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The horror has returned... It is back, and it has taken some different steps to make sure that it would succeed. This game starts before the second game, and it ends after the second game. The opening FMV for the game is truly effective and it sets the tone for the whole thing nicely. Then, you play as Jill Valentine, one of the survivors of the Raccoon Mansion incident. This was a good idea to have you play as Jill since it brings back some nostalgia, but it is different that you only play as one character for most of the game. The other character is an Umbrella Mercenary named Carlos, who is one of the few survivors of the disastrous attack. The new nightmare begins...
The story starts about twenty-four hours before RE2, and it has Jill racing through the entire city, trying to evade the zombies and anything else that might get in her way. Along the way, she meets Brad, who has been wounded. He tells her that a monster that has been programmed to target S.T.A.R.S. members is on the loose and is hunting for them. When she gets to the police station, she witnesses the monster that is called Nemesis, a super zombie that is even more powerful than the Tyrant. It kiils Brad, but Jill manages to get past it. Along the way, she meets Carlos and a few other mercs. Now, they have to get out of the city before the Nemesis finds and kills them. The story structure is fine, but some of the dialogue is really cheesy and the ending doesn't exactly live up to expectations because the final boss battle is way too easy, once again. The Nemesis chasing you is a lot harder to avoid. But, overall, the story works, but you might be longing for more in structure.
The graphics are a little better from the second installment, and you get to see more detail, but there are other PS-X games that have better graphics than this.
The controls are much easier to handle and they won't give you too many headaches. There are a few glitches, especially with the auto-aim, but it does work, and you don't have to press the X button to go up the stairs. That is a great relief. You might see some glitches in hit detection with the Nemesis battles, but they aren't fatal. Just make sure his rocket launcher is nowhere near you or there will be questionable hits.
The voice-overs are a little cheesier, but they really can't do too much about that. The dialogue is about the same as 2, but it has some pretty dumb lines, especially early on in the game and at the very end.
The overall game is fantastic because it does scare, especially Nemesis with him coming for you at just about every turn. There are also a few shock effects thrown in for fun, but for the most part, the Nemesis brings in the scares and you will welcome his frequent appearances. The best part of the game is the Game Design, which might be a little linear, but it is expertly done.
Capcom's third RE game is not the best of the bunch, but it does pack a wallop when it needs to. This game won five awards in 2000 including Game Design and Game of the Year. -- Chris Vavra, PGNx Media
---- Oct 6, 2002
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