"Greetings! You must be the lovely Claire Redfield," a voice booms from behind. The words are drawn out and savoured by their speaker, spoken in a round transatlantic accent that demands attention and stops Claire in her tracks as she reaches Ashford Mansion. It's the moment Resident Evil: Code Veronica truly banks itself as one of the best Resident Evil games ever: it has its greatest villain, after all.
Not only is this introductory scene incredibly campy and fun, it marks a pivotal moment in the series as a whole – even for a non-mainline entry in the Resident Evil timeline. As we anticipate Capcom's Code Veronica remake, I'm digging through this scene in the 2000 original – and examining how the publisher has treated iconic scenes in past remakes – to make some predictions. Just how much of Code Veronica's inherent silliness might be scrubbed away in the name of modernity?
"Oh little fishy, come see my hook"
Okay, that might sound a bit dramatic. We've already seen the likes of remade Wesker in Resident Evil 4 remake, and truth be told, I don't hate him.
The decision to trade his swaggering transatlantic accent for a more conventional American one is a sign of the times, showing how representations of good versus evil in pop culture, movies, and games have shifted in the last two decades. The trend of an archetypal British baddie working opposite an all-American hero is out, and with that, the "othering" of Wesker as a bit of a theatrical drama queen.
But OG Code Veronica's Wesker needs that dramatic flair like oxygen. It's inherent to his character, I note during my most recent PS2 playthrough. From the slow clatter of his footsteps as he saunters up to Claire, to his requisite slicked back blonde hair, shades, and long black trench coat, Albert Wesker easily surpasses my love of the most underrated Resident Evil villain of the early 2000s, and that's down to his combination of aesthetics and attitude. The guy knows how to make an entrance, and Capcom does well to deliver it with panache through dramatic panning shots as he monologues at Claire. Who is he, she asks? "Let's just say I'm a ghost, coming back to haunt your dear brother."
This might be the best line of the whole brilliant scene, spoken moments before Wesker flies at Claire to rough her up, kick her to the ground like a mean playground bully, and leap away as effortlessly as Spider-Man. Capcom clearly knows how much fans love elements of the original games' scripts, corny as they are. Rewrites are always going to happen in a remake, but if the retention of Leon's witty one-liners in RE4R is anything to go on ("Where's everybody going? Bingo?) I'm hoping that Wesker the unfriendly ghost doesn't get left on the cutting room floor.
But the thing is, I just cannot imagine a gruff American Wesker having the same penchant for dramatics. Original Wesker is a classic vengeful baddie, but remake Wesker feels more like a secret agent gone darkside after his showing in Ada's DLC.
OG Code Veronica's Wesker needs that dramatic flair like oxygen.
Part of the charm of classic Resi is how unabashedly silly it can be. The amount of times I let out a snort of well-intentioned laughter while watching this YouTube compilation of Wesker's Code Veronica moments is proof enough of the timeless hilarity of a horror game that knows it's a bit off-the-rails. At the same time, though, with regards to Wesker, it's not all about scheming and plotting as he rubs his hands with devilish delight. His narrative and lore importance substantiates claims that Code Veronica should be considered canon, after all. Maybe his more serious implications to the plot are what Capcom will focus on when characterizing him in the Code Veronica remake, introducing us to a more modern iteration of Wesker to reflect the changing times. And I certainly don't expect him to Spider-Man-jump out of there.
At the end of the day, I do have hope for how the remake might treat my favorite villain's shock appearance in Code Veronica. The scene in Resident Evil 4 Remake where Ada and Leon reunite is one example of how Capcom can be trusted to update the tone of a memorable moment without scrapping it entirely. The duo's flashy Matrix-style slowed down moves have been traded up in the remake for a zippier scuffle to gain the upper hand. Ada's iconic backflip is replaced with a still impressive high kick, subsequently caught by her sparring buddy before hitting its target. But still, Leon has the last laugh in both versions, and it's a doozy of a Kennedy quote: "Try using a knife next time. Works better for close encounters."
As long as Capcom is able to bring that same respect for a character's DNA to its depiction of Wesker in the Code Veronica remake, I'll be happy enough. Just excuse me for a while as I prepare to mourn the loss of his sassy 2000s side.
There are plenty of upcoming horror games to get psyched for this year, from Silent Hill 2 to Slitterhead.
