By the time I’d finished Resident Evil 2 in 2000, the third game in the series had already been released. Guess what I asked my parents for Christmas that year…
RESIDENT EVIL 3: NEMESIS!
Going into what would be the third and final true Resident Evil game on the Playstation (we don’t talk about Survivor,) I felt a little badass; I’d now beating 2 of the games and felt like I could take on the world. It is true that I handled Nemesis more confidently than the previous 2 games, which could simply have been my skill improving with age; once again though, there was a simple puzzle that had me stuck in the middle (you have to go all the way back to the uptown area to use this damn fire hose?) but it didn’t last nearly as long as before.
The game features a single playable character; the returning Jill Valentine. As strange as it felt only having one character this time out, I was happy to playing as Jill again – it hearkened back to the original game and as much as I grew to love Leon and Claire, I always missed the characters that I started this journey with. So you’re Jill, you’re in Raccoon City and it’s filled with bloody zombies…aww zoinks Scoob. 
What many don’t know is that the majority of Resident Evil 3 is actually a prequel to the 2nd game. There’s a portion of this game where Jill is asleep and you take control of an alternate character, which according to the story lasts 24 hours and it’s in this time RE2 takes place. Speaking of the Resi 2, the police station makes a small return early on in Nemesis and it was a nice wink back, albeit slightly worrying the first time through (you teased me with the whole city again? It’s all going to be in here AGAIN? Oh wait no…)
There’s not as much new to discuss with this one as it stuck to the formula set with the second game and for good reason, but there were one or two features added in; firstly the gun powder and the ability to create your own ammo – this has never returned to the series, but I’ve always enjoyed its inclusion in Nemesis as it sets the game apart while shaking up the item management a little. The second new feature was a biggy: the quick-turn. A simple button press would now allow Jill to turn 180 degrees so she could flee from monsters in a pinch. Many gamers have often criticised Resident Evil’s controls and while I’ve never shared those complaints, the quick-turn was a great addition that was so popular it was then implemented in every RE game since. Playing the origin 2 games in the serious is difficult to adjust to now that I’m used to having the move. Oh and a third feature I almost forgot, dodging. A little tricky to master at first, but with pressing the buttons at the right time it’s possible to doge an attack. This never really came back (well it kinda did in RE4, but it wasn’t exactly the same,) but it proved to be most helpful in boss fights.
As for the game in general, I loved it a lot. Like even more than 2 which is surprising. So many great moments in the story; the clock tower fake out ending, the gravedigger, the return of the hunters (oh yeah!) and of course every time that bugger Nemesis pops up. The titular monster is the main foe of the game and stalks you throughout in a very similar manner to Mr X from Resident Evil 2. Some of fights are avoidable, but a few of them are some of the best fights in the series. Everyone who’s played this game will know the infamous clock tower fight where you can’t see your health. When you reach the end of the game, he of course mutates into bigger badass forms and yes, the final fight is under a time limit…not self destruction this time, just a nuclear bomb.
The game ends with a hell of a cutscene as Raccoon City is obliterated. While the series would continue into other consoles, it was somewhat fitting that Playstation trilogy concluded with the destruction of Raccoon City. There’s actually two slightly different endings, the perfectly fine normal one and the one that has BARRY BURTON come and rescue you! BARRY F’N BURTON. Best possible ending ever. EVER.
Resident Evil 3 is perhaps the most replayable game in the series (of the original bunch anyway,) for a couple of reasons. Firstly it’s the shortest and feels a little more arcade in that it has a tonne of guns and ammo creation (not to worry, the atmosphere is still there.) More importantly though is that upon completion of the game you unlock Mercenary mode, a mini game where you play as some of the soldier characters featured in the game. You could almost refer to this as arcade mode – you have a strict time limit which is increased by killing enemies (multipliers people!) and upon reaching your destination you’re giving a grade that transfers to in game cash. “Cash for what?” You might say…well to purchase super weapons and unlimited ammo for the main game. This added hours and hours of replay and is probably the sole reason why I’ve beating Nemesis more than any other Resident Evil game.
So that’s Resident Evil 3 Nemisis…still loving the save rooms, finding the files and solving the puzzles. I wondered to myself upon completion, “Wonder when Resi 4 is coming out?” Turns out that was quite a while away as there was quite a few treats in between.
“Arrrrgghhh STAAAARRRSSS!” – Nemisis
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To be continued.
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