I need to start this review with a large disclaimer. I have never played the original Resident Evil 3 game and so my review is specifically reviewing the RE3 Remake as its own game, and not as a comparison to the original. I also need to state that I did not buy this game at launch when it was $60 and if I had, that perhaps would have altered my opinions on it because of how short the game is.

Story and Characters
-The story of Resident Evil 3 is very much a familiar Resident Evil story. Without going into spoilers, the story follows Jill who is still in some ways dealing with the horrors that happened to her during the events of the original Resident Evil game. While she is in her apartment, a massive outbreak occurs in Raccoon City with people being turned into zombies and chaos erupting in the streets. She is quickly ambushed by a massive, relentless monster that pursues her through the streets and seems to be unstoppable. She meets up with Carlos, a mercenary for the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service (UBCS) and together they try to help some people get out of the city and stop the virus from spreading anymore. This story isn’t anything all that original and in some ways it feels pretty similar to the story 2, but I think it is mostly effective. The story is not usually the strongest aspect of the Resident Evil games and that is no different here, but I think it is still enjoyable enough.
- The shortcomings of the story are slightly alleviated by the greatness of the characters in my opinion. Jill Valentine returning from the first game is a great character here and her voice acting is much improved from the 1996 original. She is a badass STARS member who has dealt with the zombies before so she feels much more confident in going about her mission. She also has a fun level of sass to her and she drops some great one liners throughout the game. Carlos is the other main character that you play as and he is also quite likable and charming. I thought it was cool playing as someone who works for Umbrella, who doesn’t yet realize all the terrible things that the company has done. It allows for some good character development and watching Jill and Carlos bond as the game progresses is fun to see.
-The voice acting across the board is really good, even for the side characters you meet like fellow UBCS members Mikhail Victor and Tyrell Patrick or the secondary antagonist of the game, Nicholai Ginovaef. The side characters don’t get too much screen time, but they are all good and Nicholai serves as a great villain in the game.

Gameplay
- The gameplay shifts a bit in the 3rd game from the gameplay in the 2nd as there is a lot more action and the game is more linear as well. The player now has the ability to dodge and timing it perfectly can help you better position yourself to take out approaching enemies. You are also given a lot more ammo and you are given far more damage heavy weapons earlier in the game. This gives the game a much faster pact to it as you often have to deal with larger groups of enemies and enemies that can take a lot more hits. I actually like this change because while you do lose some of the horror the second game had with its bigger emphasis on ammo preservation and threats behind every corner, this action focused shift works on a narrative level as well as a gameplay one. Jill and Carlos are both trained fighters who know how to deal with threats and dangerous situations. Jill fought tons of zombies and a giant snake in the first game, it would feel odd to have her slowly sneaking around and being incapable of effectively fighting back. In the second game, Leon was a rookie cop and Claire was a college student with some training from her brother, but neither of them had ever been in a situation like that before. It is cool that new mechanics like the dodge demonstrate a difference in skill level in the series’ protagonists.
- The gunplay feels quite similar to how it did in the second game, but it also feels like the zombies go down a bit quicker. This could also be a deliberate choice to show that the protagonists are more skilled fighters. Having the grenade launcher, shotgun and the assault rifle make you feel way more confident and as mentioned before, the game is far less scary because of that.
- Unfortunately, the game is far more linear than some of the other RE games and while there are sections of the game where you are exploring different areas by getting new supplies and keys, these sections are all fairly small. For example, the first area you are in after the exciting opening sequence is downtown Raccoon City. This location is really cool and looks incredible, but it is fairly small and the whole section can be completed in under an hour. Compared to the police department in RE2, it just feels a bit disappointing because there isn’t the same level of exploration and there are no real puzzles in the game.
- Nemesis is a big focus in this game and unfortunately, he is kind of a mixed bag. On one hand, it is a cool story idea to have this relentless monster chasing Jill through the city and he serves as an unstoppable force that you just can’t seem to kill. The various boss fights you have with him are all pretty good and I think they tend to be a step up from the boss fights in RE2. On the other hand, I found him to be far more annoying than scary and he was just kind of frustrating to deal with. While Mr X was a slow moving stalker enemy that you constantly had to worry about, there is only one section in RE3 where you are actually pursued by Nemesis and it feels more awkward than scary. He jumps around the city chasing you but he is also quite fast and can sprint at you so you are kinda just running around and trying to dodge attacks that you can’t see because he is off screen behind you. You can also be running away from him only to have him randomly jump right in front of you again. I never really found him to be very scary outside of a couple jump scares and I almost wanted to just rush though the sections when he was following me because it was annoying.
-The rest of the enemies in the game are all pretty good, it is mainly a lot of zombies, but there are some new additions as well. There is a section of the game where you are navigating a disgustingly overgrown power station that is full of these creatures called Drain Deimos and they are pretty freaky. You also have creatures called Hunter Gammas that would come out of the walls in the sewers and I liked learning the backstory on those. The coolest new enemy though are probably the Hunter Betas, they are fast and tough and have an attack that can instantly kill you if you aren’t careful.

Side Content
-The main game doesn’t really have any side content except for some optional loot that you can go back and try to collect. They do have a shop in the main menu where you can purchase special unlocks for future playthroughs which is a cool idea, but I wouldn’t really consider it side content.
-This game does have a multiplayer side game that came with it, but I did not play that so I cannot give my thoughts on it.

World/Level Design
-The level design here is pretty solid, but as mentioned before, I wish the levels were just a bit bigger so they didn’t feel so linear and would make the game a bit longer. My favorite area of the game would be the downtown sections as I thought it looked really cool and it was fun to see the main city, especially since Raccoon City is such a key location to the franchise. The other standout location to me was the hospital that you explore as you play as Carlos. It was a bit creepy and was fun to explore and read the notes from the people who died there.
- I also want to mention that I did think it was cool to see the RPD again from the second game and I liked that we went there before the actual events of RE2. Funnily enough, I actually think this game serves as a better kind of “B run” than the one we got in the actual game. I just liked seeing how certain things in RPD became damaged or what happened to certain characters and I wanted more of that in the B run of RE2, but that is a different discussion.

Graphics, Music and Glitches
-The graphics are legitimately very impressive, especially the faces on the characters in all of the cutscenes. I think they are probably the best looking character models in any RE game and they hold up very well. The locations are all very well crafted and I loved seeing the lighting from the fire and police lights in areas like the downtown section.
- This game actually had more music that I noticed then RE2 did, which I really liked. The save rooms had an ominous score that would play and certain parts of the game had creepy music that would play as you explored. It definitely added to the atmosphere and made for a better experience.
-I did not have any glitches on my playthrough.

Main Positives of the Game
- The characters of Jill and Carlos are very likable and I liked their chemistry throughout the game. It was cool playing as characters that are more capable fighters and I liked how the gameplay reflected that.
-The boss fights were an improvement over RE2 and I really liked how all of the action felt. The dodge button was a very nice addition and really added to the faster pace that the game has.
-Some cool locations like downtown Raccoon City, the hospital and the return of the west wing of the RPD. While I wanted to get more from many of the locations, the stuff we did get was all very well done.
-Phenomenal graphics, especially the face animations, they all looked really incredible.
-There are some fun, memorable sequences such as the opening Nemesis attack, the hospital zombie horde survival and the ending sequence.

Main Negatives of the Game
-The game is far too short in my opinion. Now, most Resident Evil games aren’t that long and probably clock in close to the 10 hour mark, but RE3 Remake I finished in under 7 hours. It also doesn’t have the same replayability as 2 as that one had two different characters you could play as with their own stories, even though the levels were mostly the same. I think adding more to some of the areas that they already had could have added more to the playtime, especially more in the downtown section.
- Nemesis isn’t really all that scary and he ends up being more annoying than anything. I get that they wanted to make him feel like an unstoppable threat that is always hunting you, but he gets old pretty fast, especially since the game kinda front loads a lot of the stuff with him so in the first few hours, you feel like you are constantly having to fight him or run away.
-I kinda already mentioned it, but the game is far more linear than 2 and I missed some of the puzzles and exploration that was present in that game as well as many of the other games in the series.

Overall Score: 7.5/10

Story and Characters
-The story of Resident Evil 2 is fairly straightforward, there is a zombie outbreak in Raccoon City and rookie cop Leon Kennedy or college student Claire Redfield have to navigate the horrors found in the city’s police station and the surrounding area. Depending on if you play as Leon or Claire, you will encounter different characters along the way that create sort of two different stories, even though the events that take place in both paths are quite similar. The story of an evil corporation creating a monster virus that gets loose is certainly not something we have never seen before, but that formula is iconic to the Resident Evil franchise and it still works in the remake over 20 years after the original game was released.
-The characters of Leon and Claire are both good, but they aren’t given a whole lot to really do or have much depth to them. They are both just good people trying to survive a zombie apocalypse and for a game like this one that isn’t super story heavy, I think that is actually enough. Would I like to see richer characters with more compelling story arcs? Sure, but the lack of that here isn’t massively detrimental like it can be in other games where the stories are more complex and more of the focal point of the game. Here, the focus is on the survival horror and the exploration of these iconic locations where you are trying to avoid terrifying creatures.
-Having both Leon and Claire be playable and having them have slightly different stories is a cool idea, but one I wish they took even a step further. Many of the locations you are in, puzzles you solve and bosses you fight are the same between both playthroughs so it doesn’t feel as worth it to play them back to back as you are essentially playing the same game. This isn’t a huge criticism though as I know making the stories too different would essentially be like creating an entirely different game, but it does feel a bit like a missed opportunity. And while you are doing the same things in the two playthroughs, the different side characters you interact with, Ada and Sherry, do drastically change the motivations of the protagonists so there are two separate stories there, even if the gameplay is very similar.
-Another small aspect of the story that I liked was the environmental storytelling that the game does. Similarly to The Last of Us, you can find notes and videos throughout the map that give more context to what happened and add more depth to the story without having to show the player directly what happened. They use this for gameplay purposes as well for the players who pay attention. For example, in one area I found a list of people who were going in and out of a certain room with a clock in and clock out time. At the end of the list, you can see that someone clocked in, but never clocked out. When I went to that room I was more cautious because of the note and sure enough, there was a zombie waiting for me there. Small things like that make every note worth reading and it is fun to solve puzzles by using context clues that the game gives you.

Gameplay
-The gameplay of RE2 Remake is a major highlight, particularly if you are coming off of playing the original Resident Evil. The gunplay feels very satisfying and you are given plenty of weapons to work with which keeps the shooting feeling fresh the entire playthrough. I do also appreciate that Claire and Leon have some different weapons they use as that also helps diversify the two playthroughs a bit more.
-The survival horror aspects of the game also really add to the gameplay as you have to manage your resources and be strategic when using your ammo. Luckily, this was never an issue where I didn’t have enough ammo or resources, but I was just aware that they were limited so I planned accordingly. Inventory management is something else you need to worry about, but that also never really felt like too much of an issue because there are plenty of boxes you can stash extra stuff in and it makes you prioritize which items you are grabbing and using.
-The puzzles and all the locks and keys really make the game a lot of fun to play and almost gives it a digital escape room feel. You are constantly finding clues and items that allow you to get to new areas to explore more and find better gear. I was never upset that I was backtracking around the police station because it is so well designed and the enemies that would spawn constantly kept you on high alert. Also I have to mention some really nice quality of life features that make the game even better. Having the map show exactly what rooms you have been to and left stuff behind in and marking which keys or items are needed for certain doors is extremely nice. I also really like how the game tells you when you no longer need to use an item so you can discard it without worry.
-The enemies in the game are not super numerous when it comes to variety, but they are all effective at being creepy and threatening. The zombies are not super dangerous on their own, but when you have bigger groups of them coming to attack you, you can quickly become overwhelmed. The zombies also move in very erratic ways which can make it difficult to line up your headshots. This adds to the stress of the game because you know every bullet matters so you really need to be precise. The lickers are a terrifying enemy that hunt based off of sound allowing you to creep by them undetected if you choose, but sometimes you will need to fight them head on which can be tough. The way they move on the walls and ceiling is very creepy and when they show up unexpectedly, they are some of the game's best jump scares. The most iconic enemy of the game however has to be Mr X, a relentless monster that will pursue you throughout the game. He adds a level of dread to the game that I haven’t seen many video games pull off as you are forced to solve puzzles and navigate the maze of the police station all while being slowly chased by this unstoppable figure.

Side Content
-The game does not really have any traditional side content as it is quite linear. You explore areas of the map and it is up to you how thoroughly you do so, but there aren’t side objectives or anything like that. The only thing that comes close is hunting for Mr Raccoon toys that are hidden throughout the game, but those are just simple collectibles.

World/Level Design
-The level design here is absolutely one of the game’s strong points. The Raccoon City police department is probably my favorite location out of all the Resident Evil games that I have played. It is very large and highly detailed and the fact that it used to be an art museum gives the building so much character.
-A minor complaint I would have is that I don’t think the locations outside of the police station are quite as good. The laboratory is pretty cool, but far more linear and the sewers are alright, but more forgettable. The game peaks with the police station which is a bit unfortunate as that is the first location you go to, but it is also the place you spend the most time at so it makes sense.

Graphics, Music and Glitches
-The graphics look great, from the character models to the creepy environments you walk around in, it all looks really good. The gore effects in the game also look very good and add to the horror the game creates. The lighting is very effective and when you are traveling through darker areas with just your flashlight, it feels quite tense. There are so many shadows and simple pieces of furniture that make you do a double take because you think you saw something that isn't really there.
-I need to mention the sound design because that is something else this game does exceptionally well. From the grunting of zombies behind a door to the sound of bullet shells hitting the floor as you reload, the game sounds incredible. Sound is key to any game, but especially a horror game like this one and they do a great job here. When you hear Mr X’s footsteps echoing around you, it significantly adds to the tension and makes you constantly feel on edge.
-The music in the game is very much put on the back burner which in some ways works and in others is a bit disappointing. When I played with headphones on, I could hear some background music a bit better, but without them, I could barely even hear music playing in the save rooms, areas that tend to have really good, eerie music playing. This is not a huge issue though as the lack of a lot of music also adds to the gameplay. I feel if there was too much music playing, it could take away from hearing the footsteps of Mr X or the groaning of zombies.
-I did not encounter any bugs or glitches while playing and everything ran incredibly smoothly.

Main Positives of the Game
-The locations and atmosphere are incredible, the game feels tense and legitimately scary at parts and the police department in particular is just a really cool place to explore.
-The gameplay is a lot of fun, I love the survival horror elements of conserving your resources and saving when you can and I like how satisfying the gunplay feels. I played the game on PS5 and the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback made everything feel so much better and more immersive. Each gun feels a bit different to shoot and feeling the controller vibrate when you reload each bullet was really cool.
-The characters are fairly basic as is the story, but it remains effective for the kind of game that this is. I actually became more invested in the story as the game went on and you learn more about the scientists and other people who played a part in the release of the viruses.
-Incredible sound design and great graphics really make this game feel like the perfect example of what a remake should be. Keep the essence of the original game, but update it so it feels like a game that would be released today.
-Another aspect of the game that I actually quite like is the length. I was able to complete a playthrough in around 8 hours, so probably close to 16 hours to do both Leon’s and Claire’s respective stories. While that isn’t very long compared to many other games, I feel that it was a good length for the kind of game that this is. I would have likely been okay with a couple more hours, but much more than that and I wonder if the game would start to feel too repetitive and wouldn’t have the same strong pacing.

Main Negatives of the Game
-I do not have any major criticisms with the game, but a few minor ones. As mentioned earlier, I do think the best part of the game is the police department and the areas after that are never as interesting to me. It isn’t that the game becomes bad, but it is far less scary and the locations just aren’t as engaging.
-I mentioned this as a positive, but I also wouldn’t have minded a bit more depth to the characters. While they are still likable enough, I think it could have been cool to get a bit more out of them so that they feel more memorable.
-I know it would be hard to create totally new environments and bosses, I would like it if there were a bit more change between the two playthroughs. As it stands, it creates a strange situation where the stories are kind of taking place at the same time, but they are also the same story so it feels a bit strange.

Overall Score: 9/10

Story and Characters
-The Quarry has a full cast of some recognizable faces from film and TV and all of the performances felt very good. None of the voice actors stuck out as weak or like they didn’t fit in with the rest of the game.
-The characters themselves are all mostly likable with some standing out as favorites, but none of the main cast felt like they were too annoying or unrealistic. Even when characters would make choices that would be upsetting, they tended to at least make sense in the context of that character.
-The story is basic, but works well for the type of game that it is. The summer camp is a horror staple and it works well here, but I do wish the story had a bit more mystery to it. There are still reveals along the way, but some of the bigger reveals are unveiled quite early so there is less suspense in the narrative. Until Dawn had the more interesting story in my opinion as there were more threats in play and more reveals as to what was really happening.
-Sometimes the story lacked a sense of urgency and tension as the characters would not always react as you would think they would. Someone gets their arm cut off and while they freak out for a second, it’s a moment that is passed over too quickly and takes from the seriousness of the scene. This works if the game is going for a horror satire, but it doesn’t seem to fully commit to this idea either so it feels off.

Gameplay
-Gameplay is very similar to the Dark Pictures games and Until Dawn. This game seems even more focused on cinematics and cutscenes though, and sometimes the gameplay feels a little lacking. The story is good enough that the game never gets boring, but it could have been fun to have more gameplay heavy sections.
-It feels there are less big choices than in some of the studios other games. Admittedly, I only have done one playthrough so there could be a lot of content that I never saw, but for the most part, I felt myself wanting a few bigger decisions that would really alter the story or certain characters.
-Characters have certain relationships with one another that can improve or worsen depending on dialogue options that are chosen, but this never really seemed to make a difference to the story. Again, I could be wrong about this and the system is deeper than I realize, but I wanted a bit more depth to the dynamic between the characters or certain scenarios that would only play out if people were close or distant enough.
-The inclusion of the different characters being assigned to different real players in a couch co-op is very nice and makes passing along the controller very simple. The movie mode feature where you can watch the game play out is a cool idea, even though I think playing the game and making the choices yourself is more fun.
-I do wish the game was a bit scarier as it is a horror game. There were some cool camera angles that added to the tension and a few suspenseful moments, but most of the game was not very scary and I wish it had felt just a bit more tense.

Side Content
-The game is really just one big interactive movie, so there really isn’t much side content to talk about. There are cards you can find that will show a potential future and there are some clues that sort of act as collectibles, but that is really all the side stuff. This is not a bad thing though as the game is not really built for side content and is far more linear.

World/Level Design
-Hackett’s Quarry Summer Camp is a fun location and the different buildings make for some good drama and tension. I do kind of wish there had been more side areas or other locations in the game, sort of like how Until Dawn had a mineshaft you explored, but that is really just a small nitpick.

Graphics, Music and Glitches
-The graphics in the game are very good, especially all of the different facial animations. The characters usually look quite realistic and they are able to be very expressive. The environments also look very good, especially the lighting in the brief daytime parts of the game.
-The music was good, although not particularly memorable.
-I did not encounter any bugs or glitches during my playthrough of the game.

Main Positives of the Game
-The game has lots of fun characters and a decent story that keeps you invested throughout the runtime of the game.
-The graphics, particularly the facial animations, are very good and help the characters feel even more expressive.
-The game is designed to be a perfect couch co-op or online game and it definitely succeeds in that regard, it is a very fun game to play with a group of friends.
-The game has a lot of replayability as there are many different outcomes and it will be fun to revisit to see what different scenarios might occur.

Main Negatives of the Game
-The story is alright, but reveals too many of its mysteries too early and doesn’t feel quite as engaging as the story from Until Dawn.
-Your choices don’t always feel super significant, especially when it comes to the character relationships and it felt like the player couldn’t drastically change the outcome of the game, but this again could be because I only played through the game once that it feels that way.
-Not quite as scary as you might want it to be and the game doesn’t have many scenes that are super tense, but more fun, QTE sections that while stressful, don’t feel as suspenseful.

Overall Score: 7/10