Resident Evil – CODE: Veronica

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JaySevenZero
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Resident Evil – CODE: Veronica

Post by JaySevenZero »

Here's where you can leave your thoughts regarding Resident Evil – Code: Veronica (Biohazard – Code: Veronica) for possible inclusion in the podcast when it's recorded.
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Simonsloth
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Re: 319: Resident Evil – Code: Veronica (Biohazard – Code: Veronica)

Post by Simonsloth »

Code Veronica is an interesting one as it’s probably the last classic resident evil before the change to the much more action orientated subsequent games. At the time I remember being disappointed and finding it overly long and boring in comparison to nemesis. To add to the disappointment I had to press x to climb stairs again.

Playing it recently I actually much preferred it. It’s cosy adventure game trappings mixed with the familiar weapons and wacky storyline were a welcome relief.

The survival aspect for me is heightened by some unfair design choices which actively work against you. There are character switches without opportunities to change loadout leaving me to fight bosses with a knife and an accidentally forgotten extinguisher earlier in the game stopped me from being able to obtain the magnum. There’s one chase scene which is almost impossible to beat without taking damage. Every walkthrough I have consulted advises 2 full healing items for this part.

Obviously repeated playthroughs would help but remember this is a game without a difficulty setting so having mastered the old games on easy and moved through the difficulty levels I found this to be a lot more challenging. Being restricted in the ways I have previously mentioned are off putting and detract from the overall experience.

One welcome addition was the retry option which would restart you at the beginning of certain boss fights. Thanks to this I didn’t give up where I perhaps would have been more ready to if this was absent.

Overall it was better than I remember it to be and will miss it’s strengths but am glad to see the back of its “quirks”
Andy CT

Re: 319: Resident Evil – Code: Veronica (Biohazard – Code: Veronica)

Post by Andy CT »

Core Code Veronica Memories.

* Resident Evil on the Dreamcast (YES)

* Incredible attract screen dramatic music loop intercut by a jarring "I am Alexia Ashford!" quote (Kicker being it isn't even her when you reach that part of the game)

* Matt Porter and Danny Taylor having to restart disc 1 after failing to heed my advice to save ammo (Fools)

* Steve's ongoing legacy following his out of the Blue "I love you" which I have pledged that should I ever find myself the victim of fatal injuries I'll try and say to whoever I'm with before dying even if they are a total stranger / especially if they are a total stranger.
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Re: 319: Resident Evil – Code: Veronica (Biohazard – Code: Veronica)

Post by KSubzero1000 »

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? :lol:
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Re: 319: Resident Evil – Code: Veronica (Biohazard – Code: Veronica)

Post by ReprobateGamer »

Code veronica was for me a definite 'meh'

Coming after 2 and 3, it was always going to have an uphill struggle and I don't think it quite managed.

The story actually works fairly well - and it's great to visit a couple of new locations within the Res Evil universe. It's just the beginning of the move to the superpowered villains that would permeate the series going forwards really begins to strain the willing suspension of disbelief the series requires. Even the starting cinematic - which was very good for the time - does require you to accept that Claire has learned gun-kata in less than 3 months. I like that cinematic still but I can't believe it ...
I did find Steve annoying but I always figured that was kind of the point - and it tracks into Claire move over to Terrasave rather than the BSAA as the chronology continues

Graphically, at the time, I don't remember any real difference between this and the last few games but the gameplay mechanics really felt like a step back.
No dodge, no ammo creation, more than a couple of deliberately awkward set-ups (my hated actually being the moth corridor - respawning enemies that poison you and leave a pupae on you to hatch later, and this location is also the only point to get blue herbs - just horrid) and just the general movement just didn't feel as smooth as Res Evils 2 and 3.

My wife really got into this game and remembers it fondly (though I will note that she is reluctant to return as she prefers the memory of it as she fully expects it to have not aged well). I remember it being the point where Capcom lost their way with the series. The promise the story and setting has is definitely not grabbed fully and the game ends up feeling a little not fully formed, to its detriment.

(Sidebar - Whether or not we can blame it for Gun Survivor 2 ... I may be harsh but that is the definite low point within that series of games)
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