In 1996, when Resident Evil first appeared on the Playstation it was a new birth of Survival Horror games. But Capcom was one of only two companies to do it properly. Konami were the other with Silent Hill though this was designed to be unpleasant on a psychological level rather than the blood shocks of the Resident Evil series. This is my review of Resident Evil: Code Veronica X for the PS2.
The story revolves around the contamination of a small town called Raccoon City in backwater USA with a lethal virus(T-Virus) that turns people into zombies. The game is set 3 months in the prison after the incidents of RE2 and you once again play as Claire Redfield in search of her brother Chris. The story goes much further and the origins of Umbrella became clearer.
Graphics:
RECV stays fairly true to the original format but comes with a new graphics engine to compliment its 128Bit upgrade, instead of using static renders as backdrops. The game uses a 3D roving camera similar to that of Metal Gear Solid. The graphics are absolutely superb, looking just as detailed as before, the environments have little animations that you'll probably miss the first time round like insects climbing the walls. Lighting is also first class and gives a great sense of atmosphere.
Sound:
Sound is good though it would have been nice to have a little imagination with the moans of the zombies. The music is standard RE fare and keeps things nicely tense without being over the top.
Gameplay:
As Claire, you spend a lot of time running around picking up obscure items to use in obscure puzzles across the other side of the island. This is one of RE biggest downfalls, the puzzles aren't logical, things are hidden in some ridiculous places and once you've seen one portrait puzzle you've seen them all. If however you are used to the RE series this will be par for the course and things are more sensible.
All the standard weapons are in the game; upgradeable handguns, grenade launchers with different ammo types, and the new twin Uzi's are a awesome. Weapons aren't as flexible as in Nemesis, and in the first section of the game, ammo is incredibly rare.
Controls:
Well, controls are the same as the last few RE games. The problem is, the controls are just not simple and flexible enough. This is one of those things that Capcom needs to improve on.
GET it or ReNt it??
I would say get it if you are a hardcore survival game fan. The game is stylish, solid and its an upgrade of one of the Playstation all-time classics. Well, I hope this review helps others who haven't tried Resident Evil: Code Veronica X.
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