of the really talented team members, hopefully illustrating some of the cool things about Darkside Chronicles along the way.

First I'd like to talk a bit about our scenario writer, Shotaro Suga.

Mr. Suga has written the scripts for some great Japanese anime such as the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series, Eureka Seven, and Darker Than Black. He has also worked here at Capcom on Devil May Cry 4 as well as Resident Evil: Degeneration.

Resident Evil: Degeneration is a story about Leon and Claire, set in 2005 after the events of Resident Evil 4. Mr Suga was the one who created an engaging drama in a rich setting which complimented the stunning CG visuals of the film.

In a previous post I explained one of our themes; that of presence (a heightened sense of reality that enhances the gameplay experience). With Darkside Chronicles we want that sense of presence to surpass what we did in Umbrella Chronicles. The scenario and all the lines of dialogue in the game play an important role in realizing this theme. I asked Mr. Suga to create a script with realistic dialogue filled with raw feeling.

The first big question we had to deal with in moving from drafts to the final scenario was how to portray Leon in this game. Since appearing in Resident Evil 2, Leon has starred in both Resident Evil 4 and the Degeneration film. Resident Evil 2 came out over 10 years ago so we wanted to re-envision Leon's first adventure taking current expectations into account rather than just copying Resident Evil 2 verbatim.

In Umbrella Chronicles, and indeed the Chronicles series as a whole, we want to revisit the true stories of the characters' motivations and intentions. Even if this isn't directly related to the gameplay, it's very important to focus on these things to keep the characters and world of Resident Evil appealing.

However, this was unexpectedly difficult in Leon's case. He's not as simple as Chris or Jill, definitely a tough nut to crack.

Leon was nothing but a rookie police officer when he was caught up in the Raccoon City incident. When did he change so drastically? What do you think Leon's real purpose and motivations are? Money? Love? Duty? Honor? Perhaps revenge?

Mr. Suga already has experience with Leon in writing the script for Degeneration. In re-imagining Leon's Raccoon City exploits, he has strived to create a character that is more consistent with the "resourceful special-agent" Leon we know from newer Resident Evil stories. What happened to Leon that made him choose that life?

Mr. Suga and I have gone through many revisions trying different things with Leon's character, and this process has yielded a great final scenario. The story of how Leon lives his life and the choices he makes is one of the themes I am very excited to explore with you in the Darkside Chronicles.

Source: http://www.capcom-fc.com/re_dc/2009/05/reimagining_leo_1.html

So it looks like Leon fans might finally receive an answer to the gaping black whole that is purportedly Leon's past and personality. I have to disagree with the entry about Leon's true motivations being mysterious. That's not the case, he says it clearly. What would be very interesting is to learn more about his past, and how he develops between Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4.

The blog writer "reassures" by informing us that the scenario writer is Shotaro Suga, the script writer for the slightly confusing Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Series and...Resident Evil: Degeneration. The only thing we learned about Leon Scott Kennedy in Resident Evil: Degeneration is that he can hold a menacing scowl for hours on end. The script was the weak link in Degeneration, so should we hold high hopes that the rather flat writing in Degeneration could yield something of substance and development for the handsome rookie cop?

I do like the note that Leon is, "not as simple as Chris or Jill, definitely a tough nut to crack." A deep look into Leon's psyche involving Leon and nuts-to-crack, what's not to like? Come on, NUTS!

I'm going to hate the gameplay for this game, but I'm excited to see what new "dimension" they'll dream up for Leon. More news will come!

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles Screencaptures

Click the thumnails to view the full graphic. More will be added shortly. These are from Capcom's official press page.

These awesome Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles images and screencaptures show beautiful, detailed graphics.