Resident Evil 3: Nemesis

"Resident Evil 3 for Gamecube: The Quest for More Money"

One of the greatest franchises in recent video game history has held its own despite people hating the controls. Resident Evil Three for those who don't know, follows up the smash hit second version with an old friend from the first. Jill Valentine finds herself stuck in the dark sadistic world of Umbrella once again, this time stuck in the same town RE2 took place, once again trying to escape. She has to fight for her life against terrifying creations and some human foes to help leave Raccoon City behind forever.

Graphics 7/10
Well I didn't want to give it an extremely low rating, considering it is just a port of the playstation one version, however Capcom did ''touch up'' the graphics a little bit, it still is lackin in the next gen consol era. Monsters remain extremely detailed which is a must for a survival horror game, guns the characters hold however look more like ''K-Mart Specials'' up close than real life models, but you rarely have to see them up close so its not so bad. Characters look pretty good/average, although hands are a bit blocky. The one big key to why Graphics got a good rating you ask? The environments are near perfect. Capcom strives in this series on non-3D backgrounds and they look amazing, from a blood stained bike on a trash filled sidewalk, to the walls stained with graffiti outside buildings.

Gameplay 9/10
People always gripe about the controls, but its perfect for this type of gameplay. Resident Evil is a slow pace moving bullet fest, being able to run from monsters while being restricted to a certain level of speed increases difficulty, but adds to the fun factor of trying to perfect your skills. The newly implemented Dodge feature is also a definite plus. A zombie gets to close and tries to bite you, if you're holding a the R button (the one you use to aim your weapon), you'll automatically dodge this attack and present a counter attack to give you time to put some distance between yourself and the creature. The stop and go action does become tedious at times, but its a perfect fit for the game.

Sound 8/10
You can hear it now....moans coming from around the hallway....is that zombie close, or too far for a shot? Just then your girlfriend comes in and taps your shoulder just as the music level kicks it up a notch with a visit from the Nemesis and you need to change pants.... Its a great fit for this type of game, creepy and unsettling music along with moans and groans from the different enemies you fight help add suspense to an already fear shattering game.

Rent or Buy.....?
Defiantly buy this one, you may not like the graphical down grade, but its still a great game to play. You'll either not be able to put the controller down or be too afraid to pick it back up.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/20/03