Capcom is a developer that takes a concept and milks it for everything it's worth, and then some. I stopped purchasing new Street Fighter games quite some time ago because I really saw no need to continue playing them. Megaman is one of the series from Capcom that is well over 10 years old that I still play to this day. With all the older franchise based releases, you'd suspect that Capcom has nothing new up their sleeves as far as new series go, but that's actually quite wrong to say. One of the latest targets to Capcom's sequel frenzy is Resident Evil. Now I'm not saying that I dislike this series or anything, but it's starting to get a little old in my eyes. So far they've released five games in the core Resident Evil series, and they actually show no signs of slowing down. Then Capcom announced that the main Resident Evil series would become exclusive to Gamecube. Aside from pledging two new Resident Evil games (and one remake), Capcom also announced that it would release the three older Resident Evil games (Resident Evil 2, 3, and Code Veronica) on the Gamecube. And this brings us to the topic of this review; the Resident Evil 3 port to Gamecube.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (or RE3) is has seen two prior releases to consoles, it was on both the original Playstation, and it was later released on the Sega Dreamcast. On these two systems the game costs only around $20, and so naturally you would expect a similar price for the Gamecube release, especially because it was $20 at release for the Dreamcast. Well Capcom (thanks to some issues with Nintendo) released this game with the hefty price tag of $39.99. As you can probably see, this isn't the best of deals, and what's worse is that this game was released on Gamecube back in February, and the price still hasn't dropped. When the price does drop though, everyone should go out and buy this game, but until then, it's really not worth it, as I paid the full price.
If the price tag was reduced than I would whole heartedly recommend this game. The problem is that Capcom initially led everyone to believe that each of the Resident Evil games would be completely updated, in a similar fashion to the Resident Evil remake, but later they clarified that "not a single polygon will be added". The main reason why I bought this game and Resident Evil 2 for Gamecube is because I wanted to own each of the RE games on one console. It might not make perfect sense, but I want to have all of the RE games on one console, but Capcom is making it really expensive for me to accomplish this. RE 3 is definitely the most jump out of your seat Resident Evil game, and no RE collection could be complete without it.
Storyline After S.T.A.R.S. destroyed the mansion and it's undead inhabitants, Umbrella quickly covered everything up so that nobody would believe that anything had actually happened. The evil corporation succeeded in covering up what they had done, but for how long could this last?
Some things just can't be kept secret... Jill Valentine was one of the original STARS members who was involved with the incident in the mansion, she was also one of the main characters from the first game. Since the mansion incident Jill has resigned from STARS, and she plans to leave Raccoon City as soon as possible. This is made very complicated by the hordes of zombies that have overrun the city. Things won't be easy for Jill, but either way she must make her final escape.
Ok so most people sit there and wonder where Resident Evil 3 sits in the series timeline, and so I'll explain it here. Resident Evil 3 takes place right before Resident Evil 2. This may sound slightly confusing, but all of the events in Resident Evil 3 happen closely before them in Resident Evil 2. This means that the zombie invasion at the beginning of Resident Evil 3 is really what devastated the city, and thus setting up the devastation for Resident Evil 2. Now how far apart are these two sequels you may ask? I've heard many different stories, but the one recurring answer is about 48 hours.
Just like in the past Resident Evil games, the story is told in two main circumstances. Number one is through cut scenes and FMV cinemas, and this is probably the number one way in which the story unfolds. The voice acting hasn't improved too much since Resident Evil 2, but it's bearable to say the least. There seems to be less cut scenes and less FMV in this game as there was in Resident Evil 2, but many people will welcome this as FMV has become notorious in games these days and most people would rather play a game rather than watch it. These cut scenes aren't exactly the best I've ever seen, not even when compared to those on most Playstation games, but they still get the job done nicely.
The other way in which the story is told is through the many memos and letters that are found throughout the game. These are usually found on desks and on the floor, but they can really be anywhere. These are great as they give you incite into everything that's going on in the game, and it actually works well to intensify the impending doom. These memos were written by the citizens of Raccoon City, and some of them are straight up scary to read. Although most people tend to just skip over them, everytime I play I read every single one just so that I can get the full effect. This works to humanize the game's storyline, and to tell you the truth it actually made me a little sad, even if it is all just make believe.
One of the features that Resident Evil 3 brought to the series was in the form of the live action decisions. If you've ever read one of those "choose your own adventure" books than you'll grasp the concept pretty easily. Basically in certain parts of the game you will be given two options as the game pauses. Two options will be given, and these range from Running, staying to fighting, flipping a switch etc. Selecting one of these options will affect the game, but depending on the decision it could be short term or long term effects. Of course in some circumstances it's wisest to choose one of these options over the other, but the only two things you'll have to go off of are common sense and experience, so choose wisely.
Gameplay Resident Evil 3 is pretty much your standard Resident Evil as far as gameplay goes. Gameplay revolves around two basic elements; capping zombies and solving puzzles. Of course these aren't the only two things that you'll be doing in this game, but they're probably the most visited of the gameplay styles incorporated into this game. When you look past the new features, you'll realize that Resident Evil 3 plays just like any other Resident Evil game, and not much has actually changed.
Another difference in Resident Evil 3 when compared to the other Resident Evil games is that you move to different areas more frequently. One of the features I liked the most from Resident Evil 3 was the fact that you actually have to go through the Police Station from Resident Evil 2 at some point in the game. Something else which I like is the fact that you get to see even more of Raccoon City than ever before, and this really shows how devastating the destruction from the T-Virus really is.
The biggest new enhancement to the series is in the form of the Nemesis. This is a super zombie of sorts who's goal in the afterlife is to kill every single STARS member. You meet this guy pretty early on, and he just keeps coming after you again and again, you can't permanetly kill the big fellow, but you can knock him down long enough so that you can escape his grasp. The worst thing about the Nemesis is how frequently he attacks. The first couple times of fighting him off it's not that big of a deal, but after a while your ammo starts wearing down quickly, and dealing with the Nemesis drains so much out of you.
As I just mentioned, the constant presence of the Nemesis is one of the biggest new features of the game, but it's both good and bad. It's good in that it seperates RE 3 from all the other Resident Evil games, and it also adds some diversity in gameplay with the Nemesis shaking things up every once in a while. There is one bad thing with the Nemesis, something very bad. You see, after a while of playing I get a little jumpy, and eventually I start expecting the Nemesis to pop up around every corner. Now with this in mind try to imagine what it's like, as the Nemesis shows up randomly sometimes and surprises me. Once I get into the game I begin jumping out of my seat every single time he attacks me. It gets bad when the closest I've ever come to getting a heart attack is from something in a video game.
Besides all the new gameplay elements, Resident Evil 3 is just what you'd expect from an RE game. Item fetching, zombie capping, and door opening fun. Although Resident Evil 2 is, and will probably always be my favorite, there's still a warm place in my heart for this game. Also I would say that Resident Evil 2 is the scariest game in the series (with the Resident Evil remake closely behind), but Resident Evil 3 is definitely the one that made me jump out of my seat the most.
Graphics, Sound, and Controls Just like the Resident Evil 2 Gamecube port, the graphics have been virtually unchanged since the game's release on the Sony Playstation, with only the resolution being improved. The game definitely looks dated, as Capcom was serious when they said that they weren't going to update the game at all. The graphics are slightly better than those in Resident Evil 2, because of the higher polygon count and smoother animation. It's obvious that a lot of work went into designing the Nemesis, and it really works well in the end.
The music and sound effects are the one thing that doesn't age. The music is definitely one of the best elements to this game. The music is pretty much like that from all the other Resident Evil games, with eerie music teemed by creepy piano work. The sound effects are fabulous, with the familiar groaning of zombies and dragging of flesh on the ground. The Nemesis also utilizes some terrific sound effects. This guy chases you around and continuously mumbles the word "STARS" as he tries to chase you. All in all I would say that the music department is this game's strong point.
Controls for the Resident Evil games have always been very awkward. The Resident Evil remake for Gamecube utilizes a brand new control scheme that utilizes the shoulder buttons for movement, but Capcom didn't even take the time to add it to RE3. The gamecube controller's awkward placement of the directional pad forces you to use the joystick for movement, and this is something that I've never liked doing for Resident Evil games.
Final Recommendation Do not buy this game at it's current price of $39.99, because it's really not worth it considering the fact that you can get this game for Dreamcast and Playstation for half that price, and it's the same version. Once the price goes down for this game then I'll change my recommendation, but until then...
This has been a submission to Jiggyjay's 10 Days of Halloween Write-off. Check out his profile page to see the other participants:
http://www.epinions.com/user-jiggyjay
