Players: 1
Resident Evil 3
is the third in the popular survival-horror series but, unconventionally,
does not follow the chronological order of most sequels as it takes place
a month-and-a-half after the first game and just 24 hours before the second.
In the first game, the S.T.A.R.S. members Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine
battled to find out what lurked behind the cause of the zombie-infested town
of Raccoon City. It seemed the task was complete when they eradicated the
deadly T-Virus.
In the second, they realised things couldn't be further from the truth
as the Umbrella Corporation manufactured the G-Virus and those caught up in
the diseased city that time were Chris' sister Claire and Leon, a cop on his
first day in the job patrolling the town.
For game 3, the T-Virus is back and this time it's mutated into the deadly
Nemesis. As you go about your business, solving puzzles, finding
keys, combinations and special weapons, not to mention trying to stay alive as
fear lurks around every corner, your heart will jump into your mouth when
the big guy makes an appearance!
There are a few nice additions to this third installment. Firstly it's very
cool to kill zombies by firing nonchalantly at an oil drum, watching it
explode in their faces! Also, by pressing the required buttons when faced with
danger you can escape from or dodge the enemy. Top of the pile though, comes
the 180o turnaround move which provides the quickest escape from
anything.
Not everything is the same every time in this game though this time round,
since further playing will result in zombies, objects and herbs, etc. appearing
in different places.
There's also the Live Selection mode. A few times during the game you'll
come across a life-threatening situation. You have to make a choice quickly
otherwise you'll be placed in a more dangerous situation. However, the first
one, fight Nemesis or enter Police Station, makes no difference whether you
stick around and steal soon-to-be-dead Brad's S.T.A.R.S. card after the big man
makes mincemeat of him, or run inside because your own is lying around
somewhere. That said, I haven't got a chance in hell of killing Nemesis off.
If you're unsure who he is, he's the ugly spud at the top of this review and
shouts "S.T.A.R.S." a lot.
It's also possible to go Mixing Ammo, creating extra handgun bullets,
shotgun bullets and even Grenade Bullets and as if that wasn't enough the
concept of Partner Characters allows you to swap bodies and play as
the other, but if the partner dies in this scenario the game will end.
If you're worried about how much ammo you get initially, it is limited if you
choose a hard game - and you only get a handgun - but the easy game provides
you with an Assault Rifle with stacks of ammo and infinite ink ribbons (woohoo!)
Don't forget to check any dead bodies you find lying around as they may
contain a surprise or two. It's also fun to use the tried and tested
technique of using your shotgun to take out more than one at a time in close
range by lining them up - and aiming up - to blow their heads off with a
single shot. For added entertainment, watch their bodies twitch when they're
dead!
There are two main characters you'll meet in this game :
Jill Valentine
Jill is a member of S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics and Rescue Service) a special
taskforce in the Raccoon City Police Dept. She is a specialist in disarming
explosive traps. With her experience training in the U.S. Delta Force, she is
one of the survivors of the original incident that occured in the Arclay
Mountains.
Cheerful and independent, Jill has a strong sense of justice. Though she has a
healthy emotional side, she is a talented woman with strong will and excellent
judgement.
Carlos Oliveira
Carlos is from South America. His exact nationality is unknown but he carries
Indian blood. He is a U.B.C.S. (Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service)
soldier, in charge of heavy firearms, security and mission back-up. He is also
responsible for weapons maintenance. At first sight he may appear inexperienced
and immature. He is actually warm-hearted with a strong sense of right and
wrong.
Graphics, Sound and Playability
The graphics are just the same as they were in Resident Evil and
Resident Evil 2,
so just as good as they used to be: crisp, clear and colourful with excellent
interaction between yourself and the characters than inhabit the city. However
they are starting to look rather dated now because they haven't changed.
The sound still impresses though. The menacing background music, the
pistol-shooting followed by the sound of each spent cartridge hitting the
floor, the groan of the zombies as they come at you, or slump to the floor.
Plus, the squelching sound of several zombies sucking your blood as they pin
you to the floor...
The gameplay is also very good and the 180o turnaround function
helps. The controls take a little getting used to although if you've played
the other games then you shouldn't have any problems with this game. The
menus within the game are slow to negotiate though.
Overall
Overall, when the first game was released it was quite unlike any other.
Now in its third incarnation, the edge it once had has certainly lost its
shine. You do feel great fear when Nemesis is lumbering about after you,
mainly because he's a real bugger to get away from - and I've been killed
by him several times with no chance of bumping him off - but some of the
original setting and the style of the game is way too similar.
It's time to move on to something new rather than re-hash the original with
different puzzles.
And still it has the most annoying feature of all, which was something the
PC version of
Resident Evil 2
solved to some degree. Every time you go through a door you get the 'opening
door' sequence. It's very annoying if you need to go through a lot of doors to
get somewhere and you know that there's no more zombies left in that room.
Therefore I feel you should only get the 'opening door' graphic the first time
you go through.
That said, while I doubt we'll get another Resident Evil game on the
Playstation - bar the first-person-shooter Resident Evil: Survivor -
I'll be very interested to see what advancements have been made when
Resident Evil: Codename Veronica comes to the Sega Dreamcast.
If you're after some more info on Eidos Interactive's games, you can check
out their official Website at
www.eidos.co.uk
Also, check out Capcom's site at www.capcom.com
GRAPHICS
SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC
PLAYABILITY
ORIGINALITY
ENJOYMENT
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OVERALL
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Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2000.
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DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
