Resident Evil CODE: Veronica

	Developer
	Publisher	Eidos
	Genre	Action/Adventure
	Players	1
	Rumble	Yes
	Extras	none

When Capcom know that they have done something right, they keep it going.   A prime example, after realising the hype that Street Fighter 2 caused, they starting churning out more and more Street Fighter games.   The same can be said about the Resident Evil series.  For those unfamiliar with Resi evil games, there’s always a plot and you have to solve puzzles to progress through the game.  Through the game you have to face up to an array of mutants including ‘undead’ zombies, and the game is played in a 3^rd person view perspective.  We’ve had the original, directors cut, Resident Evil 2 on all three platforms, Resident Evil 3 Nemesis and now Resident Evil Code: Veronica (which carries on where Resident Evil 2 left off).  It has to be said that this new Resident Evil is a definite cut above the rest, I’ll explain why.

After placing the first of 2 CD’s into the Dreamcast, I sat back thinking that the game would be over in around 5 hours (yes Resident Evil 2, I’m looking at you).  How wrong I was.  You’re treated to a screen displaying “This game contains scenes of explicit violence and gore”.  I bet this screen (which also happened to display blood splattered across some stairs) was put in to make you more eager and excited to play the game as opposed to warn the kiddies out there.  Anyway moving on, something hit me.

No, it wasn’t the Dreamcast logo that pleased me, nor was it Capcom’s logo.  It was the introduction cut scene, which happened to be quite cool, consisting of a few cut scenes from the actual game itself.  This cut scene wasn’t long, but it did throw some sort of anticipation to play the game because it was so fast paced.  The orchestral music also played it’s part, I never knew that I could enjoy this kind of music, but it has to be heard to admired; fast paced, with short pauses in the right spots to let the sound effects from the cut scenes spill through i.e. some kind of mutant growling.  After being blown away by the cut scene I moved onto the game itself. 

This time, something really big hit me.  It was the FMV, I was amazed to see something  in parallel with a Hollywood movie.  After some brief vocal narration to set the scene and clear up the previous games it started.  There are 2 problems here, firstly I want to keep this review shorter than the Britannica Encyclopaedia yet want to express my desperate desire of the FMV.  I wont give to much away as you need to see the FMV first hand to experience the ultimate pleasure.. nuff said.  Basically Claire Redfield has been caught in this Umbrella facility.  While one of the officers are talking about her capture, you see a flashback of her trying to escape from the facility.. I won’t say any more. What I must comment on are the dynamic camera angles which make you feel you’re right in the action.  This is definitely the best FMV I’ve ever seen….ever.  The people look so real, the skin tones, Claire’s lips, her gorgeous eyes, everything is brilliant!  Sound effects are top notch, and the music kicks in at the right times to create the effects that you are actually watching a movie.  After experiencing 5 minutes of paradise, the FMV cleverly integrates itself into a cut scene.  The graphics within the cut scenes look mighty meaty, they’re sharply rendered, smooth and something that PSX and N64 owners can only dream of. 

Moving swiftly to the game, my first impression was “Blimey, I’m actually controlling her, is this the game?” Yep, the graphics look so cool that I thought that the cut scene was still running! This time round, Capcom have harnessed the extra horse power the Dreamcast offers.  The environments are actually 3D instead of pre-rendered;  they’re made of polygons this time.  I must stress how effective the lighting is in the game, you see light reflections off Claire, her lighter will cause dimly lit areas to be softly illuminated. 

There is outstanding detail in the game.  Claire’s hair will swing when she turns around.  Cockroaches roam some floors (no that's not a cockroach in the picture, its a big horrible tarantula that probably drank some miracle-grow).  Flies hover around in the air.  Yucky stains line toilets.  You actually feel immersed in the rooms, instead of feeling like you’re in a pre constructed shoebox.  Weather effects make an appearance e.g. rain which splashes realistically on the ground with convincing sound effects.  The camera angles have improved from the old Resident Evil games.  Due to the 3D environments, you get better views of your character, and some cleaver tricks have been utilized to make encounters with nasty things even nastier.  Some other nice additions to this game include the health viewer on the VMU screen which displays your characters health status instead of you having to juggle through your inventory (character menu screen). 

There is the ‘dodgy’ control system from the old Resi games to contend with, but once you’ve got the hang of it then you don’t notice the problems, except when sometimes you’re in a awkward situation and don’t know which way your character will walk if you press the up on the joystick.  There is the 180 degrees turn, to help you get away from a herd of zombies quickly which is nice. 

Movement of the characters is much smoother than before.  Capcom have made use of motion capture to make sure that the characters move realistically.  The enemies look much meaner than before, you can have up to 10 zombies on screen at once creating total havoc if you’re out of ammunition.  The bandersnatcher must be one of the scariest looking enemies with a semi visible pumping heart and a stretching arm that makes that guy from ‘fantastic 4’ look amateur!  No really, you’re first encounter with the Bandersnatcher during a cut scene will have you running for cover.  There’s plenty of blood in the game, and a nice choice of weapons to let you shred the zombies to bits.  You can have a gun in each hand (Nicolas Cage from Face Off?) which is really cool as you can aim each gun at a different enemy! 

The plot this time round has been developed with much more thought, it’s very engrossing.  I’m not going to give much away as I don’t want to spoil the game for anyone.  You get to control 3 different characters during the course of the game.  There’s a newie Leonardo DiCaprio look-alike who Claire runs into it.  This guy obviously has a crush on her,  and tries his best to impress her.  The cut scenes help to construct the plot immersively with style.  A well designed cut scene I remember is when Steve jumps through a window John Woo style to rescue Claire, the camera then momentarily freezes (Matrix style) and then shows Steve shooting like hell to kill the freak who’s holding Claire.  He even finishes the enemy (I won’t tell you what it is..) with.. a Kick! (trying to impress Claire, you see?)   There are moments in this game where you’ll crap your pants, and no joke, moments where you’ll really feel like crying with emotion.     

There is the obvious puzzle solving to do like any other Resi game.  It can sometimes be frustrating when you have to do something like find some piece of metal to open a  door when you know that the grenade launcher you’re carrying should be able to blast it open.  However, this game blends lots of action, adventure, horror and puzzles seamlessly.  The difficulty curve is well set, the early puzzles are simple whereas when you get to the end of the 2^nd cd things are much harder.

There are numerous bosses in the game, and they are all freaky and bed wettingly frightening in their own ways.  The Tyrant is a mean invincible looking human-figured mutant. During your first encounter with him he’ll just watch you pump his chest full of lead (well. he’s just come out of a freezer ya know!) However on your second encounter with him he’s got some sense, and you’ve made him angry cuz you’ve smudged his makeup (okay.. just a joke) so now he has a devastating claw that will have your blood dripping like hell.   

After completing the game which will take some time first time round believe me, having killed the bad guy (actually bad girl) you get to unlock the battle mode.  Here you can choose a character and blast through a random arrangement of rooms from the game, annihilating zombies, hunters and other mutants then finally killing the boss with intention to clock the fastest time and best rank.  This bonus mode helps soup up the game’s lastability as there are 3 characters to compete with, then you can unlock Wesker (from Resident Evil 1) and a cool version of Claire wearing shorts, sunglasses and high heel boots.  This game is the definitive Resident Evil game; set over 2 CD’s  you won’t be finishing this in a hurry.  If you like Resident Evil games then you’ll love this to bits.  If you have a Dreamcast you’ve got to get this.  If you love good games then you’ve got to get this.. sorted!

Farooq Asif  

Comments, suggestions or questions? Faz@dreamcastsource.co.uk

Graphics	9.0	Beautiful environments, lots of detail, kick ass cut scenes and FMV’s, Resident Evil has never looked so good!
Sound	9.5	Spot on sound effects, creepy music when needed, brilliant orchestral music, speech is better this time too, this game sounds awesome; couldn't have been done better!
Gameplay	9.0	Plenty of action, adventure and puzzles coupled with an engrossing plot.  Controls may seem tricky to newbies though.
Lifespan	8.5	Spanning 2 GD’s, the longest Resi to date.  Has an average replay value.  The battle mode is a neat addition.
Overall

"A seamless blend of plot, action, puzzles and adventure! Resident Evil has just got bigger and better"

By Andy

I will state now, for the record, that I am a HUGE fan of the Resident Evil series! Resident Evil 3 was always my favourite, and when I bought a Dreamcast with CV, I thought that would change. This was not so…

Now, don’t get me wrong, RE:CV is one AMAZING game! But somehow, it doesn’t seem the same as the others. In my opinion, the replay value of this game is lower than any of the others. While it certainly is the longest of the lot, it simply isn’t a game I would go back to often, as I have done with RE3. Despite this, everything else is amazing! The storyline is the most adult to date, and the graphics are really a gem in the Dreamcasts crown! They are up there with Shenmue, detail-wise! Character in this game is important, and Capcom have definitely succeeded in making this game one with PLENTY of character! You will be filled with emotion from start to finish!

9/10 - Despite it’s lack of replay value, CV excels in telling a great story and evoking emotions in the player!

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Reviewer:

Faz

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