Code Veronica is in many ways the natural progression of the OG Resident Evil style, especially with its new 3D environments and lighting mechanic (albeit a bit underused). it also tries to tackle different types of horror, ranging from gothic castles and tragic family events to even adapting themes from classic horror movies like Psycho, for instance. Unfortunately, it also suffers from annoying voice acting (not in a it's so bad it's good kind of way), extremely out of place anime scenes and character designs and a pretty long campaign that doesn't help the fact that a lot of the puzzles and environments feel like boring padding. The game also has a few weird roadblocks, for instance: if you don't leave the fire extinguisher as Claire in the item box, you won't be able to progress as Chris and you have to restart the game all over again if you don't have an earlier save. But with all its issues though, it's admirable how batshit crazy this game can be and it still has that classic Resident Evil feel, except for every single time a character opens their mouth.

me quedé softlockeado en el último jefe pero como no existe ninguna posibilidad de que siga intentándolo me ví un video de YT para saber cómo termina.
los acertijos están buenos y la ambientación es increíble para la época, pero realmente fue el juego más frustrante e injusto que jugué en mi vida. pésimamente diseñado y LLENO de momentos que se prestan para el softlock.
en estos días me voy a comprar una versión física con el único fin de quemarla y mear sus cenizas.
una experiencia auténticamente traumática.

A lot of people hate this one and i almost listened to the haters and skipped it. But after playing it i can confirm that this sucks in the best way possible. This cranks re back to the full cheesiness level that i loved. It is also the sequel to re2 so i was invested. The villain is some weird rich royalty who is definitely attracted to his sister, wesker and chris redfield return and there’s this scrawny kid named steve who has a crush on claire. This game was bonkers and a lot of fun. I played it with a guide though since there a few moments where you can lock yourself from progressing causing you to lose hours of progress. This was a fun time and had some of the coolest locations and enemies in the franchise so far.

now THIS is resident evil, with a capital R. all the mechanics of the old games are there, stylistically it's pretty similar too. graphically, the dreamcast and the ps2 really make this game look amazing, obviously miles ahead ye olde ps1 games.
otherwise, this feels like the proper sequel to RE2. not to hate on RE3 nemesis, but it was so short it might as well be considered a sidegame. this one has everything: the cheese factor, the horror, the kickass music, the gameplay too. like this game takes all the good shit of RE3 too, like the 180 turn and stuff, tank controls feel really refined.
honestly if you were like me and skipped this one for some reason, you should play it. it's really among the best survival horror games on the ps2, and the franchise lol.

While the game didnt age the best in some aspects it's definitely worth playing and an enjoyable experience.

Especially if you're interested in the overarching RE plot. The game does a great job at tying up plotlines from RE1&2 with Chris, Claire and Wesker all being here. It was great to finally have Chris & Clair together while also having Chris interact with Wesker after the events of 1, adding some more weight to their rematch in 5.
The new one-off characters were great too. Especially the Ashford family, they had a lot of mysteries and reveals surrounding them which were just really cool. The other new character, Steve, was also a pretty good addition that made for some enjoyable scenes.

Gameplay wise it didnt age that well though. The controls take some getting used to but they're not too bad, it's more the fact that you can easily (soft)lock yourself.
Specific characters need specific items at specific moments, but if you dont use a guide, there's no way of knowing this. Which can literally make it impossible to progress in some cases, forcing you to reload an older save to prepare for that moment. But if you dont have a save file that goes back far enough there's nothing you can do.

The backtracking is also not handled that well, some of the areas look and feel the same. Which turns backtracking into more of a chore since I'd just get lost. Which never really happened in any other RE game.

Besides for these things the game is really fun to play however. There is a lot of variety in both weapons & enemies, and the switching between Chris & Claire is done really well. Better than how other RE games handle multiple character routes imo. So all in all, while it's a product of it's time, I would definitely recommend playing this game.

i wish i could say i was one of those dedicated fans that actually like this title, but there's just not much to like about it, i'm sorry.

the only real positives is this is one of three games to feature claire, and also to introduce the dynamic she and chris have as siblings. additionally, the music is nice and actually pretty extensive for an re game, it's bombastic tone reminds me a lot of pokemon ruby and sapphire.

other than that, the voice acting is shitty even for it's time, the graphics have aged horribly, the gameplay is confusing and at certain points becomes softlock central, ashfords could've been really cool but they are really lame and at worst uncomfortable to watch, claire becomes borderline transphobic (?), and i really did not enjoy the fact that chris takes over for the second half.

code veronica is a stinker, but really it only makes me part of the "code veronica over re5 remake" camp even more.

Spooky and silly in just about equal measure, with a story so cockamamie you can't help but be roped in - guffawing at each sharp 180 degree turn into insanity, paired with a sincerely scary atmosphere that reeks with the stench of death. Both of which compliment each other surprisingly well. Just as ludicrous as the "dumb era" REs, while also still being able to maintain its status as a horror game first and foremost. The map, enemy, and character variety here is awesome - with good puzzles, music, and level design that feel right at home with the early RE games. Ugly lighting and dastardly tank controls be damned - this is actually pretty excellent. Every ounce superior to Resident Evil 4, and tbh one of the best titles in the series period.