Developed By: CAPCOM
Published By: CAPCOM
Platforms: PS4 / Xbox One / PC
Reviewed On: PS4PRO
When Resident Evil 2 Remake came out last year, I was skeptical then as it looked like it might be just a straight-up cash grab with how some remakes have been treated over the years. It ended up being on more than just a few of Best of 2019 lists in the gaming community. Unfortunately for me I only managed to try it out myself this January when PSN was having some sales and I too left the game quite impressed. CAPCOM really did manage to create one of if not the best Remake of a classic title at that moment. The graphics were gorgeous, music good, gameplay tense and satisfying and replayability amazing with Leon and Claire both having route A & B options.
Naturally, because of the high bar set by Resident Evil 2 Remake, fans were even more eagerly anticipating the release for Resident Evil 3 Remake hoping for an also authentic experience that fans remembered. However, the early wave of reviews did highlight how the game was very short and that there were a few things that had been changed. Not to mention many were not happy with the decision for Resident Evil Resistance being bundled together making it seem even more that RE3 Remake is half the game that RE2 Remake was. In this review, I will go over both and before I get into it, I would just like to thank the lovely ladies and gents at CAPCOM for graciously providing us with the review code for this game.
Desperate Ascent
Resident Evil 3 starts out with Jill Valentine waking up with Racoon City in chaos and before she can even compose herself a large hulking menacing monster seems to be hell-bent on getting to her and this, of course, is Nemesis. So begins her journey of trying to avoid Nemesis and survive long enough to escape the chaos together with characters she meets along the way. Some of the other characters you meet include Brad, Mikhail, Nikolai, T (or Tyrell) with the most prominent one being Carlos who serves as the secondary character who you also get to play in some sections of the game.
Honestly speaking after playing RE2 Remake it does feel like the story in this game feels slightly bare as it does feel like the focus has shifted towards being more action-oriented as opposed to horror from the previous entry. I mean not that being more action-oriented is a bad thing but just from personal preference I would have preferred more focused breadcrumbs for the player to follow. I do have to say though that from a storytelling perspective the length of the game felt appropriate. For me personally it didn’t feel too short and certainly did not feel like it had overstayed it’s welcome. My total playtime was around 8 ½ hours but clear time was around just over 6 hours according to the in-game statistics. I can see how they could have made the game longer by providing better backstories and motivations to certain characters, but they didn’t and it’s better that it was a shorter game rather than one that unnecessarily extends its playtime.
There is one thing that I did notice that was missing but it could just be me, Nemesis never once says the iconic line “STTAAARS!!!” during his pursuit of Jill. If it really was omitted that’s a particularly strange thing to leave out.
Escape
Graphically this game is incredible. I thought that RE2 Remake was great, but I do feel like they have taken it up a notch here. The first thing that comes to mind is how the character models look amazing with more details in their expressions and even the fine details of their clothing and appearance. The performances and cutscene direction were quite fantastic for me as I did feel quite engaged with the action unfolding. That is a huge plus for me as you know sometimes an action scene can be oversold and it is hard to keep track of it but here it is clean and easy to follow without being boring. I also really like the new character designs for Jill and Carlos (I’m sure he’s loving his new hair). HDR also feels much better implemented here compared to RE2 Remake as there were a few times where I really felt amazed by the lighting effects. Each environment that players are brought into feels very atmospheric and finely detailed. Although an argument can be made as to how some of the environments feel like a retread of RE2 Remake, it did not feel that way for me. Even in the areas that were reused it was quick and served its purpose well.
When it comes to the sound design, I can’t help but feel a little let down with the ambient noise and music. If you are wearing headphones it definitely sounds good enough but if let’s say you wish to play the game from your soundbar, the effects like gunshots, slamming doors, zombie bites are all clear but the ambient noise and even the background music in its entirety feel too low. It feels like it needs further tuning just to bring it up a notch because ultimately sound brings a lot to the table when it comes to the atmosphere. I remember a point in this game where I was walking around, and a piano piece started playing just too soft and I was just left wishing that it wasn’t.
Battle Against the Beast
From a gameplay perspective, it was solid for me, but it was not without its faults which I will get into. I really dig the minimalist UI design carried over from RE2 Remake and inventory management also feels as good as it did back then. One of the major changes that have happened though is that Nemesis is no longer an ever-present threat like the Tyrant was in RE2 Remake. I mean those moments were one of the tensest moments hearing his footsteps slowly coming closer to you. Although here in the beginning Nemesis stalks you in a similar fashion but it’s only briefly and the next few times are linear chase sequences that are easy to escape from. It’s an interesting change and I think it turns out to be alright as in RE2 Remake the Tyrant was meant to provide occasional tense moments to sort of rush the player but for the most part, the experience was slower and more methodical. I would think that the many times the player is required to battle Nemesis would only exhaust me if I had to constantly be running away from this ever-present threat as well. Enemy variety is good as well with the standard zombies accompanied by new enemy types introduced like the bugs, and those dinosaur-like monsters.
Even so, I did find some frustrating things with the gameplay. Firstly, the new mechanic introduced which is a sort of a dodge/counter (depending on character used) feels kind of meaningless at times and I think it’s due to the inconsistent hitboxes for enemies and the controlled character. There are times where I can dodge when the enemy lunges and other times where it doesn’t register at all and I still get damaged. This is especially more apparent in battles against Nemesis where without spoiling it, he becomes more agile and the dodge mechanic feels especially more redundant.
Secondly, I feel as though the stagger mechanic in this game is off somehow. In RE2 Remake I can pop off a few headshots and the zombies would stagger and fall consistently or even their heads get blown off. In this game, it just doesn’t feel consistent at all and that can be frustrating especially when taking on certain monsters where a well-placed shot staggers them and another shot in the same exact manner doesn’t. Add that to the fact sometimes you can get one hit killed if your health is below a certain level and then it all comes together to probably the single most frustrating thing in this game, The checkpoint system.
Even when I died in RE2 Remake I didn’t feel like I was pushed back too far but here when I died it feels like I’m repeating encounters way too much. I think it’s because the game only autosaves when you switch levels and not after encounters. I mean It might just be a silly nit-pick but after a while especially when you get one hit killed it can get grating.
I also feel like there are some spots in the game where you don’t really get warned with what’s coming so you automatically stock up on important weapons & etc. You just get dropped in and if you don’t have the right amount of ammo or weapons you basically must reload to your last save. In this sense the game feels slightly off the pace as compared to RE2 Remake as I never felt this way while playing that entry.
Free from Fear
We now come to the part where either you probably do not care one bit or are somewhat curious as to what is Resident Evil Resistance (henceforth referred to as RER) and why is it coming with RE3 Remake. There were rumors going around and fans were fearful that RER was bundled together with RE3 Remake because CAPCOM was worried that RE3 Remake was not going to be received well due to the length, so they attached RER together. I even noticed that the download file size for RER was almost on par with RE3 Remake. After messing around with it for a bit and playing a few matches I can honestly say that I enjoy it.
Resident Evil Resistance is where five players join a match with four players playing the role of Survivor each with their own perks and in each location have a set of objectives that they must complete to escape. The fifth player plays a Mastermind who is a villain and watches the group through the CCTV to lay traps or spawn zombies to prevent them from achieving their objectives until the time runs out. It’s basically Escape Room meets Saw and can result in hilarious and tense moments for both sides.
Regardless of which role played you will earn experience to level up and RP that is used to unlock loot boxes that contain equipment that boosts your abilities like making minions tougher or healing faster or cosmetic items that can alter the appearance of players and zombies alike. You can even emote and taunt which is cool. Each character used will also level up to unlock deeper and more varied customization options like equipping more items or altering abilities in interesting ways. This also means like for the Mastermind roles that you can only unlock other Masterminds by leveling up each previous one to level 5 so there is a bit of a grind there to unlock everything. There is microtransactions involved in the form of RP Boosters that will boost the amount of RP the players earn. You can buy these RP boosters from the PlayStation Store or earn them as in-game rewards.
As much as I enjoyed Resident Evil Resistance, I do feel like there are things that can be improved. Connectivity issues do plague the game now and you really can feel the lag during each match. I don’t think that the player base is small, but it can feel that way with how hard it is to find a match sometimes. I don’t know if it’s because the net code is not that great or just general connectivity issues plaguing everyone around the world due to everyone being at home.
I also feel like matches can feel incredibly lopsided with experienced high-level players. I played one match where I was basically completely incapacitated as a Mastermind and could not counter a very skilled Survivor who knew exactly how to disable me. Another match playing as a Survivor can feel completely bullied due to the nature of the claustrophobic maps and you can feel completely stuck with no option of recovery whatsoever especially with teammates who are not big on co-operation. Also, one thing that really annoyed me is the hitboxes feel ridiculous. I managed to spawn in my ultimate monster and one of his attacks is a wide-spreading one which somehow managed to miss everyone in close proximity even though they were boxed in. Another attack which is a targeted one again misses the mark completely for no apparent reason. It made me feel like the ultimate card which is supposed to be able to turn the tide of the match does not exactly do that when issues like this nullify any impact whatsoever.
What I Liked
- Graphics – Beautiful character models, environments and incredible lighting.
- Pacing – It achieves what it sets out to do without ever outstaying its welcome.
- Resident Evil Resistance – Was a pleasant surprise. I did not expect it to be as good as it was but I’m glad it is.
What I Wished Was Better
- Story – Could be fleshed out more but is perfectly acceptable for what it tries to achieve.
- Sound Design – I wish the soundtrack was more prominent as playing the game with a soundbar felt oddly muted in the background.
Verdict
I feel that as a whole package RE3 Remake is solid. Does the campaign fall on the shorter side? Does replayability get significantly affected compared to RE2 Remake? The answer to both is an unavoidable yes but even so, I never felt like it bothered me so much as opposed to the gameplay inconsistencies I experienced in my playthrough. I enjoyed my ride with Jill and Carlos and taking down Nemesis was an enjoyable experience. I also was pleasantly surprised that Resident Evil Resistance was better than it had any right to be. I am definitely going to be playing close attention to how it improves and evolves in time and I really do feel like it is going to end up an underrated experience. Although it never reaches the level of excellence of RE2 Remake RE3 Remake is well worth a purchase for both the single-player and multiplayer experience.
