I think it's fair to say that CODE:Veronica is by far the most idiosyncratic title of the classic series. However, and despite a lot of its elements suffering from rather mediocre execution, that's also what makes it one of the most interesting ones.
The main thing I'd like to praise is this game's dedication to its unique setting and (mostly) new set of supporting characters. Both Rockfort Island and the Antarctic Base feel like their own locations instead of simple re-treads of Raccoon City, despite the nod towards the original mansion. Both the melancholic soundtrack and intricate level aesthetics set the mood very efficiently. The Ashfords are some of the series' most memorable villains, mostly thanks to their exuberant writing and the fact that they aren't yet another couple of Umbrella-centric scientists or soldiers. I understand the hate directed at Steve, but I personally don't have much of a problem with his inclusion. Not only do I not really feel the need to have sympathetic and charismatic characters leading every story but I've always interpreted his character as being deeply traumatized by the events he's witnessed, scared for his life and over-compensating by trying to awkwardly impress his attractive female companion at every turn. I mean, he's
seventeen years old and has just lost both his parents. From that perspective, I think his writing mostly makes sense.
Wesker's return is a bit of a dammed-if-you-do/dammed-if-you-don't situation. On one hand, this game is the one that cemented him as the series' hyper-charismatic main villain and Chris' archenemy. On the other, the introduction of his and Alexia's superpowers was a bit of a watershed moment that may have hurt the overall franchise in the long term.
Splitting the game in two segments each with their own playable character as well as the overall sibling thematic that goes with it is one of the game's strongest points. Romantic and parent-children relationships are very common, but a story being centered around two pairs of siblings opposing / contrasting each other is a relatively fresh concept that is very well executed. Furthermore, it doesn't opt for the easy solution of portraying protective male figures by way of turning their respective female figures into incompetent damsels-in-distress, which I think is a plus. Subtlety can be a very powerful tool.
I would argue that the graphics are mostly a downgrade when compared to the original PS1 trilogy on account of the introduction of low-polygonal environments that can look rather trite and lifeless at times, despite some of the cool camera movements it enables.
The combat feels oddly weightless when compared to the others, some of the enemies are frustrating to fight and the backtracking can be a bit too much at times, but the core gameplay loop mostly follows the tried-and-true Resident Evil formula, for better or worse.
With that being said, one of the most egregious gameplay-related aspects is this game's insistence on blindsiding the player with barely foreshadowed points-of-no-return that are more than capable of screwing unprepared players over, especially at the several location- and character-switching moments. I would strongly recommend first-time players to use a guide in order to avoid having to potentially restart the entire game from scratch through no fault of their own. Granted, this issue becomes significantly less pronounced over the course of the repeated playthroughs that this game was created for (like the others), but this is simply bad design, no two ways about it.
The extras are fairly disappointing as well. Despite having put hundreds of hours in the various unlockable modes of the other games, I can't help but find Battle Game to be a rather tedious affair. Not much to see here, as far as I can tell.
In the end, CODE:Veronica is far from the most
fun Resident Evil game to play, but it is a very interesting entry in its own right that I think every fan should experience, design flaws notwithstanding. Overall, I'd say this one is a bit of an acquired taste.
Three Words Review:
...Forgot the extinguisher?