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6 Things You Need to Know About Resident Evil 3


21 years after Resident Evil 3: Nemesis first graced the PlayStation One, the classic survival horror experience returns remade from the ground up for PS4, XB1 and PC. RE3 follows the success of last year’s Resident Evil 2 remake. Capcom is quick to capitalise on this success with another remake featuring a similar modern take on gameplay, graphics, storytelling and voice acting.

If you played last year’s Resident Evil 2, you will have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Resident Evil 3 doesn’t reinvent the wheel. Instead, it gives fans of the franchise more the action and horror they know and love. We’ve played most the campaign and sampled the new multiplayer mode and are now ready to share 6 things you need to know about Resident Evil 3.

1. Return to Raccoon City

Events play out concurrently to Resident Evil 2. Jill Valentine, one of the heroes of the original Resident Evil, finds herself in Raccoon City investigating missing persons when she’s faced with another zombie outbreak and a new threat – Nemesis – the invulnerable killing machine sent by the shady Umbrella Corporation to eliminate Jill and her crew. Jill survives, for the time being with the help of Carlos Oliveira, a soldier, and the two try to escape this gory mess with Nemesis in pursuit.

Don’t expect events to play out the same as the original RE3. The plot and locations have been rearranged, and the story unfolds differently, with lots of the original cringe-worthy dialogue replaced. There are no multiple endings this time either. It’s one universal ending for all players.

resident evil 3 screenshot

2. Scavenge, Shoot, Survive

The familiar Resident Evil gameplay loop returns where you’re always low on ammo and mismanaging items can very quickly lead to death. This time around things do feel accelerated. Jill Valentine has a new quickstep roll for dodging attacks and is generally faster on her feet than the heroes of RE2. While the other playable character Carlos Oliveira is equipped with an assault rifle and significantly more ammo, perfect for blasting zombies and all sorts of T-Virus nonsense. Though, it’s not any easier than Jill’s content.

Like Mr X in Resident Evil 2, Nemesis shows up at the most inconvenient times and follows on to be a reoccurring boss, appearing in a different form each time. He’s now equipped with a flamethrower, which didn’t appear in the original RE3. For a laugh, be sure to hit YouTube and check out the ways modders are altering his appearance.

Location-wise, Raccoon City will feel familiar for those who explored RE2 and the RCPD police station makes an appearance. In the footage online, it does looks like Capcom is rehashing content, but the location is different enough and supported by dialogue and collectable documents that complement the experience rather than repeating it.

Overall, you’re looking at around six to eight hours ‘til the credits roll. Plus, there’s plenty in the way of unlockables and rankings to chase that fans will want to go for a second run through ASAP.

3. Resident Evil Reviews

I’m playing through the campaign for the second time and still loving the experience. Even if it does look and feel almost identical to Resident Evil 2.

Elsewhere, the game is currently sitting on a healthy 80% Metacritic average based on 60 reviews. Closer to home, Press Start Australia enjoyed RE3 scoring it an 8.5 and saying that it’s “superbly paced and one of the better modern Resident Evil games, and a chapter that any horror fan shouldn’t miss.”

Although not everyone loved it. Ausgamers awarded RE3 a 6 out of 10, not too impressed that the “biggest moments are often relegated to real-time cut-scenes and sequences where very little outside of pressing a direction is required of the player.”

4. Resident Evil Resistance

The multiplayer mode that nobody asked for is actually quite a lot of fun. The original RE3’s Mercenaries Mode is gone, replaced with Resident Evil Resistance. This survival horror experience forces 4 players to work together to escape Raccoon City while a 5th player takes on the role of the Mastermind, who unleashes traps, zombies, dogs, Mr X and more to eliminate the survivors.

Each multiplayer map is essentially a series of escape rooms where the survivors complete a series of basic objectives within a time limit, progressing through three levels and if successful, living to fight another day. Each of the six playable survivors has two unique skills, making teamwork essential. Valerie, for example, is the support class. She has the first-aid spray for healing herself and teammates while Tyrone is the tank. He can attack enemies with a powerful kick and boost team morale, temporarily reducing damage.

Over on the Mastermind side, you will find some familiar faces including Ozwell Spencer, chairman of Umbrella and Annette Birkin – the villain from Resident Evil 2 and co-creator of the G-Virus or T-Virus. She created at least one of the many viruses. The Mastermind does not face survivors directly. Instead, they observe through security cameras and use a deck of cards to create all sorts of chaos. Use a card to place a zombie behind the other players, place a trap to stun them or lock doors, costing the survivors valuable seconds. The Mastermind can even take direct control of zombies and Mr X to attack players.

Resident Evil Resistance is described as a 1 vs. 4 asymmetric multiplayer game which appear to be all the rage right now. Dead by Daylight, the upcoming Predator: Hunting Grounds and the recently released DOOM Eternal are all based around a similar concept Albeit, DOOM is 1 vs 3.

It’s hard to say if Resistance mode will be a hit and retain a high player count over the months ahead. It’s a safe bet that Capcom will release new maps and Masterminds, and the core gameplay loop is a lot of fun, so hopefully, RE Resistance will keep you entertained during this very real lockdown.

resident evil nemesis screenshot

5. Try Before You Buy

A demo of RE3 dropped on March 19 for all supported platforms, giving players a sample of the zombie/ Nemesis-surviving action. The demo lasts around 30 minutes, which may not seem like much, but considering the game itself is around 6-8 hours long, you can experience a fare chunk for free if you’re not already convinced one way or another.

The demo was supposed to coincide with a beta for Resident Evil Resistance, although technical issues caused a delay until March 31. The beta ends on April 3, meaning there is an incredibly slim window for sampling the multiplayer experience. Once ended, you will need to purchases RE3 to try the multiplayer portion of the game.

6. Resident Evil 3 is Available Now

Arguably the most important of all the things you need to know. RE3 launches April 3 for PS4, XB1 and PC via Steam. It’s possible that the coronavirus may affect availability in some areas, so maybe call ahead to check stock before going out to pick up a copy. Alternatively, you can always download a digital version of the game via your platform of choice. Just be prepared to pay the RRP.

Check it out

The writer received a copy of the game courtesy of the publisher

resident evil 3 jill valentine