The Resident Evil franchise
really brought the Playstation out into the mainstream. No longer "just a toy,"
a video game system can do things it never could before, including scaring the living hell
out of people. Capcom, by no means a company that will rest on it's laurels, has released RE
games on the Dreamcast, N64, Game Boy, Game.com, and a few
sequels here on the PS One. The highly anticipated third edition of this ever popular
series takes the series to new heights, some so high that it may never be able to reach
them again. Taking place immediately after the first Resident Evil, this game in the series puts you in control of Jill Valentine. The games title character, Nemesis, is constantly stalking the main player, popping out when you least expect it. Other than this, it's you and 100's of zombies who have escaped the confines of the mansion, now running amok throughout Raccoon city.
Not content to leave the series crammed into a solitary building, Capcom has opened the game up allowing for players to explore an entire city. Granted, players still must enter buildings (including the police station from RE2, a segment that will bring back memories), but the expanded world is a huge, much needed leap for the series.
The actual gameplay
remains nearly unchanged with the only major addition being a 180 degree turn-around
button. This makes taking out massive numbers of enemies a snap as compared to the
previous games. Since the enemy count has been upped and the number of action sequences
easily in the triple digits, this is a necessary addition.
Adventure fans still have nothing to worry about however, as the included puzzles will still blow your mind. Very few of these have an obvious solution. Keeping away from the numerous strategy guides out there is recommended as the feeling of accomplishment by doing it yourself up the satisfaction of the game.
Each of these puzzles are greatly detailed thanks to the improved graphics engine. The hi-res characters and pre-rendered backgrounds are exquisitely done, showing even the minute details. Gore fans will also be at home as the zombies still blow up in a mass of parts. The voice acting has also received a boost, but it's still not quite up to par with some other games currently on the market.
Games like this become immediate classics upon their release. It's rare for a game to be as good as the original the third time around. It's even rarer for it to be better. Resident Evil 3 does all this and more. Each Resident Evil PS One owning fans will be pleased to know that Capcom hasn't forgotten about them while working on the numerous other incarnations of the game. A must own on every level.
