If. I. TURN. In-to a zom-bie.
I want your WEEERD.
Thatyouwillkillme.
Jill Valentine
Rest in pieces, Raccoon City!
Following my first play-through of RE2, I immediately started playing RE3. This game seems a bit underrated in the grand scheme of things, but I have to say, its quickly become one of my favorites. From start to finish, its one hell of a ride!
The first half Uptown and Downtown is one of my favorite experiences in the series. I was floored by the atmosphere and attention to detail.
Raccoon City is divided into blocks and feels sprawling in scope, with a maze-like network of streets and alleyways that lead to various buildings. There are warehouses, stores, a gas station, a garage, a diner, a substation, the local newspaper, City Hall, even a return trip to the Police Department. The player is funneled in certain directions by roadblocks that make perfect sense in context burning wrecks, abandoned vehicles in gridlock traffic, etc. The streets glitter with shattered glass; alleyways are piled high with rubble and rubbish; and fires rage out of control. Each scene is composed with exacting detail, and the pre-rendered backdrops feel alive with flickering signs, rotating fans, dripping pipes, sparking wires one area even has a 3D window where you can glimpse a zombie inside. In terms of detail, its on REmakes level.
Many of the roads and alleyways are forked paths that loop around on themselves, which makes the linear layout feel open and complex. But the best part is how the city truly feels like its overrun with the living dead. New enemies are continually introduced in creative ways leaping out of fires, bursting through storefront windows, and crawling out of cars. Even areas youve cleared out multiple times wont stay empty for long. A return trip to an earlier area might reveal enormous flea-like BOWs crawling on the walls, or zombies feasting on flesh. And the game doesnt hesitate to throw a LOT of enemies at you, with entire hordes being a routine sight. RE3 may have the most convincing depiction of the zombie apocalypse in the entire series.
Thankfully, your character is also more capable, with the introduction of the 180-degree quick turn, and a new dodge mechanic where you nimbly sidestep enemies by aiming and tapping the shoot button right before they attack. You can also auto-target red barrels, nitrogen pipes and other environmental hazards by holding R2 the perfect way to clear out a crowd with a single shot.
Another addition is gunpowder, which comes in three types: A, B and C. You can mix these in different quantities and then run them through an item called the Reloader to create different amounts of handgun bullets, shotgun shells and more. You can also mix them with grenades to create flame rounds, freeze rounds, acid rounds, etc. There are many combinations! With this crafting system you can create more ammo for weaker weapons, less ammo for stronger weapons, or a mix of the two, changing your strategies each play-through.
Speaking of which, RE3 is variable. The game has only one scenario, but that one scenario plays out in many different ways. The puzzle solutions, enemy arrangements and item locations are semi-randomized, so you cant mindlessly go through the motions on subsequent play-throughs. There will still be an element of the unknown. And a number of cutscenes, NPC moments and dialogue can change, as well. I hear one cutscene has upwards of six variants!
Part of this is tied to the new decision moments where the screen turns black and white, and the player is prompted to choose one of two options. These occur during moments of crisis. Your choices can change the areas you explore and what you find there. For example, one choice halfway through the game will determine the direction from which you enter the chapel clocktower a mansion-like area in the north end of town that you reach by trolley. You can also increase the number of boss fights by choosing to fight Nemesis instead of running away.
Nemesis can appear anywhere at any time. Depending on how you play, youll run into him at different times in different places. Unlike Mr. X in RE2, Nemesis can follow you from one area to the next, both indoors and outdoors. Hell attempt to grab you and throw you to the ground, or impale you through the head with his tentacle. Hell sprint toward you with amazing speed, and deftly sidestep your attacks. Sometimes hell even pack heat of his own, toting an RPG he fires at will. Running past Marvins office at the RPD and seeing a rocket whiz past my head was quite a surprise!
There are 13 potential encounters in all. Only a few are mandatory fights. The others will reward you with healing items and custom parts for your weapons if you take the time to fight him. Personally, I relish the chase scenes, running from one end of the map to the other, trying to shake him off my trail. When you hear him bellow STARS and the ominous music starts playing, you know things are about to get real. By the end of the game, I was intimately familiar with Nemesis. He was more than a mere boss; he was a true foe, and it felt personal. Which made the events of the games final two battles and the games final decision all the more satisfying
The game, in general, is significantly harder and scarier than RE2. In terms of challenge and fright factor, Id say its somewhere between RE2 (low) and REmake (high). I felt like I was conservative with how often I saved, but I still only had five or six ribbons at a time about half of what I had in RE2, a game where I saved twice as often. Green herbs were also hard to come by. Funny enough, there was a surplus of red herbs in my inventory. Its as though the game was taunting me! I spent entire swathes of the game hobbling along, clutching my side, ready to expend my remaining shotgun shells with extreme prejudice, since I couldnt afford to take another hit.
Ive heard some say RE3 is short, and I imagine it is if you know what youre doing. But on this blind play-through, it took me 14.5 hours. (Even longer if you count restarting from an earlier save when I realized I wasted half of my supplies on an optional fight!) By comparison, RE2 took me 13 hours between Claire A and Leon B.
Earlier, I gushed about Uptown and Downtown. Id also like to praise the later areas, especially the chapel clocktower with its dignified air and lavish interior, and the park in the pouring rain, with its mix of marshland and woods, and the fight against the giant worm in the cemetery sinkhole. Along with the hospital and factory, there were some neat moments here. I enjoyed puzzles like the cog-shifting fountain in the park, and the wavelength adjustment in the factory. Personally, I think the hospital couldve been expanded upon, but it was a nice change of pace controlling Carlos with his limited weapons. I used up all his ammo fighting the different types of Hunters in the hospital, making it a short but harrowing experience! Also, a note about the sound design in the park: Hearing the wind rustling in the trees, the rain on the surface of the pond, the frogs croaking and crickets chirping made me feel like I was there.
All in all, RE3 is a great companion piece to RE2. Set before and after the events of that game, RE3 provides a deeper look into the Raccoon City Incident and really tests your survival skills.
Comparing the two, Id say RE2 is a smoother and more empowering experience where ammo, herbs and ink ribbons are plentiful, and the map and enemies are more predictable, which makes for a less stressful game, and one that is perhaps more fun to pick up and play. But RE3 is immensely satisfying if you want something a bit more unpredictable and challenging. Its a game that throws anything and everything at the player, but its fair and balanced, well-paced and well-designed.
Definitely play this game! RE3 is a classic, and a perfect companion piece to RE2. I see them as two halves of a greater whole The Raccoon City Saga, if you would. Hopefully well see RE3 remade, like RE2. The game deserves it and I think Nemesis would do well with YouTube personalities who like running from scary monsters. ;-)
You want STARS? Ill give you STARS!
Jill Valentine
In closing, here are some backdrops (minus effects like fire):
I want your WEEERD.
Thatyouwillkillme.
Jill Valentine
Rest in pieces, Raccoon City!
Following my first play-through of RE2, I immediately started playing RE3. This game seems a bit underrated in the grand scheme of things, but I have to say, its quickly become one of my favorites. From start to finish, its one hell of a ride!
The first half Uptown and Downtown is one of my favorite experiences in the series. I was floored by the atmosphere and attention to detail.
Raccoon City is divided into blocks and feels sprawling in scope, with a maze-like network of streets and alleyways that lead to various buildings. There are warehouses, stores, a gas station, a garage, a diner, a substation, the local newspaper, City Hall, even a return trip to the Police Department. The player is funneled in certain directions by roadblocks that make perfect sense in context burning wrecks, abandoned vehicles in gridlock traffic, etc. The streets glitter with shattered glass; alleyways are piled high with rubble and rubbish; and fires rage out of control. Each scene is composed with exacting detail, and the pre-rendered backdrops feel alive with flickering signs, rotating fans, dripping pipes, sparking wires one area even has a 3D window where you can glimpse a zombie inside. In terms of detail, its on REmakes level.
Many of the roads and alleyways are forked paths that loop around on themselves, which makes the linear layout feel open and complex. But the best part is how the city truly feels like its overrun with the living dead. New enemies are continually introduced in creative ways leaping out of fires, bursting through storefront windows, and crawling out of cars. Even areas youve cleared out multiple times wont stay empty for long. A return trip to an earlier area might reveal enormous flea-like BOWs crawling on the walls, or zombies feasting on flesh. And the game doesnt hesitate to throw a LOT of enemies at you, with entire hordes being a routine sight. RE3 may have the most convincing depiction of the zombie apocalypse in the entire series.
Thankfully, your character is also more capable, with the introduction of the 180-degree quick turn, and a new dodge mechanic where you nimbly sidestep enemies by aiming and tapping the shoot button right before they attack. You can also auto-target red barrels, nitrogen pipes and other environmental hazards by holding R2 the perfect way to clear out a crowd with a single shot.
Another addition is gunpowder, which comes in three types: A, B and C. You can mix these in different quantities and then run them through an item called the Reloader to create different amounts of handgun bullets, shotgun shells and more. You can also mix them with grenades to create flame rounds, freeze rounds, acid rounds, etc. There are many combinations! With this crafting system you can create more ammo for weaker weapons, less ammo for stronger weapons, or a mix of the two, changing your strategies each play-through.
Speaking of which, RE3 is variable. The game has only one scenario, but that one scenario plays out in many different ways. The puzzle solutions, enemy arrangements and item locations are semi-randomized, so you cant mindlessly go through the motions on subsequent play-throughs. There will still be an element of the unknown. And a number of cutscenes, NPC moments and dialogue can change, as well. I hear one cutscene has upwards of six variants!
Part of this is tied to the new decision moments where the screen turns black and white, and the player is prompted to choose one of two options. These occur during moments of crisis. Your choices can change the areas you explore and what you find there. For example, one choice halfway through the game will determine the direction from which you enter the chapel clocktower a mansion-like area in the north end of town that you reach by trolley. You can also increase the number of boss fights by choosing to fight Nemesis instead of running away.
Nemesis can appear anywhere at any time. Depending on how you play, youll run into him at different times in different places. Unlike Mr. X in RE2, Nemesis can follow you from one area to the next, both indoors and outdoors. Hell attempt to grab you and throw you to the ground, or impale you through the head with his tentacle. Hell sprint toward you with amazing speed, and deftly sidestep your attacks. Sometimes hell even pack heat of his own, toting an RPG he fires at will. Running past Marvins office at the RPD and seeing a rocket whiz past my head was quite a surprise!
There are 13 potential encounters in all. Only a few are mandatory fights. The others will reward you with healing items and custom parts for your weapons if you take the time to fight him. Personally, I relish the chase scenes, running from one end of the map to the other, trying to shake him off my trail. When you hear him bellow STARS and the ominous music starts playing, you know things are about to get real. By the end of the game, I was intimately familiar with Nemesis. He was more than a mere boss; he was a true foe, and it felt personal. Which made the events of the games final two battles and the games final decision all the more satisfying
The game, in general, is significantly harder and scarier than RE2. In terms of challenge and fright factor, Id say its somewhere between RE2 (low) and REmake (high). I felt like I was conservative with how often I saved, but I still only had five or six ribbons at a time about half of what I had in RE2, a game where I saved twice as often. Green herbs were also hard to come by. Funny enough, there was a surplus of red herbs in my inventory. Its as though the game was taunting me! I spent entire swathes of the game hobbling along, clutching my side, ready to expend my remaining shotgun shells with extreme prejudice, since I couldnt afford to take another hit.
Ive heard some say RE3 is short, and I imagine it is if you know what youre doing. But on this blind play-through, it took me 14.5 hours. (Even longer if you count restarting from an earlier save when I realized I wasted half of my supplies on an optional fight!) By comparison, RE2 took me 13 hours between Claire A and Leon B.
Earlier, I gushed about Uptown and Downtown. Id also like to praise the later areas, especially the chapel clocktower with its dignified air and lavish interior, and the park in the pouring rain, with its mix of marshland and woods, and the fight against the giant worm in the cemetery sinkhole. Along with the hospital and factory, there were some neat moments here. I enjoyed puzzles like the cog-shifting fountain in the park, and the wavelength adjustment in the factory. Personally, I think the hospital couldve been expanded upon, but it was a nice change of pace controlling Carlos with his limited weapons. I used up all his ammo fighting the different types of Hunters in the hospital, making it a short but harrowing experience! Also, a note about the sound design in the park: Hearing the wind rustling in the trees, the rain on the surface of the pond, the frogs croaking and crickets chirping made me feel like I was there.
All in all, RE3 is a great companion piece to RE2. Set before and after the events of that game, RE3 provides a deeper look into the Raccoon City Incident and really tests your survival skills.
Comparing the two, Id say RE2 is a smoother and more empowering experience where ammo, herbs and ink ribbons are plentiful, and the map and enemies are more predictable, which makes for a less stressful game, and one that is perhaps more fun to pick up and play. But RE3 is immensely satisfying if you want something a bit more unpredictable and challenging. Its a game that throws anything and everything at the player, but its fair and balanced, well-paced and well-designed.
Definitely play this game! RE3 is a classic, and a perfect companion piece to RE2. I see them as two halves of a greater whole The Raccoon City Saga, if you would. Hopefully well see RE3 remade, like RE2. The game deserves it and I think Nemesis would do well with YouTube personalities who like running from scary monsters. ;-)
You want STARS? Ill give you STARS!
Jill Valentine
In closing, here are some backdrops (minus effects like fire):
