Some filler, mostly killer.
With the release of the Resident Evil 2 remake last year, Capcom returned to their beloved zombie franchise in rare form, offering up not just one of the best games in the franchise, but one of the best games of last year entirely. Shortly after the title released, Capcom teased that the follow-up, Resident Evil 3, was up for being remade as well. While somewhat predictable, this game was largely being developed alongside Resident Evil 2, and while it carries the remake torch in much the same way, it does stumble and drop it from time to time, never dousing the flame entirely, but it certainly flickers.
Resident Evil 2 was designed to be largely claustrophobic, with smaller environments, tight corridors that you would share with the undead, all while being chased by the menacing Mr. X, a juggernaut of science that was largely invincible. The dark and moody atmosphere of the police station was perfect, often detailed with so much blood and gore to set the narrative in ways Resident Evil expertly nails. Resident Evil 3 takes place largely outside in the streets of Raccoon City, in several large wide-open environments, removing a lot of the claustrophobic nature of the series. While you’ll visit some locations from the previous title, much of this follow-up acts as a prequel taking place before, during, and after the events of its predecessor.
The original Resident Evil 3 had a very quick development time back when it originally released on the Playstation One, and this remake feels like it received the same treatment. The game is considerably shorter, lacks any alternative playthroughs or the choices that changed elements of the story found in the original. While it does have additional difficulty settings when completing the game on its hardest setting, there isn’t the same degree of replayability that was found in last year’s Resident Evil 2. Overall, this new version can easily be completed in less than 5 hours, and that’s with collecting every item, exploring every area to its fullest, and reading every note and email and so on. While there is also an added multiplayer mode in Resistance that I’ll be discussing shortly, it doesn’t really fair much better than Umbrella Corps, a largely forgettable spin-off that released some time ago on the PlayStation 4. Don’t remember it? Well, you’re better off for it.
While Resident Evil 3 is a rather short experience, it still scratches all those itches for what I wanted from it, with a few things that could have been better. Shooting is pretty much exactly how it felt last year and the assisted mode is back for those who need a little help with their aiming. Zombies still shamble around, but both Jill and Carlos lack the capability to shove them off or use knives or grenades to act as a defensive push-back, despite both of them having far more training than both Leon and Claire combined. It’s made even more bizarre that there is a button prompt to push them off that doesn’t feel like it serves a purpose in the way you’d want it to. There is some poor telegraphing that does feel a tad silly, such as finding a certain gun and ammunition type just before you’ll need it, but otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Resident Evil 3, but those are my biggest complaints about its campaign, less one that I’ll be diving into next.
The original Resident 3 is known for its main threat; Nemesis. Hell, the original game was literally named after him. This monster would stalk you down halls, show up when you thought everything was safe and made you incredibly paranoid about when and where he would show up next. Nemesis is easily a fan favorite and might very well be the most popular creature across the entire franchise. So, when Resident Evil 3 was announced to be remade in the same way 2 was, many were excited to see what would become of this beloved monster. Sadly, Nemesis is solely treated as a staged threat, only showing up at predetermined and largely predictable moments in the story and rarely for long. He certainly has more moves like running and jumping out right in front of you, lashing out a series of tendrils, as well as a devastating flame thrower, and while the game starts out strong with a truly spectacular first encounter, his appearances later on just don’t satisfy in the same way. He’s still a solid threat to deal with, but he should have remained an unpredictable threat to keep you on your toes, second-guessing your choice to head back to that ammo you left down the street. The game also looks to reward you with standing up to him as temporarily downing him will reward you with a weapon’s case, containing a weapon part to assist you in your efforts to survive.
Right from the opening minutes, we are shown the devastation of a virus that is consuming mankind, something that is hitting pretty close to home these days. Jill Valentine, the central protagonist of Resident Evil 3, has been having nightmares of being infected, turning into one of the undead. While the core narrative is Jill being hunted by Nemesis, a monster intent on taking out all remaining S.T.A.R.S members, Jill’s attention quickly turns to tracking down a cure for the virus, all while looking to implicate the pharmaceutical firm, The Umbrella Corporation, in their role of creating this zombie outbreak. There are a few character moments and additional threads that tie into this narrative, but more or less, this is the structure of what to expect from the game’s story.
Before the Resident Evil 3 remake was revealed for the first time, leaks started to hit the internet and some people were having issues with JIll’s overall design, saying she looked like a man or that her face contained certain male features. I have no idea why they would think that but agree with several tweets I saw online that more or less summed it up that these people have never seen a woman before. Based on the Russian model, Sasha Zotova, Jill’s design was considerably better than I had expected and also placed her in an outfit that was far more functional and decked out in the colors of her original assortment, an outfit that was made available as a pre-order bonus. Carlos Oliveira, the secondary protagonist, is also sporting a new look with some amazing hair that gives the character a truly iconic look as opposed to the generic soldier #14 appearance he had way back when.
What I really found more impressive in this remake, more so than last year’s Resident Evil 2, was the characterization of Jill and Carlos over Leon and Claire. I found them vastly more human and the voice acting is drastically better as well. Also, for some reason, Carlos had this Keanu Reeves vibe going on, but maybe that was just me. Regardless, I really got behind the changes they made to both Jill and Carlos and it sucks that the game was as short as it was, because I would have really enjoyed more time with these two on-screen. Their interactions are few, but I really enjoyed their banter and the development of Carlos learning the truth about Umbrella, was something that interested me greatly about the character.
While Jill and Carlos lack the capability to push or kick zombies off, they do each have a move that makes it a bit easier to dodge or attack zombies. Jill has a quick dodge that can be timed for a perfect dodge, slowing time around her, letting her line up some much-needed headshots. The dodge is very effective and while it can take a bit to master exactly where a zombie’s reach is, it does help far more than it doesn’t. Carlos can throw a lot of weight into a solid punch, making him drop zombies and other larger threats to the ground, letting him bury a ton of ammunition into them freely; It’s rather effective.
Despite the two additional difficulty modes that unlock after completing the game on hardcore difficulty, there isn’t a tremendous amount of replayability in new content here. Tougher enemies and reshuffled items are one thing, but all that there is to do with additional playthroughs is by collecting points for completing certain tasks in the game, which can then be spent on a new outfit for Jill, some various items, buffs, and weapons to use on additional playthroughs. While the original RE1 outfit for Jill is highly entertaining, given how ridiculous it is, these unlocks are lacking in almost every way and fail to offer up a compelling reason to push through the game over and over again.
Tacked on to Resident Evil 3 is Resistance, an asymmetric multiplayer experience that I personally didn’t care for. You’ll take on the role of one of several different survivors, each with their own perks and abilities in an effort to escape the clutches of the mastermind, a shadowy figure controlled by another player as they attempt to stop you from escaping. Survivors have access to various weapons, herbs, and ammo, and have skills like hacking camera’s to slow down the mastermind, or provide bonus heals or unlimited ammo for a short while. The mastermind, a mode that I could never queue up for, despite having matchmaking search for upwards to an hour each time, sees the 5th player select from cards, placing down traps, zombies, or taking control of bio-threats such as Mr. X or William Birkin. The mode uses the basic combat engine found in the campaign, but it’s not long before you realize that it doesn’t suit a fast-paced co-op experience and its flaws are far more apparent. Resistance also contains loot boxes and while you cannot flat out buy them, you can buy boosters that have you gain more credits to earn more, so there is that to consider as well.
Despite its length, the tacked-on multiplayer, and its use of Nemesis, Resident Evil 3 is still an enjoyable romp through a beloved classic. The visuals are incredibly gorgeous, with a highly detailed Raccoon City that is impressive at every turn. The characterizations of Jill and Carlos are a treat, and while I wish its real villain was a bit more involved and prominent during the narrative, I enjoyed what screen-time he had. Resident Evil 3 is largely where the series took a more action-route and it certainly does have a different feel than Resident Evil 2, but in regards to how it adapts the original, it does a very decent job at doing that, despite the issues I’ve detailed. Again, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is quite enjoyable, but it’s best to have a certain degree of expectation going in and fully understanding what you’re getting here.
Resident Evil 3 was purchased by the reviewer and played on an Xbox One X.
All screenshots were taken on an Xbox One X.