"Who wants to kill some Zombies?"

The Resident Evil series has quickly become one of the most popular and successful series of action/horror (okay, if you want to get specific, its Survival Horror) games since its first game released for the Playstation way back when.

Resident Evil is best characterized by its intricate storylines, difficult puzzles, creepy villains, memorable characters, moaning zombies, and the long load times when you open doors or walk up and down the stairs.

Resident Evil: Code Veronica X continues down the path taken by all the previous games.

In the newest installment of everyone's favorite horror series, Claire Redfield continues the search for her brother Chris after escaping the now-destroyed Racoon City. Shortly after arriving in Umbrella's European Headquarters, she is captured by Umbrella forces and shipped to a small prison on an island out in the middle of nowhere. Stuck in a prison, Claire finds herself at the mercy of Umbrella's corrupt military units, and miles away from any civilization.

However, luck seems to be on Claire's side, as the island is suddenly and dramatically attacked by a mysterious unknown force. At the mercy of the Jailer, Claire is miraculously freed from prison. However, the island is near complete destruction and take over, and a safe escape seems impossible.

Your task is to control Claire and guide her through the maze that is the island in an attempt to find a way off to continue your search for Chris. Along the way you'll meet new friends and new enemies, as well as find new puzzles and weapons.

The great thing about this game is that, like many other Resident Evil games, you get to control two different characters who have their own mission to follow, but each of their missions connect into one big overall storyline. So, after you're done beating Claire's scenario, you'll follow Chris on his own scenario. Chris's story is as follows: Chris has discovered that Claire is being imprisoned on a dangerous island out in the middle of nowhere, so he takes it upon himself to go rescue her. Telling you any more than this would ruin the storyline that follows.

The story has its foundation along the lines of a secret virus that allows human mutation into monsters, as well as two Umbrella Corporation Employees and owners of the Prison Island, Alfred and Alexia Ashford. The conspiracy that surrounds them is absolutely dazzling, and at times, hilarious to watch. Rest assured, though, they are great villains with a great backstory.

The gameplay in Code Veronica X is pretty good. As with most Resident Evil control, it can be rather difficult to pick up on. However, the controls for Code Veronica X seem better than most, such as Resident Evil 2. Not once during the duration of the game did I ever have problems with controlling my character.

My favorite part about the new gameplay experience is that new weapons and tools are added, there are tons of items to pick up, and the environment that you interact with is more user friendly and, well, interactive. You can move boxes, jump up and down ledges, climb stairs (this time, without the dreaded load time), etc.

You can, of course, make your character run. A nifty new feature in Code Veronica X is the ability to quickly turn and begin running away from a foe. This feature makes the game more realistic, as in real life, a person wouldn't take 5 seconds to turn around and then begin running away from a giant worm. Very nice, indeed.

The graphics of Code Veronica X are amazing; they look more lifelike than any other game i've seen. Capcom has always been very good in this department, and its no surprise. The cinematics are done perfectly, and with real actors that have their images inserted into the computer. The introduction sequence to this game is fabulous, and is a testament to the graphical genius that is Capcom. In game, the characters move well and are designed well. The enemies are detailed and original. Even wounds look lifelike and creepy. This is the best part about the game.

The sound in Code Veronica X is pretty noteworthy. As with most games, it uses voice acting for its characters during cinematics, but as you'd expect, the voices come out cheesy and overacted. They sound overemotional and just plain corny at times, which can really be a bother. Some characters' voices you'll really love to hate include the villains Alfred and Alexia, and Steve Burnside, a friend of Claire Redfield. All in all, the voices are pretty cheesy, but if you ask me: voices are better than no voices at all.

The soundtrack to the game is awesome. Capcom has always done a great job at picking creepy, dark, emotional music to surround the experience of running away from zombies, discovering new rooms, and the experience of not knowing what is behind the door you're about to open. When the game begins action sequences, fast paced exciting themes begin. Its a very good way to keep you hooked into the game, and its very nice to listen to.

The sound effects for weapons could be a shade better, though. For being the strongest gun in the game, the Magnum doesn't really make a loud noise. Grenade Launchers aren't very loud, nor do they make any special sound when enemies are attacked. Basically, every weapon sounds a little bland and overdone.

Attacking and being attacked also reap sounds that will begin to annoy you after a few hours. Every time Claire or Chris is hit, they will make the same loud squealing noise or some loud scream of anguish, which you can grow tired of. Not to be outdone, Capcom allows us to listen to the same sound whenever an enemy attacks or is attacked, that typical moan and groan sound that Zombies, the most common enemy, love to make. The good thing is that each enemy sounds different in its own way. This gives us a little break from monotony.

Resident Evil Code: Veronica X offers a small deal of replayability. There is a battle mode, which allows you to choose a character (each character has a certain weapon they can use) and follow through a custom made path where you're required to kill monsters and proceed to the next room. Its not that much fun, but it does offer something extra instead of just the pure Single Player Mode.

The one difference between Code Veronica (for the Dreamcast) and Code Veronica X is that in X they add a few more cinematics and appearances with more characters. Not much of a difference, but the characters they add (i'm not telling who...) make a big difference to the plot of the game.

Overall, this is a great game, and if you're a fan of the Resident Evil series, you'll really like this game. So, go out and buy it!

Overall grade: 8.7

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/15/04