Could have been the best.
Then along came Code Veronica. A game that through the first 99% had everything. Compelling story, beautiful graphics, great gameplay, length, as well as memorable characters. Unfortunately the one thing that really stopped this game from being special was the ending. A feat that Code Veronica X was able to at least patch up a little but still the games main ending had a very anti-climatic feel. Of course if you want to know what that is you'll have to figure out for yourself but needless to say after such a compelling story with around 10 to 12 hours of gameplay you would honestly expect a little more.
So lets start out with the story. One of the great things about the main characters in the game is they really come across as genuine. Claire is easily a series favorite and pairing her with Chris was just icing on the cake in terms of Resident Evil lore. On top of that bringing back Wesker really did a lot to forward the plot. Even Steve the winey Canadian ends up being a real likable character, but in all honesty they should have found someone else to the voice. On top of that Albert, one of the main antagonist does more then enough to earn himself immortality in the eyes of Resident Evil fans everywhere. Sure he's corny at times but it really is done in a very likable fashion where you genuinely end up hating the guy, and in the end thats what a good antagonist does. The best part though is the story isn't very predictable, but at the same time it's definitely easy enough to follow as it unfolds. Of course that's assuming you've played Resident Evil 1 and 2.
The gameplay wasn't really anything new at the time the game came out but it definitely worked for the game. Looking back the only real new elements added to the actual gameplay were the chance to use duel pistols as well as shoot through the scope of a rifle. A trait that has now worked it's way back into the series. On top of that the puzzles were classic Resident Evil, allowing for just the right amount of back tracking while hoping that you didn't run into the wrong enemies along the way.
Another thing the game did well was provide more then it's fair share of scares. Especially near the end where light becomes a precious commodity. Code Veronica also boast one of the most chilling examples of human experimentation in the series, topped only by Lisa Trevor. All in all the game really does enough to give you just the right amount of scares, though it's nothing near the mental scaring that a Silent Hill game provides.
Next to the story though the next best part of Code Veronica was the visuals. At the time, and even to this day, Code Veronica never failed to provide you with a beautiful environment that not only provided a chilling atmosphere but also a nice range of colors that really brought the world to life. On top of that the pre rendered cinemas were easily some of the most beautiful examples of art work for their time topped only by the ending in Resident Evil 4 and soon to be topped by the newest addition to the Resident Evil series, 5.
In the end I definitely recommend this game to any fan who started out with 4. And while it definitely embodies the best that is old school Resident Evil the fact remains that the ending might leave you with a little more to be desired. Still it seems that Resident Evil 5 will do a good job of tying up some of the loose ends left by Code Veronica.