Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Review

It didn't take an Einstein to foresee the coming of another Resident Evil sequel. Capcom, a company that brought us a whole slew of survival horror games and even made a 'decent' amount of cash by doing so, is at it again with RE3. The prequel to this latest chapter featured some nice animations and well-rendered models that moved in front of a static background. The stories were linear which made the game less involving, or even boring at times. RE3 Nemesis increased the dynamics by letting you influence the further course of action. The arsenal had also been improved. You will be able to solve the game several times, always using a different character and different solutions (Yeah, slightly different, than in Resident Evil 2). But will these improvements appeal that much to an average player?

When you start the game, you'll have two alternatives: You can play the Mercenaries Mini-game, or the complete Resident Evil 3 scenario. If you choose the first option, you'll get to choose one of three available mercenaries. When you start playing, you'll notice your character has limited time to reach a certain destination. Killing zombies and rescuing civilians will grant you extra time. The civilians will also give you ammo and other useful objects. When you finish this bonus game you'll get some money to purchase weapons and ammo. The scenario is a lot more interesting and much longer. (Yeah, we kinda figured that much - Ed) Resident Evil 3: Nemesis scenario has nothing in common with the Mercenaries. First, you have to choose the level of difficulty - easy or hard mode, but if you want to play the campaign using Carlos, you'll have to choose the hard mode.

Similar to Dino Crisis, you get to choose your heroine's appearance from eight available models, each with different clothes and hair before you start your little adventure. And this is where the story of Jill Valentine begins --- as a member of S.T.A.R.S. police squad, Jill is trapped in a city ravaged by hordes of hostile zombies. (How utterly, ugh - - Ed) The city has been completely destroyed, and there are few survivors to help you. An organization called Umbrella is responsible for creating a deadly virus that induced all this mess (So, what's freaking new - Ed). Your primary goal is to leave the contaminated zone, which is best achieved by killing zombies and solving puzzles. Having escaped from the city core, Jill will have to find her way to the evacuation spot. Some Umbrella members might assist you on your quest. The most irritating creature in the game is the villain Nemesis - a huge monster that cannot be killed, yet it can be temporarily stopped in many ways, but I'll leave that to you...

This story takes place before the events described in RE2. This was an interesting idea that will mostly appeal to RE hardcore fans. There are some new locations, yet the action mostly takes place in streets and alleys we saw in the second part. The problem with RE3 is that it has a severe lack of unique characteristics. RE2 also featured playing with two characters, oh, and one hidden character called Hunk, who would only get "unlocked" if you finished the game with both characters on high level and with high score. Hunk appears in the third part as well, together with some new characters: Nicholai, Mikhail and Carlos - each of them with his own specific features. Some can only be used in Mercenary Mini-Games, and the others in campaign. Unfortunately, save-games are still limited, and depend on how much Ink Ribbons you managed to collect. (Grrr - say it with me: HDD! - Ed) They usually come in packs of three, so be careful how you use them.

The most notable novelty is that the plot isn't that linear anymore. You'll be able to make choices of vital importance and change the course of the game, but you'll have to make these decisions quickly, as you can always count that Nemesis is right behind your back. This concept is probably the only innovative aspect of the game. Still, Capcom should have dealt with details that are far more important than this, like for instance, enemies - you'll mostly be attacked by rabid dogs, wild crows, and infected people (déjà vu).

Logical puzzles have almost completely been left out, and most of the puzzles will require good sight, rather than sharp mind. This will probably get you stuck on several occasions. And what little ammo is available in game is also well hidden. Things used for solving logical puzzles are relatively easy to find. At some points you may find yourself roaming the streets until you realize you should have used an object on a location where you already did something.