The Resident Evil 2 REmake was not only a good game but it was also a good remake. It stayed true to the original and introduced the same monsters and characters while introducing new elements to the game that made it feel like an entirely new game. In 2019, for many, it was a contender for Game of the Year and it was very deserving of such a consideration.
Fast forward to the following year and it was announced that Resident Evil 3 was being remade. Finally, another long awaited Resident Evil REmake and especially after the last remake there was understandable hype to be felt and of course looking back at the last few Capcom releases: Resident Evil 7, Monster Hunter World and the Resident Evil 2 REmake, this was going to be another outstanding release from Capcom.
Then reports came out...
It was revealed that the approach to the REmake was instead of telling the story of Resident Evil 3 like in the original with branching paths and dynamic story telling, RE3 Remake was going to take a more linear story approach and instead of the various choices players could make which would determine key moments in one's play-through of the game.
Then the reviews came in...
I can say now and here that where Resident Evil 2 REmake was full of ambition, creating a true Resident Evil experience that accomplished both respecting the original source material while adding new elements to the story and game play that drew from past Resident Evil games published and unpublished, Resident Evil 3 is a halfhearted and apathetic approach to creating a new experience while also creating a re imagining that honors the original source material that also achieves insulting the fans of this particular Resident Evil title, the characters of this story and the original developers of Resident Evil 3.
Not my Nemesis
Let me first begin by talking about the star of the show and the namesake of the original title: The Nemesis. In the original Resident Evil 3, the Nemesis was a new and evolved Tyrant type of Bio-Weapon that was sent in to Raccoon City to eliminate any and all remaining S.T.A.R.S. survivors during the time of the T-Virus outbreak. The Nemesis was a formidable opponent and unlike other Tyrant's in the past RE games that were intimidating, slow moving, hulking enemies. The Nemesis was a mobile, unstoppable force and intelligent monster that would stalk the player throughout the remains of Raccoon City.
In some moments the Nemesis would arrive at scripted moments but most of the time the Nemesis would arrive dynamically throughout the game. There was no telling when or where exactly the Nemesis was going to arrive, the only indication you had to his arrival was an ominous music score playing in the background.
This was what set this particular Resident Evil outside of the norm of other Resident Evil games and still in many ways is still a very unique Resident Evil title after all these years. First, at this point it was expected that the Tyrant Bio-Weapon was meant to be saved as the last boss of the Resident Evil game. Never was anyone to expect a Tyrant at the first few stages of the game, especially one that followed you throughout your play through.The Nemesis in the original game was a further exploration of the Mr.X enemy from Resident Evil 2. Where in RE2 Mr.X would disappear when a player would leave a room or rarely be seen outside of a few rooms in the R.P.D. The Nemesis could almost follow you everywhere except save rooms.
The REmake however.....is less intimidating. While yes this Nemesis is massive in size and is something you would see in nightmares, this Nemesis is not like the original Nemesis at all. Every encounter with the Nemesis is a scripted event and he does not follow you everywhere you go or arrive at moments when you least expect it.
In fact....the Nemesis while being the main threat feels almost like a side character and is more an obstacle in the game to overcome versus an adversary you need to always be prepared for.
It is with this that I have to say while visually a monster to be scared of, in practice is nothing really to worry about.
Short and Hollow
What made the original Resident Evil 3 Nemesis unique in the original trilogy line up of Resident Evil titles is it introduced something that is now referred to as the Live Selection System. In key moments during your play through you would be faced with choices like fighting the Nemesis at the gates of the R.P.D. or running inside the police station instead but you would have very limited time to make a choice and would get a unique cut scene based on your choice. These particular choices you made would also affect the ending of the game and even determined whether you would see particular areas of the game or not. It was a serious divergence from the last two games which featured two linear stories and to see it absent in the Remake is very disappointing.
Resident Evil 3 REmake instead of re-creating the Live Selection System to introduce new story moments and increase the amount of replay value to the game, Capcom instead abandoned the Live Selection system and returns to the linear story telling. There was a massive opportunity to create so many unique endings and scenarios in the game that fans could try to find by doing things differently in each new play through. It could change who makes it to the end of the game who does not, visiting different locations based on choices made or finding new weapon parts or weapons to make fighting off the BOWs of RE3 easier.
With that I also have to mention some of what is missing in the game. Weapons are missing or replaced with basic weapons that we have seen from almost every other game that involves guns. The Samurai Edge that we do see in the opening sequence of the game is abandoned and instead Jill is forced to use a Glock 17, instead of weapon parts that could craft new weapons like the Eagle 6.0 handgun or the lever action shotgun from the original game instead you have your run of the mill pump action shotgun. The Reload Tool that was famously added to the original RE3 so players could craft their own ammo or enhanced ammo to power up shots are also missing as well as a big boss fight and an enemy variant.
As I continued to play Resident Evil 3 Remake I quickly discovered how much had been removed and what was a big area to explore and a ton of game to play through in the original, the remake feels empty and shallow. On the face of it, it seems like a complete game but as I went further and further into the game areas to explore it felt more like this Resident Evil was missing a majority of what made the original identity's so unique. Land marks from Raccoon City like the alley ways, industrial center, train station, mural to the mayor, press building, park and another area of the Dead Factory from RE2 were all gone and the identity of what made Resident Evil 3 Nemesis so unique and great was not here.
That Empty Feeling
Each Resident Evil that has ever been made has a unique identity. The original Resident Evil was the first game that truly launched the Survival Horror genre of video games into the mainstream and Resident Evil 2 was what Terminator 2 Judgement Day is for cinema and Resident Evil 2 is for the Resident Evil franchise. Every single Resident Evil has something unique to offer in terms of a Resident Evil experience and what I think is the worst thing that you can do for any Resident Evil game, remake or new release, is to take away it's identity and try to replace it with something less complicated and unique.
Resident Evil 5 and 6 both are vehemently disliked by the Resident Evil community because of the very fact that they both do not feel like Resident Evil games but modern action games with Resident Evil elements and themes.
Resident Evil 3 is almost in the same boat as 5 and 6 but is disappointing for a completely different reason.
What made the original Resident Evil 3 Nemesis so unique is absent in the Resident Evil 3 Remake. While it doesn't fill in the gap of what is missing from the original game with modern action elements like 5 or 6 Resident Evil 3 REmake instead takes away from the original design and short cut the story telling and game design for a more linear and straight forward approach in crafting a Resident Evil experience.
My suggestion is instead of putting down the money for this REmake instead do yourself a favor and find the original Resident Evil 3 either through emulation or a well kept copy of the original for the Nintendo Gamecube
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