Darkside Chronicles Official Thread

[xfactor]

The game will be released very, very soon in NA region. With that, I suppose we should have a thread to compile all the necessary information and details regarding the game we have learned from various sources thus far. I have hide them in spoiler form for easier viewing. If you guys have any other updates (such as the confirmation of VA for other characters etc), please post in this thread.

PRODUCT INFO

English Title: Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
Japanese Title: Biohazard: The Darkside Chronicles

Developers Team:
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Developers: Capcom, Cavia
Publisher: Capcom
Designer(s): Masachika Kawata (chief producer), Yasuhiro Seto (director), Kentaro Noguchi (producer)
Writer(s): Shoutarou Suga (scenario writer), Hisashi Fujii, Kouhei Nanri (main scripters)
Composer(s): Shusaku Uchiyama, Takeshi Miura

Platform: Nintendo Wii
Game Engine: Havok Physics

Release date(s):
JP January 10, 2010, 7340 Yen
NA November 17, 2009, $49.99
Australia November 27, 2009
EU November 27, 2009

Wifi Compatible: Yes
Peripheral Compatible:
- Wii Remote (Nunchuk optional)
- Wii Zapper
- Resident Evil® The Umbrella Chronicles Shot Blaster
Genre: Rail Shooter
Number of Player(s): 1~2

Official Links
(Japanese) http://www.capcom.co.jp/bio_dc/
(English) http://residentevil.com/darkside
(Developer's Blog) http://www.capcom-fc.com/re_dc/
(Twitter: Steve Burnside) http://twitter.com/Steve_Darkside
(Twitter: Claire Redfield) http://twitter.com/Claire_Darkside
(Twitter: Leon Scott Kennedy) http://twitter.com/Leon_Darkside
(Twitter: Jack Krauser) http://twitter.com/Jack_Darkside

THE BOXARTS

PAL....................US....................JPN....................Korea

GAME FEATURES/SYSTEMS

Multiplayers
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- The game support up to 2 players at a time. However, there is no drop in/drop out system. You will choose to play in either 1 or 2 player co-op, and the setting will remain until you have finished a sub chapter.

Evade System
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- At times, you can struggle or evade enemies attacks by executing certain movements with the Wiimote. The movements to be executed will pop up briefly in the middle of the screen.

Inventory Screen
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- A staple in the classic Resident Evil titles, you can go to the inventory screen at any time to manage your items and weapons. From here, you can use healing items to replenish your health or switch your weapons. The inventory is shared between the two players.

Combat System
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- The combat system is similar to the first game. Your objective is simply to attack the enemies until they die or the game proceed. The enemies reacts according to where they got hit and what weapon is used. For example, a shot to the kneecap will slow down the zombie's advance, while a headshot will kill a zombie instantly. A hand gun has infinite ammo and fast, but it is weak. On the other hand, a rocket launcher inflicts major damage but is slow and ammo is hard to come by. There is also a knife system where you can swipe your knife, useful for attacking enemies that sticks onto you.

Weapons
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There will be a large variety of weapons which you can obtain in the game. Unlike the first game, you are allowed to carry up to 4 weapons this time (including the compulsory default hand gun), but both players will share the same weapons and ammo count.

Control Scheme
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- The control scheme is largely untouched from the first game. The main differences this time is that you lose the ability to tilt the camera around a little, and that the controls from the nanchuk can be mapped onto the Wiimote itself now, so this time nanchuk is totally optional (4 weapon slots mapped to the D-pad, and collected items via A button. But if you attach a Nunchuk to the controller, you can add the weapon functionality to the analog stick)

Weapon Upgrade
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- You may find hidden golds behind the furniture which you have destroyed. These golds can be picked up to purchase weapons upgrade.

Difficulty
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- There will be 3 difficulties in the game: Easy, Normal and Hard. Capcom also stated that the game difficulty will vary a little according to your in-game performance. For example, if you have a great performance in the beginning, the game will make the difficulty slightly harder in the later parts. Also, in Easy Mode, there will be semi-auto aiming but it also mean you do not have the freedom to fire at wherever you want on the enemy for the biggest damage, thus it may not be good if you are playing to rake up high scores.

Ranking
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- As with the previous Resident Evil games, you will be graded in several categories (such as time completion, score and more) upon a completion of a sub chapter. Currently, it is unlock if the ranking is related to any secret elements in the game.

Unlockables
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We have various sources confirming some if not all of the unlockables in the game. Expect to see these:
ARCHIVES
CHARACTER/ENEMIES: This mode allows you to view some of the 3d models of the characters. You can turn and zoom in/out. There is also a summary introducing them.
ITEMS: Unknown
TEXT: The files which you can unlock in the game.
MOVIES: the video mode where you can view the cutscenes.
VOICES: Audio recording detailing the game backstory.
TITLES: Similar to how "Achievements" or "Trophy" works in 360 and PS3

Secret Weapons: Matt Dahlgren, product manager of the game, mentioned that there will be unlockable weapons in the game. (Though no exact details are revealed)

Sub Scenarios: Again confirmed by Matt Dahlgren, there will be 1 or more sub scenario other than the 3 major scenarios (RE2/Code Veronica/South America), just like those from Umbrella Chronicles (Nightmare, Death's Door, The Fourth Survivor etc). Again, there isn't any other details for these.

Alternate Costumes: Just like any other Resident Evil titles, there will be alternate costumes to unlock. Here are the known outfits:
Claire: Biker, Western
Steve: Western
Leon: Biker, Agent (from Resident Evil 4)
Krauser: Mercenary (from Resident Evil 4)

"TOFU" Survival Mode: The last secret of Resident Evil 2, "TOFU" marks a return in this game. It will be appearing as a skin for the zombies this time, and unlike his previous appearance, injuring it doesn't cause its body to turn from white to red. Instead, bits and chunks will slowly be shot off until it turns to nothing. If it touches fire, it becames fried TOFU. Your objective in the TOFU survival mode is to simply blast your way through the Tofu in various rooms until you reached your destination. The Survival Mode will be unlocked after fulfilling certain conditions.

THE CHARACTERS

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Leon Scott Kennedy (VA: Paul Merier):
A rookie cop who was to report for duty at Raccoon City Police Department (RPD). Little did he know that his first day as a cop would turn out to be the last, when he stepped into the city.


Claire Redfield (VA: Alyson Court):
Sister of Chris Redfield, who was involved in a zombie incident inside the forest of Raccoon City a while back. Chris have gone missing after barely survived that incident, and the anxious Claire decided to head to RPD, the workplace of Chris, to search for him.


Ada Wong (VA: Sally Cahill):
A mystery lady in red whom Leon and Claire encounter in RPD. She is looking for a reporter named Ben who is holding up in the RPD jail. She seems to have a fair knowledge of what is going on. Unfortunately, she disappear as quickly as she shows up, before Leon and Claire can pry her secrets out.


Sherry Birkin:
Daughter of Umbrella corp researcher William Birkin, this 12 years old girl has been getting neglected by her parents. When the zombie outbreak occurs, she was trying her best to survive in the RPD, before she was found by Claire and Leon.


Annette Birkin:
Mother of Sherry, and the wife as well as colleague to William Birkin. She tried her best to assist William to prevent the G-virus from getting robbed by Umbrella but failed. After losing her husband, she made her way to the RPD to find Sherry and eliminate anyone whom she thinks is working for Umbrella.


William Birkin:
A high ranking scientist in Umbrella Corp, he was the inventor of the G-virus. He was protective of his work and refused to give it to Umbrella, who was forced to attack the scientist as a result. The dying William injected himself with the G-virus and now roams the RPD.

Chief Brian Iron:
The corrupted chief of the RPD has been receiving bribes from Umbrella and William to cover up the reports of the infamous mansion incident and the secret of the G-virus. When the incident occurs, the insane chief begins to hunt down the survivors in RPD.

Ben Bertolucci:
A freelance reporter who seems to discover some secrets of Umbrella, and have escaped into the precinct's holding cell. He is the search target of Ada.

Marvin Branagh:
A police officer in the RPD who got bitten by a zombie. It is only a matter of time before he ends up as one of them.

HUNK (VA: Keith Silverstein):
A member of Umbrella's special task force team who was send to retrieve the G-virus from William Birkin. He is the only survivor of the team and successfully completed his mission and escaped the city.

TOFU:
A soft white food made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks. For reason this delicacy have surfaced within Raccoon City.

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Claire Redfield:
After surviving the zombie outbreak in Raccoon City, she continued her search for Chris, which leads her to an Umbrella facility but was captured and send to the prison of an Umbrella-owned isle, Rockfort Island. She wouldn't have imagine that her nightmare will return to haunt her.


Steve Burnside:
A teenager who was arrested alongside his father by Umbrella, he was imprisoned on Rockfort Island, similar to Claire. He escaped from the prison when the zombie incident broke out on the island itself, and bumped into Claire.


Alfred Ashford:
A manager of the Rockfort Island, he is the descendent of the Ashford family, who plays a part in the founding of Umbrella, but was quickly degenerated and got its power robbed by Spencer. Alfred have split personality disorder and often dress up as his sister. When the incident occur, he decided to hunt down Steve and Claire for fun.


Alexia Ashford:
The sister of Alfred as well as the inventor of the T-veronica virus, she was a rare genius who works in Umbrella. With her brother's assistance, she implanted herself with the T- Veronica virus and entered a self-induced cryogenic sleep in order to complete her viral research so that she could restore her family honor.

Albert Wesker:
Ex-captain of the now disbanded STARS team, he led his team into the Raccoon Forest to investigate the mystery deaths of the hikers there. His true intention was that he was there to use the STARS team to let him collect combat data for Umbrella. He was presumed dead after the incident, but shows up at Rockfort Island when the zombie incident occurs.


Chris Redfield:
Once a subordinate of Wesker, he barely survived the Mansion incident and have seek to shut down Umbrella since. He doesn't want to put his sister in danger, so he goes off to investigate Umbrella without telling her. He shows up at Rockfort Island to rescue Claire after he discovered she was in danger.

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Leon Scott Kennedy:
After escaping the zombie incident in Raccoon City, he was hired by the US government as an operative agent. Leon was sent to a small South American country as part of a secret military detachment to locate and arrest Javier.


Jack Krauser:
A seasoned operative with a history of brave service, Jack Krauser was selected to be Leon's partner in this mission.


Javier Hidalgo:
The search target of Leon and Jack, he is also a wanted criminal in many countries and has taken de-facto control over a large area of jungle. The drug he produced have been contaminating surrounding countries, as well as finding their way into America. The cruel yet rich drug lord ruled his empire with an iron fist, and have recently made contact with a former Umbrella researcher.


Manuela:
A young girl who has emerald eyes and is wearing a white dress soaked with blood, she was said to have "brought devils to this village", she has been singing sadly in the village when the incident occurs, until Jack and Leon discovered her. Manuela's songs is a key aspect of the South American episode.

BUNDLE

Zapper Bundle (Europe Only) - Nov 27 2009
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- "Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles" Game Disc
- Wii Zapper

Biohazard Darkside Chronicles Collector's Package (Japan Only) - Jan 27 2010, 8390 Yen
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- "Biohazard: The Darkside Chronicles" Game Disc
- Reversible cover Jacket (featuring original artwork)
- "Darkside Symphony" Disc (Soundtrack disc)
- "Darkside Flashback" Disc (Promotional Videos & Artworks disc)

PRE-ORDER INCENTIVES/RELATED ITEMS

"Let Your Darkside Out" T-Shirt
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Capcom-Store
Gamestop (Pre-Order Incentive)

Raccoon Police Department T-Shirt
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Capcom-Store (Pre-Order Incentive)

RPD Money Clip
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Game Crazy (Pre-Order Incentive)

"The Darkside Report" Booklet (Initial Print Only)
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(Comes with the initial print of "Biohazard: The Darkside Chronicles" normal version & Collector's Package only)

[Archelon]

Is Rodrigo even going to be in the CODE: Veronica scenario?

[aris13]

He has to be, he is the one who captures and then releases Claire from the prison.

[A-J]

They can always change that to some nameless faceless guard.

[Mr_Zombie]

Yes, but doesn't "Game of Oblivion" start the moment Claire meet Steve, that is, some time after Rodrigo release her from the prison?

[Archelon]

Yes, but doesn't "Game of Oblivion" start the moment Claire meet Steve, that is, some time after Rodrigo release her from the prison?

That's what I thought.

[BadWolfX]

He'll probably be in the introduction scene and not mentioned again.

[Ray]

I liked Rodrigo. They better not exclude him. Maybe he'll be in an extra scenario with Chris???

[aris13]

Maybe he'll be in an extra scenario with Chris???

I'll be surprised if Chris turns up to be playable in the game.

[Det. Beauregard]

I remember on Steve's Twitter (such a reliable source!) that he said there were explosions that "released" him from his cell. Perhaps Claire is released in the same manner?

Don't forget that they've already changed a lot of rooms around from their original versions, such as the prisoners' barracks from CV (now with the whole fenced-in computer area which makes no sense but was obviously designed so they wouldn't have to redo most of the prison), and Irons' office and torture room from RE2. Would you really put it past Capcom to change the area where the original CV starts into a huge cell block that contains both Steve and Claire?

I would seriously doubt it if Rodrigo makes an appearance.

[Skunky]

I've managed to avoid just about all the media and info about this game, since watching the original trailer. I've learned my lesson after kinda spoiling UC and RE5 (I saw WAY TOO MUCH of those games before playing them).

Not long to wait now!
17th in the US.
26th in Australia.
27th in Europe (that's actually 2 days after Aus. in real time).

I'm glad I region-freed my Wii. I think I'll import.

Some shopping options: All prices in US$ to avoid confusion.

Playasia (Asia)- DSC US version- $55

Play.com (Euro)- PAL DSC- $50
- PAL Zapper bundle- $65

JB HiFi (Aus.)- PAL DSC- $68
- PAL Zapper bundle- $82

US & PAL box art:

[Det. Beauregard]

Which box art does everyone prefer?

[Dark_Chris]

PAL box art

[Ray]

Which box art does everyone prefer?

I liked the PAL one. It's so different than others. And, it wasn't a picture that we've already seen (like the NA).

[News Bot]

PAL boxart is nice but too white and bright for a game titled "DARKSIDE Chronicles"