Resident Evil's first game on the PS2 is a SMASH HIT!
Gameplay: The gameplay is the greatest factor in Resident Evil games and continues with this game. You have to solve many puzzles in order to open up new areas and advance the story. Some puzzles take awhile to figure out especially because the game area is quite large and you have to remember a lot. While you are solving the puzzles, you have to shoot down zombies, dogs, and other creatures that have been infected by the T-virus. Like previous Resident Evil games there are plenty of surprise encounters that get your heart jumping.
Visuals: The visual presentation of this game was great considering it was a port of a Dreamcast game. The character and enemy model graphics were well done. The character models look quite realistic and almost match the CGI scene models. The level designs and backgrounds are well done, but are not as well done as the character models. The CGI scenes are put together nicely, add a lot of extraordinary action sequences, and blend in well graphically with the in game look except for a few instances.
Story: If you have never played a Resident Evil game, the storyline will be difficult to follow, but this does not defer from the game’s enjoyment. This game’s story is a continuation of Resident Evil 2, where Claire is still looking for her brother Chris. You fight your way through zombie after zombie to advance the story. There are quite a few twists thrown into the story that follows the great formula that has made the Resident Evil games great. You will learn a lot more about the Umbrella corporation and where the T-virus originated.
Controls: The control scheme has not changed significantly since the previous Resident Evil games. The greatest addition to the game is the 180 degree turn which is a must later in the game, but helpful when you are fighting enemies and have little or no ammo. You hold the R1 button to aim your weapon and press the X button to shoot. Audio: This is where the game loses a few points with me. The music is scary, uplifting, and fits with the gameplay. The sound effects are right on the mark. The voice acting was a mixed bag with the good, the bad, and the ugly. The voice acting for Claire was good, enemies were bad, and Steve was ugly. The character dialog was weak and either did not translate well or leaves a lot for improvement.
Resident Evil: Code Veronica X is a great game and I am glad that I played through it. I will have to play through it again sometime since I finished with a D ranking. If you are going to play it, make sure that you play it through to the end without taking breaks because it is really hard to get back into the game and know what the next step is. I had to use walkthroughs to jog my memory on where to go next. A lot of the puzzling requires remembering where everything was at and the map is quite large to have to search through everything to find the next puzzle piece. The load times between areas is quite annoying and makes the game drag a little bit, but this is expected for the age of the game. Enjoy this great game!