Capcom has really gone all out for the latest Resident Evil game to hit the Dreamcast and it shows. This is the best in the series by far, everything else trails in the dust. Taking place 3 months after the incident at Raccoon City (Resident Evil 2), the game starts out with Claire Redfield still searching for her brother Chris. This search leads her to a prison in Paris which turns out to be run by the Umbrella corporation. In the first half of the game you play as Claire and sometimes switch to the new guy in the game, Steve. After fighting a very difficult boss and leaving Paris you end up on another Umbrella facility in Antarctica. Not longer after that you assume the role of Chris Redfield.
I don't want to ruin the story but I will say that it's very well done and plays out as you go through the game. As with the previous games, you play the game solving puzzles that force you to remember where certain things are located. I found the puzzles to be extremely fair, not too difficult that they'll frustrate you, and not so easy that you'll fly through the game. After completing certain puzzles, new zombies and monsters will again re-appear to both frighten you and add to the overall difficulty.
Gameplay in this is perfect, the controls are nearly identical to every other Resident Evil game that has been out on the Playstation. Fans of previous games will be able to pick up Code Veronica and start immediately without worrying about learning to use the controls. It would've been nice if the analog stick had to be used for better 3D movement of the character but the system they have works fine just like in the previous games.
Graphics are simply amazing and certainly show what the Dreamcast is capable of. After you get blown away by the opening movie, you'll get blown away by the next movie, and then the next. They seem to bet better as you go and tell the story very well. Code Veronica is filled with lots of visual eye candy that will certainly keep you glued to the screen as you make your way through it. Again the visuals blow away every other Resident Evil game that has yet to come out on any system.
Sounds and music are also exceptionally well done, everything from creaking doors to moaning zombies is absolutely perfect. Voice-overs are excellent as well. Everything in this game is professionally done and Capcom has more than outdone themselves on this project. Music is more atmospheric than anything else. You won't find toe-tapping tracks in Code Veronica, just music scores that help to creep you out even more and set the whole mood of the game.
Resident Evil - Code: Veronica is the best survival horror game of it's kind. If you play with the lights off and the sound really loud you're gaurenteed to jump more than once, I know I did. The story comes through perfectly with great visuals and excellent voice acting. It'll take you 30-40 hours to finish this game all the way through. Unfortunately there isn't any reason to play through it again... this is the only bad point I've found with the game. Despite the lasting appeal this is one of the best games on the Dreamcast. If you are a fan of the series or love getting creeped out than there's a lot to like about
Code Veronica.
The good points: amazing graphics and sound, excellent story, plenty of scares that'll please any horror fan
The bad points: you may only want to play through the game once
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Mark Dillon,
Video Gamer Guy |
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