BioHazard: Code Veronica Arrives

Ever since BioHazard: Code Veronica was first announced at the fall Tokyo Game Show last year, I have been anxiously awaiting a chance to see what a BioHazard game would look like on a next-generation platform. While I had the opportunity to play the game at the recent Tokyo Game Show, nothing could prepare me for the demo that I've just played through.

The demo begins with what is arguably one of the finest CG opening movies I've ever seen -as good as anything Namco or Square have released. First you watch Claire getting chased by a helicopter with a mounted Gatling gun spraying bullets around her (the scene looks like it's straight out of Terminator 2). She then executes a sequence of moves that look as though they are straight out of a John Woo flick: She drops her gun, catches it just above the ground, and blasts a gas tank, which explodes into a huge fireball.

Then the actual game demo begins. Claire finds herself in a jail cell as a battle-scarred man comes by to let her out. She leaves the cell and heads outside to search for her brother Chris. She walks no more than 20 feet (into a cemetery - just her luck) and faces a barrage of zombies intent on taking a bite out of her neck. Escaping the zombies, she then faces a whole maze of areas to explore in a complex on an island. Throughout the demo, you'll run through buildings, face fire, cross a bridge, and enter large mansions.

As for the graphics of the demo, all I can say is "Wow." Capcom has included areas with Silent Hill-esque camera effects (the camera pans around to show some haunting sequences). These really add to the survival-horror mood. Beyond that, there are also some incredible lighting effects--one sequence has a swinging lamp hanging from the ceiling that looks frightfully real. The characters and backgrounds all look very clean and well modeled.

Soundwise, it's totally BioHazard. Anyone who has played the previous games will feel right at home, as it's all the same. The game offers some eerie music along the way, and the voice is all standard BioHazard style (read: awkward and mistimed, but still cool).

From what we played so far, I couldn't be any happier with the demo. I am an ardent fan of the series, and this comes as the perfect new addition. We'll return tomorrow with more screens, movies, and impressions as we further explore the survival horror. Don't worry, we're just getting started.