Come on Capcom, please give us the code Veronica Next

One of Capcom’s most beloved video game franchises, Resident Evil, has finally received its next installment in the form of the fantastic Resident Evil 4 Remake. However, fans of the series couldn’t help but notice that this same courtesy has unfortunately not been extended to Code: Veronica, the next entry after Resident Evil 3 and a crucial addition to the overall franchise. So let’s see why this great game deserves to get the same amazing treatment as Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4.

Please note that there will be spoilers, but I’ll let you know when they start, so if you haven’t played Code: Veronica yet, don’t worry; there will be a warning when the spoilers start. Also, for those who don’t know, because I’ll mention it several times, the main games in the series are considered to be the numbered entries, both Revelations and Code: Veronica games. Not a big deal, but worth knowing before you dive in.

The main story of Resident Evil Code: Veronica takes place several months after the events of Resident Evil 2 and 3 and sees Claire Redfield continue her quest to find her brother Chris. In the process, she becomes entangled with the Ashford family, one of the three founding members of the evil Umbrella Corporation.

A big reason Resident Evil Code: Veronica deserves a remake is this story itself, as it continues Claire’s mission to find Chris, which was one of the main storylines of Resident Evil 2. It would be incredibly fitting to have the upcoming remakes focus on the protagonists of the successful remake of Resident Evil 2, where RE 4 focuses on Leon’s next journey, while Code: Veronica focuses on Claire’s. It’s also worth noting that, like Leon in the fourth main episode, Claire is now a much more capable fighter, so the trend of the game’s protagonists becoming more and more skilled continues.

It’s a shame that Code: Veronica hasn’t been remade yet as the game was initially announced as Resident Evil 3. Unfortunately, due to it being too long in development, Capcom decided to have their spin-off starring Jill Valentine, Resident Evil: Nemesis, to be ranked as the third main installment. Still, that didn’t stop fans from seeing Code: Veronica as the proper third main entry and not the spinoff that the lack of numbering would have casual fans believe.

The fact that Code: Veronica was passed over in favor of the RE 4 adaptation is unfortunate, but that doesn’t mean Capcom can’t go back and remake the game. Resident Evil 4 Remake may spoil a few of the reveals. that happen in Code: Veronica, but there’s plenty of room for the game to move around that and even use it to enhance the story here.

For example, Resident Evil 4 mentions the fall of the Umbrella Corporation, which alas is something that mostly happens off-screen, a mistake that a Code: Veronica remake could fix. However, there’s plenty of room to include Umbrella’s fall at some point in this game, and that’s a big story point overall, so the fact that it didn’t happen in a main game is strange and disappointing. Hopefully this event will happen again in a new release of this game, as there are plenty of opportunities to do so with the way this game deals with another Umbrella conspiracy.

Something else a Code: Veronica remake could offer players is a fairly long game full of varied enemies and locations that would be amazing to see come to life on the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The game may have two playable protagonists, but unlike Resident Evil 2, this is told in a single story, closer to the third installment. Luckily, unlike Resident Evil 3, Code: Veronica is much longer and on a larger scale, which would likely also be represented in a remake.

One area where Code: Veronica also stands out from entries that preceded it is the variety of game content, as there are a plethora of locations and enemies that the Redfields face on their journey. It would be amazing to see updated versions of places like the prison and the military base, as well as reworked versions of the various enemies, especially ones like the terrible Bandersnatch.

So, with all that said, let’s move on to the more detailed story elements, which means yes, that’s the spoiler warning I mentioned earlier. Everything from now on includes massive plot details, so please continue with that in mind.

The major development that Resident Evil 4 spoils, which was originally revealed in Code: Veronica, is that Albert Wesker, the undercover Umbrella agent and traitor to STARS, is alive and well. Unlike the fourth numbered episode, however, where Wesker is a character working in the shadows, he is a central character in the overall narrative of Code: Veronica. The story that’s presented here with Wesker becomes an even bigger plot point with Resident Evil 5, so having Capcom seemingly say it’s okay to skip this game like they did with their remakes feels like an injustice. major.

Not to mention that many of the action scenes included in Code: Veronica are great, especially for a game released in 2000. There are incredibly epic scenes where Claire and Chris each individually face off against Wesker, which would be amazing to see remade for modern consoles and audiences.

Speaking of the Redfields, it’s a shame that Code: Veronica is the only meaningful entry in which fans get to see the two siblings interact. So while it would be nice to see a new story give us more brother and sister together, getting a modern retelling of the one major story where they work together would also be great. Also, since we don’t currently have a modern design for the young Chris Redfield, only the older ones, this version of him getting one would be the icing on the cake.

As for the characters exclusive to this entry, Capcom is lucky with a remake to make those characters appear better than they did in the original. A criticism often leveled at Code: Veronica concerns Claire’s friend and lover, Steve Burnside. To begin with, Claire and Steve don’t need to be in love with each other; it doesn’t add anything to the story, so the remake might eliminate that. However, more importantly, Steve is frankly a generally boring and whiny character, something that could hopefully be changed to make his scenes feel better.

A character I often think of when it comes to Steve is Carlos from RE 3, as both have similarities with their roles in their respective games and how they are just unique characters. Both characters have some really squeaky traits about them, which Resident Evil 3 Remake thankfully fixed by making Carlos much more likable and endearing, which Capcom could also do with Steve. Simply put, there are certain scenes, like Steve’s transformation and death, that would be much better if Capcom was able to give Steve the same treatment as Carlos.

Remaking Code: Veronica would also give Capcom a chance to redeem itself when it comes to the interesting villains of Alfred and Alexia Ashford. In particular, Alfred’s mental state and LGBTQ+ status aren’t necessarily the best handled, which, given the game’s release period, isn’t shocking. Hopefully, that’s something that could be explored more carefully in the remake. Plus, Alexia is arguably one of the most intriguing villains the series has seen, so it’s a shame Capcom skipped the story of the twins in favor of a later released game.

On the bright side, there are rumors that Capcom has plans for a Code: Veronica remake due to some of their actions online. It mostly boils down to the fact that they were trying to shut down a fan-made remake of the game, leading many people to believe that Capcom was doing this because they didn’t want a competing remake.

Ultimately, the importance of Code: Veronica to both the overall narrative and the individual Resident Evil character storylines cannot be understated, so it’s a shame that Capcom is apparently pointing out that it’s irrelevant. for them not to remake the game. Hopefully they just release these games out of order and fans can be playing a fantastic remake of Resident Evil Code: Veronica in no time.