Resident Evil 3 is the third video game of the Resident Evil game series. The game was remade and rereleased alongside an extra game coined “Resident Evil Resistance” on April 3 for $60.
The Resident Evil game series highlights the consequences of bioterrorism through Umbrella Corporation, a fantasy pharmaceuticals company engaging in shady activities behind the scenes. This remake is no exception to the key theme.
The plot centers on Raccoon City and its main protagonist Jill Valentine, an elite operative of Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S). Valentine previously investigated cannibalistic behavior in the Arklay Mountains, which are located in the outskirts of the city.
Upon booting up the Resident Evil 3 application, a screen with the game’s hideous main antagonist “Nemesis” intensely staring at the camera is shown. Once the player decides to play, however, they encounter three different modes they can choose from: assisted, standard, and hardcore, each at varying degrees of difficulty. I personally chose the standard mode, even though I later died in game eight times.
Valentine at the start of the story mode has only three more days in Raccoon City—a three days that prove fateful for the city. Throughout this time, she encounters many challenges, but the most prevalent is Nemesis. The hulking, colossal golem at the behest of the Umbrella Corporation hunts down all S.T.A.R.S members and Valentine happens to be one of them.
The game offers a unique experience to many prospective gamers. There is a decent amount of diversity in the narrative, where at various points the player looks through the eyes of Carlos, a mercenary hired by the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service. This, however, is a single part of a long-running list of positives.
The remake is absolutely stunning. All motions are fluid-like, adapting to the sudden change of a moment or the attack of a violent zombie. The game succeeds in this aspect, especially when a player is dodging a colossal attack of Nemesis or when the player runs away from a donut shop’s enormous, rolling head.
Resident Evil 3 couldn’t appear anymore well-structured and natural without the powerful arsenal it gives players. At the offset, Valentine obtains a standard handgun, but as the player progresses he or she finds more powerful weaponry like a grenade launcher. Not to mention, there are also epic cinematic moments like one where Valentine wields a full on zapper cannon.
The most roaring flaw in a casual playthrough is crafting and tediousness. Oftentimes, at least in my own playthrough, there were certain gunpowders that were totally at odds with what I truly needed, and at other times I needed to discard crafting resources to make room in my inventory for objective items. Although this feature is essential to the core of the game, it can be extremely tedious at times.
There’s also a lot of repetition throughout the entire story mode experience. The bio-evolution and near immortality of Nemesis is intriguing, but it can sometimes prove predictable and exhaustingly reoccurring. The same goes for the game’s Nikolai Zinoviev, a Sergeant of Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service, as he continuously presented “aha!” moments to Valentine.
At any rate, the game has many areas where it succeeds and others where it fails. Players may forget ammo is precious like me and waste a bunch of it on a single zombie while others may complete a superb, glorious playthrough with all the inventory space in the world.
Alongside the base Resident Evil 3 game came Resident Evil Resistance or better known as “Project Resistance”. This addition to the main game is a refreshing one as it taps into the asymmetrical survival horror genre that is currently dominated by video game company Behavior Interactive’s Dead by Daylight.
In Project Resistance, four survivors captured by Umbrella Corporation are put through several experiments that test their collective resolve. Each of the six available survivors have their own specialty whether it is Valerie Harmon’s ability to track the objective or Martin Sandwich’s crafted mines. Players may experience the survivor side of gameplay, but they may also tap into the power of the Mastermind.
The Mastermind is the force acting against the survivors in a round of Project Resistance. Currently the player may choose from four major characters in the lore of the Resident Evil series: Daniel Fabron, Annette Birkin, Alex Wesker, and Ozwell E. Spencer.
A typical match takes place in one of the multiple maps offered by the game. Included in the map selection is the Abandoned Park, a horror-themed attraction located on the outskirts of Raccoon City. Survivors win matches by completing objectives like fixing a world map puzzle while the Mastermind wins by preventing the survivors from escaping.
The game in itself is different in the way it approaches the asymmetrical survival horror genre. The Mastermind does not manifest into the game, but he or she rather controls the zombies that he or she spawns in. All the while Project Resistance reimagines how the genre should be reflected, they also stick to the core elements of the base game.
The graphics are the same as the main Resident Evil 3 remake: gorgeous. This fact complements the gameplay well.
As much as Project Resistance appears smooth, it also seems to have a problem shared by most of the asymmetrical scene: a lot of matches rely on teammates. Sometimes teammates may not be skilled at the game and take a lot of time. Time is precious in the game as a clock ticks down to when the match immediately closes and all the survivors pass out.
All in all, the Resident Evil 3 remake definitely lives up to the gold standard of the Resident Evil series. It has crisp animations, an intriguing storyline, and constant interaction with the player. Is it worth the $60 price tag, though? If anybody wants the game solely for the story mode, then they should wait for a discount. Otherwise, if one would enjoy the asymmetrical experience also offered, then it’s worth it.
It’s best that children do not play this game and for young adults it’s totally up to parental discretion. Admittedly, the time during which this remake rereleased was awkward, but it’d be difficult to delay such a cinematic masterpiece.