Resident Evil 3

Resident Evil 3 is loud. It is a snarling dog too close to your face, spittle flying everywhere. For some players, the intensity will be a turn off. The original version is the link between the earlier games’ simmering spookiness and Resident Evil 4’s bold action. It marked the first step in a tonal shift that arguably went too far: As the series progressed, the action grew too excessive. The remake threads a spectacular needle. The explosive boss fights and ever-present cat and mouse chases never feel out of place. Windows shatters as the zombie horde bursts in, giant lizards swallow you whole, and the Nemesis slams down behind you at the worst moment. The terror doesn’t fade simply because you have an assault rifle or grenade launcher. Resident Evil 3 solidifies a new model for the remakes. It takes last year’s Resident Evil 2 remake and hones it into something meaner and more intense. Embracing the chaos leads to an intense and confidently executed Resident Evil experience.

Were it not for the high expectations set by Resident Evil 2, Capcom’s similarly lavish remake of Resident Evil 3 would stand out as a gorgeous example of a survival horror game lovingly and painstakingly reimagined. At times it manages to be exactly that, modernizing the story of Jill Valentine’s escape from a zombie-ravaged Raccoon City crafted with amazing production values. But the shadow of its very recent predecessor looms so large as to overshadow it. Like last year’s game, Resident Evil 3 is a great example of what a video game remake should be. It’s just that the source material is a little less impressive this time around — and so is the end result.

Truthfully, there aren’t a lot of surprises of any kind in Resident Evil 3. It’s like an especially polished DLC campaign—think Resident Evil 2.5. Again, though, that’s mostly true too of the fan-favorite sequel it’s spit-shining. Back in ’99, Nemesis didn’t just mark the moment that this series started to tweak its infamously (if fruitfully) punishing tank controls, giving gamers the option to fight instead of flee and tilting the ratio of horror to action in the latter’s favor. It was also the first time a Resident Evil game looked a little formulaic, offering variations on stock elements.

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is as excellent as it is scary, and it is very scary. Take it from someone who doesn't scare easily - Capcom pushed the boat out on making this one pure paranoia fuel...While the zombies can sometimes be annoying, the overall experience is just as good as Resident Evil 2, which was already amazing, and adds more tension. Also, the new Jill Valentine is just too darn likable.

Resident Evil 3 is an entertaining, well-made game that brings one of the series’s less-heralded entries right up to date. But almost everything it does right was part of Resident Evil 2 as well, and many of that game’s qualities are no longer present. Overall, the package is a lot less appealing. It feels more like an expansion to 2 than an entirely new game. That doesn’t mean it isn’t worth playing, but it does mean you should know what you’re getting into before pulling the trigger