Resident Evil Code: Veronica, known as Biohazard CODE:Veronica (バイオハザード コード:ベロニカ) in Japan, is a survival horror-themed action-adventure game by Capcom and Nextech. It was first released in 2000 on the Sega Dreamcast as an entry in Capcom's Resident Evil series, serving as a direct sequel to Resident Evil 2. Code: Veronica was intended to be a Dreamcast-exclusive, but Sega's departure from the hardware business resulted in the development of an expanded edition titled Resident Evil Code: Veronica X, which was released for the PlayStation 2 the following year.
A few months after the destruction of Raccoon City, Claire Redfield travels to Europe and infiltrates the Umbrella Corporation's local headquarters to find out about her missing brother Chris. She gets captured however and sent to the Rockford island.
Rockford is a small, seemingly uninhabited island in the South Atlantic, which Umbrella uses as a military training facility and a secret prison, where people Umbrella wants dissappear are sent and never heard from again.
After being released from her cell by a sympathetic guard, Claire notices that island is overwhelmed by Bio Organic Weapons. Joining forces with a teenage prisoner named Steve, Claire attempts to escape from hellish island and stop Ashford twins, sociopathic siblings who use the island as their own private hunting ground for their sick games as they prepare for a potentially disasterous experiment called "Project Veronica".
Meanwhile, Chris Redfield is also heading towards the island after hearing about her sister's capture. Chris and Claire must face not only the horrors waiting for them in the island and Ashford twins but also a sinister, vengeful enemy from Chris' past.
Gameplay
Items
Claire's Handgun
A Beretta M93R. Claire acquires it during her first encounter with Steve. Similar to Leon's Handgun from RE2, it can be upgraded with parts found in the Prison. Upgraded version carries 20 rounds as opposed to 15 of the regular version and can fire 3-rounds burst mode. Uses handgun ammo which is plentiful.
M-100P
A pair of Calico M-100P handguns. Claire finds these on a zombie that crashes through the barrack windows. While weaker and cannot be reloaded, Claire uses these in a dual-wielding style, able to hit two targets at the same time. They also fire faster.
Chris's Handgun
Chris uses a Glock 17 as his primary handgun. It can be upgraded if players can find the upgrade parts in Training Facility in Rockford Island. Upgrade increases fire power and can cause random critical hits. Can carry 18 rounds and uses Handgun ammunition.
Bowgun
Can be acquired by Claire in the Military Training Center. Unlike its RE2 version, this Bowgun fires a single shot. While weaker than handgun, Bowgun fires very rapidly and has a very large ammo capacity. It can also use Gunpowder Bolts which can be made by combining Bow Gun Powder and regular bolts.
Gold Lugers
A pair of gold plated and engraved Luger P08 pistols. They cannot be used by Claire but she can trade them from Steve with a pair of MAC-11s she found later. A replica Luger can be found later in the game. If recovered, Steve will be able use them Battle Game mode. They have unlimited ammunition and can fire two enemies at the same time.
Magnum
A Colt Python can be acquired by Chris, if Claire leaves the fire extinguisher in the item box, which Chris can later fill it in Antarctic base, allowing him to put down a fire and take the weapon. While extremely powerful, its ammo is as rare as the magnum in RE3.
Sub Machine Guns
A pair of MAC-11s. Claire finds these then exchanges them for Gold Lugers from Steve. Steve uses them during his segments. Chris can also acquire them in the Underground Caverns using a lighter. They can target two enemies at the same time. Cannot be reloaded.
Shotgun
A SPAS-12 combat shotgun. Chris can acquire this in the Training Facility. Just like all shotguns in the series, causes serious damage at the very close range but lacks range and fires slowly. Ammo is somewhat common.
Assault Rifle
An AK-47 assault rifle with no stock. Claire finds this in the armory of the Antartic Facility. Chris can also use this if Claire deposits the weapon to the item box before the end of his scenario. Chris can also find a spare magazine (which refills ammo by 50%) in the Training Facility.
Sniper Rifle
A Remington Model 700. (Called MR7 in the game) First sniper rifle in the series thanks to the true 3d enviroment of the game, this weapon can be acquired from Alfred in the Antarctic base. It can only be used during the Nosferatu boss battle. Carries only 7 rounds and cannot be reloaded. Claire drops it after the battle so it cannot be used for the rest of the game. It can kill Nosferatu with a single shot if aimed at its heart.
Grenade Launcher
Same grenade launcher from RE2. Claire can acquire this in the Military Training Facility using a key card. Can fire Explosive, Acid, Flame and newly designed and extremely rare Anti-B.O.W. rounds which will fill and entire room with gas that will damage all enemies in the room.
Rocket Launcher
An AT4 rocket launcher. Kills most enemies with a single shot. Can be unlocked after getting an A rank in the game.
Linear Launcher
An experimental rail-gun. Can be used by Chris during the final battle against Alexia. Can be unlocked for Battle Game.
History
Development
Resident Evil Code: Veronica was a three-way project co-developed by Capcom Production Studio 4, Nextech, and Sega, specifically for the Dreamcast. When the project was first hinted at in May 1998 by executive producer Yoshiki Okamoto, game publications assumed that the project would be the next numbered entry in the series (Resident Evil 4), which had yet to be officially announced at the time.[15][16] On October 6, 1998, the project was officially unveiled as Code: Veronica, with a tentative release date of April 1999, though this was later pushed back to February 2000.
Code: Veronica was codenamed Biohazard 3 during early planning, a title which was ultimately given to the simultaneously-developed Resident Evil 3: Nemesis on the PlayStation. The reasoning for not giving a numbered title to Code: Veronica was due to the title being developed as a Dreamcast-exclusive at a time when numbered Resident Evil titles were reserved for PlayStation consoles, although the game was later ported to the PlayStation 2 as Code: Veronica X. This policy was later abandoned when the actual Resident Evil 4 ended up being developed for the Nintendo GameCube as its main platform.
Release
Resident Evil Code: Veronica was Capcom's only Sega Dreamcast title to surpass one million unit sales, selling 1.14 million in total, and became the second Capcom title to do so on a Sega system, after 1993's Street Fighter II': Special Champion Edition which sold 1.65 million on the Sega Mega Drive. It was also the first Japanese Dreamcast title to top 500,000 units sold[17].
Legacy
Resident Evil Code: Veronica was re-released in 2001 for the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2 and later GameCube in the form of Biohazard Code: Veronica Kanzenban (Resident Evil Code: Veronica X outside of Japan, although the Dreamcast version was a Japanese exclusive). Kanzenban fixes many of the bugs found in this version and is considered to be the definitive edition of the game.