Reviewed: April 15, 2000
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Capcom Entertainment

Developer
Capcom Entertainment

Released: May 21, 2000
Genre: Action
Players: 1
ESRB: Mature

8
10
9
9
9.4

Supported Features:

For those of you who just came out of your cave, Resident Evil is a series of survival horror games from those creative wizards at Capcom Entertainment. The original game first appeared in the U.S. on the Playstation with sequels and spin-offs to follow on both the PSX and the PC. The game is outrageously popular in Japan (known as Biohazard over there) and is one of the most imported titles of all time. Impatient gamers just can't wait for those U.S. conversions.

Patterned after horror movies like Night of the Living Dead or Dawn of the Dead, this ongoing series centers around a few key characters and their battle with a huge company called Umbrella who has designed a chemical known as the T-Virus. This chemical seems to bring the dead back to life as flesh-eating zombies while at the same time spawning all sorts of other hideous mutant creatures.

The original Resident Evil game was best known for its terrible (but intentional) voice acting. Laughing at the silly dialogue being delivered by some of the worst voice-actors ever was the only thing that could lighten up the otherwise truly horrific atmosphere this game generated. I'm not ashamed to admit that over the course of the series I have screamed, jumped, dropped my controller, and probably turned on a few extra lights. That's just how good and terrifyingly real this game is.

But nothing I could have played in the past would prepare me for what I would see when I popped Code Veronica into the Dreamcast. The standard warning is the first thing you see...Gore, Violence, yada, yada, yada...Press START and BOOM!

The opening movie hits you like a ton of bricks. I've always been impressed with how "close" CG graphics can come to looking real, but in this game they simply "are real". Every nuance of the physical form is perfectly modeled and animated from blinking eyes to falling strands of hair across Claire's face. The action is totally intense and looks like a scene from any John Woo feature film.

Previous Resident Evil games have always offered great action and challenging (if not insanely difficult) puzzles. Code Veronica is the forth game in the series and they have built upon their already impressive history of success and taken this sequel to the next level. Gorgeous 3D modeled backgrounds are now standard, allowing the camera to swing around and capture the action from very cinematic and scary angle. Previous versions had you moving your character across scrolling 2D paintings, which had no chance of scaring you on repeat visits.

The voice acting has stepped up several notches and can almost be considered "good". Some characters are a bit "over the top" but the main characters, Claire, Steve, and Chris all come across as believable. There is also a much tighter story for this adventure and it really draws you into the game. Told through game engine cinematics and CG rendered cut-scenes which blend seamlessly with the game, you are sucked in immediately and held in total suspense and disbelief even after the closing credits.

The improved mapping system (used in Dino Crisis and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis) is also very nice. Maps are created as you explore areas, and you can usually locate a complete map concealed somewhere in the level. These maps are useful in locating "save rooms" (yes the famous typewriter and ribbon combo is back) and the maps even show doors that are unlocked, locked, and locked (but you have a key). This is very helpful in figuring out where to go next when you think you have reached a dead end. A quick glance at the map and you will say "Oh yeah...I forgot to check out that door".

The puzzles are still of the flavor; "find item A and use it on item B", although there are some simple puzzles like locating and typing in correct passwords or pressing button combinations to disarm traps. The puzzles certainly add to what is already a very long game and generate a lot of backtracking across levels. You will often have to walk across huge distances to get an item that you need to use in the area where you first started the search.

Zombies and other mutants populate the island where your adventure takes place, but they are surprisingly fewer in number than previous games. This is actually an improvement because now you are not always ready for when one might jump out at you. Sometimes you can go for 10-20 minutes without seeing anything then something will smash through a window and start munching on your shoulder. It is truly terrifying.

In previous Resident Evil games you could play as various characters. Usually this meant playing the same game but with a different character with different weapons and abilities. The actual game didn't differ that much and you could pretty much know where all the zombies were and how to solve the various puzzles. In Code Veronica you get to play multiple characters but throughout the same single adventure. The first half of the game you will play as Claire, and a brief slaughter-fest with Steve. But when you pop in that second CD you will take over as Chris (Claire's brother) and explore the island in her footsteps. What is particularly innovative (and extremely cool) about this concept is that things you have done as Claire directly affect Chris. If you chose to run away from that pack of dogs then Chris will have to deal with them later. If you left that Combat Knife in the weapons locker then Chris can get it and use it. Knowing this in advance helps a little because you can help prepare for Chris's adventure while you control Claire. Ultimately though, you will never know what Chris is going to need or when until you have completed the game the first time.

The control in Code Veronica is as quirky as always. Resident Evil has never excelled in this area since its beginnings on the Playstation and the twitchy analog stick on the Dreamcast is no better. In fact, you may find you get better control using the d-pad. On several occasions I took unnecessary damage and even died while trying to run away or dodge zombies only to have my character go off on some awkward angle and run right into the very creatures I was trying to avoid.

The terrible camera angles of previous Resident Evil titles are gone. You will always have the perfect angle for the action at hand. If you move behind an object the camera will swing up or around to allow you to see what's going on. The camera is also used in very dramatic ways with swooping pan and zooms and even some scary POV (point of view) shots. There is nothing scarier than walking down some stairs and the music tenses up and the camera shifts to under the stairs at something staring at your ankles as you continue down the steps. The camera work looks like the entire game was edited and directed by a Hollywood professional. Some of the shots are simply ingenious. One of my favorites is walking through the tunnels of the underwater facility while the camera is capturing the action from the outside of the glass, complete with bubbles and watery sound effects.

The modeling of each of the characters is as close to the actual human form as a computer can get. Claire might not have the physical attributes of Lara Croft but she is rendered to such an incredible extent that she seems much more real. Even facial features depict real emotions and you cannot help but feel what she is feeling. After Claire dives down a staircase and rolls under a closing metal door and you see her grimace, you will feel her pain.

The island has several huge locations to explore and while they are an odd mix including stark prisons, high tech labs, underwater facilities, and even a huge mansion, they are all very accurate in their design and modeled to look like their real-life counterparts. The designers have included the infamous door and stair animations between areas, partly to conceal the load times and partly to add to the suspense of entering each new area. Some of the more tense areas elaborate on the opening doors by zooming in on the doorknob as scary music plays.

The sound effects are dead on. The sound of rain, creaking doors, hollow reverbs inside the submarine, squeaking floorboards, moaning zombies, barking dogs...need I go on. All the sounds in this game are of the highest quality and timed perfectly with the action. Even the weapon sounds and resulting explosions will rock the house when played through a decent sound system.

The Jump Pack is used to perfection and rumbles with explosions or thumps with the tense heartbeat of your character as they go through a door or down steps into the unknown. This is one of the few games where the Jump Pack is more than just a gimmick - it really adds something to the gaming experience. If you don't have a Jump Pack then this is your reason to get one.

The story, script, and resulting dialogue is hit and miss. The main characters all have excellent dialogue delivered by semi-professional actors. Some of the other characters' voices could have been recorded by the "guy in accounting" for all we know. Whether you like the acting or not, Code Veronica is loads better than any of the previous adventures, and if it gets any better the series could lose its B-movie rating and start getting taken seriously - if it hasn't already.

There is also a hidden Battle Mode, which you can unlock by accomplishing certain goals in the main game as well as tons of secret characters to discover and plenty of other extra goals you can strive for. I haven't tried it myself but I hear you can get a rocket launcher with unlimited ammo if you; complete the main game without ever saving, use no first aid sprays, no retries, complete two mini-quests, and do it all in 4 hours and 30 minutes...yeah right. I don't want a rocket launcher that bad.

There is so much extra stuff to do in this game that you will definitely want to get a strategy guide or locate a website with info on all the bonus materials. Unless you get totally sick of this game I would say there is enough stuff in Code Veronica to keep you busy for 4-6 months.