Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles is a blast to play, and should be very appealing in just about every aspect.
The storyline from each of the games are quite accurately represented. The game will take some shortcuts for presentation and gameplay purposes, such as requiring you to always have a character following you as a companion. Due to that change in the story, the plots from the original Code Veronica and 2nd Resident Evil title are tailored to that, and it works very well. During the gameplay that mostly consists of a non-stop shooting festival, story is constantly unfolding before our eyes as the two protagonists talk back and forth to eachother, and take some time to have conversations. You don't really miss much that the original stories didn't go over. Especially since there is an 'Archive' section in the main menu that will let you read documents that actually would have appeared in the original games. The specific events that happen are impressively replicated, but things such as specific character routes and puzzles from the original games, are completely altered. That's not a bad thing, though. Because Darkside Chronicles DOES make up for it by changing it in a good way. It all works well in the end.
If you're confused, and haven't played a Resident Evil game before or just don't know what I'm talking about, in short; This is a very suitable re-imagining of Resident Evil 2 and Code Veronica. The stories are kept intact very well, and will serve you with just about as much information as the originals did. But, the game doesn't do a great job going over the previous events. So, it's highly recommended you take a step back and play the inferior counterpart; Umbrella Chronicles, or the actual Resident Evil titles on the PlayStation 1 (and various other platforms), if you're new to the series.
The gameplay is quite fun, but sometimes not much effort is asked from you besides some skilled control-usage, and some concentration. On 'Easy' mode, the game is indeed fairly easy. You can cruise through it like a long movie. It's really quite the party, as you save up currency from beating chapters, and use it to upgrade your weapons. It's satisfying, and makes replaying chapters very encouraging. Most of the chapters are quite intense and never have a dull moment, but a few can drag on and have a frustrating sequence or two. There is a fairly large weapon selection, and you can collect more ammo for them by replaying chapters. Being able to save up tons of Grenade Launcher ammo for example, is very satisfying once you unload it all into a difficult boss. A small complaint some may have may be the shaky camera. The game utilizes a first person view for all of the gameplay, and it may be a little disorienting or make it difficult to aim. I personally was rarely bothered by it, so don't let that worry you.
The graphics are fairly impressive, especially for Nintendo Wii standards. There is some beautiful scenery, and textures are fairly impressive. When translated into the HD remaster that is available on the PlayStation Network, Darkside Chronicles barely looks dated and some scenes keep up to speed with current generation graphics. The cinematics (all of which are CGI animated) are completely beautiful. The cinematography, the lighting... The cutscenes are perfect. Some run a little short and may not do a great job elaborating, but when they appear, they are a joy to watch, especially accompanied by this game's stunning voice acting performances. The soundtrack that plays alongside the gameplay and cinematics is unimaginably well-composed and epic. You really feel the tension of boss fights with this over-the-top blazing musical score.
The good:
-A successful and appropriate re-imagining of Resident Evil 2 and Code Veronica.
-Extra chapters that explain some extra Leon background were really needed and tell a new great story on their own.
-Superbly animated CGI cutscenes, that are a joy to watch over and over again.
-A great voice cast that compliments the intense storyline with convincing performances.
-Unimaginably epic soundtrack. Among the best.
-Technically impressive graphics, especially for the Wii. They look even better on the PS3's HD remaster.
-It's fun to replay levels to collect more ammo and upgrade your weapons.
-Great PS3 controller support on the HD remaster. The PlayStation Move really isn't required to enjoy the game.
The bad:
-Some poor in-game facial animations and lip-sync.
-A few gameplay sequences or entire chapters drag on with mindless zombie shooting, but eventually pick up again.
-The shaky camera sometimes makes it hard to aim or pick up items.
-Character development is slightly crippled due to the short cutscenes and subtle re-tailoring of the story, compared to the original games.
I think I have to serve this game up with an 8.6/10. It may sound really basic and only worth a good 10 hours of action-packed play, but honestly, it's just stuffed with Resident Evil content that any true fan would just devour. This may even be a reasonably substitute to the original Resident Evil 2 and Code Veronica, due to the well-told narrative.