All-Reviews.com Videogame Review:
Resident Evil- Code: Veronica

Publisher: Capcom
Category: Action, Adventure
Platform: Dreamcast
ESRB Rating: Mature    Release Date: February 2000

Overall Rating: 4 Stars out of 4

Review by Darvan
4 Stars out of 4

"Resident Evil"............. Ever since I have first played RE1, that intro phrase has scared me:). There are now a total of 7 Resident Evil titles i do believe. Each and everyone is good in thier own right but this games is........ well ................ words don't do it justice except to say that it is a masterpiece! By far it is the best Resident Evil title to date.

The first Resident Evil in the series introduced the world to the survival horror genre. Sure the "Alone in the Dark Series" actually introduced it but Resident Evil refined it. The game was widely accepted and is now considered by many as a classic. The game featured full voiced dialogue, which most cannot forget because of its exceptional cheesyness. Most would remeber the phrase "DONT OPEN THAT DOOR!". The game had pre rendered back rounds with camera angles different in every room creating a very cinematic feel. It also had a control system that people either hated or loved.

All of these features are in REC:V plus many more! The game now has 3d graphics which are beautifully done. The fact that the graphics are 3d allows for some really cool effects. There is even one scene the very effectively mimics "The Matrix" stop and turn sequences. The character models are very detailed and add to the realism. The animations of the characters are very realistic aswell. The CG sequences rival that of recent full length movies such as Toy Story 2. These sequences are the only game that i have seen to date that are just as impressive as FFVIII.

The story is very well done with a touch of romance thrown in. The story centers around Claire Redfield going to Europe in search of her Bro. On the way she is captured and sent to an isolated prison/scientific labratory island. She then after strange occurances is freed and meets up with a Leonardo Dicaprio look alike named Steve Burnside. Steve eventually gets a soft spot in his heart for Claire as thier adventures go on. Eventually CLaires Bro gets thrown in the mix. the story is very well crafted and is one of the finest aspects of the game.

Gameplay is where the game really excells. You get a whole bunch of weapons ranging from a knife to a rocket launcher. You will never find yourself in a rut on how to kill a zombie:). The game will run u from 15- 30 hours depending whether ur a beginner or expert. After you beat the game you will get a battle mode which allows you to play missions in either regular mode or first person mode. In first person mode the graphics look even better. The puzzles make a little more sense then the previous versions also. The item box is still here which I like but soem do not:). The bosses run from really hard to a waste of time, which isn't to unusual. Each boss has a certain way they can be defeated.

Sound is where i can find the only fault in the game. The music and the sound effects are some of the best i have ever heard however. The music and the sound effects really create a mood. The only problem is the voice acting can be really really bad. Steve Burnside sounds like he is whining through the whole game. but this is very minor and does not ruin the game at all.

So overall I would definately recommmend this game. As the add says, dim the lights and turn up the sound. The games scares you when you least suspect , and makes you laugh and even make you feel sad in other parts. It is the best dreamcast game next to Soul Calibar and the best RE game ever. This is a must have game for any Dreamcast owners. And if there is any Dreamcast skeptics out there you should see this game in action cause it just goes to show that the Dreamcast is here for a while and you are going to enjoy the ride.

Review by Tom Allen
4 Stars out of 4

Resident Evil Code: Veronica is an outstanding game. I wonder if it's possible not to enjoy a Resident Evil game. Even the cheapest B-movie scares (zombies crashing through windows) are successful in this game.

The interactivity alone heightens the scare value; even men will yelp, scream, or gasp a few times. If the same "scares" were in a movie, only the women would scream.

You see, in a movie, most of the scares are predictable. Plus, we, as a viewer have nothing to lose when an on-screen character gets assaulted.

In a game, however, we have something to worry about - having to start over at the last save point! How many times have you deliberately walked around with "Danger" health levels, playing cautiously, trying to save those herbs and F-aid sprays… when suddenly a zombie grabs you and takes one bite too many?

You die, and then curse yourself for being such a tightwad with those herbs. Yes, folks, that's the Resident Evil experience. There's nothing like it.

With the first next-gen Evil game finally here, expectations are perhaps too high, as there are a few disappointments.

With the lights on even slightly, the regular environments do not seem as detailed as the environments in the last two PlayStation installments.

The Dreamcast environments are most compelling in darkness (the game's start), and I wish this darkness was used more.

The graphics are almost too good. For some reason they are unconvincing at times. The CG look is always there, whereas the PlayStation's pre-rendered sets often invite a sense of reality.

The settings in the Dreamcast game look less scary and forboding. There's not enough "character" in the art direction.

Clearly, the real-time lighting, animation of water waves in the pool, and real-time camera movement for some shots are amazing. However, camera movement should be used even more frequently.

The game should include many more situations where the camera "creeps" slowly, as it does in that one room in the military complex with the copier machine, ceiling fan, and storage cabinet. Several opportunities were missed to use scary low angles, high angles, and sound design.

Imagine if the camera started creeping, the music suddenly stopping, the rain noise augmenting… and then we cut quickly to the next angle… and nothing.

For a next-gen game, it would have been nice if we could have a point-of-view camera at our disposal. Capcom, please don't overlook this idea next time. I don't expect to use the POV while moving (that would take away from the director's intent), but there is no reason why we can't look around while standing still.

Future games could even utilize the POV mode as a way to set up scares. Imagine using a POV mode… you turn around… and boom, there's a zombie in your face!

Other improvements are needed in the area of control. None of the three control schemes offer control that is exactly like previous games, with the lower button for Action and the left button for running.

Type C is close enough, but still, Capcom should have offered completely customizable control, in addition to the three pre-set types.

Veronica's biggest mystery lies not in the storyline but in why the developers force gamers to press the Action button to climb stairs. There is no reason for this! It's excessive! Resident Evil 3 corrected this problem. Why did Veronica take a step back?

My last complaint is Claire's grunt acting. By this I mean she grunts too much in some of the cinema scenes.

Veronica has at least one definite improvement over Resident Evil 3; you can skip cinema scenes and cut scenes. This feature is greatly appreciated for those of us who die and have to go through the same sequence a few times.

Resident Evil Code: Veronica offers nothing new in terms of game play. Only the presentation has been improved, and the effect has mixed results.

The game is still extremely impressive on many levels. For example, when you play through the game's second half with Chris, puzzles appear in the exact same state as Claire left them in the first half.

With two discs of horror, Capcom does not hold back in terms of quantity. By any standard, Veronica is a great game, so Dreamcast owners should buy it.

While this game is a lot of fun, I can not honestly tell Dreamcast hold-outs that they must buy a Dreamcast just to experience this game. Sony will be happy to know that the PlayStation's experience is just as rewarding.

Bonus Tip: In the room past the door with the two golden guns, the password is 1971. Each digit is taken from the last number of the left-right commands associated with the dial in the room.

LR = 31 (1)
L = 9 (9)
R = 7 (7)
RRR = 831 (1)

Reader Feedback

I agree with this guy about everything in this game. Except one thing. He forgot to mention that is wallops the crap out of Resident Evil 3. I played that game, and I was disappointed with it. Way too short, and not enough of a plotline to keep things going. This game however, gets it all right! Oh sure, the voice overs are cheesy, but Jesus, this has to be the longest Resident Evil I have played, it beats even RE2, which is a classic if you ask me.    --Gremio6181

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