Yes, we are those ole’ school Resident Evil fans who after experiencing Resident Evil 2 Remake, has begged Capcom for more Resident Evil well-polished remakes. I’m sure our begging for more zombie scares played little part in moving the remake needle in our favor, nevertheless here we are.
Resident 3 Remake is here…and after more than 7 hours reliving the games reminiscent excitement of being savagely stalked by the Nemesis, we are convinced Capcom should continue taking our advice of pushing out more Resident Evil Remakes.
For starters, Resident Evil 3 Remake is not quite as entertaining as the Resident Evil 2 Remake. Nor was the original RE3 better than the original RE2. In no way does this take away from how good this game is, despite its seemingly short-lived offering.
With that out of the way, the balancing act of Resident Evil 3 Remake works well as the experience is impressively woven seamlessly within the events of Resident Evil 2. Taking place just before Leon Kennedy and Clair Redfield make their way to Raccoon City, players are in the footsteps of Jill Valentine, a capable and fearless RPD officer who has been strategically investigating Umbrella.
Due to these circumstances, Umbrella unleashes an unstoppable juggernaut bio-weapon of sorts, and off we go. Unfortunately, a nasty T-Virus has also begun infecting the residents of Raccoon City as all hell breaks loose forcing Jill to fight her way through impossible odds in order to get to the heart of this outbreak.
Along the way Jill gains more investigative footing after joining forces with members of U.B.C.S. who aid Jill at most turns, eventually fighting alongside your efforts.
For you experienced Resident Evil fans who remember playing the original RE3, this remake does a fantastic job rekindling those moments. Yet, this is not a simple do-over of sorts. This time Capcom has added a few new touches within the games narrative design, Jill receives a facelift, and more impressively the game looks flat out amazing.
For whatever reason, certain sequences of the original game have been replaced or completed removed, making the game in certain spots feel more action-oriented, again not a completely bad thing, yet some original ingredients are sorely missed.
Utilizing the same RE Engine used for the RE2 Remake, the actual gameplay visuals hold extremely well next to the games’ gorgeous cinematic cut-scenes. In addition, the game ran quite well throughout.
There was never an occasion where I noticed texture pop-ins or any framerate lag while playing on the PlayStation 4 Pro. Throughout the ride was butter smooth.
Unlike RE2, which maintained challenging brain teaser puzzle designs, RE3 Remake almost completely leaves that behind. For our taste, though we enjoyed what is on tap, this lack is quite noticeable, especially if you remember many of the originals game offerings. This, of course, does take away from the games’ full playtime, which can leave much to be desired. Is this a bad thing, well it does depend on player’s experience with the series. If you never played the original game you would have no idea that the Nemesis was more of a constant threat in the original game or that much of the games’ original puzzles and branching sub-sections were completely cut.
Even still, what is on tap almost makes up for it. RE3 Remake takes advantage of zombie encounter moments as the undead will try to crowd your space as much as possible. While RE3 Remake is far from being a scare-fest, zombies if too close for comfort will enlarge your screen while tearing flesh from your neck. Even the crawling zombies can make matters worse if they can latch onto your leg for some good eating.
Thankfully, Capcom has added evasive maneuverability, allowing Jill to evade and or roll out of harm’s way. This maneuver is a timed action that after a few tries make encounters much easier just as long as you are not too close. This also works while playing as U.B.C.S. mercenary Carlos Oliveira, only with Carlos he can also execute a devastating punch, sending most zombie flying. Do not try this with the Nemesis, just run!
Alongside, Nemesis, Jill, and Carlos will be confronted by an assortment of zombie ghouls. From what we would call regular pedestrian zombies, crawlers, mutated all-white bullet sponge zombies, zombie dogs, mutated giant reptilian beasts, sewer creatures with massive tongues which grab their prey just before consumption, and a few others. Nemesis, on the other hand, is a completely different adversary altogether.
Powerful, agile, quick and super aggressive, nothing can stand in his way, and throughout the experience, he is making his destructive presence known.
At the games conclusion is where the nostalgia of the original game or lack thereof was hugely noticed, as the replayability factor was quite glaring. Please don’t get me wrong, I had a blast playing through this Remake, yet once I was finished it was less than memorable than the original, unlike the RE2 Remake, which I have played several times over.
Without a doubt, Resident Evil 3 Remake was enjoyable with terrific eye candy. Even the games sound design, character voice-acting, and level designs were wonderfully implemented. However, if you have played the original game you might be somewhat let down with this overall production.
Yet, ultimately, what is on tap here is a great game, maintaining most of the bells and whistles you would expect from a triple ‘A’ title.