Strong characters, weak in almost everything else. Writer’s note: So, every year I play a Resident Evil game for Halloween. Last year I did Resident Evil 3 and wrote a review about it. I originally planned to upload this one closer to Halloween but considering Resident Evil 7 is around the corner I decided to wait and release this review close to its release date. It seemed more appropriate that way.
Code Veronica’s history is an interesting one. The game was first developed as the true sequel to Resident Evil 2 and was actually named Resident Evil 3 early on in development. However, Capcom at that point in time had a deal with Sony that entailed all numbered mainline Resident games were exclusive to the Playstation systems. Capcom was also developing a Resident Evil game for Playstation named Resident Evil Code Veronica. So instead of starting from scratch Capcom just switched the titles making Resident Evil 3 Resident Evil Code Veronica and vice-versa. As it turns out this was the right choice as Resident Evil 3 seems much worthier as a sequel to Resident Evil 2 than Code Veronica does. As a matter of fact Code Veronica feels more like a side dish compared to 3. But does that mean it’s not worth a look? Well, let’s find out.
I will restore honor to the Ashford family.
Code Veronica starts off three months after the events of resident evil 2 and features the return of one of the game’s previous protagonists, Claire Redfield. After getting captured in an Umbrella installation in Paris, Claire gets transported to a secret prison on Rockfort Island where almost immediately as she arrives things have gone south. Claire’s capturer takes a cruel sense of pity on the girl and gives her a chance to escape figuring they’re “all dead anyway” and so we enter the world of survival horror anew. From this point on the game’s plot is standard fair. You meet allies, you meet villains and you discover that not everything was right even before the outbreak. Although Code Veronica still features files that expand the lore, characters and locations, this Resident Evil takes a more straightforward approach to its storytelling. Previous games featured cutscenes but most of these were rigid and were used as a way to highlight events or for plot dumps. In this game thanks to the new engine the story can unravel in a more cinematic way. Since areas are all actually rendered as 3d models the game’s cutscenes can be more dynamic and it allows for the characters to really interact with the environment and the objects. The new cutscenes aren’t the reason Code Veronica’s narrative is so enjoyable, it’s the characters. The game introduces some of the most memorable characters in the series, even if the impressions they make might not be the ones the developers intended. In the beginning of the game players will come across the most angstiest teen in video games ever; Steve. Steve’s design, character and voice scream extreme angst. Normally this would be a gripe but the way Steve behaves like such a stereotype and hams it up and in such a rambunctious way makes it seriously enjoyable. Every time he appears on screen you can almost hear Linking Park playing in the background. But even if Steve is delightful in all the wrong ways he pales in comparison to the game’s main villain Alfred Ashford. Alfred really steals the show. He was written as a crazy and goofy character and the voice acting really hammers in his goofy and crazy nature. Peter Oldring deserves special mention for taking “hamming it up” to a whole new level with his performance. Alfred is the rich, spoiled and insane heir to the Ashford legacy which includes the island Claire’s on. At every turn and corner he sets traps for Claire and taunts her in the most Saturday morning cartoon villain way. Everything he does he does for his twin sister Alexa, whom he might have too much of an obsession with to be considered healthy. While Alfred certainly steals the show he could have been the most memorable character in the game if it was not for the return of a character who’s been gone for too long. Without going into too much detail it’s great to see this character return and it’s the highlight of the game. The initial appearance of the character will be certain to make players of the previous games cheer with joy. Sibling love and care is the main theme that rears its head with the whole Ashford Vs. Redfield feud going on. While Alfred is willing to kill and die for his sister Alexa, Claire’s brother and protagonist of the first game, Chris shows just how willing he is to fight and protect Claire. This is the motif that runs trough the entire game’s plot. The Redfield siblings love, care and protect each other while on the other side of the spectrum are the Ashford siblings willing to kill for each other and whom’s love might to be more of the incestuous kind rather than the sibling kind. Code Veronica’s story and themes serve Resident Evil well but it’s the over the top characters that make the game so memorable.
The story is presented in a more cinematic way instead of just having a static camera awkwardly above two characters.
Premature climax amongst other flaws.
As far as gameplay goes, Code Veronica innovates the least. There are no new mechanics or systems that are unique to this game specifically to speak of. While it’s no big deal it does make Code Veronica feel like a “by the numbers” game compared to other entries in the series. The game starts off well enough. While it’s still the same formula areas are now more clearly divided into smaller sections. There is a military compound and a palace section amongst others which Claire will have travel back and forth between to make progress. The smaller areas make it incredibly easy to remember their layout and makes traveling from and to them always engaging. It keeps the pace of the gameplay flowing nicely. It’s at the halfway point however that the game loses steam considerably. After certain events unfold you will have to traverse the same areas again but heavily altered. While this is interesting at first it outstays its welcome for far too long. It doesn’t help that just before this part you get an exciting climax and a fakeout ending making everything that comes after feel like a drag. After arriving at the final section it feels like the game has dragged on for way too long. When said climax and the fake ending transpire the player feels the satisfaction and sense of relief they usually get after finishing any other Resident Evil games. It gives you the feeling of closure only to be dragged back into the nightmare once more. After the game is finished players unlock the challenge modes where they have to get trough a set amount of areas with certain characters and items. While it’s a fun little diversion it’s nothing that will keep players engaged for too long. When a character is selected players will be presented with the option to either play in third person like the rest of the game or in First person mode. Because of the new engine first person is a possibility but certainly not recommended. First person Resident Evil is awkward and even more clunky than usual. Still, it’s an interesting way to see the game and its areas. If Code Veronica’s mid-climax and ending had been at the end of the game it would have made the game way more enjoyable than it is now. But a premature climax isn’t the game’s only problem. Some bosses are incredibly difficult to the point of frustration and one boss requires a ridiculous amount of patience, with him not damaging you and you waiting for him to get in range to attack. Aside from that most bosses are just optional. The biggest problem by far in the game is the enemy placement. When entering a room in any other game in the series you could hear an enemy and tread forward carefully before you see the enemy in an angle where you can take it on. In Code Veronica this is often not the case. There are several parts in the game where you enter the room and immediately get hit by an enemy that is right next to you or is offscreen. It’s incredibly cheap and considering its punishing game over states, it can be incredibly cruel. There are also several times the game punishes first time players by locking them out of weapons and items because they didn’t know to perform a certain action several hours ago. The foundation is still the same old fun Resident Evil but it’s just executed with less finesse. The problems the game has don’t stop it from being a good game but it make the experience more frustrating and less fun than other titles in the series. It’s these problems that make Code Veronica the weakest entry in the classic Resident Evil series bar Zero
Gameplay is still solid but a lot around the mechanics like enemy placement and bosses are lacking.
Say Alexia. Have you ever seen…. THE MATRIX?!
Thanks to the new engine Code Veronica looks radically different from other games in the series. Previous RE titles made clever use of pre-rendered backgrounds which made the games look gorgeous compared to other games on the platforms. Code Veronica doesn’t look as impressive as any of the other games do. In early parts, the game looks more like a visually dull Silent Hill game with a lot of grays and bland areas. Because of this new style there is less room to add details but it allows for a more mobile camera which generally is a trade-off. Monster and character designs are on par with other games in the series with no specific gripes or praise of note. The exception of this is Steve which just like his character creams teen angst, especially with the choker. It’s pretty clear Code Veronica was released just a bit after the breakout movie The Matrix as the returning character suddenly has rather unexplained Matrix powers and attire. It makes for some visually fun and hilarious moments in the game. Music just like the designs while not noteworthy matches the game and the rest of the series with the save room probably being the best save room theme in the series. The music might have no problems but the sound design does have some flaws. A lot of sound effects just like previous games are stock effects which are easily noticeable and while it wasn’t a problem on the PlayStation/N64/Saturn it is a problem in a game that visually looks more advanced. The sound effect fit the low polygonal models and animations of that generation but as a fifth generation game with reasonably improved visual finesse, these sound effects sound rather cheap and dated. Voice-acting while still cheesy feels like it has some deliberacy to it. Almost every character’s lines are delivered in an awkward or over the top way but it’s pretty clear from the context of the lines that it was meant to be this way. None of this feels like it’s trying too hard and for how eccentric some scenes get, the execution feels appropriate. When cutscenes play the character models get switched out for higher quality models. It’s a bit perplexing to see Claire’s face change from this stiff and awkward face to a completely normal one. It’s not that noticeable but once you catch it is distracting. Overall Code Veronica’s presentation feels sloppy and phoned in. The 3d rendered areas make the game stand as the odd one out in the series considering REmake and Zero went back to the traditional pre-rendered backgrounds. It’s like the game doesn’t bring it’s A game material and instead settles for a “by the numbers” and safe approach presentation wise.
The new engine might allow for more dynamic angles but along with the design it makes the game look less impressive than both previous and later entries.
Fairly enjoyable but lacking in a lot of places.
Closing note:
Code Veronica is not a bad game. It is however one of the weakest entries in the classic style Resident Evil games. It’s narrative while having an interesting theme of family heritage and brotherly/sisterly care doesn’t really engage the player if it wasn’t for the great characters and the over the top perfomances. Alfred, Steve and the returning character are incredibly fun characters to be featured in the game. The returning character doing insane ridiculous Matrix flips and tricks and Alfred’s goofy antics will never fail to entertain. Innovation in the gameplay department is something the game doesn’t bother with. Instead, players will get a very by the numbers experience. Because areas are more distinctly separated into smaller themed locations the level layout is simpler than ever. But that doesn’t mean the game is easier because it has some incredibly cheap enemy placements, annoying bosses and seems to punish first-time players by locking them out of items and weapons because they did not know how certain events would unfold. The presentation is all done very safely and by the books like pretty much the rest of the game. 3d rendering all the area seems to not be the way to go with the locations lacking the visual excitement and ironically make the game look more dated than the games that came before it on the previous generation of hardware. But by far the biggest problem te game has is that at the halfway point the game tries to fake out the player by giving them a big finale that is just like the previous Resident Evil games before it, complete with a big boss battle and escape the facility climax. The difference is that in the other games it fills the player with adrenaline and eventually relief of surviving the nightmare when it ends. This game throws the player back in and expects them to thread the area they just escaped again and it makes the game outstay its welcome for way too long. Code Veronica is not a bad game or not even a bad Resident Evil. In its core it’s still a functional and fun Resident Evil experience that gets bogged down by the problems mentioned before. The game’s problems probably won’t keep players from finishing the game but it will lead to some frustrating moments. Instead the flaws will drag the game down by only a little making it a serviceable Resident Evil with more flaws than the other games.
7.5/10
X:
X is an enhanced version for the Playstation 2 and Gamecube. This is the version Capcom decided to base the HD remaster on for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. This version only adjusts and improves a few slight things. Steve’s hair is slightly remodeled and there are an additional 9 minutes of extra cutscenes. These cutscenes mainly focus and change some things regarding the returning character. It mainly shows off the powers and introduces the character not only better to the player but Claire as well. While they drastically change an element of the character it’s ultimately one that benefits the game. Not much else is changed so if you really want to play Code Veronica on Dreamcast it’s still a viable option but if it’s all the same then you would be better of playing the X version.
This game was reviewed on PlayStation 2. If you are interested in this game you can get it from the following places:
Playstation 3:
Xbox 360:
If you are interested in other games similar to this one you might want check out these reviews:
Resident Evil 3: NemesisResident Evil 6 (remaster)
Resident Evil (2002) (HD Remaster)Resident Evil Zero (HD Remaster)
Resident Evil Revelations Resident Evil Revelations 2
