Jill’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Before I begin this review in earnest, please note that this review only takes the single player campaign into consideration as my time with Resistance was too limited for me to comfortably include that in my score.

Despite being a numbered main entry in the series, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis has always been a bit of a black sheep amongst the early titles. Some disliked it because it didn’t really serve to move the story forward, as most of it takes place between the events of RE1 and RE2, calling it “RE 1.5” with bitter dismissal. Others disliked it for its focus on action instead of survival horror. I for one, adored RE3, especially its titular antagonist, Nemesis. There’s something thrilling about being on the run from a seemingly unkillable foe and at the end, giving Nemesis the STARS he wanted all along is still one of my favorite moments in gaming.

So, suffice to say that following an exceptional REmake 2, when Capcom announced REmake 3, I was thrilled to see one of my favorite games in the series remade.

Strap in Jill, it’s going to be one of those days.

MSRP: $59.99
Platform: PC, PS4, X1
Length: Campaign (6~ Hours)
Played: 12~ hours

Taking place before the inevitable destruction of Racoon City, Jill finds herself hunted by a new B.O.W. bent on the death of every remaining member of STARS. As she desperately struggles to find a way out of the doomed city, she meets Carlos and his team of mercenaries, who she reluctantly teams up with due to their connection to Umbrella.

Given that this is a remake, much of the big plot points play out similarly to the original, but in terms of locations, there are some areas that were added and some which were removed. There are also some enemies that are missing and some that were added and expanded on. As a total package it would be accurate to say that there are as many similarities as there are differences. As a veteran of the series and one that has played through the original RE3 multiple times, I found myself surprised and delighted quite frequently, but when I came across a note regarding a place I could no longer explore, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

On that note, I also really liked the branching paths in the original, where I could choose between different options in a crucial moment and end up in a different location or cause a different outcome. It was a great way to add replayability to an otherwise short campaign, and its absence is strongly felt here.

Locations and enemies have been changed drastically enough that it feels like a brand new game.

From a visual standpoint RE3 is a beautiful game, and despite RE2 being quite the looker, I think this one is a step above. With the likes of RE7, RE2, DMC5 and now RE3 under its belt, the RE Engine has more than proven itself to be one of the best development engines in the market. The visuals on display here is simply exceptional, with rich details for even the most mundane of objects and renders on the characters finely straddle that thin line between looking realistic without seeming off somehow. There is also a much bigger emphasis on music compared to RE2, as most of the locations have their own atmospheric music that serves to add tension to the scene.

As for the combat, RE3 features much more enemies which are more aggressive by design. In order to give the players a fighting chance, Jill can now dodge out of the way of attacks, and when done at the precise moment just before she is attacked, she can immediately retaliate with style and efficiency. This is particularly useful as when Nemesis shows up; he is relentless, and even on the easier difficulties, he could combo me to death before I could say “STARS”.

Nemesis has many appearances as he proves to be more than a thorn on Jill’s side, but after she takes a one way subway train ride out of town, his encounters become much more scripted. The set piece moments are full of thrills, but during multiple playthroughs they become less interesting. At the very least, the boss fights against Nemesis and its various forms are a treat, involving more than shooting it until it goes down with fight specific mechanics. Just as Leon found his action hero chops in RE4, in RE3 Jill becomes a bonafide super cop, performing feats that no normal human being could come close to, and I had the biggest grin on my face during the final battle against Nemesis, which I won’t spoil.

Carlos’s gameplay segments have been noticeably expanded and he himself has become a much more interesting character.

Once the campaign was complete, I was able to tally up points that I received by achieving certain milestones like killing 100 enemies with a Shotgun or going through a difficult section of the game quickly. By spending these points in the shop menu, I was able to unlock weapons not found in the main game, like a knife that could set enemies on fire or a powerful electric gun that only does damage when aimed at a weak point. There were also items like defense and offence coins which would increase my defensive/offensive respectively while they were in my inventory. Naturally, the most expensive unlock wasthe series staple, infinite rocket launcher. After I had purchased my weapons/items, I was able to find them waiting for me in my item box, and after looking through the records to see which achievements I had left to get and how many points they were worth, I began a new playthrough in Hardcore mode.

Unlike the Hardcore mode that required the use of ink ribbons in RE2, this was mostly just a step up in difficulty in terms of damage taken, scarcity of ammo/healing items and how much punishment enemies could take before going down. More interestingly, I was able to unlock Nightmare mode after completing Hardcore, which not only did all theabove but changed up the location of items and placement/type of enemies, which changed the experience significantly. Given that I was unlocking new weapons and items and setting new goals to achieve during each playthrough, I found that I was having fun, despite treading familiar grounds time and time again.

Although the inclusion of the shop and multiple difficulties adds a fair bit of replayability to the package, the original RE3 was the first introduction of the Mercenaries mode, and to see it removed entirely was quite disappointing. In RE2, the additional Tofu survivor mode was expanded on significantly with multiple playable… Tofus, so to see an entire mode that was one of the defining characteristics of the original gone makes me feel like RE3 could have spent more time in development to become the full package that it deserves to be. While some could claim that Resistance is the replacement for Mercenaries, I would remind them that they are very different types of modes so it’s like instead of getting a soup, we got a salad.

I wanted the soup.

Oh, hi there.

Despite missing a few defining features of the original, Resident Evil 3 makes for a thrilling experience that I’m sure will be enjoyed by both veterans of the series and new fans alike.

Fun Tidbit – Try to get the Rai-Den as your first unlock. It doesn’t completely trivialize the game since you still have to aim for the weak points and it has a long reload time but it’s very fun to use.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • RE Engine impresses again with incredible visuals and consistent performance
  • Multiple difficulty modes and a shop where items/weapons can be purchased
  • The ability to dodge adds another element of strategy
  • Nemesis is intimidating and fun to fight against
Bad
  • No branching story points
  • No mercenaries mode
  • Most Nemesis encounters feel overly scripted
8
Great
Written by
Jae has been a gamer ever since he got a Nintendo when he was just a child. He has a passion for games and enjoys writing. While he worries about the direction gaming as a medium might be headed, he's too busy playing games to do anything about it.