GAMES

Capcom’s classic hit game gets a modern refresh

We are back in Raccoon City to kill some zombies and ward off Nemesis in the latest Resident Evil 3.

Asure shot way to get everyone’s attention is to feed the nostalgia. Take Capcom’s Resident Evil, for instance. Resident Evil 2 was well-received by fans - old and new - and set a bar on how decades-old games are ought to be made. Naturally, this year’s Resident Evil 3 has big boots to fill, but has Capcom done enough to meet the expectations? We play to find out.

Resident Evil 3 follows the story of Special Tactics And Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.) officer Jill Valentine who plans to leave the zombie-infested Raccoon City but instead gets chased by an intelligent bioweapon named Nemesis. However, with a will to survive, Valentine marches on while taking on the super soldier and in the process learns about the outbreak and other secrets around the virus.

Resident Evil 3 is a fast-paced game. The game switches into full action mode within a few minutes into the game and unlike Mr. X in Resident Evil 2 who appears after some time in the game, Resident Evil 3 doesn’t waste any time to introduce Nemesis as he breaks into Valentine’s room to get rid of her. But the strong entry seems to fizzle out as you progress through the story and realise Nemesis is not as menacing as he looks. Sure, he comes at important junctures of the game with some new weapon in tow that makes life a little hard but tackling him for a few minutes of the game is comparatively easy to Mr. X’s constant threat in the previous game.

Resident Evil 3 is a visual treat. The game uses the same RE Engine that was used for the last few games and does justice to detailed locations and top-notch character modelling. Jill looks fantastic along with her buddy Carlos and so does Nemesis that makes him look badass in every avatar. Grotesque zombies are well, still ugly to look at but now their limbs don’t dismember when you shoot at them.

This survival horror depends on two key things - combat and resource management. Combat options in Resident Evil 3 include a knife and a limited number of guns that can be found throughout the game. However, the game adds a bit

of versatility by customising them with gun parts that increase ammo capacity, improves accuracy and deals more damage. This, of course, takes up inventory space, which is where resource management comes in handy and more so if you are playing the game on Hard mode. However, it’s not much of a hassle in Normal or Assisted mode as you get enough pouch upgrades to carry the most important items.

Resident Evil 3’s constant action keeps you hooked to the game, but it has some shortcomings. Puzzles are present throughout the game but are in a limited capacity. Maps are designed with exploration in mind, but they lack depth. And possibly, the biggest shortcoming is the length of the game. We finished our first playthrough in Normal mode in under seven hours and the second one in less than five.

Given the linear story and no multiple ending, Resident Evil 3 does not make a compelling case for replayability, unlike its predecessor. But there is some replayability if you are looking to unlock some cool weapons like an infinite handgun, assault rifle or a rocket launcher, or costume via