Resident Evil Code: Veronica: Information from Answers.com

Release Date: March 28, 2000
Genre: Adventure
Style: Survival Horror
Similar Games: Blue Stinger (Dreamcast), Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PlayStation), D2 (Dreamcast), Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare (Dreamcast)

Game Description

The Resident Evil series began on the PlayStation and Sega Saturn but the Saturn only received one game while the PlayStation received a few sequels. Making its first appearance on the Dreamcast, Resident Evil -- CODE: Veronica picks up where the PlayStation's Resident Evil 2 left off. Raccoon City is where it all began.

There, the Umbrella Corporation performed scientific experiments that went wrong. The result of their experiments was a virus that led to the creation of a huge number of zombies as well as a variety of other creatures bent on a path of death and destruction. As members of S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics and Rescue Squad), players did the best they could to stop the Umbrella Corp.'s madness, but ultimately Raccoon City and all of its inhabitants were wiped out.

Despite their failure in Raccoon City, Umbrella Corp. continues their experiments in their facilities located throughout the world as they attempt to create a powerful bio-weapon. Players first take on the role of Claire Redfield who had a starring role in Resident Evil 2. Before the start of the game she had been searching for her brother Chris Redfield, a hero from the first Resident Evil who is currently investigating Umbrella Corp.'s activities in Europe.

After sneaking into an Umbrella Corp. facility in France, Claire was captured and transported to an Umbrella Corp. prison in South America. The game begins shortly after arriving at the prison when a lab explosion occurs allowing Claire to escape. Now, you must figure out exactly where you are and what is going on. Oh yeah, and there are zombies all over the place!

Resident Evil -- CODE: Veronica features two GD-ROMs worth of action. The main character is Claire Redfield but players will also be able to play as her brother Chris Redfield. In previous Resident Evil games players had the ability to play the game as different characters as well. However, this time players will not be tackling the same puzzles and seeing the same things as they play through the game with each character. This time the characters are being used during the same adventure.

Also new to the series is that some of the weapons are doubled up. With a weapon in each hand players can target multiple enemies or do twice as much damage to one target. Weapons featured in the game include: a combat knife, Beretta M93R, crossbow, M79 Grenade Launcher (along with grenades it can fire napalm, gas, and acid), French SPAS-12 Shotgun, Magnum, dual automatic handguns, dual Uzis and an AK-47 Assault Rifle.

All of the backgrounds are rendered in real time, are completely three-dimensional and all of the action moves at a constant 60 frames per second. In the first three Resident Evil games, much of the action was viewed from fixed camera angles. However, this time around the camera does not jump between fixed angles as often. Most of the time a camera will follow your actions, panning and zooming at the appropriate times. As players progress through the game, real time cinemas will appear at particular moments. During the cinemas players will be able to read a character's emotions through their facial expressions. At times some character faces are made up of almost 2,500 polygons!

Set over two GD-ROMs, the first 128-bit Resident Evil game is the largest of the series to date. You think you have what it takes to battle the undead and get to the bottom of the Umbrella Corporation's deadly experiments? Find out in the Resident Evil -- CODE: Veronica. Don't forget to turn off the lights and plug in a Jump Pack. After all, you do want to be as scared as possible, right?

~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide

Roots & Influences

Resident Evil, or Biohazard as it is known in Japan, is the work of Shinji Mikami. Although Resident Evil was not the first survival horror game, its popularity on the PlayStation successfully took the genre to new heights and led to many similar games being developed. In the original game, where the majority of enemies are zombies, players will see similarities to horror movies. The movie that this series most likely resembles the most is Dawn of the Dead, a film from 1978 that is loaded with zombies.

Resident Evil -- CODE: Veronica's storyline is primary influenced by Resident Evil 2 as it picks up where that game left off. Gameplay is similar to previous games in the series but makes use of the Dreamcast's power by graphically taking the series to new levels. With its fully three-dimensional backgrounds, the graphics are actually influenced most by Shinji Mikami's Dino Crisis.

~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

When Capcom first released Resident Evil (Biohazard in Japan), I'm sure they didn't realize the impact it would have on the gaming industry. The game sold incredibly well to much fanfare, and the sequel did even better. While it didn't invent the survival horror genre, Resident Evil did break it into the mainstream and spawned many knock-offs -- from the incredibly bad Overblood to the more respectable Galerians. Soon it became apparent that Resident Evil would rank with some of Capcom's most notable franchises such as Street Fighter and Mega Man, where the question would never be if another sequel would be released, but rather, when. Resident Evil CODE: Veronica marks the fourth game in the series (not including re-releases or spinoffs) and its first foray onto the Dreamcast.

Now, admittedly, my feelings for the series have been somewhat mixed. I'm one of the few people that truly didn't like the first game. I loved the second game though, and still consider it a classic PlayStation title. I felt the third was rather average, having much more action than the first two, but far less story or development and less replay value than the second. So I went into CODE: Veronica with mixed feelings for the franchise as a whole -- afraid I'd get a game that further diminished story for a simple cash-in that had a whole lot of zombies to kill and very little motivation to do so. What I received was a game that has the best story of the series by far, one of the most atmospheric games I've ever played on a console, and another must-own title for the Dreamcast.

The story centers on Claire Redfield, one of the two stars of Resident Evil 2. Her continuing search for her brother, Chris Redfield (from the first game), has taken her to the Umbrella headquarters in Europe. The excellent opening CG sequence shows how she got caught by Umbrella and where they've taken her -- their very own prison on a remote island. Of course something goes awry, and Claire is released from her prison cell, only to find that the complex is infested with zombies... Okay, so the story sounds lame. But this is just how it all gets started. Save for a corny romantic sub-plot, the entire story is pulled off very well and serves as an excellent motivation to keep playing. The few living people in the game include some fresh faces (most of whom are well written) and even a few returning ones -- most notably a lengthy play session as Chris Redfield and meeting with a new and improved Wesker.

The graphics are incredible. It's a true testament to system power when the in-game cinemas (which make up the majority of cut-scenes) are arguably better than the CG sequences. The world is fully polygonal now -- no more pre-rendered backgrounds -- which means a camera that can pan around some scenes. Purists and longtime fans will stay happy however, as the camera remains mostly static and only moves if an object will completely block visibility, or occasionally to follow the protagonist down a hallway, adding to the atmosphere.

Speaking of which, this game is easily one of the most atmospheric I've ever played, ranking up there with Thief, Aliens Versus Predator and Fear Effect. As new monsters are slowly introduced, so are new methods of inducing fear. Like how the "arm stretchy guys" can grab onto railings and objects multiple floors up, thus cutting you off as you try in vain to get to the door at the end of a flight of stairs. Or the Hunters that return from the first Resident Evil -- these monsters are played out so well that I can remember each and every encounter I had with them, most of which were accompanied by a quick, high-pitched shout.

The sound and music in the game are also top-notch. From the familiar moan of a zombie to a dog's bark to the satisfying blast of the shotgun, all the sounds are fitting and done perfectly. The music is even better, as the game has an excellent symphonic soundtrack to it, with some of the songs being almost as memorable as the scenes they were being played behind (most notably, the high-pitched song played upon first encounter of an "arm stretchy").

If I have one complaint with the game, it's the replayability involved. Sadly, it seems as though the "zapping" system used in Resident Evil 2 has yet to make a triumphant comeback. Replay in Resident Evil -- CODE: Veronica takes the form of a battle mode unlocked after completing the game. The battle mode is purely an action affair, giving you characters with infinite ammo and tossing you into mixed-up rooms filled with enemies and a respective boss for each character. Defeating the battle mode with some characters will unlock other characters (an alternate Claire and the most challenging game, Wesker with only a knife). A first-person view can be used in the battle mode if a certain requirement is met, but sadly, you can't switch between first- and third-person modes on the fly (you must choose before starting). While it is cool to play from the first-person perspective, whenever your character is hit, the camera pulls out to third-person view (in case the enemy is behind you) and then switches back to first-person, which gets disorienting. Of course, I also found myself playing through the actual game again, just to witness all the cool parts once more.

However, for an adventure game, replayability is a minor complaint. Resident Evil -- CODE: Veronica is easily the longest game in the series, and it should take most people roughly 15 - 20 hours to complete. While that could simply translate into a heavily played rental, players almost owe it to themselves to buy this title. The Dreamcast has had a lot of stellar games, but this is the best one on the system next to Soul Calibur.