Platform reviewed on: PC
Also available on: PS4, Xbox One
General/ Plot:….8
After the isnurmountable success of last year’s Resident Evil 2 Remake, CAPCOM decided to repeat this achievement with yet another remake from the beloved franchise. The original Resident Evil 3 for me is one of the best in the series for a lot of reasons, first and foremost Nemesis himself, a hulking Biological Weapon that hunted you relentlessly accross the entire game.
You step in the shoes of Jill Valentine, a former S.T.A.R.S. member (check Resident Evil lore for more information) who is about to abandon the zombie infested Raccoon City once and for all. However this is easier said than done, because apart from Nemesis, she has to face a plethora of monsters who just want to murder her given the opportunity. In her struggle, she is accompanied by Carlos Oliveira, a young U.B.C.S. soldier who is sent along with his companions to rescue the remaining citizens of Raccoon City. Without any spoilers, the story is decent enough and it is almost exactly the same with the original Resident Evil 3, apart from some additional events that shed more light to certain characters and their motives.
Graphics:…..9
The game looks stunning. Character and monster models are of top notchquality and are brimming with detail. The first time I saw Jill I thought that she was about to talk to me. Monsters, espescially Nemesis, are terrifying. Even minor enemies like the drain demons, insectoids that want to fill your stomach with parasites, are masterfully created. The game, while mostly linear with a little backtracking, permits you to traverse a good portion of Raccoon city. The city itself never before looked so spectacular. The streets are filled with dead bodies, crashed cars and a lot of fire. Apart from the city, you get to explore other places such as a horrifying hospital with tight corridors and an infested police station. In addition, cut scenes are also excellent and well directed thus raising the immersion. The map is also very well created; the game’s designers use different colours to indicate which rooms have been fully explored or not, helping you collect all available supplies as well as key items essential to progress the story. The only blemish in the graphics department is that in some places, espescially walls, low resolution textures appear despite the fact that my graphics were set to maximum detail.
Sound Design:……9
The game excels here as well. Voice acting is superb, espescially the actors for Jill and Carlos have done a terrific job. The soundtrack is also very good with tunes that are fitting for the situation you are in; walk in a save room and the classic Resident Evil tune will play strumming all these nostalgia chords. Monsters, even simple zombies, sound terrifying. For example, the first time you encounter Hunter Beta, its scream is guaranteed to give you goosebumps. In addition, gunshots are very realistic and give you the impression that you have a very powerfull arsenal at your disposal.
Gameplay:….6
Here start the problems for Resident Evil 3 Remake. Why? Because CAPCOM decided to ditch half the content of the original game. But lets start from the beginning.
In general, the characters control smoothly much like Leon and Claire in Resident Evil 2 Remake. However, now long gone are the self defence items. Instead of those, Carlos and Jill have a unique dodge maneuver that when executed at the right time, apart from enabling you to evade oncoming attacks, slow down time and permit the player to land critical hits. It is a move that is difficult to master but essential if you want to survive and conserve ammunition espescially on higher difficulties. Also, every enemy you encounter requires a different approach in order to exterminate them and as a result the player has to switch his/ her strategy on the fly to achieve optimal solutions. Speaking about arsenal, you will find a good amount of weapons that can also be upgraded. However, there are some absences like the freeze rounds for the grenade launcher, the enhanced ammunition for the handgun and the shotgun as well as my personal favourite from the original game, the winchester like rifle. In addition, In the environment you can find explosive barrels and transformers that when fired upon, exterminate or incapacitate instantly nearby enemies.
The main problem of the game though in the gameplay department and the reason for this low rating is, that while playing, I thought I was experiencing an action packed Uncharted like title and not a survival horror game. The Nemesis, who is supposed to be the main antagonist of Jill, is a walkon in his own game. Apart from maximum 10 minutes of him relentlessly chasing you in the streets of Raccoon city in the first part of the game, the later encounters with him are mostly set piece boss battles and as a result, the scare factor that stemmed from him randomly appearing before your eyes is eliminated. Those set piece battles are for the most part just OK but are literraly nothing compared to the epic battles with him in the original game. This is a serious letdown in my opinion.
In addition, enemies like the giant spiders and the brain suckers are absent. Hell they did not even include the excellent battle with the grave digger. Also, where are the clever riddles? Most tasks require you to pick a key item from point A and take it to point B in order to advance. Where are places like the spooky clock tower and the zoo from the original game? CAPCOM butchered this remake for absolutely no reason.
Moreover, due to its more action nature, you do not get to spend much time in the few places you visit and you are constantly in a rush. As a result, the game is over before you know it, clocking in at around 5 hours. Honestly, upon completion, I felt like I was playing a Resident Evil 2 Remake DLC. Also where is the mercenaries mode from the original game??
The final nail in the coffin is the absence of branching paths; in the original, at times you had to choose between two actions in order for different things to happen depending on your situation. Here, guess what?? These branching paths are also gone thus diminishing even more its replayability. The only reason for you to start a new game is the fact that you can challenge yourself by playing on a higher difficulty setting and that you can collect points to purchase some unlockables from the shop. And that is about it.
Value for money:…..5
I may sound like I am ranting but the original Resident Evil 3 was my favourite game in the franchise and this remake does not even come close to it. If Resident Evil 2 Remake did not exist, I would have given a higher rating but because I have seen the difference in quality between those 2 and I have to compare them, the only thing I can say is that while in general it is a decent game, it is disappointing to say the least. It is very light on content, only 5 hours long, does not encourage subsequent playthroughs and in my opinion does not justfy its high price tag. Wait until its price drops below 20 Euros.
Hel.Ga.Te.S 