Game 3.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Version played: Gamecube via Dolphin Emulator using the amazing
Seamless HD Mod.
This is it. For a long while this used to be my all-time favorite RE game. And arguably the first RE game I *really* got into back when I first started the franchise. I was maybe 12 when this came out .. all things considered I played these games at way too early of an age.
This was the first RE game which only has one scenario and 2 endings with very minor modifications, thus making it the shortest RE game at the time of release. To make up for it, we got Operation Mad Jackal. An amazing side-game with high amounts of replay value and tons of fun to be had.
Nemesis introduced various forward thinking advancements to the franchise which various future games would fail to implement successfully eg a persistent 'chaser' enemy, being able to free-climb stairs rather than pressing a button, and a very wildly fluctuating dodging mechanic etc. To this day I cannot nail down a dodge 100% and in most cases it's a stroke of luck when I manage to hit one.
Nemesis was also the first game in the franchise to implement real-time decisions at various points in the game which have minor modifications to the active game play scenario you are in at the moment, and can even determine which ending you get near the end. Dubbed "Live Selection", it's a shame we haven't seen much of this in future games. Nemesis also had randomization for non-key items and enemy placement in various locations in the game. You may not find the same amount of herbs or ammo in a location in play through B that you found in play through A.
Another game play advancement Nemesis made was the inclusion of gun powder. The amount of ammo you find in the game itself is very limited, the game makes up for it by peppering gun powder and an ammo tool which can be used to make basic ammo or combined in various combinations to make different kind of ammo (and even enhanced ammo).
And in terms of it's greater place in the franchise, we've all heard the rumblings about how this was not supposed to be a numbered game, but I believe the opposite. This game marked the closure for the Raccoon City portion of the lore, it deserves a numbered spot. The game also advances the plot for most of the key characters in the franchise thanks to the Epilogue files you unlock by beating the game repeatedly. Yes, most of this info would have been great in the game itself as files or character conversations .. but you get what you get I suppose.
I'm sure I can write a lot more about the game, but to summarize below are my pros and cons:
Pro:
- The "most" game play variety in the franchise so far.
- Jill's portrayal and performance was also some of the most solid character work in the franchise so far.
- Nicholai is a great villain and a suitable alternative to Wesker. It's a damn shame the franchise hasn't made up its mind about which ending is canon regarding him even now.
- Nemesis was a revelation. While not a completely original concept, Nemesis is one of the best implementation of a 'chaser' enemy even today.
- While the game isn't the longest, it has enough minor variances through out that you can easily warrant a few runs through the game just to see all available content (eg seeing Carlos with Murphy instead of Nicholai, or seeing Nicholai in the gas station instead of Carlos).
Con:
- Average game length, it's kinda small and if you know what you're doing, you can easily beat it in 2~3 hours max.
- Carlos is mostly a terrible character. Thankfully this was greatly remedied in the remake.
- That motherfucking water treatment puzzle. Fuck that piece of shit puzzle.
- As fearsome as Nemesis is, once you get a hang of his game play ticks, it is very easy to avoid/fight him even with a handgun (i-e always stay on his right hand side cause he only grabs Jill from the left hand)
Retrospective Score: 8/10
Final Verdict:
A great follow up to the sublime RE2. While it hasn't held up as well as RE2, it's still one of the best games of its kind and a must-play for anyone interested in the RE franchise.
And we got one of the coolest one-liners.
Next up ... Resident Evil Survivor .... oh boy I'm not anticipating this one.
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