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Resident Evil 3 Remake is out now, and it is worth mentioning that I am a massive Resident Evil fan although I hadn’t completed many (only 1 and 2), I had played most of them.
Saying that, 20 minutes into this new game, and I came to the conclusion that whilst having spent most of my PS1 time on Resident Evil 1 and Final Fantasy 7, somehow I must have missed this absolute classic.
It is first worth mentioning that Resident Evil 3 Remake isn’t the longest game in the world and actually only took me 7 hours to complete on the first playthrough, but it definitely is one which makes you want to go back and replay a number of times. Actually, for the first time in my life, it made me want to complete a ‘speed run’, which is something that has never interested me in my 30 years of gaming.
What I love about it, is that it follows a very similar storyline to the first two Resident Evil games. You are the one and only detective Jill Valentine (although you do get to play as some hipster dude for a bit). Things get a little bit crazy and what do you know… everyone starts turning into zombies, and the good old Umbrella Corporation are all involved, as usual, while some big-ass tyrant called Mutant X lurks about and chases you throughout. Come the end of the game, you will be glad to finally rid his big meathead from the planet and it all explains why we no longer see Raccoon City in Resident Evil games.
The story itself is relatively straight-forward but definitely enjoyable. You meet a range of recognisable characters which all display traits we have seen before. And when it comes down to the final hurdle, Jill Valentine saves the day. Just as we knew she would.
Like many Resident Evil games of the past, Resident Evil 3 Remake uses sound to capture the mood throughout and spook the living daylights out of you. At times, I considered playing this game with some music on and the sound off… not because of hearing zombies around each corner, or understanding that you’re going to meet a boss, or noticing when the room is clear, isn’t very helpful because it is. It is just that they are all scary as anything and combined with the quick shock factor, this saw me jumping out of my seat more than once. I mean, this game is so freaky at times that I reckon I would have completed it in a single day if I hadn’t needed to stop due to it getting too dark and me getting too scared. Yes, I am not very good at scary things!
Similarly, to Resident Evil 2 Remake, they have really performed miracles with ensuring this game looks up to scratch. Every little aspect about it the game looks superb. The cut-scenes really show off the setting and how well they have dealt with the character animation. Most importantly though, the game looks like a Resident Evil! That may not make sense to all of you, but the first two both had this feel where you knew what they were. No other game really looked like them or felt like them. Don’t get me wrong, after playing the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, the graphics don’t quite match up to them but they are more than adequate for a PS4 game.
Not only does it look like a Resident Evil but R3 plays like one, too. They way Jill runs and pulls out her weapon. The way zombies slowly sway from side to side then become 100 times quicker once you get near them, the way the dogs run and the way you open doors (well this is sadly one of R3’s downfalls as it doesn’t quite follow the convention we all loved). The game plays well and offers a suitable challenge. You’ll find a more than adequate array of weapons at your disposal but it is worth ensuring that you cover every inch of the map as a few of the weapons/upgrades are hidden in the hard to get places.
Without ruining it, I found one type of zombie incredibly annoying and emptied rounds of pistol clips into them before I found the more acidic way to destroy them. Making ammo is all straight-forward as is healing yourself with either herbs or first aid spray. The rest of the enemies are standard Resident Evil baddies, but fun nonetheless.
Overall, Resident Evil 3 Remake is an incredibly fun game which had me quite enthralled from start to finish. This was well worth the wait and an excellent 7-8 hours’ worth of gaming. I will definitely be playing it again and am looking forward to any more remakes which may be on route.
Resident Evil 3 Remake is out now on PS4 and Xbox One.
Important info:
- Publisher: Capcom
- Developer: Capcom
- Players: single-player, multiplayer
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GRAPHICS SOUND GAMEPLAY ENJOYMENT |
8 9 8 9 |
| OVERALL | 8.5 |
I have been a video game player since 1993 and a music fan since I can remember. I studied Film and Journalism at university and ended up becoming a Primary School teacher. Video games changed my life and sent me on the right track and have stayed with me ever since.