Resident Evil: Code Veronica (Dreamcast, 2000)

After three successful installments on the Sony Playstation, Capcom surprised us all by announcing that the next entry in their Resident Evil franchise would be exclusive to the Sega Dreamcast. They also touted more horror, more puzzles, and a more complex plot, with a hint-hint of a possible character's return.

But did Capcom deliver? Answer: hell yes.

Hint-hint.

The first game in the Resident Evil series introduced us to survival horror. Resident Evil 2 brought in more varied and interesting environments. Resident Evil 3 elaborated on Raccoon City's story and ultimate fate. Resident Evil: Code Veronica brings us the next chapter, and there's more than a few twists on the way.

We need to get off this island!

You start the game as Claire Redfield (last seen escaping the zombie-infested Raccoon City in Resident Evil 2) who is searching for her brother, Chris (last seen escaping the zombie-infested Spencer Mansion in Resident Evil). Her search brings her to an Umbrella facility in Paris, where she is quickly caught and imprisoned on Rockfort Island. No sooner than she arrives, does a T-Virus outbreak overtake the island, and Claire now has to escape from more hoards of zombies and monsters. On the way, she meets Steve Burnside, the love interest.

Code Veronica features a softer side to zombie-slaying.

Love interest? Yes, that's right. When Capcom told us about it, we felt strange too. Love and zombies? Does it really go together? Surprisingly, this subplot turns out to be rather sweet, even with some of the more awkward, corny moments. Steve comes off as annoying at first, but he grows on you as the game progresses. Meanwhile, while Claire and Steve are getting it on and getting off the island, we also get to play as Chris -- who is incidentally looking for Claire, catching wind that she was imprisoned.

Like previous Resident Evil games, you have the opportunity to play as two characters.

All the while, the trio are being pursued by an eccentric man named Alfred Ashford, as well as none other than Albert Wesker, who has seemingly returned from the dead with crazy pyro powers and is hellbent on ruining the Redfields' lives. There's a lot going on here, and some surprising revelations about the Ashford family, but I won't spoil anything further. Of all the Resident Evil games, Code Veronica probably has the strongest storyline.

The blond guy's got issues. Lots of them.

If you're not into story, then don't worry: Code Veronica keeps what made the Resident Evil franchise so successful to begin with. The atmosphere is genuinely creepy, and you'll feel on edge as you sneak through the Ashford Mansion. The puzzles are here too, as is the limited ammunition which will force you to decide whether to fight or flee. Conserving ammo is key, as there is a mid-level boss in this game who will be absolutely impossible to beat without doing so.

Unlike the current-gen Resident Evil games,
enemies do not drop ammo -- so don't be too trigger-happy!

Combat is largely unchanged from Resident Evil 3, but there are a few new weapons that make zombie-killing more exciting then ever. One such weapon is the Bow Gun, which, though not being very effective, will get you by better than your handknife. Also introduced are dual-wielding pistols, which are lots of fun, as you can target and take down two enemies at once. Tank controls remain in effect, which is always frustrating for newbies; I actually recommend running circles around a table for a few minutes to get a feel for things.

Dual pistols. Nice.

Code Veronica's appeal isn't so much in the gameplay: it's nothing we haven't seen before. Rather, it's a continuation of a formula that works, paired with a more developed plotline, and the return of some great characters. It's cool to see the Redfield siblings together, and the return of Wesker with superhuman abilities was great for long-time fans. For fans today, Code Veronica is what we consider the last "true" Resident Evil game - meaning, it was the last game in the franchise to maintain the creepy atmosphere and complex puzzles of previous installments, before Resident Evil 4 came along and completely revamped the franchise. To newer fans, Code Veronica's tank controls and fixed-camera angles may seem slow, clunky, and off-putting at first, but I say to them: if you work past that you'll discover how truly fantastic this game is. 

As for Dreamcast exclusive - well, obviously the Dreamcast didn't live up to its massive expectations and production was shut down shortly after launch. Resident Evil: Code Veronica was then ported to Nintendo Gamecube and re-released for PS2 as Code Veronica X, containing a few more cutscenes and "Wesker's Report" - a short video that explains what Wesker was up to since the original Resident Evil and how he survived the Tyrant attack that originally killed him. If you want the Dreamcast version though, it's available new and used on Amazon for varying prices. It's also bundled with Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil: Outbreak as part of the Resident Evil Essentials Collection for PS2.