2009 has been a good year for the Resident Evil franchise. Capcom released the action-packed Resident Evil 5 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, followed up by an iPhone/iPod Touch game and a CG-animated movie for DVD and Blu-ray. Now, to round out the year, the company revisits the Wii with a sequel to the 2007 release, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. For fans of that game, Darkside Chronicles has plenty of zombie blasting thrills.

The natives are restless, so don't hesitate to unload your weapon on them. Click to see more images from the game...

The game follows events that took place in Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil: Code Veronica. In it, you'll work alongside familiar characters, including Leon Kennedy (the hero from Resident Evil 4) and Claire Redfield, as you investigate Umbrella's wrongdoings. Along the way, you'll run into plenty of creatures, including weird amphibians, terrifying monstrosities and throngs of infected humans.

Like Umbrella Chronicles, Darkside Chronicles is a straight-up light-gun shooter. Your character moves automatically, leaving you to aim a cursor on the screen to shoot. On occasion, you'll decide which way to go in a level, although they're just side routes to the main location. As you move through each stage, you'll be able to pick up items by highlighting them and pressing the A button. These include health and new weapons, including a shotgun and a bolt gun. They have limited ammo, but you can always revert to your handgun if you run out.

This game plays just as well as Umbrella, but doesn't offer new mechanics. There are times you'll need to press a particular button or perform a motion to avoid an incoming attack, but other than that, you're simply shooting and wildly shaking to reload. There's very little functionality in the Nunchuk. All you can do with this is select your weapon using the directional stick.

Darkside Chronicles supports two players, so a friend can tag along for the ride if you need back-up. Unfortunately, it doesn't provide a drop-in/drop-out option like Dead Space Extraction. They'll need to start at the exact same time you do.

Capcom knows how to get the most out of the Wii hardware, and Darkside Chronicles clearly shows it. The game features outstanding visuals, whether you're walking through an abandoned village during the daytime or slowly creeping your way through zombie-infested tunnels. The game moves at a frivolous pace and doesn't let up. At times, that's a real problem. The shaky cam effect is often used, to the point that you don't always get your shots off with accuracy. This is particularly a problem during boss fights, especially the battle with a squid, where it's tough shooting barrels from its tentacles.

Sound isn't high quality, either. We found no problems with the music, which is as dark and moody as other Resident Evil soundtracks. We especially like how it kicks into overdrive during the more tense moments of the game. However, all of its momentum is nearly thrown off by the ridiculously bad dialogue.

You'll get a few hours' worth of play out of Chronicles, and long-time Resident Evil fans will find nifty little surprises, although we won't give them away here. Outside of that, the only thing left to do is compare scores with others through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. It's a decent feature, but nothing you'll come back to after a few plays.

Darkside Chronicles has plenty of teeth-gnashing moments, both out of fear and frustration from missing your shots. However, it's well constructed and fun to play with a friend. If you're tired of Extraction and House of the Dead: Overkill and need fresh meat to blast through, put this at the top of your list. Otherwise, stick with Resident Evil 4.