Game review: Resident Evil 3 - the remake

2020 is the year for big remakes as April 2020 brings us Final Fantasy VII Remake as well as Capcom's Resident Evil 3. I managed to play the latter game, although it's hard to recommend at full price mainly because the experience is way too short.

Before 2020 though, Capcom released the critically acclaimed Resident Evil 2 remake back in January 2019. The game was built from the ground up and was a huge improvement to the original game which came out on the PSOne way back in 1998.

Building upon the success of Resident Evil 2, Capcom rushed to release the Resident Evil 3 remake and it's sad to report that the game feels unfinished. This is because a lot of content has been changed and some sections of the original game have been cut entirely!

Resident Evil 2 felt more like a complete package because it remained faithful to the original game, but it also made many changes in order for it to meet the demands for the modern gamer. Not to mention gamers were also forced to complete Resident Evil 2 twice to get the full story.

Before I talk more about Resident Evil 3's shortcomings, let's explain the story first for those that might be unfamiliar with the Resident Evil universe. Resident Evil 3 takes place after the events of Resident Evil 2 where a zombie outbreak caused by the evil Umbrella Corporation is spreading throughout Raccoon City.

To silence anyone that knows about Umbrella's involvement on the outbreak, the company sends a huge bioweapon named Nemesis to Raccoon City. The main character Jill Valentine is on the company's radar and she has to find a way to escape the city as well as try and survive Nemesis' many assassination attempts.

Jill Valentine isn't alone in her adventure because later on she is joined by a really helpful mercenary by the name of Carlos Oliveira. Both Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliveira are both playable in the game's short campaign and their journey isn't going to be an easy one.

Resident Evil 2 was praised last year mainly because the game focused more on survival horror elements. Ammo was scarce for players and gamers were forced to solve puzzles while walking through the levels littered with lots of zombies.

Resident Evil 3, on the other hand, is more action-orientated than its immediate predecessor.  Not only do the main characters have a perfect dodge, but they also have a lot of cool weapons at their disposal such as grenade launchers, assault rifles, shotguns and more.

That being said, you still need to conserve ammo at the right times because there are a lot of scripted boss battles with the evil Nemesis that you need to get through. These boss battles are tough since you will need to unload on Nemesis with all the firepower you have in order to come out on top.

The move for a more action-heavy game might displease fans of Resident Evil 2. This is because Resident Evil 3 is more linear because there are no puzzles to solve whatsoever. The level design is also less diverse so there's not much room for exploration in this game either.

Personally, I liked the action in Resident Evil 3 since it kept me on my toes the whole time while I was playing through it. Sure some enemies can be a tough challenge, but the hard difficulty is what makes Resident Evil games stand out compared to its competitors.

In terms of graphics, this game has high production values thanks to Capcom's use of the RE Engine. This game engine just looks amazing as it features some of the most realistic looking character models I've ever seen in modern gaming. It's also amazing how you can see the flesh of zombies peel off every time you shoot their heads or bodies.

The levels are also dark and atmospheric much like a horror game should be like. There is minimal bright areas in the entire game and you will get spooked if Nemesis or any other zombie that comes rushing towards you!

While the graphics and gameplay in Resident Evil 3 are good, my main issue with the game is its very short length. Resident Evil 2 was a much longer game because you had to play the game twice in order to get the full experience.

Here in Resident Evil 3, I managed to finish the game in only 5.5 hours! Sure I can play the game again, but you don't have to replay it since there are no different endings or scenarios for you to see. The only thing you unlock at the end of the game is more costumes for the characters to wear and that's it.

For this reason alone, I cannot recommend people to buy this game at its current full price. You are better off waiting for a sale in order to play this game if you're interested in the Resident Evilfranchise.

Anyway, Resident Evil 3 is still a good game but its short length stops it from being a masterpiece like Resident Evil 2. If this game was longer and offered more content, it would have gotten a bigger review score from me.

Verdict: 6.5/10