Resident Evil 3 Review
Resident Evil 3 was originally intended as a side story meant to put people who wanted to explore Raccoon City more into RE2, but instead it turned out to be a beautiful addition to the series. It was also used as a test bed for some new features, like dodge, decision sequences, the ability to climb stairs without having to press the action key (finally). The game follows a similar sequence to the previous two, with the first half made up of finding 4 key items that allow you to progress to the next area and the second half featuring more boss battles, more difficult BOWs, and finally a lab area with a self-destruct sequence. The game has the particularity of being constantly chased by Umbrella’s latest tyrant, Nemesis. This ups the scare factor considerably, as there will be times when it will appear out of nowhere, literally. There are also times when you can be struck by terrible indecision when deciding whether to dodge left or right, or whether to spend ammo on it. The characters in the game are some of the best and most popular. Some are much more real without any of the stereotypical “taking over the world” traits.
GFX
Some of the best you’ll find on a Playstation, except for Parasite Eve 2. The flame and water effects are very well done, and the pre-rendered backgrounds have more color and range than RE2. The settings vary from the Raccoon hospital to the local park. Areas allow for a certain amount of interaction, such as shooting lamps and gas valves. Capcom has also improved its character handling, so the game’s cutscenes allow for more movement, including some very well-done gunfights. The FMVs are some of the best you’ll see and manage to capture the atmosphere.
Sound
RE3 features a wide range of weapon effects that have been greatly improved over RE2 and even CLC. The voice acting is above average, with the best work coming from UBCS and Nemesis. It’s nice to hear a wide range of accents, but Jill’s lines sometimes seem to fall a bit flat when compared to characters like Dario Russo. RE3’s music features the best save room, boss battle, and intro tracks that border on inspiring.
History
Capcom did well to keep RE3’s story relatively low-key, as RE2 had taken care of the explanation for the Raccoon City incident. The UBCS makes a welcome change from mad scientists and power-crazed civilians. Umbrella’s activities take on more depth in areas like the Dead Factory. They complement the overall story instead of eroding it like Outbreak did. The epilogue files provide a lot of material on all the other surviving characters.
conclusion
RE3 is my second favorite RE game mainly due to its replayability. There are many decision paths that you can take that will alter your route and even the ending of the game. BOWs that appear in one area are never the same the second time. RE3 also features the best of minigames, Mercenaries, which allows you to unlock weapons for the main game. The game has a good pace and prevents you from getting bored.