Resident Evil 3 Remake (PS4) Review

Another home-run?

 Resident Evil 3 Remake is the long-awaited remake to the 1999 survival horror game, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Continuing the events of last year's excellent Resident Evil 2 Remake, we follow heroine Jill Valentine as she makes a run from a zombie infested city, only to find that she's being chased by an unknown monster. Released in the late PS1 days, the original RE3 has aged considerably and with the success of the RE2 last year, it was only inevitable that the game would follow suit with a remake. RE3 is among my favorite games of all-time and my most anticipated game of the year, so I'm coming in with high expectations. So now that it's here, how does it stack against the original and more importantly, is it fun?


 Set during the events of Resident Evil 2, the story follows Resident Evil survivor Jill Valentine as she must desperately escape a dying Raccoon City, that's plagued by hordes of undead zombies. However, things take a turn for the worse when pharmaceutical company Umbrella-- the guys responsible for said zombie outbreak--unleash a new bio-weapon named Nemesis to hunt Jill before she blows the whistle on their crimes. Armed with her wits and weapons, Jill must survive the chaos and escape the city while she still can. Along the way, she'll meet characters like Umbrella soldier Carlos Oliveira, who helps her out while coming to terms that the company her works for is actually evil.

 The story was interesting as it continued the events of Raccoon City and detailed some of the utter chaos seen by its residents in the form of files and bodies scattered across the game, which were an enjoyable read. The characters were great, namely Jill who's still a badass after RE1 and Carlos who I liked his new character a lot compared to the original. I was surprised that the game made Brad-- despite his brief appearance-- a bit likable than before.

Jill will make her last escape,

hopefully in one piece...

 Doing away with the classic tank controls and fixed camera angles of the original, Resident Evil 3 Remake offers a new gameplay style. You control Jill and Carlos in third-person shooter- style as you explore the city looking for weapons, ammo, and a way out. While it takes a more action-oriented approach, the game retains the classic survival horror elements like limited ammo and health, meaning that you'll have to shoot your shots carefully. Dodging and crafting from the original game are present, where you can dodge attacks by a press of a button and craft ammo by combing various gun-powders, respectively. The new map system is a great addition since it fully showcases item locations in your surroundings.

The gameplay's a step-up, with the controls

and shooting being tight and responsive.

 At certain points in the game you'll surprised by non-other than Nemesis himself. He's a much more aggressive force than RE2's Mr. X, as he can attack you from long-range using his tentacles and lunge at you. Hell, at various points he'll be equipped with a rocket launcher and flamethrower, just to show he's not messing around. Personally, I found him a way more entertaining enemy compared to the rest of the monstrosities of the game. My issue with Nemesis was that he was underused in the game, with you only encountering him in story-related events. In the original, he was far more prevalent and sudden, giving you a sense of constant terror as you explored the city. When you do encounter him, however, it's ill-advised to go head-on since he's a one big bullet sponge. I used grenades to temporarily stagger him to get by and he even drops Umbrella-labeled cases, which pack neat weapon mods.

Nemmy's back, although he doesn't 

stick around as much.

 In terms of new additions, well... the game is short on that. Yeah, the game garnered heat for skipping and even cutting content found in the original game. For example, the clocktower and park areas, alongside their brain-twisting puzzles are gone entirely. That holds true for the Grave Digger boss fight, which was a memorable (if not annoying) boss. Also, the choice system and Mercenaries mode of the original are cut too, reducing the replay value. All that chopping results in a brief, 5-hour long game! I don't have an issue with short games but seeing as RE3 Remake is a full $60 game with little to no content, it's a crummy value. If you're a speed-runner looking to beat the game fast or a completionist aiming to get the everything, then there's incentive to go back. But for the average player, the first playthough is it.

 Given the advancements in technology over the past 20 years, Resident Evil 3 Remake is a stunning recreation of the original. Capcom's RE Engine once again proves that it means business with top-notch backgrounds and impressive lighting effects, replacing the original pre-rendered assets. The photorealistic character models are amazing, a stark contrast from the PS1's blocky models. I wasn't too thrilled with Jill's redesign but playing the game, it slowly grew on me. Carlos looks way cooler compared to his original dorky look and Nemesis still is terrifying with his updated design. The voice-acting is an obvious improvement over the original, with Jill's VA being a standout. As for the soundtrack, it was surprisingly good with great tracks such as the save room, laboratory, and end-credits themes.

All that action and the game maintains 

a steady 60FPS on PS4 Pro.

 Resident Evil 3 Remake was a fun adventure, despite its flaws. The story was entertaining, the gameplay was great, and the presentation is outstanding. But is the game a good remake? Hell no, especially when compared against last year's RE2 Remake and even the remake of the first game. It greatly falls short on the content and the $60 price isn't doing it any favors. As a huge fan of the original RE3, I can't shake the feeling that it was rushed just to hit some yearly deadline. So do I recommend Resident Evil 3 Remake? Yeah, when it's on a deep discount.