Actually enjoyed this way more than I thought I would having been aware of this games less than stellar reputation going in.
People sometimes refer to the original RE3 as an awkward cross between classic RE gameplay and action RE gameplay, which I definitely disagree with. RE3 (1999) despite having slightly more abundant resources than previous games along with the dodge mechanic always felt like OG Resident Evil and created the same tension and need for strategizing that the other classic games did. The same can’t be said for RE3R and the awkward in-between descriptor does fit it pretty well IMO. Combat mechanics and the scale of encounters are very similar to RE2R but now with very linear levels and significantly more action oriented resource balancing - you will be truly flush with ammo and healing items for your whole playthrough on standard. It seems truly impossible to run out even if you decide to fight every enemy the game throws at you. This is a far cry from classic RE games and even from RE2R, which has at times very strict resource balancing (I actually fully ran out of resources and had to reload because of the jail segment on my second scenario playthrough as Leon - something that’s come close to happening but has never actually happened to me in any other RE title.) All of these design choices make RE3R feel more like the post-game 4th Survivor mode in RE2R (a linear enemy gauntlet) than a modern take on classic RE gameplay.
That said I did enjoy my time with this game - it just definitely wasn’t what I (and apparently most fans) wanted from an RE3 remake. Some of the positives - this game like RE2R fleshes out the story with lots more character dialogue and adopts a similar James Cameron-esque action movie tone. This all works pretty well. I enjoyed Jill and Carlos’s relationship and the way they were characterized. Was also just glad to see Jill Valentine get more characterization and dialogue than in the original game since she’s probably my favorite RE protagonist. Side note this is for the dumbest reason ever: her outfit in the REmake with its beret and goofy shoulder pads was so charming to me that she instantly became my favorite RE protagonist. Very glad they put that outfit in this game and I switched over to it as soon as possible. On a somewhat related note I’m glad they changed Jill’s default outfit in this game to something less ridiculous. It fits the more serious tone of the game well, and the original one always struck me as a kind of annoying attempt at giving gamers that good ol’ low poly PS1 T&A, which I always find distracting and condescending to the audience when it doesn’t fit the tone of the game - which I didn’t think it did in the original.
I was a little disappointed by the lack of any post-game bonus modes, which is a staple of the Resident Evil series and something I always appreciate. The only game I can think of that doesn’t have any sort of bonus mode is the RE (2002). Most versions of the 1996 original didn’t have any bonus modes although the sega saturn release did have a post-game battle mode. The original RE3 was actually the origin of the beloved mercenaries mode, so it was disappointing to not see anything like that here. There technically is the bundled in online game Resident Evil Resistance, but I don’t really consider this to be the same thing as a bonus mode since it’s a totally separate piece of software from the main game. The devs apparently included this in lieu of bonus modes due to RE3R having less content than most RE games (take that justification with a grain of salt given the presence of micro-transactions in Resistance), but I definitely would have preferred a mercenaries or survivors mode instead.
Well anyway: I enjoyed this game far more than I expected. Was a short and fun romp that’s held up by the excellent combat mechanics of RE2R but now utilized in an action setting which is overall successful. I of course wish the devs had gone the pure survival horror route with this game, but what we got isn’t half bad.
People sometimes refer to the original RE3 as an awkward cross between classic RE gameplay and action RE gameplay, which I definitely disagree with. RE3 (1999) despite having slightly more abundant resources than previous games along with the dodge mechanic always felt like OG Resident Evil and created the same tension and need for strategizing that the other classic games did. The same can’t be said for RE3R and the awkward in-between descriptor does fit it pretty well IMO. Combat mechanics and the scale of encounters are very similar to RE2R but now with very linear levels and significantly more action oriented resource balancing - you will be truly flush with ammo and healing items for your whole playthrough on standard. It seems truly impossible to run out even if you decide to fight every enemy the game throws at you. This is a far cry from classic RE games and even from RE2R, which has at times very strict resource balancing (I actually fully ran out of resources and had to reload because of the jail segment on my second scenario playthrough as Leon - something that’s come close to happening but has never actually happened to me in any other RE title.) All of these design choices make RE3R feel more like the post-game 4th Survivor mode in RE2R (a linear enemy gauntlet) than a modern take on classic RE gameplay.
That said I did enjoy my time with this game - it just definitely wasn’t what I (and apparently most fans) wanted from an RE3 remake. Some of the positives - this game like RE2R fleshes out the story with lots more character dialogue and adopts a similar James Cameron-esque action movie tone. This all works pretty well. I enjoyed Jill and Carlos’s relationship and the way they were characterized. Was also just glad to see Jill Valentine get more characterization and dialogue than in the original game since she’s probably my favorite RE protagonist. Side note this is for the dumbest reason ever: her outfit in the REmake with its beret and goofy shoulder pads was so charming to me that she instantly became my favorite RE protagonist. Very glad they put that outfit in this game and I switched over to it as soon as possible. On a somewhat related note I’m glad they changed Jill’s default outfit in this game to something less ridiculous. It fits the more serious tone of the game well, and the original one always struck me as a kind of annoying attempt at giving gamers that good ol’ low poly PS1 T&A, which I always find distracting and condescending to the audience when it doesn’t fit the tone of the game - which I didn’t think it did in the original.
I was a little disappointed by the lack of any post-game bonus modes, which is a staple of the Resident Evil series and something I always appreciate. The only game I can think of that doesn’t have any sort of bonus mode is the RE (2002). Most versions of the 1996 original didn’t have any bonus modes although the sega saturn release did have a post-game battle mode. The original RE3 was actually the origin of the beloved mercenaries mode, so it was disappointing to not see anything like that here. There technically is the bundled in online game Resident Evil Resistance, but I don’t really consider this to be the same thing as a bonus mode since it’s a totally separate piece of software from the main game. The devs apparently included this in lieu of bonus modes due to RE3R having less content than most RE games (take that justification with a grain of salt given the presence of micro-transactions in Resistance), but I definitely would have preferred a mercenaries or survivors mode instead.
Well anyway: I enjoyed this game far more than I expected. Was a short and fun romp that’s held up by the excellent combat mechanics of RE2R but now utilized in an action setting which is overall successful. I of course wish the devs had gone the pure survival horror route with this game, but what we got isn’t half bad.