Dreamcast

Resident Evil Code: Veronica

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Time to beat: about 11.8 hours

Overview

Resident Evil, Code: Veronica is a 2000 survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom for the Dreamcast. It was the first Resident Evil game to debut on a platform other than PlayStation. The story takes place three months after the events of Resident Evil 2 (1998) and the concurrent destruction of Raccoon City as seen in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999). It follows Claire Redfield and her brother Chris Redfield in their efforts to survive a viral outbreak at a remote prison island in the Southern Ocean and a research facility in Antarctica. The game retains the series' traditional controls and gameplay; however, unlike the pre-rendered backgrounds of previous installments, Code: Veronica uses real-time 3D environments and dynamic camera movement.

After producer Shinji Mikami and his team learned they would be unable to port Resident Evil 2 to the Sega Saturn, they began development on an original game, which became Code: Veronica. Claire was designed with a tougher appearance than in Resident Evil 2, with the reason being her past experiences in Raccoon City built her toughness and confidence. Unlike the American horror themes and settings of previous games in the series, Code: Veronica employs a European gothic horror design and settings. This is achieved through the use of gothic architecture and gothic art in addition to the writing style and story presentation.

Capcom announced Code: Veronica in August 1998 and released it in February 2000 after delays and a reduction in sales expectations due to the struggling Dreamcast platform. Sales were weak compared to other Resident Evil games, but strong compared to other Dreamcast games. Code Veronica received critical acclaim and has been considered among both the best Resident Evil games and Dreamcast games. In 2001, Capcom released an updated version on Dreamcast and PlayStation 2, Code: Veronica X. The revised version included new cutscenes which revealed more details about the story, and it was ported to the GameCube in addition to other platforms in later years. In September 2011, Capcom released a high-definition remastered version of Code: Veronica X for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Code: Veronica was adapted for Capcom's Gun Survivor series with Resident Evil Survivor 2, Code: Veronica (2002) and also later adapted for Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (2009). A remake, Resident Evil Veronica, is scheduled for release in 2027.