Of all the franchises that got their start during the 5th console generation courtesy of the Sony PlayStation, few have had the lasting impact ofResident Evil. Aside from being one of the first horror game series to have mainstream crossover success,Resident Evilhelped name the genre it belonged to, coining the term “Survival Horror” even if it wasn’t technically the first game to adhere to its tenets. But while a lot of attention is normally paid to the first entry and its timeless sequel,Resident Evil 3: Nemesistends to get lost in the shuffle.
Originally released 25 years ago today,Resident Evil 3: Nemesiswould foreshadow many elements that players would come to love about bothResident Evil - CODE: VeronicaandResident Evil 4. Interestingly, the title was developed by a sort of “B Team” within Capcom. At the same time,Resident Evil 2director(and future Platinum Games founder) Hideki Kamiya worked on what would becomeResident Evil 4, with series creator Shinji Mikami overseeing the production ofRE3. It’s a bombastic, action-packed thrill ride, and the innovations it brings to the table make it one of the more surprising entries in the series, helping it stand the test of time as a fitting cap to the PS1 trilogy.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Introduced Several Future Series Mainstays
For all the ways thatResident Evil 3: Nemesisfeels like a solid conclusion to a trilogy of incredibly similar games, the amount of innovations it brought to theResident Evilformula shouldn’t be overlooked. While the game does still abide by the classic “tank” controls that continue to be players' single largest gripe about the original PS1 trilogy,Resident Evil 3: Nemesisis the first game in the series to introduce the “quick 180” turn, forever changing the way future games would handle movement and combat.
Considering how many new and agile threats Jill and Carlos have to contend with inNemesis' runtime, that 180-degree turn was a life-saver as it still is inmodernResident Evilgames, “tank” controls or not.
In addition to smoother movement and more options for dealing with numerous threats at once,Resident Evil 3: Nemesisalso introduced something that would become a major mechanic in theResident Evil 2and3remakes(as well asResident Evil 7and8): ammo crafting. For the first time in the series, players had more than just standard ammo pick-ups to rely on and could gather three different types of Gunpowder to store in the game’s boxes. In a pinch, players could craft extra ammo, makingResident Evil 3: Nemesisfeel like it strikes a perfect balance between the series' traditional difficulty and a more action-oriented tone.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis' ‘Fight or Flight’ Moments Are One of the Series' Best Tricks
The inventory and movement mechanics thatResident Evil 3: Nemesisintroduced are one thing, but the Live Selection segments from the PS1 original (which were unfortunately cut from the game for the 2020 remake) are what set it apart when stacked against its two amazing predecessors. These choice-based segments gave the player a split-second chance to decide to face Nemesis or flee from him, with the choice to fight leading to increased risk but the opportunity to snag some incredible rewards.
It’s a system that has yet to return in a subsequentResident Evilgame, and it helpsNemesisstand out as an essential game in the series as a result.
TheResident Evil 3remakeretains much of the original’s more action-oriented approach to combat and scenario design, but its cutting of the Live Selection moments in favor of fixed encounters with Nemesis is one of the things that makes it feel somewhat lesser than the original. Seeing as how the game’s events run concurrent to those ofResident Evil 2, it’s understandable thatResident Evil 3: Nemesismay be viewed by some as a non-essential part of theREcanon. But to miss out on the original’s excellent scripted events, great gunplay, and impressive series innovations means missing out on an excellent swansong to the era that birthed the series in the first place.
