History VideoGame / ResidentEvilCodeVeronica

* SwallowedWhole: The Gulp Worm is large enough that it can devour a man in a single swallow, hence its name. It kills Rodrigo by devouring him in this way.

** In terms of weapons, the Combat Knife -- normally a JokeWeapon in earlier ''[=RE=]'' games -- gets a big boost in efficiency here, as it can easily floor zombies, and each swipe that hits a zombie or dog does multiple hits. More so if you swipe a downed zombie. As a result, it now does a better job of helping you save ammo ([[VideoGame/ResidentEvil4 A sign of things to come?]]), and it's helpful for clearing out hordes of zombies and dogs deep into the game.

* {{Backtracking}}: While common in some areas of previous ''Resident Evil'' games, ''Code: Veronica'' ''[[UpToEleven takes this up to eleven]]''. You'll find yourself running back and forth through the complexes often, ''especially'' when you accidentally forget to bring a required puzzle item with you.

** In the original Dreamcast version of the game, Alexia smacks [[spoiler:Wesker]] around like a bitch, forcing him to flee for his life. In ''Code: Veronica X'', [[spoiler:Wesker]] is able to dodge her attacks and even land a hit on her (which she shrugs off) and while he still realizes Alexia is too much for him, he affects a stylish VillainExitStageLeft instead while [[DeadpanSnarker sarcastically]] leaving her to "one of my best men" (read: Chris Redfield).

** In the original Dreamcast version of the game, Alexia smacks [[spoiler:Wesker]] around like a bitch, forcing him to flee for his life. In ''Code: Veronica X'', [[spoiler:Wesker]] is able to dodge her attacks and even land a hit on her (which she shrugs off) and while he still realizes Alexia is too much for him, he affects a stylish VillainExitStageLeft instead while [[DeadpanSnarker sarcastically]] leaving her to "one of my best men" i.e Chris.

* GuideDangIt: You know the fire extinguisher, the one the you used way back at the very beginning of the game and then left in the security box? [[spoiler:Well you better take it with you to Antarctica or you're not getting the magnum, which makes the final boss much easier to handle.]] The only clue the game gives you at all is that it's still hanging around in your inventory after you emptied it (as items normally vanish from your inventory once they're no longer needed), which is ridiculously easy to write off as an insignificant detail.
** The Anti-B.O.W Gas Grenades get ''no'' files dedicated to them and don't have an obvious effect when used, as they flood the screen with a temporary green tinge and knock all visible enemies to the ground temporarily. You need to either read a strategy guide or go online to find out that what they do is halve the current health of all enemies within the area of effect.

** The gas from the Anti-B.O.W Gas Grenades has no effect on bats, which aren't infected but merely ordinary territorial animals.

* CutsceneIncompetence: When [[spoiler:Steve's father]], who is now a zombie, tries to munch on Claire, she apparently forgets all about the weapons she's been carrying around. Steve does nothing for a while, saying that he can't help her. To be fair, Steve's inaction is justified as he just found out [[spoiler:that his dad is dead the hard way]]. There are also other situations in cutscenes where Claire is rendered helpless and in need of rescue.

* BigScrewedUpFamily: ''Code: Veronica'' is, if nothing else, a big demonstration of how screwed up the Ashford family is. Contrast their main opponents, the far more stable Redfield family.

* BondVillainStupidity: Subverted. While Alfred does subject Claire and Steve to an overly elaborate death trap (and gives up on it fairly quickly), he does try to shoot and kill them both before and after. [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy He fails several times]].

* CutsceneIncompetence: When [[spoiler:Steve's father]], who is now a zombie, tries to munch on Claire, she apparently forgets all about the weapons she's been carrying around. Steve does nothing for a while, saying that he can't help her. This is justified as he just found out [[spoiler:that his dad is dead the hard way]]. There are also other situations in cutscenes where Claire is rendered helpless and in need of rescue.

* DenserAndWackier: It's still a cult favorite, even if some elements are ripe for mockery: namely [[CreepyCrossdresser the cross-dressing villain]] and being the origin of the Wesker we know today, for better or worse. See ''Code Veronica X'': the Wesker vs. Alexia fight was redone to make him look more badass. Originally, Alexia was so powerful that he got thrown around like a ragdoll and narrowly avoided dying. Critics single out this game for starting the series' trend of over-the-top action and fans are inclined to agree. It's amazing that an untrained college student can pull off such ridiculous feats in the intro.

** About half of Alexia's dialogue, some of which she will turn to a camera that she cannot possibly know anyone is looking at, laugh, and turn it off. The novel explains it by giving Alexia psychic powers (to the point that the narration from her point of view really gives the impression of her being omnipotent). The fact that she could project herself in an island half around the globe, or the fact that she knows that an agent of Umbrella is there, scares the shit out of Wesker.[[note]]The novel is based on the original version where Wesker is utterly dominated by Alexia unlike in ''X''.[[/note]]

* EvilVersusEvil: Wesker and his invading battalion versus Alexia and her monster filled base. Claire and Steve are caught in the middle of it.
* ExposedToTheElements: Umbrella's Antarctic facility is clearly no longer heated, but lightly dressed Claire and Steve barely seem to notice. Claire even has an outdoor boss battle in a snowstorm.

* FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: Both Alfred and Alexia are good-looking, fair-haired, blue-eyed, and ''absolutely batshit insane''.

* IronicNurseryTune: Zigzagged with "Berceuse" (taken from the French for "Lullaby"), which is the leitmotif of Alfred and Alexia's childhood. Played in instrumental form throughout the first half of the game, it's fairly unremarkable, and barely qualifies as an OminousMusicBoxTune. But the game's OST has a vocal version of the song, which can also be heard in brief during the cutscene after Chris reaches Rockfort Island's control station. This reveals the song is about a friendly but naive king who is wed to a ruthlessly evil queen, who ultimately murders him to seize power for herself. The vocal version of the song reappeared in the ''Code: Veronica'' levels for ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheDarksideChronicles The Darkside Chronicles]]'', where it was retitled as "Alexia's Lullabye", and it makes it impossible to not be creeped out by the instrumental version ever again.

* MaleGaze: When Claire bends over the computer to email Leon, the camera (and Steve) quite blatantly focus on her backside.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Steve's haircut in ''Code: Veronica X'' was altered to lessen his likeness to Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio.

* GirlsStareAtSceneryBoysStareAtGirls: This trope proves to be a detriment. When Claire and Steve crash land in the Antarctic, they enter an Umbrella base and attempt to move a work vehicle out of the way with a crane. Steve operates the crane, with Claire staring off into the frigid tundra. While she's doing that, Steve proceeds to [[MaleGaze longingly stare at Claire's backside]], resulting in him not paying attention and unknowingly knocking the vehicle into a gas pipe, resulting in the two needing to evacuate the base.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Steve ends up dead, and Wesker escapes with his corpse to collect samples of the T-Veronica virus. But Chris and Claire manage to kill Alexia, destroy her Antarctic base, and set out to take down Umbrella.]]

** The very first Bandersnatch. The best weapon the player can use on it is either their pair of [=M100Ps=] or their much more valuable explosive-tipped arrows (which a prudent gamer will probably rather save for the Tyrant later on). Yes, the player can ''try'' to run to its left side where it has no arm, but it can still ''slap'' them with its one elastic arm.

* InfinityMinusOneSword: Like in the very first edition of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil1'', the Rocket Launcher is your only unlockable weapon in the main game. Just like in the original, it has infinite ammo and works wonders on almost everything... except that you cannot aim the weapon up or down, so certain enemies are impossible to hit with it, making it necessary for you to keep a backup gun to deal with those threats.

* LateArrivalSpoiler: Some versions of the game have Wesker's face on the title screen, and all the ''X'' re-releases display him prominently on the back of the box, despite the fact that his resurrection is supposed to be the game's big plot twist.

* LifeSavingMisfortune: In a way, Wesker and his men attacking the island saved Claire from the fate of some of the island's other prisoners. Given some of them were used as guinea pigs in Umbrella's experiments on the island, if that hadn't happened and the T-virus hadn't leaked as a result, Claire would have probably become a victim in said experiments. Of course, some of the other prisoners weren't so lucky and ended up turning into zombies. Steve was also lucky enough to survive... for a while at least.

* PlotArmor: Claire, Steve, [[spoiler:and Chris]] all enter Antarctica without the necessary clothing or equipment to protect them from the extreme cold. Furthermore, there's the series wide example of none of the protagonists being infected by the T-virus, even if a zombie chomps on them.

* ShoutOut: [[ShoutOut/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica See here.]]

* SpinOff: The game is considered this, but the storyline is still canon to the series. Which is pretty odd, considering it did just as much to advance the overall storyline of the series as ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3'' did, if not more.

* TalkingIsAFreeAction: In the original version, [[spoiler:Chris kills Alexia, triggering the self-destruct which he barely escapes. ''X'' includes a long extra scene while that clock is ticking. Somehow, Chris still barely escapes.]]

* TwinsAreSpecial: Alexia and Alfred both believe this trope is played straight, but they wind up being a subversion. Only Alexia was created with the explicit purpose of recreating Veronica. Alfred is merely a byproduct of the cloning process.

* AbsoluteCleavage: Claire's shirt, in addition to a [[BareYourMidriff bare midriff]], also has a very low neckline.

** In the original Dreamcast version of the game, Alexia smacks [[spoiler:Wesker]] around like a bitch, forcing him to flee for his life. In ''Code: Veronica X'', [[spoiler:Wesker]] is able to dodge her attacks and even land a hit on her (which she shrugs off) and while he still realizes Alexia is too much for him, he effects a stylish VillainExitStageLeft instead while [[DeadpanSnarker sarcastically]] leaving her to "one of my best men" i.e Chris.

''Code: Veronica'' marks the series' [[VideoGame3DLeap leap into full 3D environments]], with nary [[TwoAndAHalfD a pre-rendered background]] in sight. ''RE'' veterans were fairly nimble at the TankControls by now, but ''Code: Veronica'' is probably the hardest to control due to an [[CameraScrew awkward camera]] and the lack of a dodge mechanic. The key is to run past enemies and use the knife, which is [[BalanceBuff crazy-strong]] for this very reason. The [[AnotherSideAnotherStory alternate scenarios]] of the UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation}} era bid their farewell, at least until ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'': Rather than picking which character to control at the start, ''Code: Veronica'' opens from Claire's perspective before switching to Chris' for the second half.

** Claire doesn't actually get a gun until after zombies show up, and then it isn't even fully loaded. Ammo doesn't get plentiful until well into the training facility. In an interesting {{z|igZaggedTrope}}igzag, though, the lack of early-game ammo becomes much more tolerable once you learn that the [[JokeWeapon knife]] is actually a ''[[TookALevelInBadass decent weapon]]'' this time around.

* PlotArmor: Claire, Steve, [[spoiler:and Chris]] all enter Antarctica without the necessary clothing or equipment to protect them from the extreme cold. Furthermore, there's the serieswide example of none of the protagonists being infected by the T-virus, even if a zombie chomps on them.

* TwinsAreSpecial: Alexia and Alfred are both this trope played straight and a bit of a subversion. On the one hand, they are [[BrotherSisterIncest in love with each other]], with what comes off as just IncestSubtext from Alexia, as Alfred serves as her MoralityPet, becoming fullblown overt romantic and sexual obsession from Alfred. On the other hand, only Alexia was created with the explicit purpose of inheriting Veronica's intelligence and power; Alfred is merely a byproduct of the cloning process. Thus, Alexia can mutate and transform while Alfred is nothing more than a PsychopathicManchild, heavy emphasis on the psychopathic. In either case, the fact that they are genetically identical clones experimented on from birth justifies their unique bond and powers.

* UnwinnableByMistake: Since Claire's final playable section after being rescued by Chris has all the hallmarks of leading up to a boss fight, it's pretty easy to load up on heavy artillery for what you ''think'' is gonna be an epic throwdown. The issue comes in that any weapons and supplies Claire takes in this segment are lost, which can leave Chris without enough heavy weaponry for the final boss.

* GuideDangIt: You know the fire extinguisher, the one the you used way back at the very beginning of the game and then left in the security box? [[spoiler:Well you better take it with you to Antarctica or you're not getting the magnum, which makes the final boss much easier to handle.]]

* TwinsAreSpecial: Alexia and Alfred Ashford are both this trope played straight and a bit of a subversion. On the one hand, they are [[BrotherSisterIncest in love with each other]], with what may just be an IncestSubtext from Alexia, as Alfred serves as her MoralityPet, becoming completely overt romantic and sexual obsession from Alfred. On the other hand, only Alexia was created with the explicit purpose of inheriting Veronica's intelligence and power; Alfred is merely a byproduct of the cloning process. Thus, Alexia can mutate and transform while Alfred is nothing more than a PsychopathicManchild, heavy emphasis on the psychopathic. In either case, the fact that they are genetically identical clones experimented on from birth justifies their unique bond and powers.
* TwinSwitch: [[spoiler:that Alexia you interact with for the first half of the game? Yeah, that's Alfred who has at some point had a psychotic break and masquerades as his sister from time to time.]]

Three months after [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis the nuking of Raccoon City]], Umbrella is still busy making bioweapons despite [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating a minor setback or two]]. Claire Redfield, still on the hunt for her missing brother, Chris, is nabbed while infiltrating a Umbrella facility in Paris. They promptly ship Claire to Rockfort Island, a prison complex located somewhere in the South Seas; while Claire rots away in solitary, an unknown party bombs the island and sets off yet another T-Virus outbreak. Aided by fellow prisoner Steve Burnside, Claire searches for a way off the island while being stalked by the other survivor: Alfred Ashford, the demented former warden of the prison.

** Claire is still as kind as ever in this game. She even goes out of her way to help Rodrigo, even though he's the one who had caught and brought her to Rockfort Island in the first place.

** Claire is knocked unconscious on three separate occasions. In the opening cutscene, a guard hits her on the head with the butt of his rifle. Later, she and Steve are both knocked unconscious when their plane crashes at the Antarctic base, and again when their snowmobile is wrecked by Alexia's tentacle. ** In the comic book adaptation, after Steve frees Claire from her restraints after they are captured by Alexia and she injects Steve with T-Veronica, she goes looking for Steve and is almost killed by a hunter, which is killed by Alexia. Alexia immediately knocks Claire out again and places her in the cocoon.

* TapOnTheHead: Claire is knocked unconscious on three separate occasions. In the opening cutscene, a guard hits her on the head with the butt of his rifle. Later, she and Steve are both knocked unconscious when their plane crashes at the Antarctic base, and again when their snowmobile is wrecked by Alexia's tentacle. (There is another occasion in the comic book adaptation of Code Veronica, after Steve frees Claire from her restraints after they are captured by Alexia and she injects Steve with T-veronica, she goes looking for Steve and is almost killed by a hunter, which is killed by Alexia. Alexia immediately knocks Claire out again and places her in the cocoon.)

* TapOnTheHead: Claire is knocked unconscious on three separate occasions. In the opening cutscene, a guard hits her on the head with the butt of his rifle. Later, she and Steve are both knocked unconscious when their plane crashes at the Antarctic base, and again when their snowmobile is wrecked by Alexia's tentacle.

Originally a [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]] exclusive (hence [[StoppedNumberingSequels the lack of a numbered title]]), and the final ''Resident Evil'' game to be released on a Creator/{{Sega}} platform, it was ported to UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation 2}} a year after its initial release in 2000; this updated edition, subtitled ''Code Veronica X'', was ported the UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo GameCube}} in 2003. An HD version was later released for the UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation 3}} and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} in 2011.

Originally a [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]] exclusive (hence [[StoppedNumberingSequels the lack of a numbered title]]), and the final ''Resident Evil'' game to be released on a Creator/{{Sega}} platform, it is considered one of the best games on the console. It was ported to UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation 2}} a year after its initial release in 2000; this updated edition, subtitled ''Code Veronica X'', was ported the UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo GameCube}} in 2003. An HD version was later released for the UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation 3}} and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} in 2011.