STARS…..STARS……
People have their own favorites, whether it’s a certain Time Lord, a particular Call of Duty, or a special Friday the 13th entry.
Personally, I’ve always loved Resident Evil 3: Nemesis; it’s what made me discover the survival horror series properly. I had seen the original entry being played on my friend’s Sega Saturn, and I had a demo for Resident Evil 2 from a magazine, but it was Nemesis that really reeled me in. Before people were clamoring for a remake of Resident Evil 2, I was hoping for a remake of Resident Evil 3, and I still am. This is why.
The main appeal to the game was the ‘Nemesis’ creature. It moved like The Terminator, slow like a tank but had the strength to show a ‘You Died’ screen in only three hits. It would appear at seemingly random moments, just when you thought you’d escaped its clutches, you’d see it running towards you.
Sometimes you’d even be given a choice; Would you run away, or fight it? If you were in ‘Hard Mode’, you could collect parts of a new gun if you subdued Nemesis, alongside first aid kits from time to time. But of course, this would be to the detriment of the ammo you’ve saved up and grown an unhealthy attachment to. Throughout the game the creature would mutate, making you wonder just how many incarnations you’d be facing.
I also think of the Nemesis creature much like ‘The Others’ from the TV Show LOST, a favorite series of mine. To quote a character from the show, Ana Lucia:
’They’re smart, and they can be anywhere at any time, and if you think that one gun and one bullet will stop them, think again.’
When the game was being developed soon after the release of Resident Evil 2, it was first envisaged as a spin-off to 2, codenamed ‘BIOHAZARD 1.9’ and for a time, ‘BIOHAZARD: GAIDEN’. Being developed concurrent to Dreamcast’s Code Veronica (the true Resident Evil 3), upper-management renamed it to be the third entry just after E3 1999, as they wanted the numbered entries to remain on the PlayStation platform.
The game that came out in September of that same year turned out to be a more than worthy sequel to the previous game. Critics praised it for its focus on the original game’s protagonist Jill Valentine, and the terror of an enemy always waiting in the shadows. Many appreciated the story being set before, during, and after the events of Resident Evil 2, with revisited locations to boot, but not so much of it as to feel like it was retreading the same ground from the year before. It opened up Racoon City even more, and you felt like you really were alone in an evacuated city, looking for an escape.
Survival Horror is a line that’s used throughout the series to described its blend of terror, but I like to call this particular entry ‘Paranoia Horror’. The persistent thought of something being nearby, constantly on your tail. In Resident Evil 3, you almost felt like you were in a panicked hurry at times, especially when you hadn’t run into the creature for a while.
The game, in my opinion, had just the right amount of length. There are no extra scenarios with another character, it’s only Jill Valentine and then a small section where you play as Carlos; a mercenary who aides Jill as she recovers from illness. It felt tightly-structured and you’re challenged by the puzzles and the areas without feeling like it was dragging.
There’s now rumors abound that a remake is indeed happening, and after the success of Resident Evil 2 last month, fans are starting to think of how that style could be applied with Resi 3. Here’s how I can see it.
I mentioned earlier of how paranoia is the main theme of this entry, and after playing Resident Evil 2 Remake, I can’t help but feel that the new and improved Mr. X is only a hint towards this.
Even though he only appeared in Claire’s second scenario in the original Resident Evil 2, the remake features him in every scenario. It’s turned out to be a masterstroke, as he’s now a meme on social media, and whatever you read related to the remake, Mr. X will very likely be mentioned.
I can’t help but feel that the more frequent appearance of Mr. X was a test to see how modern audiences would react with someone following them throughout a large portion of the game, and social media has proved that it is indeed the case; people love it.
So with this in mind, let us have Nemesis used more frequently this time. The rocket launcher he uses like a shotgun, for instance, make it cause some damage across the Police Department in that encounter. Have its voice heard across many locations in the game? On the tannoy somehow in the tram. Or as an echo across City Hall. Or whispers throughout the streets of Racoon City.
Perhaps not in disguise as a chef when Jill arrives at the restaurant, but when the choices arrive this time, I’d love for a take similar to Bandersnatch, Charlie Brooker’s Netflix series (not the Code Veronica baddie). Have an extra choice now and again, and it may cause a scene that could result in a game over. Or more branching paths which could result in multiple endings and different outcomes throughout the game.
The story can allow for Jill to meet certain characters before Leon and Claire do, and also opens up the City, the story, and RE2: Remake itself, even more, as there’s also an opportunity of having Resident Evil 3 as DLC content for Resident Evil 2. It’s set just around the events of that game after all, and to have it as an ‘event series’ across October, for instance, could be a great effect, especially as that will be twenty years since its original release on PlayStation.
The game also had its own mini-game just like 4th Survivor, a little thing called Mercenaries. You could play as a multitude of characters, and you could rack up cash to buy new weapons and unlimited ammo, dependant on the amount of time you spent and your rank. This was also retooled for a 3DS game as a Resident Evil 5 spinoff, but to have this remade as well would be incredible fun.
It’d be nice to have other characters playable, beyond Jill and the costumes that were unlock-able, such as Regina’s from Dino Crisis. To see that remade would be a great touch, and to give fans a taste of what a Dino Crisis remake could look like.
I don’t think it’s a matter of ‘if’ anymore, but ‘when’. The acclaim and success that the Resident Evil 2 Remake has shown that when done right, you can cater to old and new fans with a game that can work in the modern age, and with the third game the only one from the original trilogy left without a remaster, it surely won’t be long until Capcom returns to Raccoon City and unleash Nemesis in a new and terrifying way.
