[Review for modded SourceNext version using Modern Controls Plus/Quick Knife]
September 28th, daylight. The monsters have overtaken the city. Somehow.. I'm still alive..
A beloved cult classic, one that withstood the test of time, but sadly suffered a fate worse than death with a subpar remake, despite contributing so much to the franchise.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999) is a survival horror game and the direct sequel to the second game, published as always by Capcom and produced by Shinji Mikami, but going through a rather messy production cycle. Initially intended to be one of several greenlit games worked on simultaneously, this particular game would center around HUNK transporting the G-virus sample on a cruise ship, but the project fell through, and this it would wind up getting promoted to numbered status, while directors like Hideki Kamiya moved onto Resident Evil 4. This was also around the same time that Code Veronica was being developed. Aiming to bring an even more action-packed experience than before, it introduces many new systems that transform the way the game is played, while still keeping those beloved old survival horror fundamentals.
RE3 already asserts itself as more of an action title off the rip, as you're literally blown out of your apartment into the infested streets. Your core elements are still here: inspect everything around you, locate ammo and key items, avoid or fight enemies, solve puzzles, open up new areas of the map and fight imposing bosses. Everything mechanically is the same as RE2, but obviously with a lot of added polish overlaid. You now have a quick-turn that lets you turn 180° away from the enemies, as well as finally being able to manually climb up stairs. Environmental weapons like C4 and exploding barrels are added, with bigger enemy numbers. Your new method of defense is a somewhat clunky dodge that lets you elbow check or sidestep enemies if timed correctly, tied to your aim (and shoot) input, but it's very inconsistent. While you still rely on ammo pickups, for the first time ever you are given the ability and freedom to craft whatever type you want with the all-new crafting system, where you can find various gunpowder types to press into ammo using the "reloading tool", as well as mix different gunpowder types to make new ones, to create even rarer and more powerful ammo variants (magnum cartridges and grenades). Spicing up every run is a new item and puzzle solution randomizer, adding several possible configurations of which items you could find in any given room and new puzzle combinations, bringing more replayability to the table. Speaking of, gone are the short-lived scenario systems from RE2, and say hello to the similarly short-lived "live select" system. At certain junctions during the story, you are given a slow motion sequence offering you two choices to proceed forward, affecting the order you meet certain characters, access certain areas and encounter enemies. This means you have a fairly high amount of permutations for each run, making this arguably the most replayable game in the franchise. Playable characters are also improved, as unlike the short sections as Sherry and Ada from the second game, here you get a tiny adventure within an adventure as one of the game's supporting characters. On the topic of new additions brought in the third game, you'd be crazy to not address the bioengineered elephant in the room, Nemesis. While "Mr. X/T-00" from RE2 had a limited amount of short jumpscares and prototyped the "stalker" enemy type, his direct upgrade is dialed up to 11 and the first true iteration of it. From as early as the first half-hour into the game, he will assert himself as this game's primary threat, and you're in for a world of hurt if you think you can ignore him. He has a rather varied moveset, starting with a slow walk toward you and a combination of grabs and jabs, depending on your distance and his impatience he'll burst into a full-on sprint and wild haymakers. Should you get grabbed, you only have a few seconds to wriggle free, or if thrown on the ground, to get back up before you're picked up a second time and instantly dealt with. You can choose to run away from him in most encounters, but he will chase you across entire rooms, as far as through three entire zones before he relents. Nothing will stop him or get between him and his prey, and he'll mow down anything in his path to get to you, including other BOW's. He'll patrol areas until you're in his vicinity, then begin chasing you, furthering the story will end his "stalking" behavior. He can open doors, use a rocket launcher and even dodge your shots, so you're in for a considerable challenge. Should you choose to fight, and manage to down him, in certain encounters he'll drop a briefcase with an upgrade to your arsenal. While there are a few live selects that allow you to cheese him for free, you usually will have to engage in a few mandatory fights. With ol' Nemmy being such a prominent part of the game, you'd think they'd cut down on enemy variety, but there's a fair bit here. You have your classics that have been here in all of the previous games; spiders, crows, Cerberus dogs, T-zombies and Hunters, but also the insectoid "Brain Suckers" and the froglike Hunter Gammas. The base game is very replayable, but you do get endgame extras. You can unlock costumes depending on your performance, as well as play the all-new Mercenaries gamemode, where you play as one of the UBCS members from the story and aim to rack up points and extend your timer for each downed enemy, while tasking you with rescuing any survivors you come across. You can earn several unique epilogues with each playthrough, giving you a bit of insight into what the protagonists of the past games had been up to during the events of the third game.
In the quiet hours of September 28th 1998, the T-virus outbreak hits its fiercest stride, overwhelming what little resistance was left in Raccoon City, and surviving S.T.A.R.S. member Jill Valentine is determined to make it out alive to tell the tale. Most of RC had been bought out by Umbrella and kept quiet under their payroll, covering up any and all foul play. Umbrella had built a contingency plan for their most staunch opposition trying to blow the whistle, a pursuer with the sole directive of eliminating all remaining members of Jill's platoon. Short on time and allies, she embarks on a mad game of cat and mouse as she tries to escape in one piece. While not a complicated story, it explores themes of inevitability and struggling even in an impossible situation.
Having the most refined models and textures of the PS1 RE era, RE3 is a looker, and a macabre one at that. Getting to finally explore the vacant streets of Raccoon City in full, you'll visit shops, restaurants, city halls, parks, the mansion-like Clock Tower, industrial areas, all thoroughly ravaged by pandemonium. Zombies have more unique variants than ever, with many different outfits and even body types. Sound design is wonderful, with the howling of the wind and the distant moans of the undead underscoring most of your adventure, making you feel well and truly alone. The music is the cherry ontop, exhuding an oppressive and tragic tone of the devastating loss of life that the apocalypse brought on. Highlights being City of Ruin, the save room theme "Free from Fear", and Nemesis' iconic low horn and trumpet beats. It looks and sounds like the end of everything the residents of Raccoon City knew.
This is a wonderful game, and the crown jewel of the original trilogy. Still unique to this day for the portrayal of Nemesis, I greatly recommend it, even if it's your only classic-style game besides the first one, as it has a lot to offer. As always, if unsure, it goes on sale for very cheap, and you can add analog controls through the GOG and Steam ports if you can't stand the tank controls. Godspeed.
