Resident Evil 3: Nemesis

"The BEST VERSION (notice... not PORT) of RE3 out to date"

Resident Evil 3 has had a lot going for it since its initial release back in 1999. It is one of the least released games of the Resident Evil series. Since its release on the PSone, it has gone on to be ported to PC and even Sega's last chance console, Dreamcast. With every port of the game, there has been some discrepancy from the original PSone release. In the PC version, there was so much frame drop that the game felt boring and slow when compared to its original copy. The Dreamcast version was a SLIGHTLY more improved version over that but just like the PC version, it had horrible textures, slower animation, the FMV's were lacking that true speed of cinematic quality. The sounds were subtly tuned down and it felt like a watered down package. Another irritation was the inclusion of all RE3's bonus content available from the beginning. There was nothing to play for to keep you motivated more than 2 or 3 completions, unless you were obsessive about the 9 epilogues.

When Capcom announced that RE3 was being ported along with RE2 and RE Code: Veronica, many of us had hoped for a visually stunning masterpiece much like that of the remake of RE1. Unfortunately, we didn't get the masterpiece epic that our imaginations were sewing together in our heads. What we did get however, is the most improved version of the game itself. I shall go into detail and compare the different versions of PC, PSone, Dreamcast, and Gamecube.

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STORY: 6 (PSX = PC = DC = GCN)
The story itself is rather makeshift. Much like the story of Jurassic Park 3, it isn't meant to leave one bewildered in story telling splendor. It's basically the glue to keep you running around the city and avoiding the monstrous Nemesis tyrant. The story picks up before the events of RE2 when the city is in chaos trying to contain the zombies and monstrosities. By the end of the game, the story takes place after the events of RE2. You play as the main character of the original Resident Evil, Jill Valentine. Carlos Riviera is her supporting cast with the likes of 2 Russian hired mercenaries. The main attraction though is the Nemesis that stalks you through every street in Raccoon City. This certainly increases tension and makes the game quite terrifying. It's too bad though that there wasn't much more depth or progression to the actual RE timeline. I feel that this game should have been labeled “Resident Evil: Last Escape/Nemesis” and the title number 3, be added to Code Veronica (“Resident Evil 3 Code: Veronica”) because that game continued the story as a TRUE sequel should.

VISUALS: 7 (GCN > PSX > DC > PC)
The Gamecube version when compared to that of the original source and the other ports certainly stands out. First thing you will notice is the improved frame rate of the actual FMV video footage even over the Playstation version! It's sharp, fast and one heck of a beautiful sight to see! The game's character models are slightly improved with better detailed and much enhanced polygons when compared to all the other versions. The lighting is slightly better as well as a result of better polys. Another great addition is the use of improved background image quality used to create the game's environments. Overall, despite the aged look of the visuals, it does look better than a Playstation game!

AUDIO: 8 (GCN = PSX > PC = DC)
The audio department is a pretty good. The voices despite having their awkward moments do tend to keep the story going in a believable fashion. The music is very unnerving and has a good amount of eerie tunes and orchestrated pieces of emergency haste. The guns sound much more realistic than that of the PC and DC ports due to the quality of the shot bangs and simple effects like the sound of glass breaking. Overall, it works fine in the end and earns itself a good score.

GAMEPLAY: 9 (GCN = PSX > PC = DC)
The gameplay itself plays like any pre-RE4 Resident Evil. The greatest factor though is the GREATLY improved speed of the game's progression. The characters move faster and more fluidly than any of the other Resident Evil titles (for now on, we are excluding RE4 from the other Resident Evils). Included in RE3 are the true beginnings of the 180-turn, dodge and selectable events that keep everything rolling along. There's a new strategic ammo system that involves you making the ammo and mixing gun powders to get different results. There isn't a whole lot of extra ammunition in this adventure outside of easy mode and that can definitely make for one heck of a difficult mission. The events are based less on backtracking and focused more on progression and continuing to find new areas of exploration by going forward. There are instances where you will have to venture back a ways to past territories but with rearranged enemies and good use of their seemingly dumb A.I. (until you find Nemesis), it is a challenge that keeps you locked in on the game. The puzzles are rather bland despite a couple of them being some of the series' best. It's too bad it just didn't try hard enough to make us think more. The Nemesis tyrant, however, is the true “S.T.A.R.” of the game as he comes running at you with incredible speeds and ferocious attack power. He is the true monster of the series and with his incredible defense… this is the foe that will make you fear those dark alleyways at night. Nemesis takes the role of the boss throughout the game so there aren't a whole lot of other enemies besides him to deal with. There are a few surprise returns and a couple mini-boss fights around but it's when Nemesis is terrorizing you that you feel that difficulty kick in. That's about 75% of the entire game. Overall, the difficulty is good on HARD (equivalent to Normal mode of the other RE's). There is an EASY option for those getting used to the game but one must warn you, the difficulty is made for those that have never played a RE. RE3 is a great gameplay package with lots of speed and tension that makes you work long and hard at achieving its spectacular ending.

REPLAYABILITY: 9 (GCN = PSX > PC = DC)
Yay! Once again, we have the true features back as they should be. They're unlockables and it's certainly better that way! First off, there are two difficulties and with each difficulty comes a price. With easy mode, you get every weapon you can imagine (sort of) with enough ammo to wage a war! The negative to this is not getting a grade at the end of the game thus resulting in a shutout to snag some cool features. You also are not entitled to Nemesis' case of goodies at the times of his defeats. As for Hard mode, the difficulty is tough and getting through this challenge is one heck of a hassle. On top of this, you can win new costumes for Jill based on rank and have access to a Mercenary mode. Wait, there's more! In Mercenary mode, the more points you earn, the more artillery you can grab for your game saves! Heck there's even a chance to get some unlimited ammo for all weapons in the game if you have the patience to get the required amount of points. In the main game, every time you beat the adventure, you get a new epilogue that explains the current situations of past characters like Leon, Wesker, and even Ada Wong. Last but not least, there are multiple endings and different results for every choice you make during the event selection process, it makes it interesting all together and worth playing these portions over to prove those “what if” theories. With so much to complete, this game certainly has a good reward system and is worth the extra time to complete.

OVERALL: 8 (GCN > PSX > DC > PC)
The end result is a tight package and a fast moving one at that. You'll never find more than one dull moment in this game and with so much to do and unlock, the fun dies hard! It's a fascinating adventure and is well worth the buy for those of you who never picked up RE3 before! If you own the PSX version, I don't recommend buying it again because it essentially is 97% the same package just with a better look. If you own the PC or DC versions, trade those suckers in and get this version (not port) for an experience that is more refined and visually pleasing! If you're not a hardcore RE fan, then don't bother. (I am recommending only buying this game if its $30 at most, otherwise skip it and find a used copy around)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/01/06