Resident Evil: Code: Veronica

Resident Evil is one of the most popular video game series of all time for a number of reasons, not least among which is the somewhat non-linear structure of play. Although certain items have to be found before other areas can be explored, that's literally the extent of linearity in this game. As a result, the replay value, while not as great as some other games, is incredible. Another contributing factor to the replay value is that Capcom, in their infinite wisdom, decided that between a shorter game and one that makes the player feel as if there is no way to win, the shorter game is preferable. Not that this is much of a factor where Code Veronica is concerned. This game is long. Longer than Titanic, longer than The Godfather Part II, this is one piece of televisual entertainment that you cannot easily get tired of. It is also of substantially better quality than just about anything that the rest of the video game industry has cranked out lately. That, in and of itself, does not make it a perfect game, but it is oh so very close.

Unlike previous entries in the series, the game only offers one path through the myriad of mazes. This limits the replay factor somewhat compared to Resident Evil 1 and 2, but this is an aside. Compared to some other video games that lose all their thrill as soon as one completes them, Code Veronica is like the classics of old, such as Jumpman or Impossible Mission. Flawed in their own ways, but still the preferred choice. Unlike Jumpman or Impossible Mission, however, Code Veronica grips the player in this almost unshakable manner because of its storyline. Indeed, once one has grown tired of fighting the nth zombie or Hunter, the thing that keeps the player going is anticipation of the next cutscene. Indeed, it is this anticipation that keeps the player playing in spite of some flawed moments such as a trap that can instantly kill your character and send you right back to the start, or programmers getting a little too enthusiastic with the mutant spawn.

The voice acting is, as you might expect, terrible. Half the lines sound as if they were recorded through a public address system. I don't know who delivered Steve Burnside's dialogue, but he alternates between sounding seventeen and seven years old, often within the same line. Richard Waugh, on the other hand, absolutely shines as the voice of Albert Wesker. Bringing to mind images of a not-so-friendly David Bowie, the voice-over is totally consistent with the character - smooth, calm, totally in control. It's just a shame that the character models in the game do not even come close to being in sync with their voiceovers. Not that this is terribly important in a video game, but it does distract at times. Nonetheless, a quick listen to all the cutscenes will leave one in little doubt as to why Waugh is one of the few alumni of the Resident Evil series to have attained any work outside of video games.

The gameplay, aside from the aforementioned moments when the programmers got carried away with traps or icky blob monsters, is fairly smooth. Getting used to the way characters in the Resident Evil games move is a little time-consuming, but the investment of time is well worth it. The real meat of a Resident Evil game, as any player will tell you, is inventory management. Throughout the game, one only has a small number of spaces to put items in, and one must constantly balance between two elements. These being pieces of the puzzle and weapons. Yes, the monsters encountered often resemble a cavalcade of B-movie escapees, but often the fun comes from discovering their origins. I don't think it is really revealing anything to say that the games wear their Night Of The Living Dead influence on their sleeve, anyway. Counting all the B-movie influences to be found in this Resident Evil is almost as much fun as playing the game.

If I were giving Resident Evil: Code Veronica X a score out of ten, it would be nine. Some of it is less fun than the player has a right to expect, while most of it is so much more than the competition has delivered in the past ten years. Those new to the series might be better off getting an old copy of the PlayStation or PC versions of the original, but for those who are somewhat familiar with the Resident Evil universe, this is pure gold.

This game ranks above all so far. I had the honor of playing mine on PS2 so the graphics were really good. The voice acting was above standard. The difficulty level is just right. Wesker has to be the best characters in the RE series in my opinion. The story amazed me and took many different twist that I wasn't expecting. The only rating this game deserves is great.

I just can't believe that these games can get so much better, but they do. Unfortunately I had to rent a Dreamcast to play it, but even though I did beat it I can't wait to buy it for PS2. This is the only series of games that I must own all of them even if I have beaten them many times over. I hope they never stop making this type of game even if the series must come to an end.

This is the first Resident Evil game for playstation 2.

The gameplay and sound are as all Resident Evil games excellent but this time the graphic has stepped up a notch.There are way more polygons than earlier and results therefore in a super smooth picture.

As all the other Resident Evil games this is scarier than any horror movie,and the story is also this time about the Umbrella companies deadly virus who is responsible for the zombies.

Go out and buy this and support the series,because a more entertaining game than this is hard to find.

This is one of the best of the series, ranking up there with Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (Or Biohazard: Last Escape) The game has a very good storyline in which you play as Claire Redfield in the search for her brother,Chris Redfield (Whom you probably know from the original Resident Evil) It is as scary as the other Resident Evil, and contains alot more cutscenes.

My Rating: **** out of ***** Stars (Rating based on comparison to other videogames)