It admittedly feels odd reviewing a Resident Evil game in sunny April when I feel like I should be doing this around Halloween, but then with everybody in the media and general public acting like it really is the T-Virus we’re all avoiding, I guess it’s an appropriate time as any to be doing this.

I’m going to review Resident Evil 3 more as its own game and not compare it to the original, and I’m going to keep it as non-spoilery as possible. That said, if you have little ones watching this – and I sincerely hope they aren’t – it’s pretty much impossible to keep graphic violence and scariness out of this video while still making it remotely interesting so please don’t let them see it. You’ve been warned.

So moving right along. Resident Evil 3 Remake is obviously a remake of the 3rd main game in the series, starring Jill Valentine, the herione and one half of the duo from the original Resident Evil. This time around it’s 1998, the day before Resident Evil 2 takes place. The T-Virus is full effect and the remaining survivors are trying to escape the city while Jill is trying to investigate and expose the creator of the virus, the evil Umbrella Corporation.

She’s traded her cute beret and STARS uniform for civilian wear, and while partner Chris Redfield has gone AWOL, most likely consulting Ronnie Coleman on how to properly beef up for his biceps’ starring role in Resident Evil 5, she’s partnering up with series newcomer Carlos Oliviera, whose hair has apparently been infected with the T-Virus and like the Grinch’s heart, has decided to grow 3 sizes on his head.

In the midst of all this, Jill is being chased by Nemesis, a creature made by Umbrella specifically targeting the remaining members of STARS who begins the game by busting up her apartment to chase her, ruin her security deposit, and tell her his favorite shape (STAAAAAAAAARS!!!!), presumably because she’s late on her rent and also judging from the amount of beer in her fridge and the empty bottles, is an enormous alcoholic and she’s in need of some tough love, Kool-Aid Man style. As you can guess, Nemesis is a recurring villain throughout the whole game because otherwise, his name would be pretty stupid.

So compared to the Resident Evil 2 remake, this is a more action-heavy approach the series moved in and isn’t as focused on puzzle solving or collecting clues. It’s a more linear game where you don’t really backtrack in any single playthrough. That’s going to be one of the biggest deciding factors for whether you like one game over the other, and personally I really liked it. I love Resident Evil’s tone and world and action, but I’m not great at puzzles and I don’t like sitting with Gamefaqs open next to me whie I play anything, so the fact that I could play through this myself without really referring to any guides made this more enjoyable. Whether you like it or not, you can tell that the next natural step for this series from 3 was my favorite, Resident Evil 4.

So compared to the Resident Evil 2 remake, this is a more action-heavy approach the series moved in and isn’t as focused on puzzle solving or collecting clues. It’s a more linear game where you don’t really backtrack in any single playthrough.

That being said, you still have to work on conserving your ammo, manage your inventory, and be strategic about which zombies you run by and which ones you pop in the head and hope for a kill, or blow off their legs and run by them as they fall in embarassment. Luckily, this time around you’ve got not only weapons but a nifty quick-step move you can do to dodge your enemies. Master that and you’ll be just fine. Well, sometimes (show deaths). Nemesis will chase after you as well, and if you’re willing to risk the ammo to drop him temporarily (or toss a grenade at him), you’ll get some cool drops from him that’ll upgrade your weapons. Because of that I actually looked forward to him finding me so that I could get more stuff from him. He’s like a really ugly pinata.

As you can already guess, the graphics are gorgeous and the game is just as much fun to watch as it is to play. The mannerisms are realistic, the characters’ faces show emotion just as they would in real life, and the voice acting is great. Every f-bomb Jill drops at what’s happening around her feels totally real. When she’s in the sewers and says she’s going to burn her clothes, I really believed that she actually would set fire to them when the game was finished. Nemesis is appropriately menacing between his overall look along with his screaming, though the fact that he just doesn’t ever seem to die just kind of gets funnier as the game progresses. In between encounters though, you can see all the work and detail that’s been put into the world you’re playing in and Raccoon City, while trashed and full of carnage and violence, is still beautiful to look at. There’s so many things going on, particularly in the opening moments that the city feels alive. No pun intended. The writers and developers also gave some extra depth to the supporting characters to flesh them out – also no pun intended – so the level of detail and care put into this game is on par with 2.

As it is a Resident Evil game, it’s meant to be replayed either to get extra gear with better rankings, or do speed runs, knife only runs, no damage runs, doing it while you have the runs – you get it. There’s lots of unlockables and challenges to keep you busy well after you’ve completed the game.

So at the end of the day, if I had to compare it to the Resident Evil 2 remake, the story isn’t quite as strong and your preference for the more linear format is going to affect which one you like more. Nemesis loses his effectiveness as a villain after you encounter him so many times as well, but honestly that didn’t ruin the game for me because it’s got so much else going for it. The gameplay is still fun, the graphics and atmosphere are insanely good, there’s tons of replay value, and Capcom continues on what I think is the best streak they’ve had in decades. I read recently that they’re remaking 4, which has me excited as these are of such a great quality that I’m not fatigued by them at all. I really hope they remake the other older entries as well. As a side note, don’t ask me about the multiplayer game that came with it, because I honestly haven’t played that yet and I’ll likely just stream that or do another Let’s Play video and give my impressions live.