Resident Evil Code: Veronica X

"Like An Ugly Middle Child..."

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But seriously, who the hell wants to read a FAQ to get through a Resident Evil game?! Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for walkthroughs, but there's such a thing as going too far. When it gets to that point, just forget about it... When I'm playing a game I don't want to have to keep running back to the computer screen, or alternatively, printing out an ungodly stack of papers just to get through some overly dark area, or just to find out where I'm supposed to backtrack to next. And that is where Code Veronica loses most of it's points. Because let's face it, we play games to have fun. If the game play is bad, we don't feel fun. We feel frustrated. So let's start with the game play...

Game Play: 1.0 / 5.0

Yeah one out of five, and not because of the controls. The controls are fine I guess, although they deviated a little from earlier games in the series and oddly enough, later games too. Little things like the inventory, menu controls, and the run button are assigned differently. So if you're coming off of playing Resident Evil 3 or 4, it's a little disorienting that what was once square is now circle. So there's a little learning curve even if you're familiar with the series, but nothing too severe. So onto the real problems...

Let's think back for a second. I was able to beat the first three Resident Evil Titles without using a strategy guide once. The same goes for Resident Evil 4, at least for the main story modes anyway. Also, the pacing in those games was awesome. There weren't many times I found myself wandering around the same area, wondering what I was supposed to do next. The game kind of kept the momentum going forward while remaining a fair challenge, and I like that. So if this game is a sequel to a successful series of games and sequels that had that formula... How did they screw it up so bad??! Why is this one so laborious and boring?? Why am I going on 8 minutes hikes back and forth?? I'm trying to play a game and I've got pens and paperwork, maps and crap all over the couch... It's like some kind of sick joke!

So, The Almighty Holy Grail of Reasons why this game is in my eyes, the weakest of the series has got to be the back tracking.

Holy Cow, the back tracking in this game, is... EPIC!! You know... If this wasn't a Resident Evil title, you'd never want to play this thing. You'd rather get handcuffed and throw yourself down a flight of stairs. The thing that pukes snot all over the place about this game is that it's so RIDICULOUSLY LONG, but it only takes place over two main areas so you are constantly backtracking over the same areas over and over and... Somebody shoot me... (Yeah, I want the "canon" ending)... Allow me to try to put this ball-busting, asinine concept in perspective for you. Imagine you're playing Resident Evil (1) and the whole entire game took place in the Mansion... The whole story unfolds and ends in the Mansion. Now because Code Veronica is so ass-damn long, double the time that it would normally take you to beat RE1... You'd set your hair on fire.

All you see over and over are the same rooms, the same scenery, the same... enemies? Oh yeah the enemies seem to re-spawn in certain spots, which wouldn't be a huge issue, a lot of great games in the survival horror family will re-spawn enemies from time to time, usually when you've progressed through a key event or advanced in the game someway. It goes back to the old gaming saying, "If there's stuff trying to kill you, you're going the right way". But here there's just no rhyme or reason to it... They just pop back up irregularly. And it's not scary or anything that would add to the abominably bad game play it's just nonsensical and makes you use up your precious ammo.. or your health trying to run pass those bastards, so it's like take your pick.

Graphics: 4.0 / 5.0

Well, It's a port of a Dreamcast game, I probably should have mentioned this earlier. So technically and strictly from a graphical standpoint, everything looks good here, impressive even. Gone are the pre-rendered backgrounds from the trilogy, instead what we're given here are real time graphics with a semi fixed camera, and a grainy 8mm effect. Sometimes things can get way too dark, and at first I thought it was my TV. But no, it's just that dark. From what I'm told, the Dreamcast version is not as dark. Personally I can't say as I never played the Dreamcast version. Slight deduction, but aside from that everything works pretty well here. It looks great and screen shots of the game always look magnificent. However, as we all know, especially now in the days of Sony and Microsoft, graphics don't make the game.

Sounds: 2.0 / 5.0

I've got to say I was expecting a lot more here, the sounds in this game are just.... I don't know. They're good, just very....Unremarkable. Unlike the rousing anthems and explosive orchestral pieces we got in say Resident Evil 2's boss battles, the songs here are just forgettable, which is really strange considering how many times you'll hear the same ones over and over because of all the back tracking. Aside from Claire (Alyson Court reprises her role), the voices are just annoying and out of place. Everyone sounds like they have problems, so over the top and ridiculous... And because Alyson Court is actually a decent voice actress, what you get is like a mix of good and bad that leaves a bad taste in your ears, if that makes any sense.

Story: 3.0 / 5.0

Resident Evil Code: Veronica X is a survival horror game, which basically means you've got to find and conserve your ammo and health, as well as think strategically in battle situations in order to stay alive. The game starts off with a kick ass, adrenaline jumping CG sequence of Claire taking on her pursuers and eventually being captured. Your main objectives would seem to be to find your brother and escape captivity, but of course it's not going to be that simple. The story is pushed along mainly by CG cut scenes, but because they suffer from the bad voice acting it's sometimes a labor pain to sit through. The story in this game is far and away the most uninteresting in the series; and it chugs along so slowly that I start to lose interest. It takes some real serious dedication to the series to see this as anything more than a long twisted mess. It's like an old joke with a 10 minute setup and a crappy punch line. You'd be better off reading a book, which is sad, but at least when I read a book I don't have to stop after each chapter and re-read the last five pages of what I already read in order to advance... Seriously, the back tracking in this game invades and slaughters a lot of aspects of it that could have actually made it playable, possibly enjoyable.

Play Time: Around 10 hours* with a walk through

Oh yeah... ten hours baby. That's an average taken from one of the message boards here on GameFAQS (wealth of information). It took me 22 hours my first time through, using a walkthrough occasionally when stuck. So if you can put up with everything I've written about this game for at least 10 hours maybe more, knock yourself out. The * is in place because this average does not reflect gamers who had to restart the entire game all over again because they got stuck somewhere in the middle with the wrong items. I don't want to spoil exactly what I'm talking about, but yeah, you can screw yourself in this game and have to start all over, the ULTIMATE back track. I didn't think you could put a grade on Play Time, but I give it a big fat 0 out of 5 just for making me start all over again.

Final Words and a Little Perspective:

There are NO redeeming qualities about this game... It's like picking your ass and then picking your nose. It just gets worse.... and worse.... and worse.... Now I just want it to all be over, but it won't end!! ....So the HELL with it!!!.... You know, I actually feel defeated by this game! Because it's so long... it's so laborious, and it's so dreadful that I don't know if I ever want to play it again!! What's the point!!? I could see if I hadn't already played Resident Evil 4, which was a masterpiece, and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, which was kick ass... Come to think of it... How did a game so substandard come to be made in between two incredibly awesome games anyway?!?! Did they do it on purpose? Did they think we wouldn't notice? It's like if I put Vaseline in between two slices of bread and told you it was a sandwich.

So if anything, Code Veronica is like some kind of ugly untalented middle child (with the arrival of Resident Evil 5 this couldn't be more true to the word) among siblings who go on to be doctors or lawyers or... ninjas or something. As a hardcore fan of the Resident Evil franchise I was greatly disappointed, because I know they could have done so much better. I guess it's sort of fitting that this is the only canon Resident Evil game to not have a number in the title... Even the prequel for GameCube was called Resident Evil 0. It's almost like they were trying to make us forget about this entry, or at least distance it from the rest of the series. To be safe, don't spend your money on this game. Borrow it from a friend. That is if you've got a friend sadistic enough to let you come within breathing room of this game. It reeks.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 07/15/09

Game Release: Resident Evil Code: Veronica X (US, 08/21/01)