Quick Look: Resident Evil: Code: Veronica X

I just gotta say... fuck the guns... the knife is the way to go in this game. I mean does anyone besides me remember how damned overpowered the knife actually was? It was pretty crazy how good you could be with just a knife.

@oasisbeyond: lol I'd hardly call Code Veronica X a classic. Get over yourself.

I love good graphics, good looking games, but art as well or moreso than graphics. It's like hearing brad talk about yeah back then it looked amazing and back then it had incredible tech...maybe you should, or maybe he has by now, stop caring when something looks amazing as -the- defining characteristic. That is a given, video games will continue to look better even without people pushing boundaries; it will happen. We're far enough along now that it should be known even uncharted 2 or gears of war 3 or crysis 2 will eventually maybe not be unbearable, but will be far behind "current" tech as time marches on.

I wish they remade all the Resident Evil games like they did RE 1 for Gamecube. Come Capcom! Wouldn't it be profitable?

Dreamcast had rumble support. ;)

I must thank you Brad, as you have gotten me interested in Prince's music.

You didn't mention the really interesting facts about Code Veronica X, like how they actually changed Steve's hair to make him look LESS like Leo DiCaprio.

Man this really was the best of the REs. It shame were that series went.

@Brodehouse said:

I also don't get the hatred for stop-moving-while-shooting. I just take it as gamers who want every game to play the same. There's a reason why Isaac can move while he aims; necromorphs fucking sprint at you like junkies looking for a hit. Resident Evil, almost all the enemies shamble towards you, and it's about pop-pop-pop-getting close-pop-pop-run-turn-pop-pop-killed it. It's balanced perfectly for the controls. People are just mad that they have to learn the system, the timing, what is a safe distance between you and an enemy and what isn't. And people hate learning, they want every genre to play basically the same.

Amen. Not every game needs to be the same, and as much as enjoyed Dead Space 1 and 2, RE 4 is in a different class altogether.

Code Veronica was a fantastic RE game. I've never understood the people who bitched to no end at the "unplayability" of the old school Resident Evil controls. They had their quirks, but most control schemes tend to, and it was the only way aside from turning it into a point and click game to keep it from being entirely action-oriented. 
 
I think it's a little depressing that the old RE games don't really get the respect they deserve and are treated like they were pieces of shit these days, but I'll do my due diligence and buy Code Veronica once again.

Also watching Vinny and Brad get all pissed off over the inventory management aspect of this game is really retarded. It's not the game's fault if you pick up literally everything you come across. People constantly try to hold the past Resident Evil games to the same standards of the new Resident Evil games. They're entirely different beasts, and the whining over some of the things that are more the problem of the player rather than the game is just immature.

Geez, the CG wasn't that bad!

This quick look has reminded me why I disliked this game. I loved RE 1-3, but this game soured me a little on RE as a whole. For $19.99, they don't get any of my monies.

gears of War3 needs that Auto-target..I'd be soooo much better!

Only finished CVX once and don't recall enjoying it very much.
 
Although it would require more effort, if they gave the older entries or the amazing REmake similar treatment, they'd no doubt make a killing. Despite what people say about it not being possible due to how those games were designed, I don't think it's a stretch by any means; Capcom is just too lazy for that.

Did anyone else never get past that boss fight in the back of that airplane? Because Jesus Christ, that boss was fucking stupid. 

Man I loved this game on the dreamcast. If only they would release this on the PC (I could dust off my dreamcast but too much hassle)

It hurts to see them use that much ammo on each zombie... That's how my Dad played, but I've always been a hoarder.

lol props for brad for not dying in this QL!!! I really thought at the end they were gonna die, but it was just a min of hilarity and me holding hope that brad wouldn't die..... that part is going to next week ILM for sure.

Good times

@Lazyaza said:

I really wish they had ported Zero and the gamecube Re1 remake instead.

It may be an unpopular opinion, but I totally loved Resident Evil Zero. And REmake is damn near close to perfection. Between those and RE4, it was a damn good time to be a fan, and have a Gamecube. So I agree good person!

This was my favorite RE game, even after 4. The story didn't go nuts, it started to be more intricate and gave it a sophisticated feel. That opening cinematic was awesome. And the graphics, freaking sweet.

That said, 20 bucks is too much. 10 dollars maybe. How did we get away from 5 dollar games?

@Lunar_Aura said:

@CptBedlam said:

Because it was mentioned in the QL I feel the need to once again voice my support for Tetris inventories: I think they're fun. I get a kick out of organizing and neatly arranging my items.

Yay tetris inventories. It'd be funny if when you form a line that line of inventory disappears yaay

Yes! A Tetris-style Bag of Holding!

I might be mistaken, but I think there were no realtime shadows in the DC or PS3 version. Look at the shadow that the cell casts on the dude at the beginning or of Claire with the lighter.

Or maybe it has been too long since I last touched this.

Things got pretty hot at the end of that Quick Look.

Was that a Seven reference at 28:38?

I think Brad is overstating just how badly this game has aged, the graphics really don't look that bad in all honesty.

But yeah, the price is a little crazy.

Hah, "Combine it with the ground!"
 
This game felt pretty old even when it was new.  I AM VINDICATED BY HISTORY.

Within seconds this QL reminds me that Vinny is awesome. I swear he's the last gaming ENTHUSIAST on the internet. While everyone else on the entire internet is busy whining like entitlement powered babies over every little thing, Vinny always seems to genuinely want to like games. Why that is an exception to a rule is fucking beyond me.

"Do you want me to insert my specifically shaped object into your identically shaped receptacle?"

... giggity.

Code Veronica X was the first RE and horror game I played and I loved it, but I hated the controls. I remember especially that part with the zombie who jumped through the window because I was not paying any attention to it and was not prepared when it jumped in and I was like Aaaaahhhh !!!!!! and panicked and just ran out of the room. I love Claire She's my favorite RE carecter after Leon of course. It would be great if they made a new game with Claire and Leon in it

@Pingwing said:

@Lunar_Aura said:

@CptBedlam said:

Because it was mentioned in the QL I feel the need to once again voice my support for Tetris inventories: I think they're fun. I get a kick out of organizing and neatly arranging my items.

Yay tetris inventories. It'd be funny if when you form a line that line of inventory disappears yaay

Yes! A Tetris-style Bag of Holding!

There must be an indie dev who's made a game like that.

Aaahhhh, what's in the box?

@HistoryInRust said:

Did anyone else never get past that boss fight in the back of that airplane? Because Jesus Christ, that boss was fucking stupid.

I didn't play CVX till 2005, so I knew about that fight and prepared accordingly.

I remember playing this a couple of years ago, the controls were so clunky i couldn't get more then 10 minutes into it.

@Nottle said:

@lordofultima said:

@CptBedlam said:

Because it was mentioned in the QL I feel the need to once again voice my support for Tetris inventories: I think they're fun. I get a kick out of organizing and neatly arranging my items.

I agree. I also think people are jaded about everything, "wah old games are old!" Well no crap, some people still enjoy this format.

How old is the concept of tetris inventories? I only remember them from playing Diablo 2 and Resident Evil 4. They probably the funnest way to manage inventory. At least when you can rotate things.

They were also in the original Deus Ex.

@RazielCuts said:

Breaking News from Brad: Older games are still old and did things newer games don't do anymore.

This. The pre-4 games are a relic from a different time, when gamers actually tolerated different games playing differently. Nowadays if it doesn't play like Gears or CoD, people have a hissyfit.

I remember beating this game on the PS2 the night before 9/11 (no joke), and having quite a good time with it. I wouldn't mind an actual, tense Resident Evil again.

@YukoAsho said:

@Nottle said:

@lordofultima said:

@CptBedlam said:

Because it was mentioned in the QL I feel the need to once again voice my support for Tetris inventories: I think they're fun. I get a kick out of organizing and neatly arranging my items.

I agree. I also think people are jaded about everything, "wah old games are old!" Well no crap, some people still enjoy this format.

How old is the concept of tetris inventories? I only remember them from playing Diablo 2 and Resident Evil 4. They probably the funnest way to manage inventory. At least when you can rotate things.

They were also in the original Deus Ex.

Sadly I've never played the origional Deus Ex. I bought it on Steam for $5 along with Invisible war about a year ago. I never got Deus Ex to run past the launch window. It always crashed when I tried to run the actual game.

lol at the end

so much Resident Evil going on around there.

Awww, they killed it just before the gigantic worm monster didn't they?

I can't believe how specifically I remember this game.  Watching the Quick Look brings it all back to me.

@Lazyaza said:

I really wish they had ported Zero and the gamecube Re1 remake instead.

Same here, but Nintendo co-financed both games (they also did the same for MGS Twin Snakes), so we'll probably never seem them on any other console. I'm still hopeful Capcom will release them in some form though.

I like that Brad at least acknowledges how awesome this game looked back in the day.

I have zero nostalgia for the old RE games because I never owned a PS1 or Dreamcast (or PS2 until very late, for that matter), but I still have a hard time understanding Brad and Vinny's instinctual dislike for the gameplay mechanics and controls. The first RE game I played was the Gamecube remake of RE1, and despite not being accustomed to the by then already old-fashioned mechanics I had no problem appreciating the gameplay for what it was; i.e. intentionally slow-paced, methodical and above all rewarding planning (yes, even regarding management of the inventory) rather than, say, ease of access and instant gratification.

Beyond the sound philosophical grounding for many of these gameplay concepts there is undoubtedly room to question some of its implementation in a game like RE1 or Code Veronica, but at least for me it was incredibly hard to relate to what the QL hosts were apparently feeling. At the same time as Brad and Vinny became less and less generous in their comments I got more and more interested in this for me almost unknown game...and that interest most certainly had nothing to do with "the story" (which was the one thing Vinny seemed to almost care about) and all about the actual nuts and bolts of the gameplay. Also, those dynamic lighting effects really were sweet...

If they gave 2, 3, and CVX the same treatment as the did RE1 I'd be ecstatic.

I don't understand why Brad is so bothered by this game. It almost like he's mad at himself in retrospect for thinking it looked good/played well originally?

Original RE tank controls were key to the survival horror atmosphere. Brad knows this, but still faults the game for it?

It seemed a bit anti-climatic at the end. :p

I'm going to pick this one up at some point.