CRISP Gaming: Resident Evil 3 Review, Playstation 4

 

Info

Resident Evil 3 Remake is a survival horror game developed and published by Capcom and M-Two (a small development team with connections to Platinum Games).

A remake of the 1999 game of the same name, it follows on from the hugely successful Resident Evil 2 remake released in 2019.

Hitting shelves on April 3^rd, 2020, RE3 is available on PS4, XBOX One, and Windows.

The game was created using the RE Engine which was used in RE7, Devil May Cry 5, and RE2 Remake. It also includes the new online: multiplayer mode ‘Resident Evil Resistance’.

Storyline

Raccoon City has been thrown into chaos as a zombie apocalypse caused by the T-Virus engulfs everything.

You step into the reimagined shoes of ‘Hard as Nails’ Jill Valentine and follow her desperate attempt to escape Raccoon City and the relentless Nemesis-T Type (an 8-foot Biological weapon equipped with tentacles, flamethrowers, and rocket launchers) hell-bent on hunting her down.

Along her way, she is saved by Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service (UBCS) soldier Carlos Oliveira.

Carlos and his squad have set up a subway train which they plan to use to evacuate surviving citizens before the government raises the whole city to the ground. Jill teams up with them to help free the city and is eventually tasked with finding a cure for this deadly virus and exposing exactly what the evil Umbrella corporation has been up too.

Gameplay

Jill looks as good as you can imagine with great care and attention to detail shown in her design (which does favour Milla Jovovich’s look from the film series).

She is likeable, determined and a certified badass with just the right amount of sass. Because she is such a well-trained soldier her self-assured manner came through in spades.

That allowed us as players to accept the dire situation we were in but also filled us with a level of confidence to keep on pushing through some of the scariest moments we’ve experienced in a video game; all because our protagonist is fully capable of handling herself and whatever the Capcom devs can throw at her.

And man do they throw some stuff at her – zombies, hunters,  infected dogs, random symbiotic blobs with tentacles and of course the show-stealing Nemesis monster who stalks Jill all the way through.

Since he can show up at almost any point during your exploration there is a near-constant feeling of dread that quickly turns into full-on panic when he’s on-screen.

To help deal with these situations a new addition to Jill’s skill set is provided. The ability to quickly dodge is a fresh mechanic that if used perfectly can slow downtime for a crucial second allowing you to get off a couple of critical shots. A lifesaving mechanic if you can get the timing right.

RE3 also introduces franchise newbie Carlos Olivera to the story this time around. Carlos (with the good hair) is an Umbrella soldier caught up in the Raccoon City catastrophe who finds himself linking up with Jill to escape the city while also uncovering the truth about his nefarious employers.

He and his assault rifle become playable partway through the story and you take control of him for two extended portions of the game, exploring the old abandoned hospital and the famous Raccoon City Police Department where the RE2 story takes place.

His playstyle is similar to Jill’s but his sections are a little more action-packed and a little less creepy and suspense based.

A meta-game within is the inventory management required to get through it. With such limited space to carry your weapons, ammo, health products and key items your constantly forced to juggle what you move forward with, but aware that if your loadout isn’t correct you could find yourself woefully underprepared.

As with previous games, RE3 is all about ramping up the tension. It forces you to deal with more zombies and monsters while resources dwindle, keeping the sense of panic ongoing throughout the game.

Although it is fair to say Capcom was generous with checkpoints and save spots, it wasn’t that much of a challenge for a newbie.

There are, however, many difficulty levels to choose from which can test even the most hardened of Resi fans.

Notably, there is a lack of puzzles through the game and the ones included are hardly very taxing on time or brainpower, which is a big turn of pace from RE2 where you could easily spend 15-20 minutes on one single brain teaser just to open a door.

 

We think a few more could have helped with the pacing and also stretch the game’s run time a bit more, barrelling through the story in just 3 short gaming sessions, totalling just over 6 hours.

The linear design herds you through the story rather quickly and because the overall tempo is a bit more action-orientated it all feels over way too soon. We reckon you’ll see some speedrunners plough through in less than an hour easily.

Upon completion, there is no new game+ mode, however, you do unlock a shop where you can buy weapon upgrades, new costumes, and items with currency earned in-game via completing various challenges like killing X amount of zombies with Y weapon.

It is an interesting idea that essentially lets you customise your next playthrough, giving you key items earlier than intended or increasing your attack power and defensive abilities – adding much-needed replay value.

As Resident Evil 2 Remake’s campaign can be played through with two separate characters with individual arching stories and multiple endings, this time around the campaign consists of one story shared between the two main characters Jill and Carlos, again reducing the overall life of this sequel.

 

Resident Evil: Resistance

Resistance is an asymmetrical multiplayer game that sees four generic survivors go up against one mastermind.

As a survivor, your goal is to methodically search the game environment for keys to unlock exits and escape before the timer runs out. Each player has special skills that need to be utilised as part of a team to succeed. Much more fun is to be had playing as the mastermind.

Your task is to stop these four players from escaping by setting up traps, placing zombies, and explosives around the map. It also allows you to control classic Resident Evil monsters along the way.

This portion of the game was developed externally from Capcom by Neobards entertainment and was previously announced as an original standalone game named Project Resistance. This would explain why the gameplay doesn’t feel as smooth and impactful as the main game.

It seems that Resistance was tacked on as an afterthought to bulk up the package. We think you’ll have a bit of fun with this for a couple of hours but the fun is fleeting.

Graphics & Audio

RE3 showcases an impeccable level of detail in its location designs.

With excellent use of light and shadow, the devastation caused by this outbreak does draw the player into this eerie setting.  Downtown Raccoon City for example, although relatively small, is dense with explorable areas, secrets and plenty of undead wandering around looking for fresh brain food.

It also displays the dynamic nature of the game’s true star the Nemesis who will actively stalk you through the streets and buildings.

Even when you do make it into a safe zone, you can catch a glimpse of the villain waiting patiently for you to leave – which stand out as some of the most unnerving moments ever.

As good as the environments look you can’t interact with any of it unless you are specifically instructed to do so. It’s unfortunate but serves its purpose of creating an atmosphere that makes you feel vulnerable constantly.

Graphics on the current generation of consoles do get taken for granted a bit, but it must be said just how good this game looks in portraying the reality of Jill and Carlos’ situation whilst bringing them both to life in a convincing manner.

Carlos, for example, has one of the most impressive hairstyles found in gaming and looking closely at it, you can’t help but be impressed by the time and detail put into making his bouffant look both luscious and realistic.

A good, clean map screen is a must for games that require lots of exploration and backtracking and thankfully here the map screen is clear and obvious as to where you are, where you need to go and what have you missed.

Sound and music are top-notch, combining perfectly with the moody visuals to create a real sense of horror.

A lot of times you’ll hear a zombie before you see it which will always make you stop in your tracks and get the heart pumping a little quicker.

The voice-acting in our opinion does come across flat and monotonic, Jill and Carlos are fine, but some support characters come across as generic.

Combine that with a very 90’s script and it was hard to buy into a lot of the dialogue.

 

Verdict

Resident Evil 3 does struggle to maintain its composure, as after the first act Nemesis’ dynamic nature gets put to one side in favour of more traditional scripted appearances and boss battles which is a shame because that sense of constant pressure gets lost after the first third of the game.

Nemesis is at his best when stalking you through the streets. These sections are intense, exciting and terrifying BUT they are fleeting and eventually non-existent exposing the fact that the rest of the game is cinematic but a little shallow and doesn’t offer anything we haven’t seen before.

Another problem is the inability to revisit areas once the story moves forward. Just as you’re getting accustomed to a location, a shift in the story will bring you to the next area – preventing you from returning – and can be a little jarring, especially if you know you didn’t explore enough or want to go back for any reason.

Tonal shift in the following two acts is also very noticeable as the game becomes much less survival-horror and more action shooter.

Ultimately we had a good time playing through Resident Evil 3 remake. It looks brilliant and is full of really cool jump scares and creepy moments.

Further into the story, it leans more on the cinematic action as opposed to the more traditional survivor horror element from earlier on. If you’re into your survival horror or the Resident Evil franchise generally you will enjoy your time with this game.

There is tons of lore in this series that we weren’t familiar with so had to do a fair bit of catch up reading to appreciate the amount of fan service and attention to detail put into this game.

With a campaign clocking in at a succinct 6 hours and an average online multiplayer mode for £60, it makes for a brief but nerve-jangling experience for the time you spend with it.