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Resident Evil CODE: Veronica, outstanding title or overrated average game?

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  • Resident Evil CODE: Veronica, outstanding title or overrated average game?

    Here goes another analysis, it's still long yet different from my last two posts.

    Just like I discussed in my last two topics; there have been situations and circumstances in the way Capcom has handled the Resident Evil franchise that have happened more than once, like repeating a past mistake. There have been problems in the form of too long time periods between titles (like the ones between the first and second chapters as well as the one between Resident Evil 2 and CODE: Veronica) that have been corrected through the use of what can be described as filler content (Resident Evil Director’s Cut and Resident Evil 3 Nemesis). This is just an example.

    There are situations that it is not the company that creates mistakes or myths but the fanbase, gamers in general and the critics. In this aspect we find a case repeating itself, Resident Evil 2 being a great yet incredibly overrated game. There is a newer Resident Evil title that before and after it was released it was generally considered the best in the series, and upon further observation and analysis this is highly questionable, and how it goes far beyond a matter of taste and opinion. Such a title is Resident Evil CODE: Veronica.

    PROs

    When this fourth (originally third) title hit the shelves it was a radical departure from everything seen before in the series. CODE: Veronica was the first Resident Evil title to be made entirely in 3D incorporating a dynamic camera and showcasing what at the time were the best graphics in all aspects not just in the series but in videogames in general at the moment. It became the longest game in the series and with that length came an equally long, deep, very well planned storyline that was on par with the one of the original title. It went as far as moving to one of the branches of the founders of Umbrella and the story behind it. In this regard, for the first time Resident Evil seemed to get rid of what was considered one of its worst weaknesses: voice acting and script writing. CODE: Veronica was the first title to include excellent performances in both departments. They are above-average for present-day standards, but they’re still some of the best in the series. These three aspects made CODE: Veronica feel very different to its predecessors and a real advancement in the formula of the series. Among its innovations, CODE: Veronica showed a real improvement in the form of the possibility of using dual weapons at the same time. Also, in regards to combat, the 3D architecture of the game allowed another great addition to the series in the form of first person shooting weapons. These radical differences from the previous titles were considered a more than welcome refreshment to the formula of the series. It started as a single character game like Resident Evil 3 Nemesis and subsequently switched to a new and improved zapping system like in Resident Evil 2 and it is done to great effect. Taking advantage of the visual memory unit type of memory card used in the Sega Dreamcast, the character’s health status could be checked in the LCD screen without having to open the item menu or rely in the way the character walks after taking damage. In this last regard, the character is not as slow as in the previous games and does allow a much higher possibility of survival.

    CONs

    Gameplay and Technical Aspects, Cutting ties to past improvements and series evolution


    Despite these ground-breaking differences in concept, Resident Evil CODE: Veronica is not as innovative as it seems, in fact Resident Evil 3 Nemesis is far more innovative. In other aspects it not just could have been even better than it turned out to be but it did fall short in several others. The fact is, the negative aspects of CODE: Veronica are much smaller than the positive ones, but they are much more numerous, they fall on average category and some even on mediocrity. In my particular case, having played Resident Evil 3 Nemesis and finding it as one of the most dynamic and fluid gameplay experiences in the series, Resident Evil CODE: Veronica feels like a step back in the series and much more limited. It plays a lot like a stiff tank-like game, barely better than what we found in Resident Evil 2. This is a great example of what happens when two games of a single series are developed at the same time by two different studios.

    What I find hard to accept is the fact that in CODE: Veronica the player has to press the action button on the edge of the stairs to be walk them up and down like in the first two titles. In Resident Evil 3 Nemesis both the characters and the monsters can walk/run up and down the stairs in real time. Another feature that was among what made Resident Evil 3 Nemesis memorable was the dodge and tackle moves. The only aspect of this feature that is present in Resident Evil CODE: Veronica is the possibility of pushing a zombie away right after it grabs you and avoid getting bitten. Another innovation of CODE: Veronica within the series that at several points was worthless was being the first Resident Evil game that had the continue option if the character dies. However, it turned out to be of those games in which the player gets pulled back if choosing to continue. The amount of lost progress when continuing is nothing less than excessive, getting killed by the Tyrant right before reaching the airplane in the island and continuing takes you back to the point right after playing as Steve, which is more than half of the progress from the point of death. One way to compensate this is the fact that the game gives the player a free save right before the beginning of the Antartic base thanks to the fact that the game uses more than one disk. In an attempt to make the game harder and thus more challenging, the developers resorted to one of the worst (in my opinion) aspects of the original Resident Evil: putting a single save room per large location. Despite the fact that both characters in the game start with eight item slots and not much later both get to find a sidepack that expands the slots to ten, it’s still not enough in relation to the distances and the time it takes to reach an item box, which creates an incredibly painstaking and tedious backtracking through the game. One of the best aspects of the game, the graphics, came to show another considerable flaw. The graphics, especially in regards to lighting effects and game features related to them, like being able to equip the lighter and the sirens, suffered a tremendous weak point in the form of lack of shadows. A 3D game of this visual quality and lighting effects looked ridiculous by having characters walking over a transparent gray dot instead of a more realistic shadow.

    Combat

    In regards to weapons, in the third chapter there was the possibility of creating and enhancing ammunition as well as obtaining a second weapon of one type with different characteristics. Resident Evil CODE: Veronica left all this out and reverted back to what was present in Resident Evil 2, the possibility of finding parts to upgrade weapons only, even though in this fourth chapter it was reduced to the handguns only. In regards to weapons, Resident Evil 3 Nemesis also introduced a new type of grenade round in the form of the freeze grenades. These were not present in CODE: Veronica, but there is an equivalent in the form of the BOW gas rounds that did not exist in Nemesis. Other two innovations that were left out of CODE: Veronica were both the item and puzzle randomizer as well as the live selection points. In this case leaving them out might have been for the better, regarding the considerable length of the game combined with the low amount of save points and backtracking it could have represented. The only new features of Resident Evil 3 Nemesis that were present in CODE: Veronica are limited to the 180 degree turn, exploding drums to kill large amounts of enemies and the running zombies.

    Cutting off the comparisons with Resident Evil 3 Nemesis and its additions to the series history, the weapons department of the game had more downsides than improvements. The only weapon that was truly improved was the knife. Despite how superb and innovative were the sniper rifle and the linear launcher, they turned out to be one-time-only weapons. The SPAS-12 shotgun became the worst of its kind in the series as it had about the same power as two handgun shots. Shooting a single zombie with it would take three to six shells to take down unless head shots are used. The only way it is effective against large groups of zombies without it representing a complete waste of ammo is to encounter more than three of them at a time. Resident Evil CODE: Veronica is a game that to a certain degree brought back the mechanic of different difficulty along with the advantages and disadvantages between characters present in the original Resident Evil. This means that in this case Chris is faster and stronger on the weapons than Claire and has a harder game. This shows another game flaw related to a weapon that is as bad as the shotgun, the weapon in case being the bow gun which is nothing like the one in Resident Evil 2. Instead of shooting three bolts per shot, it shoots just one and with about one third the stopping power of its Resident Evil 2 equivalent. This weapon is decent against a single zombie (as long as it doesn’t run to you) and stronger monsters at a long distances, but against larger groups of zombies it’s like trying to stop a car from rolling down a slope by pushing it. Using this weapon while playing as Chris shoots twice faster than playing as Claire, but due to the harder difficulty, the accuracy is a lot more demanding for Chris. This was not done right. Half of the time you’ll end up wasting bolts that will just fly through the zombies. The accuracy has to be dead-perfect. The only real improvement was the existence of the exploding arrows; yet, there were only 50 out of 600+regular bolts in the whole game. Just like in Resident Evil 3 Nemesis, this game has very little ammo for both the grenade launcher and magnum, but there is no possibility of making them out of powder or combinations unlike this title.

    Lack of originality

    As innovative as Resident Evil CODE: Veronica was, it has the same level of lack of originality. The game took way too many elements from the first Resident Evil, especially in regards to puzzles. Sure it was interesting to see for the first time a 3D version of the Spencer Mansion and the first gallery with the water pitcher statue as well as the tiger statue with different colored eyes. But it would have been probably better to create something brand new that would be just as memorable or at least trying in that matter. The portrait buttons puzzle was a great way of showing the history of the Ashford family, yet, the concept is exactly the same as the “From Cradle to Grave” portraits puzzle in the original chapter. Another similarity between the original and CODE: Veronica is found in the possibility of triggering mechanisms by putting or removing the shotgun from a pair of hooks on walls. Like its predecessors, CODE: Veronica included a Battle Game that was very fun to play but it is not original as it is in fact the same battle game found in the Sega Saturn version of the original Resident Evil with a few original features, such as playing in first person view.

    Fear factor

    If there is an aspect that made Resident Evil CODE: Veronica the worst game in the series from the moment it was released it was the fear factor. It became the least scary game in the series until that point. I recall at least one interview in which Shinji Mikami declared that he wanted to change the atmosphere of this title when it was in the works since he considered the last threechapters were too “Hollywood-like”. While this was an attempt at innovation, I personally think the attempt backfired. Resident Evil CODE: Veronica had an atmosphere that didn’t feel or look scary for the most part. In my particular case, the only locations I found relatively scary in terms of appearance and atmosphere were the prison infirmary with the mad doctor’s torture chamber and the Ashford mansion. Most of the jump scares were by far forgettable and could be judged as nothing more than nice tries. Another aspect that worked well to become the last nail on the coffin was the soundtrack. While the ones of the first three titles, followed a very similar style and were genuinely scary , also in part because the same composer had worked on all three them (Masami Ueda), the one of CODE: Veronica (made by three different composers) felt almost out of place several times. Even the second soundtrack in Resident Evil Director’s Cut Dual Shock, continuously considered of low quality and inferior to the original by fans of the series, follows the original style better. The music of the game in general was more disliked than accepted by the fanbase. The track for the credits roll was frequently judged as “elevator music” in web communities. This apparently was taken very seriously by Capcom as it was replaced by a much better medley of several in-game tracks in the CODE: Veronica X version. Even Resident Evil 3 Nemesis, which at the time was the highest game in the series in terms of action, was scarier. CODE: Veronica was closer to Resident Evil 2 in terms of action with the a lower amount of enemies on screen and a shorter list of weapons, even that didn’t help the game from being less scary than its immediate predecessor.

    Veredict

    In my personal opinion, Resident Evil CODE: Veronica is the PERFECT EXAMPLE of a videogame that is outstanding in two or three aspects with the rest of it being somewhere between average and garbage, and those two outstanding aspects practically blindfold the player into bypassing the flaws of a title. They rate a game 9 or 10 when it is actually worth 7 out of 10. In this case, those two outstanding aspects are the storyline and the graphics. It is not that I dislike or hate CODE: Veronica, I like it and enjoy it as much as the rest of the games in the series, but I think it is one of the most overrated chapters in the series to this day. I think it would be great to see a Remake of this game in the near future. It mostly suffered from a few aspects that just needed to be polished more and others that could be worked out without much effort.

  • #2
    (originally third)
    Nope.
    PROJECT Umbrella - The BIOHAZARD/RESIDENT EVIL Compendium

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    • #3
      From a story perspective, I'm going to say it was overrated. I never cared for Alexander Ashford doing the whole Norman Bates thing, it wasn't creepy it was silly to me. I get that hes supposed to be crazy, but this really something I didn't like.

      The emphasis on Claire and Steves relationship works only as far as being able to stand Steve as a character, very few of us could to my recollection. I get that the big theme on Code V was family and all, but I never gave a damn about Steve. If he were written better and wasn't an angry horny 17/18 year old and maybe had some qualities I could appreciate then yeah, would have felt something for him.

      To me back in 98/99 when the game was out I always thought that Weskers return was the really big moment of the game. Even though they did a pretty big Matrix "homage" it introduced something new to the series. Not knowing how he came back initially as well as wondering who this rival company he was working for were really interesting things.

      But this was the last RE game that had the thick mystery and atmosphere to it that made the series special. Its been...15 years since we had honest to god survival horror, even Revelations had nice bits of it, the nuances and care that the series took with its atmosphere, its mystery, and the direction it went storywise have been gone.

      Despite the Code V game having what I thought was the weakest story, it still had some of the best atmosphere and some damn good monsters.

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      • #4
        I'm going with 'outstanding title', although not the best in the series of course. I loved how long the game was, along with the static-dynamic hybrid camera (also used in Outbreak).
        Last edited by Enigmatism415; 11-09-2014, 05:04 PM.

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        • #5
          Archaic gameplay, grotesque villains, censored and not as good looking as its beta (or whatever it was) versions.

          It was one of my biggest disappointment in the series. The complete edition made it even worse with its matrix references.

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          • #6
            RE3 was far superior CV !

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            • #7
              Nextech and Tose pretty much killed the game. Pretty standard MO when they're allowed to make games in this series that aren't ports.
              PROJECT Umbrella - The BIOHAZARD/RESIDENT EVIL Compendium

              Comment


              • #8
                "Killed"? What was the working relationship like with Capcom, were Capcom providing high or low level design briefs for NT to work on or were NT involved in the design of the project?

                Retrospectively, it's a shame that an idea similar to the Crimson Heads didn't turn up in this title, making a significant impact on how second visits to areas played out.
                "Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one."

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                • #9
                  I disagree almost totally with everything that is said on the OP, especially the bit on the soundtrack, which is a masterpiece. For me CV is both outstanding and underrated. It's getting much undeserved hate by some, like Zero, for different reasons. Its only real flaws are : censorship, lack of unlockables, and no Hard mode. As far as storytelling is concerned, this is the best episode hands down - and I mean storytelling, not story, this is different. Saying inane things like "backtracking is tedious" is partly why RE is in such a bad shape now, as backtracking is an essential part of what makes a game, a survival horror.

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                  • #10
                    Trentman, you should include polls in your threads like this
                    "Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one."

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                    • #11
                      the visuals are very good for the very first 128 bit console, a real jump from the PSX's RE2/3/GS visuals from that time.

                      The music is amazing, but the sound effects are poor, based on the previous games. Maybe the game did not have all the time needed for polishing, you know, they worked on RE3, Gun Survivor, Code Veronica and started RE4 in a short period, almost in the same time.

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                      • #12
                        Playing CV the past year on PS2, I'm reminded of how it was the closest of the RE's to have those N64 esque, pastel-like visuals which at times seem to blur the game to the point of making it appear as though you're about to be launched into some Final Fantasy battle.

                        Interesting that the game almost universally, draws such extreme opinions; some swear to it as their fav RE, and it always seems fiercely sincere.

                        Really felt they played the Chris entry card well- when you see him climbing those bluffs, slowly approaching the estate grounds it really gives that 'heroic' rousing feeling.
                        The horror is alive, the horror is expanding; living with the horror, can be demanding

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                        • #13
                          I enjoyed code veronica for what it was. it may not of had as many innovations as 3 did but it did its job as a spin off. It was nice to see that zombies and hunters weren't the only things to fear in the series, you had full blown psychotics with way too many resources. I really liked the dynamic between the Redfields and the Ashfords in a siblings vs. siblings kind of way too. The music was pretty awesome and fit given the aristocratic nature of the villains. Resident evil 3's End credit music was just as much elevator music as the original dreamcast end credits, it was fixed in later versions where they just reprise the soundtrack.
                          Last edited by OfficerRedfield; 11-11-2014, 05:06 AM.

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                          • #14
                            Average game. By far and away the worst of the core series for me.
                            "I've got 100 cows."
                            "Well I've got 104 friends."

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                            • #15
                              I'm definitely in the hater category but after giving the original trilogy and playthrough earlier this year I will dig this out whilst I'm off over Christmas

                              I think a big problem is that despite a move to 3D, the game feels like a massive step back from RE's original sequels. It lacks the advanced mechanics of 3 (does it even have injured movement anims? I can't remember), gives us a rather standard mix of crest and crank puzzles in now familiar labs & mansion halls and doesn't introduce any significantly new enemy types.

                              I felt the introduction to the Spencer family was great though, especially the idea behind the 'twins', but Alfred is played so camply that I found him more irritating than menacing.
                              "Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one."

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