Resident Evil 3: Nemesis

"This Nemesis won't mod you...It will only KILL you!!"

For those of you who've just woken up from a very long sleep, the principle of Resident Evil is simple: feed the dog, got into your room or wherever your PC is, close the windows, switch off the light, put your TV volume to the max and get into a world where zombies appear through windows and where you check your ammo in anxiety before opening a weird-looking door. Your heat will keep pumping at all times and you'll be scared by every little sound that you hear. You'll remain tense at all time and will never dare look behind you. No, this isn't a Jerry Seinfeld Show…This is Capcom's Resident Evil !

The plot is now popular among the gaming community but just in case...The very powerful and respectable (but only officially!) has been carrying out research on secret weapons. In the first episode, Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, considered as the best members of STARS, had to fight their way through hordes of zombies to look for a certain virus or antidote whatever you want to call it - who the hell cares ?. In the sequel, Claire Redfield was looking for her brother while Leon Kennedy, a young cop very wet behind the ears, had to deal with zombies in Raccoon City without really knowing what was happening around him.

In Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Jill Valentine is back. Yeah, right, she never was dead, she was only on holidays ! Didn't you know that ? Nemesis is thus a good excuse to explain the mystery and to clear up certain facts, a thing which most of the fans were looking for. And everything is set up as from the beginning where we learn that Jill was also at Raccoon City and she left after Claire et Leon (where are they now?). I'm not going to spoil the fun, it's up to you whether you'll be strong enough to unveil the whole plot. But the plot in this new RE is very good and is a must for those who've played the prequels. By beating Nemesis, they will also know everything from the beginning and how Jill really came to be involved in all this.

RE3 takes over what has made the success of its predecessors. Dark backgrounds, complex and annoying puzzles which will get you moving from the beginning to the end of the game, information on the plot as you progress and hordes of zombies to make your life very difficult indeed along with a totally new villain known as Nemesis which also seems to be invincible. Capcom hasn't failed yet and has once again achieved a true masterpiece, even better than the prequels.

RE3 comes packed with new ideas and innovations. The best one remains the new character Carlos, a mercenary who once worked for Umbrella. Now, doesn't that remind you of something? You only control him from time to time and Jill remains the main character in RE3. However, at some points of the game, you are asked to control Carlos for the sake of the plot and by controlling him, new things which you never even thought of will be revealed. Another new idea concerns the weapon and their ammunition. Throughout the game, you'll also come across different types of powder which you can mix to obtain all types of ammo, up to 13. Blah, I'm not afraid of those damn zombies, let'em come !!

The zombies are still so much present and they now come in groups of 5 or 6 to scare you a bit and use up your ammo. They don't care if they die since they're already dead in a sense ! The dogs, crows and spiders are sill here too but all these are nothing compared to what I like most in RE3: Nemesis himself. Yeah, for those who've been wondering, Nemesis is not just a word to give the game a great title. Remember Tyrant...? Nemesis is just like him but bigger, more cruel, more resistant and even more of a nerd. Big, invincible, swift (how the hell does he do that ?) and always with his bazooka, he'll follow you throughout the game without any thought for the poor doors and walls which he'll crush on his way.

Another great new idea which wasn't present in the previous titles is the option to choose between 2 alternatives from time to time. It doesn't really affect the game but does change one things or two, depending on your choice. You'll be introduced to this new feature at the beginning of the game where you'll be asked if you want to become friends with Nemesis. So, beware, think well before you make up your mind. And be quick too because you only have some time to choose. It's useless to just sit there and scratch your head, this sort of thing is unheard of in the RE series. And don't count on Nemesis to tell you the opposite !

The weapons are just like in the previous titles. The bazooka still rules and the shotgun can still be used to blow off the head of the zombies whenever you feel like it. Just let them come close and introduce them to your faithful companion. Hey, is that blood on the wall ? The puzzles will get you to do some thinking and you can trust RE to be packed with complex puzzles like getting keys to open new doors and eventually meet new enemies.

Before playing it, I was a bit afraid concerning the graphics. The previous titles were lame in terms of graphics and I couldn't help comparing them to the PSX version and thinking that Capcom could really have done better. RE3 is the exception. Great graphics and great backgrounds will get you hooked up to the game is no time. Jill Valentine is very realistic as well as the other characters and their expressions are very cute and amazingly detailed. I mostly like the outfits (Carlo's rules) which give them a more realistic feel and thus make the graphics better. The amount of details is awesome like in the PSX version from those around the characters to the numerous enemies which will track you down.

The music is pretty much the same and contribute to the unique atmosphere of the game. The sound effects will still get you jumping off your seat like the zombies groaning, the flutters of wings and the big noise created by Nemesis bashing up a wall which had the bad idea of standing in its way. The voices are, as usual in the series, perfect. Well, what would be RE without perfect voice-acting ?

The control is great and smooth. But for some weird reason, you cannot change the configuration as you wish. Luckily, the existing one is fairly easy to comprehend and doesn't hinder the gameplay. You won't take a lot of time to know all the buttons and since there isn't that much to know after all, the better !

RE3 has 2 difficulty settings. Newbies will like to play the easy mode but I didn't like it because the mode gives you all the weapons and infinite save files which is a major drawback to the gameplay and which is contrary to RE's principle. The secret mode which you unlocked by beating the game on the PSX version is directly accessible in this conversion. No need to beat the game first and you can still control Roberto in the extra mode 'The Mercenaries'' (seems Capcom really likes these guys!).

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is truly the best in the series. It offers a solid gameplay and the new ideas will win this game new fans in addition to those already existing ones. The plot doesn't fail Capcom once more and the battles are even greater than in the previous titles. And, for once on PC (don't get me wrong, I'm only referring to the whole RE series), the graphics are great!! Need I say more...? If you need more, go ask Nemesis. He'll be more than happy to help you make up your mind…

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/26/01, Updated 11/09/02