Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis

With the gruesome T-Virus finally dormant, Jill Valentine has resigned from S.T.A.R.S. and is going to leave what's left of Raccoon City. Much to her dismay, her exit has been delayed by the same flesh-eating zombies that plagued her counterparts in the first two games! This time, however, the undead are augmented by bloodthirsty hunters, evil hellhounds, and other terrors of the night. As Jill, you'll meet up with a lot of new faces, and some old ones too. Carlos Olivera, for example, is an Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service Agent that seems to want to help you out; whether you trust him or not is up to you. Each time you meet up with an enemy, you can either confront it or evade it, but your choices all add up in this immersing tale of terror. Of course, you do have some pretty powerful ammo to back you up, and the game even lets you combine weapons to make your own firepower. The third installment in the popular RESIDENT EVIL series, this one boasts improved graphics, sound, and overall gameplay. Hidden at the end of the adventure is a bonus Mercenaries game but you'll be lucky if you live to see it.

Release Date: November 11, 1999

Genre: Third-Person Action

Publisher: Capcom

Developer: Capcom

The first half of the game occurs 24 hours prior to Resident Evil 2 and the second half takes place two days after. The storyline expands upon the settings and events of the t-Virus outbreak in Raccoon City, and concludes with the fate of the city and its infected population.

A new feature to gameplay is the Nemesis, an experimental type of Tyrant (an upgrade to the previous game's T-103) programmed by Umbrella to hunt down and kill the remaining STARS members. He can run, use a rocket launcher as a weapon, dodge incoming fire, and is capable of pursuing the player from one area to the next. Nemesis is encountered multiple times throughout the game as a recurring boss. A variety of encounters are possible, with some being mandatory, and some varying in nature and location based on choices made by the player. Even if defeated in combat, Nemesis will inevitably continue pursuit of Jill.

In a departure from series' conventions, the player cannot choose between two playable characters from the beginning. Instead, Jill is the sole selectable character, with another character named Carlos also being controllable for a brief portion of the main game.

Resident Evil 3 incorporates a dodge move that allows the player to quickly avoid enemy attacks. Stair climbing is also streamlined: whereas in previous Resident Evil titles characters were required to press the action button to ascend or descend a staircase, Resident Evil 3 allows the player to use a staircase by walking directly onto it. The "quick 180 degree turn" was introduced in this game, and has become a mainstay of the series.

The game also features an ammunition creation system, in which new ammunition can be created from different varieties of gunpowder and the use of a cartridge reloading tool, or by combining gunpowder directly with standard grenade rounds to generate different types of rounds for the grenade launcher. For the first time in the series, explosive objects are now present in certain areas. Taking the form of oil drums on the ground or bundles of an unspecified explosive material affixed to a wall, firing on these objects causes them to explode, damaging or destroying nearby enemies. The game also incorporates a randomization feature that varies the placement of items and enemies. Puzzles are either completely randomized or have their solutions selected from a pre-determined list.

At certain points in the game, the player will enter Live Selection Mode, in which they are prompted to choose between one of two possible actions. The choice of action affects the direction of the game and story, including which ending the player receives. Each selection has a time limit, with the consequence for going over the limit being either Jill taking damage or instant death.

There is an unlockable minigame titled "The Mercenaries - Operation: Mad Jackal". The player can choose from Carlos, Mikhail, or Nicholai, the three UBCS members that appear in the main game. Each character possesses a different inventory, causing drastically different strategies for survival with each character. The objective of the game is ostensibly to run from the cable car to the warehouse office (two locations in the main game) within a limited amount of time; however, the starting time limit given is insufficient to actually perform this task directly, and the player must continuously receive time bonuses by performing certain actions in order to complete the mission. Eliminating enemies yields a time bonus, with increasing bonuses for multiple kills in a short time span. There are also six hostages to be saved, with each hostage saved rewarding the player with additional ammunition or healing items, as well as a time bonus. Additionally, six "hidden areas" of the map reward the player with an increasing time bonus for each one found.

Upon completing the main game, the player is rewarded with a number of alternate costumes for Jill, with more costumes being awarded for a higher ranked completion of the main game. Also unlockable are eight "Epilogue Files", each detailing the activities of a different character following the events of the game. The Epilogue Files are unlocked individually and sequentially at the end of each successful playthrough of the main game.