Playstation 2 - Resident Evil: Code Veronica X

Format
Playstation 2
Publisher
Capcom
Developer
Capcom
Country of origin
Japan
Genre
Survival horror

Resident Evil : Code Veronica X

By David Rasmussen
7th Feb 05

Good news? A brand spankin' new Resident Evil has come out! And it features Leon Kennedy from Resident Evil 2! Bad news? Claire (Resident Evil 2) doesn't seem to be in this game.
So why not relive an earlier RE adventure which DID star Claire Redfield from RE2?

Three months after the tragedy of Raccoon City (and 5 years, 9 months before the events of RE4) Claire has been captured while infiltrating an Umbrella facility in Europe.
But don't worry, Claire! For breaking and entering into Umbrella facilites while looking for your brother Chris, and for killing Umbrella goons while running about said facility, you have just earned yourself a one way trip to bright and gloomy T-Virus Island!

While Mr. Roarke and Tattoo will NOT be waiting to grant you your wildest fantasies, you will find that you barely have enough time to relive your capture via flashback before the island you are on comes under attack from a mysterious organization out to steal the secret of the T-Virus for themselves.
This new group, seemingly led by an old friend from the original RE (Wesker), is out for the T-Virus and have accidentially set loose the virus on the island which has turned it into zombie central.
It's up to you and your new "companion" Mitch to wade your ways through this island hell, and find a way off of the island before it kills you.

Then of course you just can't leave well enough alone and end up in Antarctica... strangely enough the same place where the X-Files movie "Fight the Future" ends... and then things get interesting.

This game is supposed to feature Claire and Chris... though for some reason Chris seems strangely absent most of the time... go figure. Anyway it's mostly (the first part in any rate) Claire as she searches for a way to escape, as well as a way to find her brother Chris. Easy enough, right?

Well I don't know how the controllers are now in RE4, but this game sports the old clunky control configuration from previous and later Resident Evil games, which is nothing but bad news.
Everything is the same as previously, and I have no complaints about that.

It's your standard RE gameplay with a few new twists.
1-This time out you can wield two weapons at once... not.
Actually this is just a mode where you can use two weapons that take up two spots on your inventory list. It's not like you can mix and match and wield a handgun/grenade launcher into combat, this only works with certain guns that are VERY hard to find ammo for!

2-You have finally reached the top of the food chain!
Looks like this game has you finally reaching upwards to the top of the Umbrella foodchain to where those who founded the evil corporation can be found! This might even mean the downfall of Umbrella... but then again now that RE4 is out either they don't fall here... or else... uh... better stop now.

3-New puzzles and new challenges!
Well, it's all familiar stuff by now but still some of it is pretty keen puzzles that'll wrack your brain! Nice!

4-New creatures
Looks like a few new creatures are in this game, as well as returning favorites from before.

Okay. That's my plus sides, here's my negative sides.
The game still has a clunky control, and a lot of this game is still old school Resident Evil.
Worse, this game (unlike Resident Evil 2) does NOT have a option to adjust the game difficulty! This is one game, one difficulty, and that's it! That kind of diminishes replay value, but then again it also means you can't be like me and cop out by playing the first time around on Easy mode to get into the swing of playing!

The needless "tension" as you open the doors into certain areas, and the fact you have to hold down the X button to climb/descend certain stairs in a "tension" filled moment is another turn off. Just get me through the darn door or pass the staircase already! I don't need the extra tension, thanks ever so!

The pluses still outnumber the minuses, and the game is another good spin in the series, and a nice sequel to the original RETrilogy (Raccoon City). Anyway you should be able to find it at a rather low price since so long has passed so pick it up and get hyped for RE4! Okay! Breakdown time!

Resident Evil Breakdown the Veronica X Code
What's Hot? - It's another good game. Some might not like this game but I had fun with it.
I'm not the best when it comes to horror related things, like horror games, but I had a good time playing this game and I recommend it from me to you! Try it out!

What's Not? - There were moments of the game that just rubbed me the wrong way.
The clunky controllers, the unnecessary "tension" moments, etc. All that weighted me down as I played.
Yes, the bad was not enough to overcome the good, but some mention of it would be nice.

Moments to Remember? - It has it's moments, but I can't tell you just in case I spoil something...

What to Ignore? - Nothing. I can't think of a thing to ignore.

Overall? - Think I said all I could say about this game.
It's a nice addition to the collection. It's not groundbreaking like Resident Evil 4, but it's nice nevertheless. And it's the only place you'll find the continuation to Claire's story from RE2 (as far as I know) so it's for you Claire fans out there. Leon fans have RE4, Claire fans have RE:CVX. Nuff said.

-- David Rasmussen 7th Feb 05

Playstation 2 Resident Evil: Code Veronica X Images