GameSpot editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Outstanding
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 02/10/2000
- Updated on: 05/05/2000
- Released on: 02/29/2000
- Originally published on GameSpot: Resident Evil Code: Veronica (Dreamcast) Review
Resident Evil: Code Veronica (Biohazard: Code Veronica in Japan) isn't the game you might expect from the company that made the survival horror genre what it is today.... It's better. Sure, the team at Capcom used the power of the Dreamcast to deliver what is easily the most visually impressive title bearing the Resident Evil name. However, no one could have guessed that Code Veronica would also be a step above all of its predecessors in almost every aspect, while still holding true to the established Resident Evil formula that we've all come to know and love.
The story, as in any Resident Evil game, is one of the most integral aspects of the game, and fortunately, Code Veronica's storyline stands up to its brethren. The game centers on Claire Redfield in her continuing quest to find her missing brother Chris. The events take place three months after those depicted in Resident Evil 2, when Claire is captured by Umbrella and sent to a remote Island. This is all explained in the game's opening movie, which is arguably one of the most exciting CG intros ever. From this point the game begins, and you once again step into the world of survival horror. Without ruining any of the game's surprises, here are just a few necessary points that have to be made to truly convey the game's value. Early on in the game you meet up with a Leonardo DiCaprio look-alike by the name of Steve Burnside. Steve's character is the sensitive yet tough type that, while annoying at times, grows on you. As the game progresses, you learn more and more about Umbrella and eventually end up traveling to another Umbrella base. Right around here is where the first disc ends and the second begins. While the game's story is linear, it leaves you hanging in suspense as the story picks up from Chris Redfield's point of view, who is, ironically, searching for his sister Claire. The game's story is full of surprises that will hold special meaning to fans of the first game, and it contains a lot of familiar faces and plot twists. In all, the game will take about 15-20 hours to complete the first time through, and you'll love every minute of it.
The presentation of the game - from the moment you press the start button until well after the credits roll - is of the highest standard, not only because of the amazing quality of the game's visuals, sound, and music, but also because of the way the story unfolds. The story is told through the use of cinemas, both CG and in-game cutscenes, which look incredible. But perhaps more important than the way they look is how the game seamlessly flows into a cinema sequence and back out to gameplay. You almost never feel as if you're just watching the game, even though some sequences are rather long. For instance, early on in the game you walk into a graveyard, and a cinema begins showing zombies clawing their way out of the ground to come after you. Just as you start to wonder what is going to happen to poor Claire, the sequence fades back to gameplay, leaving Claire's fate up to you. These tension-filled moments right before you have to start blasting zombies or tangle with a boss are by far the best moments of playing Code Veronica. Over the years, one of the continuing criticisms of the Resident Evil series has been that some of the puzzles are in locations that just don't make any sense. For instance, if you remember in Resident Evil 2, you had to solve a puzzle that involved a pressure-sensitive floor that, when activated, released a gem being held by a nearby statute, which seemed terribly out of place in a police station. In Code Veronica the puzzles are much more logical, and for the most part they fit nicely into the game. Many of the industrial complexes have puzzles involving items and equipment that you might actually find there, like generators and cranes. Sure, the game still has creepy mansions filled with mysterious passageways that are unlocked by placing stones in just the right spots, but at least this time the odd puzzles are found in environments where you'd expect them to be. What's more is that the solutions to the puzzles are usually a lot more sensible than in previous Resident Evil games. For example, in one area of the complex your path is blocked by a giant crate. If you have a sharp eye, you'll notice that a crane dangles from above. But when you find the control panel that operates the crane, you'll realize the crane doesn't have any power. After exploring a bit you'll find a power generator you can switch on, which supplies electricity to the crane. Upon returning to the crane you'll find that it is indeed powered up, and all that's left to do is move the crate. While a majority of the puzzles are straightforward such as this, you'll still run into a few of those red-gem/blue-gem puzzles that will have you stumped. But after solving every single puzzle, no matter how long it takes you, no matter how much you swear that the game is defective before you solve it, finally doing so will leave you with that amazing feeling of satisfaction when the light bulb goes on in your head and the solution is reached. That's what is so much better about Code Veronica than the previous Resident Evil games: the new, intelligent approach to the puzzles as opposed to the frustrating, arbitrary nature of the puzzles in the older games.
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