Y2K Game: Resident Evil - Code: Veronica

Resident Evil - Code: Veronica

I'm following up my playthrough of Resident Evil 2 with Code:Veronica instead of the RE3. I was inspired by Capcom's recent announcement of a Code: Veronica remake. So, I decided to jump right in before it gets released. Naturally, I'm going to compare Code: Veronica to RE2 quite a lot throughout this review. They're both great games and it just so happens that I played them on the same console: the Sega Dreamcast.

Improvements

The graphics are better than RE2. The zombies and monsters themselves are more detailed and gruesome. The human characters are more refined and, dare I say, prettier. The environments are completely rendered in the 3D engine this time around. Some might prefer the pre-rendered environments of the previous entries, but I believe they look better in Code: Veronica. Maybe it's just me, but it seems the lighting is more enhanced. Moreover, I think the character models are more properly integrated within these 3D rendered environments. I felt like the 3D character models stuck out in a slightly awkward way against the pre-rendered backgrounds. Another bonus, the fixed cameras now offer a bit a movement and even follow Claire or Chris as they walk through hallways.

Location and Atmosphere

The atmosphere is just as haunting as that of RE2. The jump scares are more frequent and surprise you more. The sound design is just as impeccable and also enhances the horror mood. The improved graphics add just a another layer dread. The enemies have been enhanced. The zombies no longer simply lumber towards you; if they come close enough, they accelerate and lunge towards you, which makes it harder to evade. The enemies in general tend to soak more bullets. So, you'll have to ration your ammo more carefully.

Story

I also happen to like the story in CV more. You start off as Claire, who has been captured and imprisoned on Rockfort island. The island experiences an outbreak of the T-virus and chaos erupts because of it. She is then released by one of her captures figuring the island is doomed and its better to let everyone evacuate. It is now up to Claire to escape from the island prison and fight to stay alive and discover a conspiracy behind the virus research and the deranged Ashford family. In fact, it's this hideously broken family and they're maniacal quest for power and redemption that adds extra character.

Developing Character

There are important character developments that occur in CV that I find more fascinating. Perhaps the best example is Steve Burnside. When you first encounter him, he's a selfish twat that's only interested in his own survival. He offers Claire advice to stop relying on other people lest you experience disappointment. He turns over a new leaf as he encounters a specific character that's dear to him. He then commits to escaping the island, and eventually the Antartic lab, together with Claire by assisting one another. The only comparable character in RE2 is Ada Wong and, even though she's better on the eyes, I find Steve's character arch more interesting.

Regressive Voice Acting

However, just like Steve's character can be used to exemplify good storytelling, it can also be used to demonstrate the lousy voice acting. I felt like RE2 was an improvement over RE1. It's still not very good, but it's better. Code:Veronica completely regressed. Almost none of the voice acting is any good and Steve is the worst offender. You can probably make a case that Alfred Ashford is the worst. They are both completely awful. Just don't let it ruin an otherwise decent story or an excellent game, for that matter.

Nagging Flaws

In many ways, Code: Veronica seems like an improvement over RE2. The graphics are better, the enemies are deadlier, the sounds are just as good, the puzzles are more challenging, the story is slightly better, and the atmosphere is just as thick. Unfortunately, there's some nagging flaws that prevent me from fully declaring that, indeed, CV is better than RE2.

Backtracking

The puzzles where not self contained. I found myself backtracking across the map a little too much while I was in the prison. This could be from simply having a larger map with more sections. It would still be nice to travel to one location, be able to solve every puzzle there, then travel to a different location, solve every puzzle in that location, and not have to backtrack all the way to the first location. I wasn't bothered by backtracking at all in RE2.

Challenging Puzzles

The puzzles where also more challenging. This is a welcomed change as they engaged the brain more. However, I did get stuck in one instance where I didn't know what to do with the Navy, Army, and Air Force proofs as well as the skeleton painting. It would have been nice to recieve a simple hint as you're trying to activate the lift to board the airplane; perhaps something like "There's hexagonal inserts here" or something, which is customary for many of the other puzzles. I also didn't think to look in one of the more out-of-the-way save rooms for a missing frame space. It slightly annoyed me because I observed empty frame spaces in other locations. So, if you get stuck, don't be afraid to consult a guide.

Respawning Enemies

I am also not a fan of the respawning enemies. It would make sense if they bursted through windows or emerged from slabs in a morgue, but there where a couple of instances where they just respawned in an enclosed location that didn't make sense. I always felt like clearing out a room of zombies was an earned micro-achievement on its own. Having them respawn in this manner robs me of that minor accomplishment. It became especially aggravating when I had to pass and backtrack through a hallway full of poisonous moths. It's like the developers threw them in there to specifically annoy the player.

Soft Locking

Upon completing the game, I watched reviews of it on Youtube. I felt like I ran the risk of getting soft-locked too many times and regretted my decisions too often. Indeed, many reviewers mentioned that it's entirely possible to lock yourself into a situation where it's extremely difficult to proceed because of decisions you made two hours ago. I encountered this when I left some grenade rounds in the metal-detector bins. I thought getting on the plane, defeating the boss, and escaping the prison would be the last mission. Which means I arrived in the Antartic lab without grenade rounds that could have been helpful. Hell, I left behind the fire extinquisher. This prevented me from obtaining the magnum; another item that would have been super useful.

Some reviewers enjoyed this aspect. It does force you to carefully plan absolutely everything and to carefully manage your resources. But I don't appreciate it very much. It is true, that Resident Evil is about inventory management and careful planning. But when it's to the point where you might as well either start over or reload an old save from two hours ago, I no longer deem that fun, but frustrating. Apparently, there's masochists out there that enjoy being frustrated. And it is intriguing hearing them declare that CV is among the most, possibly the most difficult Resident Evil game.

Non-Issue Upon Replay

I believe these flaws become a non-issue upon replaying this game. Upon a replay, I would have an idea of what to do and where to go and what to take with me. This would minimize backtracking and lessen zombie encounters and avoid respawn points more often. It would also improve the pacing. There's times where I felt the game drag on for little longer than I liked. Being able to play the game with prior knowledge would accelerate my playthrough and the sensation of it dragging for too long would be diminished.

Comparisons

After playing this game, it will always amuse me that Code: Veronica often gets ranked among the top ten on the Dreamcast. I am not opposed to this since it is truly great. But I also love Resident Evil 2 more. That, too, is on the Dreamcast. However, when you mention RE2 to the average gamer, they instantly associate it with the Playstation. This also makes me chuckle because it's actually better played on the Dreamcast. The point I'm getting at is that certain games have their identity strongly tied to one console.

Highly Recommended

Code: Veronica will forever be associated with the Dreamcast simply because it was a console exclusive for the brief duration of that console's life. Likewise, Resident Evil 2 was a Playstation exclusive for over a year before it got ported to other consoles. If I where to make a top games on the Dreamcast list, I could remain pure and rank Code: Veronica above RE2. Or, I could commit a certain type of heresy and rank RE2 above Code:Veronica. In my opinion, RE2 is the better game. At any rate, I highly recommend both.