Resident Evil Code: Veronica

"Capcom finally improves on the "survival horror" formula."

Resident Evil. The series that has become the undisputed leader in a genre it helped to define. Resident Evil put the phrase 'Survival Horror' on the tips of the tongues of every gamer worldwide. With three original games on the Playstation, it came as somewhat of a surprise when Capcom announced the fourth game would not appear on Sony's aging, though still popular, console but rather Sega's still fresh powerhouse. However, the question that begs to be asked is does Resident Evil- CODE: Veronica takes the series to the next generation of gameplay of did it merely receive a 128-bit face-lift?

Claire Redfield, in the ever-familiar search for her brother Chris, gets captured by Umbrella goons and is taken to a remote island prison. Of course she's not in a cell for more than five minutes before all hell breaks loose…in the form of a deadly T-Virus outbreak. And where there's the T-Virus, there's sure to be flesh-starved zombies. Claire meets up with a young man named Leonar…er…I mean Steve Burnside and discovers the island is owned by the only heirs to the Umbrella empire- Alexander and Alexia Ashford. After escaping the horrors of the island, Claire and Steve end up in Antarctica for the final showdown with Chris bringing up the rear to save the day…but not before facing an old enemy. This is easily the best story of the Resident Evil series with enough surprises to keep even the most outspoken naysayer on the edge of his or her seat.

Remember when the Dreamcast launched and you caught the first glimpse of its raw, untapped power as SoulCalibur lit up your television? Well, prepare yourself for that very same feeling as Capcom's latest masterpiece pushes the graphic boundaries set by Namco's already classic fighter. The character models are smooth and the textures detailed, a combination not commonly found working in such harmony. Animation is fluid, though your characters still move mannequin-like as they dredge through the almost realistic real-time environments. Lighting is probably the most impressive and important effect of the game, adding a new sense of dread not quite reached by other 'survival horror' titles. Without a doubt, this is the best looking 3D game I have ever played.

Eerie noises, haunting music and bad voice acting- the signature of the Resident Evil series. And of course, CODE: Veronica continues in this tradition set by its 32-bit ancestors. Veteran gamers will find the music both familiar yet improved, meandering a bit from the path without straying too far into unfamiliar territory. On the other hand, audio effects remain wholly untouched, every creepy sound the same as when it was first heard in the original Resident Evil. As for the voice acting…It has improved somewhat, but it is still a far cry from the Oscar-caliber work of games like Sword of the Berserk. Come on Capcom, how hard is it to hire some actual talent?

By now almost every gamer has had the chance to play at least one of the Resident Evil games as the series had made its presence felt on virtually every conceivable and viable platform (even the Saturn saw the first game). So if you have had the chance to play one of Capcom's previous survival horror masterpieces, CODE: Veronica's control style should come as no surprise. Tight and responsive, it's about as good as you could ask for with the only minor disappointment found in the removal of the new play features introduced in Nemesis (i.e.: the ability to dodge attacks and choosing your own story path).

Proving that Resident Evil was ready for the next generation of consoles was no small task, yet Capcom has once again worked its magic and designed yet another instant classic by which all future games will be judged. Everything, from the layout of the maps to the multi-person story line is a testament to the genius of the series. In fact, Capcom may have effectively out-designed itself with CODE: Veronica; crafting a game that may prove to be a challenge to exceed in the next installment. Yet I am confident that they will do just that. As it stands, Resident Evil on the Dreamcast has set a new standard in design.

As with any Capcom game, Resident Evil- Code: Veronica isn't without extras. Aside from the standard wardrobe changes and explosive weapons with infinite ammo, there is also a new game mode waiting to be unlocked in which you must battle through room after room of monsters in the shortest time possible. While this might not seem like anything new to Resident Evil veterans, the fact that you can unlock several unique characters and play the game from a first person's point-of-view should be. A nice little extra that adds a few more hours of entertainment to the game.

If the tone of my review hasn't convinced you yet to play this game then let me give you a bit of advice: Get off of your ass and go buy this game! If you're a fan or looking to see what all of the hype is about, you can't go wrong with Resident Evil- CODE: Veronica.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/12/09

Game Release: Resident Evil Code: Veronica (US, 02/29/00)