In 2019, we received the video game ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’, a remake of 1998’s ‘Resident Evil 2 (1998)’. This was the first numbered remake the ‘Resident Evil’ franchise had received since 2002’s ‘Resident Evil (2002)’, a remake of 1996’s ‘Resident Evil (1996)’. ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’ was celebrated as a phenomenal remake, which not only celebrated the franchise’s roots, but adapted the game with a more modern gameplay philosophy which would see the game become loved by even more people who either weren’t alive during the initial release of the game, or who are too dumb to have figured out how to enjoy them in 2019. I never played the old ‘Resident Evil’ video games released back in the 1990s, as I am one of those who was too dumb to have figured out how to enjoy them. I briefly played ‘Resident Evil (2002)’ and thought the controls were bad. The controls aren’t bad, I am merely too barbaric to understand the complexity of these controls. I also have the attention span of a child who has severe ADHD and is not getting it treated in any fashion because their parents are afraid of them being “labeled”. I have not had the patience, since 2017, to learn and understand something that has the potential to be fun if I am to suffer through a significant amount of play that is not fun.
‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’ was my #2 favorite video game of 2019, only beaten by ‘Outer Wilds’. It felt like I was playing ‘Resident Evil 4’, which was a game that did not feel like playing ‘Resident Evil (2002)’. ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’ felt so much like playing ‘Resident Evil 4’ that I beat both roughly eight-hour campaigns in a single weekend. I was a student during this time and had a blue collar job I did not care about, so I did this without having it negatively effect my entire being. It was a very good game with a very dumb stalker mechanic. I think the use of the Tyrant for atmospheric purposes was an interesting decision. And by interesting, I, of course, mean bad.
‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’, much like ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’ feels like playing ‘Resident Evil 4’, feels like playing ‘Resident Evil 5’. Where ‘Resident Evil 4’ took the series in a unique and exciting direction, ‘Resident Evil 5’ doubled down a bit too much on said changes, maintaining a solid quality, though becoming significantly more forgettable in the process. I can recall a vast majority of the map design in the first two sections of ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’, just as I can recall essentially every step of progression in ‘Resident Evil 4’ from memory. It has been well over a year since I played ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’. I finished ‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’ less than a week ago at the time of this writing, and I can remember significantly less about it’s map design and story structure than I can of ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’ or ‘Resident Evil 4’. I do remember more about it than I do of ‘Resident Evil 5’, however. I do not want to sound dismissive toward the quality of ‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’, so if I have come off that way, then I have failed as a being.
‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’ is the picture perfect example of a “popcorn game”, a term I have just now invented. A popcorn game is one which you will be able to enjoy for the entire, brief experience with the game, and likely feel ultimately entertained by the time it has concluded, but will immediately fail to acknowledge anything about the game at all. I beat ‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’ in two days, and I enjoyed nearly every second. The only part I did not enjoy was a section of being chased by Nemesis with critical health and no healing items. I was asked to switch to the game’s easy mode on numerous occasions, as I continued dying from a single one of Nemesis’ gargantuan swings. I eventually realized I can simply halt my forward momentum and back up to dodge, rather than attempt to perform a ‘Bloodborne’-like dodge maneuver. Once I acknowledged my patent idiocy, I found enjoyment even in this frustrating segment.
The use of Nemesis was panned by fans of ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’ and ‘Resident Evil 3: Nemesis’, as Nemesis only appears in the most obvious scripted moments imaginable. I found joy in this decision, as it makes me feel like Capcom was listening to me and only me when I said, “I think the use of the Tyrant for atmospheric purposes was an interesting decision. And by interesting, I, of course, mean bad.” From what I understand, Nemesis functioned as a mechanic which would pop in and out of one’s gameplay experience in ‘Resident Evil 3: Nemesis’. It was, from my understanding, a random event each time he came into play. This is not the case in ‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’, which removes itself from this setup and from it’s understanding of Nemesis as a horror icon. One of the first things Nemesis does in this game is attempt to murder you with the use of an actual rocket launcher. If you did not immediately think this was fantastic, then you are the reason we have games like ‘Cyberpunk 2077’. ‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’ is not afraid to recognize that zombies are dumb and serve primarily to be utilized in ways that are fun. This is why you receive moments like Nemesis running around like a dog who just discovered his owner wasn’t holding a leash in one of the boss fights. It’s also why you have a final boss that is defeated when Jill puts a literal BFG from the ‘Doom’ franchise in Nemesis’ mouth and launches a nuclear-level blast which spreads chunks of flesh and bone across her body and the room. These are very dumb things. ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’ was interested in unnerving the player with low ammo and health counts combined with strong enemies. They succeeded. ‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’ is only interested in being a fun video game. They succeeded.
It would be inappropriate to pour praise onto ‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’ without fully acknowledging it’s faults. For one, the exploration, which was my favorite part of ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’, has been nerfed severely. The only part of the game with a significant amount of exploration is the first group of areas where you go through the streets of Raccoon City. The exploration solely consists of backtracking to previous areas, rather than designing a map which allows you to weave in and out of it’s many rooms in an efficient manner. It’s not entirely fun to simply halt progress and turn around to pick up better equipment. The game also locks you out of previous areas, sometimes leaving key items behind. I do not know what the safe in the first streets section contains, and I am sorry. Had I know this would become missable after the first two hours of play, I would have used Google. The hospital is the one part of the game which I felt did not have the issue of having bad exploration. The exploration was good, but not as good as RCPD in ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’.
‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’ also has little in the way of exciting gameplay. There are a number of excellent situations in ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’ where you fight different enemy types in creative ways. The only moment of combat I found myself joyously engaged in is a segment which is literally just a weaker version of the cabin shootout from ‘Resident Evil 4’. Obviously, I enjoyed all of the combat in ‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’, as I stated this earlier. But the amount of enjoyment was a lukewarm positive for the entire six hours I was engaged in it. It is also important to note that Jill Valentine no longer has a great ass. I have played ‘Resident Evil: Revelations’. I know her ass is quite fantastic. That is not the case here. Her ass is very mediocre. Claire Redfield had a great ass in ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’, so it makes no sense to have nerfed Jill Valentine’s ass in ‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’, a game which uses the exact same engine and "ass"ets. 4/6
‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’ was my #2 favorite video game of 2019, only beaten by ‘Outer Wilds’. It felt like I was playing ‘Resident Evil 4’, which was a game that did not feel like playing ‘Resident Evil (2002)’. ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’ felt so much like playing ‘Resident Evil 4’ that I beat both roughly eight-hour campaigns in a single weekend. I was a student during this time and had a blue collar job I did not care about, so I did this without having it negatively effect my entire being. It was a very good game with a very dumb stalker mechanic. I think the use of the Tyrant for atmospheric purposes was an interesting decision. And by interesting, I, of course, mean bad.
‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’, much like ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’ feels like playing ‘Resident Evil 4’, feels like playing ‘Resident Evil 5’. Where ‘Resident Evil 4’ took the series in a unique and exciting direction, ‘Resident Evil 5’ doubled down a bit too much on said changes, maintaining a solid quality, though becoming significantly more forgettable in the process. I can recall a vast majority of the map design in the first two sections of ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’, just as I can recall essentially every step of progression in ‘Resident Evil 4’ from memory. It has been well over a year since I played ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’. I finished ‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’ less than a week ago at the time of this writing, and I can remember significantly less about it’s map design and story structure than I can of ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’ or ‘Resident Evil 4’. I do remember more about it than I do of ‘Resident Evil 5’, however. I do not want to sound dismissive toward the quality of ‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’, so if I have come off that way, then I have failed as a being.
‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’ is the picture perfect example of a “popcorn game”, a term I have just now invented. A popcorn game is one which you will be able to enjoy for the entire, brief experience with the game, and likely feel ultimately entertained by the time it has concluded, but will immediately fail to acknowledge anything about the game at all. I beat ‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’ in two days, and I enjoyed nearly every second. The only part I did not enjoy was a section of being chased by Nemesis with critical health and no healing items. I was asked to switch to the game’s easy mode on numerous occasions, as I continued dying from a single one of Nemesis’ gargantuan swings. I eventually realized I can simply halt my forward momentum and back up to dodge, rather than attempt to perform a ‘Bloodborne’-like dodge maneuver. Once I acknowledged my patent idiocy, I found enjoyment even in this frustrating segment.
The use of Nemesis was panned by fans of ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’ and ‘Resident Evil 3: Nemesis’, as Nemesis only appears in the most obvious scripted moments imaginable. I found joy in this decision, as it makes me feel like Capcom was listening to me and only me when I said, “I think the use of the Tyrant for atmospheric purposes was an interesting decision. And by interesting, I, of course, mean bad.” From what I understand, Nemesis functioned as a mechanic which would pop in and out of one’s gameplay experience in ‘Resident Evil 3: Nemesis’. It was, from my understanding, a random event each time he came into play. This is not the case in ‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’, which removes itself from this setup and from it’s understanding of Nemesis as a horror icon. One of the first things Nemesis does in this game is attempt to murder you with the use of an actual rocket launcher. If you did not immediately think this was fantastic, then you are the reason we have games like ‘Cyberpunk 2077’. ‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’ is not afraid to recognize that zombies are dumb and serve primarily to be utilized in ways that are fun. This is why you receive moments like Nemesis running around like a dog who just discovered his owner wasn’t holding a leash in one of the boss fights. It’s also why you have a final boss that is defeated when Jill puts a literal BFG from the ‘Doom’ franchise in Nemesis’ mouth and launches a nuclear-level blast which spreads chunks of flesh and bone across her body and the room. These are very dumb things. ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’ was interested in unnerving the player with low ammo and health counts combined with strong enemies. They succeeded. ‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’ is only interested in being a fun video game. They succeeded.
It would be inappropriate to pour praise onto ‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’ without fully acknowledging it’s faults. For one, the exploration, which was my favorite part of ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’, has been nerfed severely. The only part of the game with a significant amount of exploration is the first group of areas where you go through the streets of Raccoon City. The exploration solely consists of backtracking to previous areas, rather than designing a map which allows you to weave in and out of it’s many rooms in an efficient manner. It’s not entirely fun to simply halt progress and turn around to pick up better equipment. The game also locks you out of previous areas, sometimes leaving key items behind. I do not know what the safe in the first streets section contains, and I am sorry. Had I know this would become missable after the first two hours of play, I would have used Google. The hospital is the one part of the game which I felt did not have the issue of having bad exploration. The exploration was good, but not as good as RCPD in ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’.
‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’ also has little in the way of exciting gameplay. There are a number of excellent situations in ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’ where you fight different enemy types in creative ways. The only moment of combat I found myself joyously engaged in is a segment which is literally just a weaker version of the cabin shootout from ‘Resident Evil 4’. Obviously, I enjoyed all of the combat in ‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’, as I stated this earlier. But the amount of enjoyment was a lukewarm positive for the entire six hours I was engaged in it. It is also important to note that Jill Valentine no longer has a great ass. I have played ‘Resident Evil: Revelations’. I know her ass is quite fantastic. That is not the case here. Her ass is very mediocre. Claire Redfield had a great ass in ‘Resident Evil 2 (2019)’, so it makes no sense to have nerfed Jill Valentine’s ass in ‘Resident Evil 3 (2020)’, a game which uses the exact same engine and "ass"ets. 4/6