Despite deciding to take a little break from the forums to catch up on homework and such, I still find time to play old games that the majority of you haven't given a shit about in a long time. This time it's the last main-series Resident Evil game I needed to play: Code Veronica. I have played RE1 on the DS, RE2 on the N64, RE3 on the Gamecube, and now this on the PS2, which I find kind of funny since these are all ports from their original platforms. But enough exposition, time for some Reviewing!(?) Stuff. 
 
Code Veronica was originally released on the Dreamcast (and then ported to the PS2 and Gamecube with roughly 3 new cutscenes, which somehow warrants a separate page on this site) and is the only pre-shooter RE game to feature actual 3D environments as opposed to prerendered backgrounds. Therefore, the graphics are competent and don't make me feel sick, but are certainly no REmake or RE0 in terms of looking pretty. There are also some camera tricks and lighting effects that obviously couldn't be done on the PS1, so good for that I guess.
 
 Unlike RE3, Code Veronica dedicates a strangely generous amount of time to it's story, which I found to be bad in some spots, and laughably terrible in others. I got the feeling that RE1 and even RE2 and 3 were trying to go for a B horror movie vibe. Not this game. . From the creepy, almost incestuous relationship between Alfred and Alexia to the LULZ attempt at a romantic subplot, to the attempts at making it feel like an action movie despite the fact that you control like a tank, this is questionable writing at it's best, because the cheese is all gone, and all that is left is a pizza that nobody wants to eat (if you get that metaphor). It doesn't even try to be scary, which is sad. However, I may have said too much and given off the impression that I care about the Resident Evil story, because I don't. The sheer number of plot holes, retcons, and lame twists rival that of most comic book superheroes, and if Albert Wesker has to choke a bitch, he may do so.
 
But enough about the story, how does it play?  Like a Resident Evil game. /thread. Just kidding. No really, it plays a lot like every other Pre-RE4 Resident Evil game in that you pick up things to use on things, shooting zombies and generally run around like a tank.  So I like it, right? Sure. Kind of. The thing about Code Veronica that really stuck with me was the length. I could probably finish all four scenarios of RE2 in the time it took me to get through this game (roughly 10 hours), and "survival horror" (which is still not a genre) doesn't exactly work well with that amount of length. The length feels a little artificial, given that most of it comes from backtracking all your steps like this was Castlevania or something. Maybe someone else liked this change of structure, but I found the plodding pacing to be (once again) contradictory to the "YO ZOMBIES ACTION GUNS" tone that I was getting.
 
Otherwise it's fine, albeit a little to familiar for its own good. You play as Claire for most of the game, and then switch over to Chris for roughly the last 1/3rd or 1/4th of the game. Chris is better because he has a shotgun and magnum and can take more hits, just like how Leon was better in RE2 for having the... shotgun and magnum and being able to take more hits. At least Jill got everything. Another thing to note that I actually enjoyed: The knife is actually a viable option for zombie removal. That's right, a knife slash can do about as much damage as the Handgun and even though ammo isn't usually a problem, it is cool. Oh, and the Bowgun is garbage unless it has explosive bolts, and Bandersnaches are a tie with the dogs from REmake in the "Most annoying enemy" category.
 
So, in conclusiveness, Code Veronica is in a weird spot. I found the gameplay to be solid and some of the puzzles to actually be quite clever, but the action vibe (You get an AK-47 and a Sniper Rifle for crying out loud), the laughably bad story, and the length 2 hours too long kind of turn me off. That's not to say that it's a bad game... just that it is my least favorite classic style RE game...  That's right. My least favorite.  But I still like it. Really. Don't hurt me. 8.8
 
Hell, here's my list: 1. REmake 2.RE2 3. RE0 (what, RE0, really?) 4. RE1 5. RE3 6. Code Veronica. 
 
And with that, I own and have completed every single main series Resident Evil game, and unless someone tells me that the Outbreak series is fun and viable to be played offline (which I doubt), I will be playing Disgaea until Dragon Age comes out. Then, at that point, I will probably not blog for a while. Hooray for the holidays.
 
Next: At this point, who knows?

As a person who would like to pretend that he has real friends and a real life, I really don't give a shit about "social networking", which is pretty much all that this update does. Therefore, Facebook (bleh), Twitter (super bleh), HD streaming (that's why I have Netflix), and Last.FM (meh) all epitomize stuff that I will never, ever, ever, use, and even if I did the general consensus is that these things aren't implemented well anyways.

It is time once again after a long break for me to review old... games? Actually no. Unfortunately, Disgaea is a long game, as is Baldur's Gate, and with the release season almost upon us, I will probably only be able to finish one before Dragon Age comes out. So instead of bothering to review something new, I will take a look at some of the games I have reviewed previously and see how they have held up since I looked at them prior. Sounds good? Good. Let's go.

Goldeneye

 
See original review here
Ah yes Goldeneye, my first attempt to give my impressions of a game in a rambling incoherent manner. Also the only one to have a post count higher than 10, because everything else I have played is far more obscure and less revered. Well, what do I think of it now, now that I have had more time to play it? It's still pretty good, although the one sticking point from my initial post still stands: the objectives aren't very clear and sometimes it's not your fault if you fail them. I have tried to play a little more Multiplayer, and it still is kind of dumb and shallow by today's standards, but that is to be expected.  
 

Resident Evil 3

 
See original review here  
RE3 represents the beginning of the series' transition from "Survival Horror" (which still is not a genre) to a more action-oriented type of game. Thus an abundance of grenade ammo and gunpowder to make even more grenade ammo (Simply put, you don't need to touch the magnum because you have so many freeze rounds), far less focus on story, (not that the story in Resident Evil is really worth caring about) and some puzzles or item combinations that use questionable logic. This is in stark contrast to REmake (and RE0 to a lesser degree), which are all about running the hell away from zombies instead of shooting them and solving clever puzzles. I still enjoyed RE3, but it is the weakest in the series I have played so far... Once I eventually get Code Veronica you can fully expect me to review it at some point and see how that fares.
 
 

Jagged Alliance

 
See original review here (WALL OF TEXT WARNING)
Perhaps I was a little harsh on Jagged Alliance. It certainly has it's charms... but not enough charm that I didn't sell it. I guess the reason I held it to a higher standard than every other game I have looked at (all of which have a "This game is hella old but that's ok" phrase in there somewhere), was because I spent the full price of a DS game on it. I could have gotten Devil Survivor, and seen why Video_Game_King hates it so much, or New Super Mario Bros, or something else that is actually worth $29.99 USD
 
Maybe if I got it for the PC I would think differently... nah. It still sucks. Don't buy it. 
 

The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall

 
See original thing here.
Daggerfall is still not a bad game. It may be full of some of the most pointless shit I have ever seen in a video game (I blame a lack of playtesting), but even with language skills, unnessesarily huge dungeons, towns, and pretty much everything else that screams "THIS GAME WAS MADE IN 1996 IN CASE YOU DIDN'T NOTICE!!!", I find that all the rough edges give it a certain old-school charm. That's not to say that I enjoy spending three hours in a dungeon trying to find a bear, but it is free, which really, really helps. To anyone who enjoys these kinds of games I recommend at least taking a look before you decide that it is way too janky to be worth playing. 
 
I think I will stop here. I can do second looks at Thief, Fallout, and Colonization some other time. Now I pose a question to you, the readers. Since I can't make a poll in a blog post, which game should I finish first: Disgaea or Baldur's Gate?

Holiday Spending Priority

This list represents my intended priories for obtaining games as of this holiday. Unlike last year, where I actually didn't find any games that interested me, this year is chock full with stuff I would really like to have. Unfortunately, I am not made out of money, and so some sacrifices will have to be made... unless I get a job or something. But oh well, if not now than later. List is in order with #1 representing the most likely game I will buy this year.

	1. Modern Warfare 2 Obvious. I played more than 50 hours of COD 4 multiplayer, and while I only prestiged once, I get my money out of it. Oh, and the single player was really good as well. Not to mention it comes out extremely close to my birthday. Easy buy.
	2. Assassin's Creed II Filling in second place is a sequel to a game that I really liked despite its numerous flaws. If this game manages to fix said flaws and make me care about the story, it will probably be a buy.
	3. Dragon Age: Origins I like RPGs. I like Bioware. Coincidence? I think not. Despite the terrible marketing campaign (THIS IS THE NEW SHIT?), the pedigree as well as the phrase "Like Baldur's Gate" have sold me on it. Too bad I only have a 360 and therefore will have to get the inferior version.
	4. New Super Mario Bros. Wii I could use a reason to actually turn on my wii (that still sounds dirty).
	5. Borderlands 87 BAJILLION GUNS. Oh, and it's like Diablo. But it does not involve the knifing of dudes nor does it involve the use of dialogue trees.
	6. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 I WILL GET THIS DAMN GAME IF IT IS THE LAST THING I DO
	7. Halo 3: ODST And, at the bottom, is Halo. Not a bad game by any account, it's just that everything else looks far more outstanding. Sorry Halo... I will get you eventually.

Aaaannd, that's my list. 
EDIT: Oh yeah. MUA 2. That's a game. Put it behind Halo.

Assuming that I am both able to muster enough Dollares Americano and fall into the good graces of Santa this year, I plan on obtaining these games this holiday season:
 

For Sure

 Modern Warfare 2
Assassin's Creed II
 

Perhaps

Dragon Age: Origins 
 Borderlands    
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
 Alpha Protocol
Scribblenauts