One of the greatest Resident Evil games graces the Xbox 360 and PS3!
This is what I discovered in my local game store several years ago for my PS2, at this time I had never heard of it before so my expectations were not too high.
To my delight, this game turned out to be one of my all time favourite Resident Evil games of all time and one of my favourite games on the PS2.
When I heard it was coming to the 360 excitement welled up within me, it was definitely going to be a day one purchase for me (which it was!). I noticed that it was being remastered in HD meaning I could enjoy it peacefully on my 26" TV in my bedroom without seeing the game stretched horribly!
Before we dive into this review lets go over a few things:
The game is NOT remade in HD.
It is remastered in HD.
Big difference. Remade is starting from the ground up with the same original concept of the game in mind.
RE1 was REMADE on the GameCube.
RECV and RE4 were REMASTERED for PS3 and XBOX 360.
Basically updated resolution (if you tried playing the original game on a big HD tv then it would look 100x worse), some updated shadows and water effects.
If you bought this game simply for graphics then you made a big mistake. These games are all about pure and awesome gameplay.
Code Veronica still remains one of my favourite Resident Evil titles.
A brief note on ratings: I am NOT rating this game in comparison to other 360 games graphically. That's just silly, this game is very old and should not be compared to this generation of games.
Ratings:-
Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 9/10
Control: 6.5/10
Story: 10/10
This game from start to finish will delight ever single classic RE fan.
The graphics of this game have always been pretty in terms of RE standards. It looks MUCH better than RE 1-3 and for the first time all the backgrounds are rendered in full 3D. This version has been remastered in HD allowing you to enjoy it on big widescreen HD tvs without any horrible stretching. Although from what I have seen the cutscenes have not received this treatment which is a bit of a let down!
Nevertheless, it still remains a beauty. It sadden when I see angry mobs of people rushing to forums shouting that the game looks "terrible" and should have been more like RE1 on the GC. This was never the plan for the game, the plan was to bring it to this generation of consoles so we could all enjoy it. That means updated resolution to avoid stretching, updated shadows, updates water effects and slightly updated models. All in all they have done a great job with allowing us to play this game today.
The audio of the game is simply amazing, from the sounds of shuffling zombies to zombie dogs racing towards you. It gives me a chill every time I hear it and ultimately adds to the atmosphere!
As with most classic RE games the controls were always hard to get used to. CV thankfully has the quick turn which turns out to be a life saver on more than one occasion. It may be difficult for newcomers but you must master the controls if you are to survive, especially when low on ammo and avoiding enemies. This has always been the biggest let down to RE fans but after a half hour the controls should not even bother you. The reason the controls are difficult (they are in fact VERY similar to RE4+5) is due to the camera and its angles. The camera is slightly over the top and very static, meaning it does not move very often. This throws players off at the beginning and as I said, takes getting used too.
== On a personal note I LOVE this control/camera scheme. IMO its the only good way of making survival horror games. As much as I loved RE4+5 they felt more action oriented than the previous entries. I for one would not complain if they reverted back to this scheme ==
As with most RE games, the story is impressive. Made even better if you were keeping up with the series until this point. It follows Claire Redfield as she searches for her brother Chris Redfield in an Umbrella Corporation Facility. Its not long before she is caught, taken captive and imprisoned on Rockfort Island. Soon after her capture the T-Virus breaks out on the island and the story propels from there. It keeps you hanging on wondering whats around the next corner constantly and some old faces emerge that will shock you if you have never played the game before!
All in all its a very very satisfying game story wise.
To sum this review up, Code Veronica X HD is a game worthy in any RE fans collection. As always the game doest not disappoint and if you feel like playing CVX again you may as well purchase this to enjoy playing it on your big fancy HD TV!
Play, Fear and as always Enjoy!