Resident Evil Code: Veronica X is the PlayStation 2 port of the critically-acclaimed Dreamcast game that Capcom released last January. PS2 owners have been waiting a long time for this game, but I'm happy to report that the wait was worth it.

Included in this special 5th Anniversary edition are brand new game sequences, a special Wesker's Report non-interactive retrospective, and a 3 level demo of Capcom's stylish new action game, Devil May Cry.

REC:VX begins after the events of Resident Evil 2 and 3. Claire Redfield has travelled to Umbrella's European office in search of her brother, S.T.A.R.S member and RE1 survivor, Chris Redfield. Before she can find him, however, she is captured by Umbrella mercenaries and imprisoned on an isolated island.

You'll take control of Claire after escaping from prison, only to find the island overrun with zombies. (Shocker!) The play mechanics remain virtually unchanged from past installments. Pressing up moves Claire forward, while left and right pivot. R1 aims your weapon, and X pulls the trigger. If you've played any other RE game, you'll have no problem handling the controls.

RE has never had the most intuitive or responsive control scheme, and REC:VX is no different. What's most maddening about the mechanics is the removal of the dodge system the was implemented in RE3. At least Jill and Carlos stood a fighting chance of avoiding the swift-moving Hunters and Nemesis. Poor Claire and Chris are stuck with the same old aim-shoot-run away, aim-shoot-run away combat scheme. I wish Capcom would retool the mechanics, as they did for Onimusha: Warlords. Perhaps for RE4?

As always, the gameplay consists of item fetch quests and arcane puzzle elements, punctuated by bouts of zombie genocide. The puzzles make a bit more sense than the INSANE ones featured in RE3, and generally relate more to the immediate environment. The weapon selection is large and varied, although the grenade launcher and shotgun seem to be a bit weaker than in RE2 or RE3. Ammo is plentiful, so there's less need to conserve it. Blast away! There are also plenty of healing items too, so there's really no excuse for dying. Except when that Tyrant throws you out of the plane...

Graphically, REC:VX is a near-perfect port of the Dreamcast version. Player models are round, highly detailed and well-textured. The environments, which are fully 3D, are also quite handsome, sporting detailed geometry and crisp textures. The real-time cinematic sequences feature higher poly models, with some very good facial and body animation. The zombies and other undead monsters sport some gross and disgusting detail themselves, and everything generally looks great as you're blasting it into sweet bloody oblivion. Animation is a bit stiff at times, and your characters still sport the nearly-upright running stance seen in all the prior RE games.

The move to full 3D is a mixed bag. On the plus side, the full 3D camera provides a much greater sense of immersion, and really provides a cinematic quality to the game. The long-standing camera problems, however, are not solved by the move to 3D. You'll still encounter instances when you're attacked by off-screen assailants, where a simple camera pan would have revealed their presence. This aspect of the game frustrates a lot of people, but I generally don't mind that much, given the over-abundance of healing items the game provides.

While the PS2 version does lack full-scene anti-aliasing, you'll be hard pressed to notice unless you've got a Wega with component hookups. Even then, you'll appreciate the overall crispness of the PS2 version. Capcom has done a great job porting this game to PS2, a machine not known to be port-friendly.

Sound effects are generally crisp and clean. Zombie moans, shotgun blasts and creaking doors all sound as they do in real life. The music is standard RE fare and fits the mood very well. The voice acting is decent, and a step up for this series. Resident Evil is infamous for its cheesy dialoge and acting, but I didn't laugh at Code Veronica as much as I did at Leon Kennedy from RE2. ("Ada, wait!") Capcom is trying, I'll give them that.

The PS2 version of REC:VX features a few minutes of story elements that were added to fill in some of the plot holes. Most of these involve Albert Wesker, the former S.T.A.R.S captain, beating the hell out of Claire and Chris.

The Battle Game from the DC version is here as well. It's essentially a timed run through a series of randomly-connected rooms, each filled with enemies you must kill before you can move on. It's good mindless fun, and it even gives you the opportunity to play it in first-person perspective, Gun Survivor style.

For those who pre-ordered the game, a special DVD movie is include, entitled Wesker's Report. It's a 23 minute summation of the events of the first 3 Resident Evil games. Expertly narrated by Wesker, it ties all the games together, and clues us in Wesker's behind-the-scenes role in many of the events. Not quite as comprehensive as I'd like, but it's okay as a freebie.

Finally, there's the Devil May Cry demo. This new type of horror game, dubbed "Stylish Hard Action" (no joke) is one the coolest and most violent action games ever produced, and it looks and plays like a dream. This game, which orignally started out as RE4, will definitely set a new standard for 3D action games when it's released in late October.

Overall, I enjoyed this latest Resident Evil very much. While not quite as scary or difficult as past incarnations, the slick graphics and interesting storyline kept me hooked for many a late night. Add in the Wesker's Report series retrospective and the uber-cool Devil May Cry demo, and you've got a PS2 package that can't be beat. I highly recommend a purchase.