RE CODE: Veronica‘s timeline takes place months after the events of Resident Evil 2 and 3 and follows Claire Redfield as she searches for her brother through various Umbrella Corporation facilities. Originally released on the Dreamcast, Code Veronica established itself as one of the best offerings in the Resident Evil series due to its compelling story and harrowing atmosphere. While the camera movement was more fluid in CV, a modern over-the-shoulder camera and combat system would bring this classic game to modern audiences.
Why Code Veronica Is An Underrated Game
A Dreamcast Release Without Much Modern Attention
While Code Veronica may seem like another spin-off game in a long-running series, the title actually almost took the name Resident Evil 3. Due to an apparent licensing issue, any Resident Evil game that wasn’t on a PlayStation console had to be regarded as a spin-off. That’s why the plot of Code Veronica more closely follows the main characters of previous games, namely Claire and Chris Redfield, rather than how Resident Evil 3 switched gears to explore Raccoon City as Jill Valentine. Because of this “spin-off” status, Code Veronica may be overlooked by fans only interested in mainline games.
Additionally, despite its stellar performance and reviews by critics and fans, Code Veronica simply didn’t sell as well as other Resident Evil games. This is likely because of the console it released on and its spin-off invoking name. In the years since Code Veronica, it has slipped further away from modern audiences because it wasn’t available to play on any modern consoles for a long time. It was quietly added to the Xbox One catalog a few years ago. The most recent release the game received was a remaster for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2011, which was ported to the Xbox One in 2019 without much fanfare.
Code Veronica’s 25th Anniversary Is The Best Time For A Revival
The Original Game Was Released February 3, 2000.
After twenty-five years, Code Veronica is certainly old enough to justify a remake from the ground up. The graphics and mechanics, which were stunning for the Dreamcast era of gaming, have certainly aged the same way that other Resident Evil games from earlier eras have. While Code Veronica has never been the most well-known game in the series, likely due to the Dreamcast’s poor performance compared to other consoles, its quality of story and gameplay has always placed it in the upper echelon of the Resident Evil series.
The 25th anniversary would be the perfect time for the game to make a comeback despite not releasing in the original chronological order.
While Capcom has already seemingly skipped over Code Veronica in favor of Resident Evil 4, the 25th anniversary would be the perfect time for the game to make a comeback despite not releasing in the original chronological order. Fans may be far more interested in Code Veronica for a remake, especially since characters like Claire Redfield have more fans in the modern era due to the Resident Evil 2 remake in 2019. Other major franchises from the turn of the century have also teased remakes for their titles, so it’s an excellent time for Capcom to jump on the trend.
What A Code Veronica Remake Could Look Like
A Modern Refresh With Updated Cameras And Combat
Like other modern Resident Evil remakes, a new version of Code Veronica could completely remake the camera and combat systems. While the first three RE games had a fixed camera system, starting with the very first Resident Evil, Code Veronica had a slightly more dynamic camera because it did not use pre-rendered backgrounds. However, the game still had tank controls, which aren’t appealing to modern players.
A remake of CV could follow the trend of other remakes to use the now standard over-the-shoulder (OTS) camera with smoother movement for running around zombies in Umbrella facilities. Alongside the modern OTS camera, Code Veronica could use the more modern combat system used in every other remake.
Other frustrating experiences in Resident Evil Code: Veronica, like the infamously difficult boss battle when playing Claire, could be smoothed out with a remake. Additionally, like how the creepy European setting was enhanced in the Resident Evil 4 remake, a new version of Code Veronica could more easily utilize its gothic setting, themes, and story with updated graphics and more cinematic cutscenes.
