Resident Evil 3 Remake Review
April 5, 2020
April 03, 2020. Daylight. Resident Evil 3 Remake is released. And somehow.. We got our hands on one copy.
Not the way it used to be
It’s a remake, yes, I get that, but having it almost reworked from the ground up is something else. Like it isn’t the Resident Evil 3 that most us grew up to. However, this one will take you into Jill’s personal space, something that we didn’t get to experience before. It opens up and presents the heroine’s internal battle against the nightmare that was soon to be unleashed.
Nemesis, another iconic entity of the original game, gets an early introduction in this iteration. Capcom stayed with the original art design of Nemesis, but with some added details, albeit non-nightmare-inducing forms. Sadly tho, even with his unceasing chase after the S.T.A.R.S member, his iconic ‘S.T.A.R.S’ screams and jump scare moments in this game aren’t as nerve-racking as the old Nemesis’ in the original Resident Evil 3. This happens because after your first encounter with him, the heart pounding moments gets less and less as his appearances steadily becomes predictable.
In this remake, Capcom was able to close some accounts that last year’s RE2 Remake left opened. While the story’s timeline is still on point with the original and squeezes in smoothly with the whole Resident Evil universe timeline, some memorable moments from the original Resident Evil 3 didn’t make the cut tho. Fortunately, other original characters like S.T.A.R.S member, Brad Vickers, U.B.C.S’ Mikhail Victor, and the container dweller Dario Rosso still have their memorable moments in this iteration.
Easy-peasy, ammunition’s many
One thing’s for sure, this time around you won’t scour the city too long just to look for ammunition, because there’s plenty lying around waiting for you to pick them up. There’s also a handful of gun powders that you can combine for additional ammunition to put through the heads of shambling undead or to help put the annoying Nemesis down.
Pivotal encounters or boss fights are easily predicted as the number of scattered ammunition inside a savepoint suspiciously increases. There would be numerous ammunition for different weapons laying around. This cooks up an understanding that there is something beyond that needs careful preparation and lots of ammunition.
Boss fights and even normal encounters are made lighter, which newbies and story seekers would appreciate, as Capcom introduces a new defensive ability in this remake. Much like in the original game, Jill can dodge attacks from rotting zombies and other vicious creatures. But this time around, Capcom adds a perfect dodge, which can be triggered when a player dodges an attack at a precise moment, enabling Jill to roll and enter a slow-motion phase. As a cherry on top, Perfect dodge can be extended to a counterattack when the player taps then holds aim while in a perfect dodge condition, which enables Jill to use the equipped weapon and inflict critical damage(s) with deadly precision.
And when you find yourself in a pinch, say a handful of zombies have trapped or pinned you down, there’s always the original emergency escape, which minimizes the damage taken from an unavoidable attack. Just continuously tap the specific button that will show up on screen.
These new nifty abilities may seem to make the game easier, but the addition makes the game even more engaging.
A new perspective to a rather fast storyline
All the essentials of the original Resident Evil 3 are still present in Resident Evil 3 Remake, like the train and poisoned Jill scenes. However, there are a number of segments that did not make the cut. This made me feel that the game was somehow rushed.
Don’t get the wrong idea here, I admire the game. But as a fan of the franchise and of the title, it feels a bit lacking in terms of story progression. It presented a very linear gameplay and as well as the progression that made Raccoon City seem small. The first couple of areas didn’t even push me to check the map to know where I should go and where to check for the needed items. AND there are no notable puzzles that eat up a lot of time.
It felt like playing a new generation RE 6 without a dual character feature. This feeling dug deeper into me when I saw the crates that hide ammunition and other items; it dug even deeper when I finished my first playthrough and learned about the power-ups.
Oh yeah, infinites are purchasable in the shop as well. To get points for the shop, one will need to finish corresponding challenges that really rings RE 6 mechanics.
What we think
Even if this isn’t the Jill we wanted, she fits the bill very well. I caught myself staring at her numerous times. Tho with her on board, the game is still not something that we would buy in a heartbeat.
In terms of aesthetics, Capcom’s Resident Evil 3 Remake puts the graphical details a notch higher. While the new generation models are easily acceptable, especially Jill Valentine, one would think that with this level of detail, PC players would need high-end components. But thanks to Capcom’s implementation of FidelityFX, low-end PCs will still be able to run the game with acceptable frame rates and graphical details comparable to that of its console counterpart.
Those who played the original Resident Evil 3 would look for more out of this remake, but the good thing about this is, new players can easily dive into the story and start their RE universe journey.
Resident Evil 3 Remake is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam for PC. Alternatively, you can get a FREE copy just by purchasing any of the latest AMD Radeon graphics cards available in the market. Radeon also bundles its latest graphics cards with a FREE Monster Hunter World: Iceborne.