Resident Evil 3 is famously a sequel that was rushed into production following the staggering success of Resident Evil 2. With a limited budget and an even more limited development cycle, Capcom was able to pull off a sequel that not only met the challenge of creating a sequel but was able to innovate and pushed the classic formula of RE to its limits.

The same cannot be said for its Remake…

In my newfound quest to experience the Resident Evil Series, I took a brief sojourn into the other side of the Raccoon City Outbreak, the point of view of Jill Valentine from the first title.

Before starting, I knew that reception to this game was less than positive… rather negative even. From reviews to entire playthroughs, I knew what to expect. It had gone far enough that I really wasn’t planning to purchase the game unless I found it for a substantial discount, which miraculously occurred just a day after making the said declaration.

I’ll get this out of the way first, Resident Evil 3 Remake… IS worth $10… but no more. I’ll break down precisely why as we move forward.

Beginning one day before the events of Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3 puts the player into the shoes of Jill Valentine, still experiencing PTSD from the events at Spencer Mansion, and currently suspended from duty at the RPD.

Receiving a call from Brad Vickers (The Pilot), Jill is warned that a B.O.W. has been released in the city, and it is currently trying to kill the remaining members of S.T.A.R.S. Before she can react to this information, the Tyrant codenamed Nemesis breaks through Jill’s apartment wall. After taking a few shots at its head with her trusty Samurai Edge - Jill Model, she loses the weapon as she is thrown through her front door.

Jill begins fleeing, and Nemesis fails to capitalize on several occasions where he could easily kill her, eventually leading to her temporary escape at the hands of Brad. She and her compatriot take refuge in a bar, only to have Brad become infected by one of the myriad zombies trying to break in.

Leaving him behind, Jill runs through some alleys until she meets Nemesis face-to-face once again. All seems lost until a well-timed Rocket Launcher stuns Nemesis long enough for an armed individual to escort Jill into the Subway System.

The man introduces himself as Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service (UBCS) Mercenary, Carlos Oliveira. Jill is none too happy that her savior is in the employ of the very same company responsible for the outbreak that is ravaging the city at present. A tenuous agreement is met, and Jill agrees to restore power to the subway system in an effort to save several cars full of civilians.

Jill travels to several locations in the neighborhood, including the power station, currently overrun with an infestation of parasitic bugs, a result of Umbrella’s handiwork.

With the Subway back online, Jill is once again stalked by Nemesis, leading him on a chase across the neighborhood, eventually leading to a fight atop a burning building. Jill eventually makes her way back to the station, where Carlos and Tyrell are given the orders to track down Umbrella Scientist, Dr. Nathaniel Bard. This leaves Jill with two members of UBCS, Nikolai and Mikhail, and the remaining survivors.

Just as things seem to be turning around for the better, Nemesis attacks the train, killing the civilians, and going after Jill. Nikolai locks Jill and Mikhail in a car, leading to Mikhail sacrificing himself.

Jill wakes up in a sewer system and makes her way through a new evolution of the Hunter B.O.W.’s she fought at the mansion, and eventually gets plucked out of the sewer by Nemesis as she makes her escape.

Meanwhile, Carlos and Tyrell make their way to the R.P.D. in their search for Brad. After dealing with ZomBrad and witnessing the injury that would eventually turn Marvin, the two UBCS members make their way through familiar areas of the R.P.D.

It turns out that Brad was not at the station at all, and was in fact at the hospital instead. Just as Carlos was about to look for him, he heard a message from Jill that got cut off as she fights Nemesis once more.

We shift back to Jill, who now has to fight Nemesis after a brief chase on the bridge, leading to the courtyard of the Clock Tower. Here, Jill assumes victory, only to be taken off guard and infected with the T-Virus.

Over half a day later, Carlos arrives to try and save Jill from an undead fate. He brings her body to the Spencer Memorial Hospital, where he can fight through classic Hunters and acquire the T-Virus Vaccine.

As they wait for the Vaccine to take effect, they learn that Racoon City is set to be bombed in less than 12 hours, leading to Carlos trying to find more of the antidote in the hospital.

Jill awakens with mere hours left before Armageddon, and she resolves to help Carlos in order to save the City and destroy Umbrella.

After making her way into “Nest 02,” a very conspicuously hidden umbrella facility, Jill is slowed down by Nikolai, whose motives are yet unknown. Fighting through the standard zombies and a new form called “Paleheads,” Jill eventually makes it to the control room, where Nikolai attempts to stop her.

In the process of getting there, Jill can synthesize a single dose of the Vaccine.

Not long after, Jill runs into Tyrell, and the two race to find Carlos, only to have the very much still alive Nemesis unceremoniously kill Tyrell and give Jill a difficult time.

Following a battle in the heart of the facility, Carlos is able to assist in damaging Nemesis, but when trying to escape, Nikolai successfully steals the vaccine. Jill doesn’t take this sitting down, but before she can fight back, she is grabbed by the newly rapidly mutating Tyrant.

Jill is nearly killed, but thanks to a well-timed Railgun, she is able to put an end to the Nightmare that is Nemesis.

Making her way to the roof, Jill meets Carlos and Nikolai, who are fighting, eventually leading to Carlos being injured, and Jill losing the vaccine again, as Nikolai destroys it. As it turns out, Nikolai was sent to ensure all of Umbrella’s involvement was wiped away, the population included.

Jill gives the final word on what she thinks of him, injuring him with a gunshot.

Carlos survives, and the pair fly away from the city, in the rising sun, barely staying aloft as the city is wiped from existence.

Is the Resident Evil 3 Remake a BAD game? No, certainly not. The game is taking a story that is fairly straightforward and makes most of the interactive sections fairly linear. Many iconic locations are seen and visited, but overall, the scale is drastically reduced.

In the original game, there were a handful of sections that followed classic RE formulae with puzzles, etc. In the remake, there are several sections that have removed the puzzle elements instead, focusing on more linear action, etc.

Due to the removed puzzles, there are now portions of the game where you would explore that are now entirely irrelevant, and most times, omitted entirely. This further compounds with what is likely the biggest issue most fans have with this game, the design and implementation of Nemesis.

Nemesis was not only on the cover of the original game, but even the namesake of the title in the US. That kind of beloved character must be treated well in the remake if you want any semblance of love from the fans.

Unfortunately, this was not the case in any way, shape, or form. In the original game, your progress through the Puzzle-y bits of the game was punctuated with randomized appearances of Nemesis, whose sole purpose is to hunt you down and kill you. He would show up on any given map, then proceed to sprint directly at you. Additionally, he could follow the player between rooms as well, leading to a terrifying revelation about where you may or may not be safe.

So what did the remake do? Well, with few to no puzzles, they relegate Nemesis to appearing at scripted times. The threat he poses is simply leading you into encounters with zombies. Otherwise, Nemesis is rather a pushover pinata that gifts weapon upgrades.

If you’re a fan of the series… It’s worth a shot… As long as that shot is $10 or less. If you’re interested in trying the series? RE2 Remake, RE4 Remake, and the stellar RE9: Requiem are far better options to give a shot… and no I’m not just glazing Leon here… okay maybe a liiiiittle.