Resident Evil Code: Veronica

After I got my Dreamcast for Christmas of 1999, Resident Evil Code Veronica was the first big release that I was looking forward to. Released in 2000, this along with Soul Calibur were the two main games that made me feel happy about my choice of getting a Sega Dreamcast. It followed on from the events of Resident Evil 2 and for many years this was my favorite game in the series.

We Have To Survive The Island

The story of the game is fantastic and at the time it was the most cinematic of all the Resident Evil games. Capcom did a great job with that extra horsepower the Sega Dreamcast allowed them! The game starts you off playing as Clair Redfield and you are on a mysterious island where Umbrella is running all kinds of crazy experiments. As well as trying to bring them down, you are also looking for your brother Chris. This story really shaped what would follow in the Resident Evil world for better and for worse, but I like to think it is more for the better. Resident Evil Code Veronica has one of those stories that stuck with me for a while and I would love to see Capcom give a reboot as they did with Resident Evil 2 and 3.

Next Generation Horror

The presentation of the game is phenomenal. I was blown away the first time I played this game. Now the actual game visuals look much closer to those breathtaking cinematics. The different areas in the game all have that classic Resident Evil feel and look to them, but they are far clearer and easier to look at than the games on the PlayStation. Claire, Chris, and the rest of the cast look fantastic as do some of the creepy creature designs. The camera is a bit more dynamic and shows off the new visuals very well.

The soundtrack is classic Resident Evil stuff, but like the other older games, Resident Evil Code Veronica has some rather questionable voice acting. To be fair, most of it is good, but there is some pretty cringy stuff, I am looking at you, Steve! Still, the voice acting for the most part brings the story to life very well.

This Is Real Survival Horror

One of the things that people will always mention about this game is the difficulty and for good reason to. I would say that out of the four original Resident Evil games, this one is the hardest. The game does not hold your hand at all and more often than not you have to run away from danger rather than fight it. The reason for this is that the game is very, very stingy when it comes to ammo. Most people the first time they play this are very free-flowing with the bullets, only to discover they are screwed as they progress through the game and come across tougher enemies. I know I got to the Tyrant fight on the plane with nothing and I mean nothing and I had to restart the whole game.

Most of the game is that classic Resident Evil stuff that we all love. You need to solve puzzles, find items, and take down enemies along the way. This is a very long game and just when you think you are done; you start playing as Chris and a whole load of other problems starts to come your way! It is a very hard game, but it never feels unfair.

As you can tell, Resident Evil Code Veronica is a game that I have a very high opinion of. It is one of my favorite memories of the Sega Dreamcast and it was a game that really made the console stand out. I will admit that if I had to recommend to someone that they play this game, I am always going to suggest you play Resident Evil Code Veronica X which is available on the PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo GameCube as that has more content than this one.

Pros:

• The story is great
• I loved how great the game looked
• You can play as Chris and Claire
• The game is one hell of a challenge
• It featured many jaw-dropping moments!

Cons:

• Some of the voice acting is very cringy
• This version is surpassed and made irrelevant by the X release

If I had to do a best Resident Evil games list, I can tell you right away that Resident Evil Code Veronica would be close to the top of the list. This is such a landmark game for the series and featured some very nice changes that were capable thanks to the improved hardware of the Dreamcast and the other systems that it was later ported to. Please note that the version I am talking about today is the HD port of Resident Evil Code Veronica X.

Brother And Sister Are Here To Save The World!

The story of Resident Evil Code Veronica is set after the events of Resident Evil 3. You play as Claire Redfield at the start of the game and she is on a mysterious island trying to figure out what Umbrella is up to. All hell breaks loose while she is on here, she is captured and she is in a fight for survival as well as trying to figure out what the deal with this place is.

The story in Resident Evil Code Veronica was much grander in scale than what 2 and 3 offered, not to put those games down of course. The story of the Ashford clan and finding stuff out about the early days of Umbrella is really cool. Resident Evil Code Veronica also has some great boss creatures for you to go up against. However, what really sticks out in my mind is Alfred Ashford and the twist that happens with him. You think one thing and then the story hits you with something else. It is very well done and even the less than great voice acting cannot let it down. As well as Claire and being on this island. The story will also see you play as Chris Redfield for the first time since the original Resident Evil and also you get to explore a research base in Antarctica.

The Same, But A Little Different

Resident Evil Code Veronica plays very similar to Resident Evil 3. It is an old school Resident Evil game at heart and by most people, it is regarded as the hardest in the series. You really have to conserve your ammo in this game as it is very stingy with it, but this just makes you think more before you shoot. Also, it makes each encounter that extra bit tense as you decide if you can run away or if you need to shoot.

As you would expect there are a ton of puzzles to solve and some of these are really tough and I am sure will have you asking Google for help. They are not over the top cryptic though, but at the time these were the hardest puzzles that the series had to offer. The overall gameplay while still using those tank controls did feel a lot quicker this time around and that I feel is a huge reason as to why so many people put this close to the top of their lists.

Look At That Angle

One of the things that Capcom were able to do with Resident Evil Code Veronica was to improve the visuals drastically over Resident Evil 3. All of the levels are now actually rendered in full 3D and the camera has a more dynamic feel to it. The HD version actually looks pretty darn good for a game that is nearly 20 years old at this point. While the presentation is first rate the voice acting is not exactly great. Steve, in particular, is pretty terrible. I would not say that the voice acting is bad. It is more a product of its time, but the story is so good you can overlook it.

Pros:

• One of the best stories in the franchise
• Chris Redfield is back
• The environments look great
• Some really challenging puzzles
• This is proper survival horror!

Cons:

• This is the hardest game in the series
• No “official” PC port of the HD version just yet

At the recent TGS, Capcom's Resident Evil Code: Veronica was shown in playable form for the first time, and new game details were unveiled. First of all, the game will ship on two GD-ROMs, one for each playable character (most likely Claire Redfield and Chris Redfield), and it features a zapping system similar to RE2. Sadly, the release date has slipped to "early 2000." though a playable demo will be bundled in with the DC version of RE2, due out in Japan in December.

If you've been following the game, you already know that it's the first fully 3D RE game, and that it centers around Claire's journey to Europe to find her brother, Chris. At TGS we learned that the game is going to be almost twice as large as RE3. We also learned that the 1800 turn from Dino Crisis and RE3 is in the game. Rumor has it you'll be able to handle two guns at once at some points. And oddly enough, it looks as if the promised first-person mode may have been scrapped (at the very least, it wasn't in the TGS demo). Needless to say, this is gonna be a hot one. More info to come...