PS1 REVIEWS: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Similar to how I played the original Resident Evil 2 after I played the modern remake, I played Resident Evil 3: Nemesis after I played its own modern remake. While I absolutely loved the remake of the second game, I was indifferent to the remake of the 3rd. Naturally, that experience was in my mind as I played both original games, expecting to like the second more than the third. Unsurprisingly, that's exactly what happened.
While both games are very different from their eventual remakes, you can see how each game's different character had a major influence on how those were developed. In the case of RE3, it attempted to increase the prevalence of action in the gameplay and reduce the puzzle elements the series was famous for by that time. Ironically, while that approach had a major negative impact on my enjoyment of Resident Evil 3 Remake, it didn't have as much of an impact when comparing the original games to each other, even if the third game is a bit of a downgrade.
Spoiler Alert! Raccoon City doesn't make it (or is that retconned in Resident Evil 9, I am yet to play it).
For some inexplicable reason, given the nightmare she just survived in the first Resident Evil, Jill Valentine, one of the two protagonists of that game, still stayed in the city to further her investigation despite the obvious dangers around her. Naturally, these dangers came true in the form of more zombies, with one nasty specimen called Nemesis intent on killing her. Cue her escape from the city.
Unlike the second Resident Evil game, which also took place in the city during the zombie outbreak, this game is purely about Jill's attempt to escape the city. Ironically, this laser-focused approach removes the mystery that I felt was necessary to the atmosphere of the earlier games. Jill knows what these creatures are, and knows that Umbrella is behind them. As such, the plot is a straightforward escape from hell, and that perhaps influenced the game's increased focus on action.
Thankfully, Jill meets other characters in her escape from the City, and one of them becomes playable for a short amount of time. Carlos may not be the most subtle character in the series' history, but it is fun to see the slight change in gameplay when he is in control.
"There is no hope left for this city"
Influencing the pivot to action are two things: the addition of a dodge mechanic and the increased fluidity of Jill's movement. Accordingly, the number of enemies was increased, and the scarcity of ammo reduced. While running away from encounters is still a valid (and sometimes the best) tactic, you are now supposed to stand your ground and fight more.
The trouble is, that shooting in these early games wasn't ever that much fun. The aiming mechanics in these games are not the most active, and in fact pale in comparison to other Capcom 3rd Person Shooters of the era such as Dino Crisis 2. This means that the game sacrifices the tension and puzzle elements of the first two games in chase of rather mediocre shooting action.
Thankfully, the game still retains some of the Survival Horror DNA of the series, and as such does not suffer too greatly from its pivot, and only suffers in comparison to what I consider better games.
"STAAAAAARS"
Resident Evil 3 was a famously short game, made shorter by the faster-paced movement and action. To compensate, Capcom introduced the excellent Mercenaries mode, which hyper-focused on the action gameplay. Despite enjoying this mode in some Resident Evil games, I don't consider it a substitute for the main campaign, and so wouldn't factor it when reviewing the game.
Beyond that superfluous mode, the base game tries to enhance replayability by introducing branching story paths in some key segments. Yet, like the little-used "Zapping" system of the second game, those branching paths are sadly underutilized and honestly add little incentive for a second playthrough.
After finally playing all the classic Resident Evil games, I remain surprised that this game was my uncle's favorite of the three.
"I know. You want to ask me out. All the foxy ladies love my accent..."
Nemesis does all it can to earn its place in the game’s title. From his grotesque appearance in the opening CGI movie to his now-iconic all-caps “STAAARS” howl every time he chases you around the screen, it’s clear that he pushed the boundaries of the PS1 as much as he pushed Jill around.
Beyond that rather impactful addition, the game looks like an iterative improvement over its prequel, with its same fixed-angle screens masking the limitations of the console while maximizing the in-game tension. Yet, these fixed angles are more detrimental to the action-focused gameplay, and not even the sound of enemies around you is enough to warn you. Instead, rote memorization and excellent use of Jill’s improved movement are key.
One aspect that remains the same is the juxtaposition of the calm save room music (not as iconic as RE2) against the atmospheric soundscape of hell in Raccoon City.
In Conclusion:
Ultimately, it makes sense that, having preferred Resident Evil 2 Remake to the remake of this game, I consider this the lesser of the two originals. Despite the highlights of the game, which go beyond Nemesis, I didn't feel it reached the heights of the genre.
If anything, the further the game deviated from its genre's strength, the weaker it became and the more obvious those weaknesses became. None of the PS1 Resident Evil games had good action gameplay, and the existence of a game like Dino Crisis 2 highlights that weakness. Ironically, this trend continued with the series, for better or worse.
Final: 7/10 (Depends on your tastes)
Pros:
Cons:
Series:
For those reading one of my PS1 review blogs for the first time, here is the basic concept:
I already reviewed both major Generation 4 consoles and am now reviewing Generation 5 consoles. I already finished reviewing the Sega Saturn, so I am now reviewing the PS1. In these reviews, I take a top 100 games list and review the games that interest me in that list. This time, my review series is based on this list from Retro Sanctuary and other sources, since the PS1 can handle a list bigger than a top 100.
Next Game:
I didn't end up enjoying Resident Evil 3: Nemesis as much as my uncle did, but I didn't hate it either.
Next, I am going back to the addendum list, where I am playing the Sony-developed JRPG Legend of Legaia. That JRPG was renowned for its full use of 3D graphics and unique fighting-inspired combat system. While I originally played the game back in the day, I didn't get far due to how difficult it was in the early part of the game. So, will I finally beat the game in my now-old age?
Stay tuned to find out.
While both games are very different from their eventual remakes, you can see how each game's different character had a major influence on how those were developed. In the case of RE3, it attempted to increase the prevalence of action in the gameplay and reduce the puzzle elements the series was famous for by that time. Ironically, while that approach had a major negative impact on my enjoyment of Resident Evil 3 Remake, it didn't have as much of an impact when comparing the original games to each other, even if the third game is a bit of a downgrade.
#12(S2): Resident Evil 3: Nemesis:-
Year: 1999.
Genre: Survival Horror.
Publisher: Capcom.
Developer: Capcom.
Genre: Survival Horror.
Publisher: Capcom.
Developer: Capcom.
Spoiler Alert! Raccoon City doesn't make it (or is that retconned in Resident Evil 9, I am yet to play it).
For some inexplicable reason, given the nightmare she just survived in the first Resident Evil, Jill Valentine, one of the two protagonists of that game, still stayed in the city to further her investigation despite the obvious dangers around her. Naturally, these dangers came true in the form of more zombies, with one nasty specimen called Nemesis intent on killing her. Cue her escape from the city.
 |
| In probably the most impractical clothes for the job |
Unlike the second Resident Evil game, which also took place in the city during the zombie outbreak, this game is purely about Jill's attempt to escape the city. Ironically, this laser-focused approach removes the mystery that I felt was necessary to the atmosphere of the earlier games. Jill knows what these creatures are, and knows that Umbrella is behind them. As such, the plot is a straightforward escape from hell, and that perhaps influenced the game's increased focus on action.
Thankfully, Jill meets other characters in her escape from the City, and one of them becomes playable for a short amount of time. Carlos may not be the most subtle character in the series' history, but it is fun to see the slight change in gameplay when he is in control.
"There is no hope left for this city"
Influencing the pivot to action are two things: the addition of a dodge mechanic and the increased fluidity of Jill's movement. Accordingly, the number of enemies was increased, and the scarcity of ammo reduced. While running away from encounters is still a valid (and sometimes the best) tactic, you are now supposed to stand your ground and fight more.
 |
| There is much more ammo to load into you bub... |
The trouble is, that shooting in these early games wasn't ever that much fun. The aiming mechanics in these games are not the most active, and in fact pale in comparison to other Capcom 3rd Person Shooters of the era such as Dino Crisis 2. This means that the game sacrifices the tension and puzzle elements of the first two games in chase of rather mediocre shooting action.
Thankfully, the game still retains some of the Survival Horror DNA of the series, and as such does not suffer too greatly from its pivot, and only suffers in comparison to what I consider better games.
"STAAAAAARS"
Resident Evil 3 was a famously short game, made shorter by the faster-paced movement and action. To compensate, Capcom introduced the excellent Mercenaries mode, which hyper-focused on the action gameplay. Despite enjoying this mode in some Resident Evil games, I don't consider it a substitute for the main campaign, and so wouldn't factor it when reviewing the game.
 |
| I think Carlos's section should have been longer |
Beyond that superfluous mode, the base game tries to enhance replayability by introducing branching story paths in some key segments. Yet, like the little-used "Zapping" system of the second game, those branching paths are sadly underutilized and honestly add little incentive for a second playthrough.
After finally playing all the classic Resident Evil games, I remain surprised that this game was my uncle's favorite of the three.
"I know. You want to ask me out. All the foxy ladies love my accent..."
Nemesis does all it can to earn its place in the game’s title. From his grotesque appearance in the opening CGI movie to his now-iconic all-caps “STAAARS” howl every time he chases you around the screen, it’s clear that he pushed the boundaries of the PS1 as much as he pushed Jill around.
 |
| Well, hello handsome... |
Beyond that rather impactful addition, the game looks like an iterative improvement over its prequel, with its same fixed-angle screens masking the limitations of the console while maximizing the in-game tension. Yet, these fixed angles are more detrimental to the action-focused gameplay, and not even the sound of enemies around you is enough to warn you. Instead, rote memorization and excellent use of Jill’s improved movement are key.
One aspect that remains the same is the juxtaposition of the calm save room music (not as iconic as RE2) against the atmospheric soundscape of hell in Raccoon City.
In Conclusion:
Ultimately, it makes sense that, having preferred Resident Evil 2 Remake to the remake of this game, I consider this the lesser of the two originals. Despite the highlights of the game, which go beyond Nemesis, I didn't feel it reached the heights of the genre.
If anything, the further the game deviated from its genre's strength, the weaker it became and the more obvious those weaknesses became. None of the PS1 Resident Evil games had good action gameplay, and the existence of a game like Dino Crisis 2 highlights that weakness. Ironically, this trend continued with the series, for better or worse.
Final: 7/10 (Depends on your tastes)
 |
| I think its too bad that Jill has a limited role in future Resident Evil games |
- Very good escape from hell story
- Nemesis
- The Mercenaries mode
- The save room music
Cons:
- A short campaign
- Too focused on mediocre action gameplay
- Lacks the mystery atmosphere of the earlier games
Tips:
- Pay attention to sound to know if there are enemies in the room.
- You don't need to kill all enemies; you can simply run past them if the path is clear.
- The change in music is a big clue to Nemesis being in the area.
- You can try to "defeat" Nemesis to get some items, but it isn't worth it.
- Check corpses for items.
- There are enough resources to finish the game, so don't panic about not having enough healing herbs or ink ribbons.
- You can attack enemies off-screen, so always listen to what is around the corner.
 |
| Which sucks considering she is such a bad ass character |
Series:
For those reading one of my PS1 review blogs for the first time, here is the basic concept: I already reviewed both major Generation 4 consoles and am now reviewing Generation 5 consoles. I already finished reviewing the Sega Saturn, so I am now reviewing the PS1. In these reviews, I take a top 100 games list and review the games that interest me in that list. This time, my review series is based on this list from Retro Sanctuary and other sources, since the PS1 can handle a list bigger than a top 100.
 |
| Then again, anyone would retire after having to deal with Nemesis for a whole game |
Next Game:
I didn't end up enjoying Resident Evil 3: Nemesis as much as my uncle did, but I didn't hate it either.Next, I am going back to the addendum list, where I am playing the Sony-developed JRPG Legend of Legaia. That JRPG was renowned for its full use of 3D graphics and unique fighting-inspired combat system. While I originally played the game back in the day, I didn't get far due to how difficult it was in the early part of the game. So, will I finally beat the game in my now-old age?
Stay tuned to find out.
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