It’s time to head back to Racoon City with the remaster of Resident Evil 3! In this review we’ll tell you everything you need to know before you play, including a look at the multiplayer mode Resident Evil Resistance!
Transcript:
Hey, how’s it going guys? Welcome to our review of Resident Evil 3. We’ll give you the lowdown on everything you need to know before you play. But before I do, make sure to hit subscribe and the notification bell to make sure you don’t miss a single video!
Last year’s remaster of Resident Evil 2 was an absolute game of the year contender, and indeed picked up many accolades and awards. That’s why hype for a similar treatment to Resident Evil 3 was through the roof.
With a story taking place alongside the events of its predecessor, Resident Evil 3 sees you take control of series favourite Jill Valentine, as you try to escape from Raccoon City. This is easier said than done, as you’re pursued by hordes of the undead, not to mention the hulking, unrelenting Nemesis.
Does Resident Evil 3 manage to recreate the magic of 2, or is it one fedora short of a Mr. X? Gee that was bad, even for me! Watch on to find out…The first thing you’ll notice is that it looks just as great as Resi 2. Opening up the world from the cramped corridors of the police station to the streets of Racoon City allows for more vibrance and colour, as neon lights illuminate the carnage happening around you. These more expansive maps also offer more variety when it comes to traversal and the way you approach the game, but also means there’s more ways for the hungry infected to sneak up on you.
Capcom have also done a great job of recreating, or specifically updating the story for a modern audience. Alongside Jill Valentine, there’s a great cast of supporting characters, including the cocky mercenary Carlos Oliveira, whom you get to take the reins of on occasion to offer a more, direct solution for zombie control. It deftly leans into the cheesiness of the original games, preserving the series’ identity without descending into parody.
And speaking of characters, there’s none more synonymous with Resi 3 than the intelligent biological weapon Nemesis. Although he looms as an unkillable presence, much like Mr. X in 2, he’s a different beast altogether. With the ability to use weapons, he’s as menacing as he is iconic, and the passages of the game in which you encounter him are bound to get your pulse racing.
And although the campaign is relatively short at around 6 hours, the inclusion of the PvE multiplayer mode Resident Evil Resistance does attempt to make up for this.
Resistance sees you take the role of either one of four survivors or an evil mastermind with the power to throw zombies or other beasties in their way. The only thing is, Resistance isn’t brilliant – the four survivors feel unbalanced, meaning certain players might be largely redundant for large portions of a round, and it just feels like a basic imitation of games like Dead By Daylight.
And unfortunately the main Resi 3 campaign isn’t perfect either. The short play time makes it feel a bit like an expansion of Resi 2, rather than a fully fledged game. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just don’t expect the heft of last year’s entry.
But unlike Resi 2 and much like the original Nemesis, this remaster tries to introduce more aspects of action into the formula. However this is occasionally at odds with the more horror elements. By no means does this spoil the overall experience, it’s just not quite as good as its more focussed predecessor.
To wrap up, Resident Evil 3 is another great game. It lovingly recreates the original experience into a modern, polished product that feels as vital as it did when it first wreaked havoc on consoles in the late 90s.
Alas it does suffer from diminishing returns, and just isn’t quite as good as 2019’s Resident Evil 2. Is it fair to compare the two? Perhaps not, but with them dropping so close together, it’s almost impossible not to. We’d still thoroughly recommend playing, but don’t expect another game of the year contender.
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