3.5/5 ★ – Nestunt's review of Resident Evil 3.

This is the first time I finished a Resident Evil game. During the PlayStation 1 era, I never cared for the franchise. Young age was probably a factor, since I remember associating those games with commonplace visuals and tedious animations and gameplay. Then, the PlayStation 2 released and I played Onimusha and Devil May Cry. Their art style and action certainly did the trick. Later, I found out that they owed a lot of their design to Resident Evil. I got curious. Resident Evil 4 released in 2005 for the PS2, and people were saying things like “Best game of all time”. Hm. I had to know. And this time, it seemed you no longer moved like a boring tank. I played it for a couple of hours, tried again a month later, but never got past how frustrating it was that your character got reduced movement when shooting. I know it was intentional to create tension. In my experience, it created frustration. Such a massive disappointment made me only consider playing another Resident Evil game 10 years later. In that period, my taste diversified, my curiosity expanded, and my appreciation of design and gameplay choices deepened. Thus, the ideas behind the first Resident Evil started to entice me. Fixed camera angles, limited movement and resources, and running away instead of engaging were all constructs I found academically alluring for the games’ medium. Additionally, the remake of Resident Evil 1 had since attained a legendary status. So, when it was released on PlayStation 4 with improved graphics and controls, I decided to give another chance to the franchise. I played it for like 15 minutes and couldn’t stand the movement and aiming. Tried again one month later, with not much progress. Five years later, we arrive at this point. Why, after so many lackluster experiences with RE, did I decide to bet on the remake of number 3? It helps that, just last year, Resident Evil 2 remake was received so positively, with many people stating that it was the perfect blend between the classic structure of the franchise and modern gaming. Oh, and it looked great. That RE engine is here to stay. Still, after the previous disappointments, I was unsure if this franchise was for me, no matter how great an entry is perceived to be. That, and noticing comments regarding the dominance of puzzles over action (despite the modern sensibilities), or the majority of the plot taking place inside the same building (I know this is also intentional for claustrophobia). Or even the absurd amount of memes ridiculing the main antagonist through mods – also didn’t help in my willingness to invest immersion into it. Then, more than one year later, the review embargo for Resident Evil 3 hit. And two things stood out: The positive takeaways said that the game, similarly to RE 2 remake, retained what made the classic entries great, while modernizing it with quality of life improvements in controls, graphics and systems for the current standard; The negative takeaways said that the game had more action, less puzzles, and less resource scarcity. So, from my outside perspective, the negatives sounded also like positives, and there was a chance Resident Evil finally had an entry which I could enjoy. I took a chance. And I’m here to report that, finally, I enjoyed a Resident Evil game. The graphics are phenomenal. I’m happy that this game takes place in more than one setting, taking full advantage of the RE engine. The sound and music create a tense atmosphere, but also deliver on the action front when the game is in those moments. I’m finally comfortable with Resident Evil controls, without feeling like the additional mobility is undermining the “cornered” effect of horror. I still found myself walking instead of running, checking corners or stopping to aim. But, the fact that I could transition between all those decisions with more smoothness immersed me, instead of frustrating. The same for the increment in resources’ availability. I was still mindful of how many curative items I had in relation to the current status of my health. I still ran away from encounters to be efficient in my consumption. I still felt empowered in exploring every nook and cranny of the environment to find something to give me an edge. Or enjoyed combining items to not only make them more potent, but also to gain space in my limited inventory. This combination in how the game controls with the design choices for resource management and combat encounters gave Resident Evil 3 the equilibrium between survival and action, and, more importantly, survival through action, that I have been expecting of the franchise for all those years. I know I was the one not in touch with what Resident Evil really is. At the same time, I come out of this slightly different entry with a better appreciation for some of the aspects that people really love about these classic games. Which prompts me to state that, with so many entries, it wouldn’t be harmful for Capcom to, here and there, release a game like this. To appeal to an audience that doesn’t want a total deviation, but is having trouble coming to grips with some of the more buttoned-down conventions. And every curious gamer should get to experience the ridiculously over-the-top action thread that is the Nemesis encounters’ evolution. It’s not by chance that Japan invented Godzilla and the kaiju.