I suppose I should thank the near-universal negativity surrounding this game, as it allowed me to go into it with my expectations in the toilet and come out the other side feeling pleasantly surprised. It's not a great game, but it has some properly pulse-pounding moments and I think it's a more successful translation of it's predecessor's mechanics into an action game than the original RE3. Jill's dodge roll is very satisfying to pull off, and makes the vast number of nigh-indestructible zombies you face on Hardcore deliciously manageable. R3make isn't a game about mowing down hordes of zombies, it's about doing just enough damage to slip through by the skin of your teeth, and that loop works very well with the breakneck pace.
The story sets that pace well, but unfortunately nothing can really be said about it beyond that. The narrative that engages here is the cat-and-mouse game between Jill and her monstrous stalker (a read the game leans into at a few points), but sadly the game seems far more interested in the travails of a generic mercenary and their shadowy benefactors. Why is Nicholai's boring ass even here?
I've seen more than a few complaints about this game "removing" content from the original RE3: Nemesis, as if they had the assets for the big worm boss lying around and chose not to put them in the game out of spite. If this was a straight port then I'd maybe understand that line of thinking, but this is basically a completely different game than the original that happens to have a similar plot, (in fact it probably diverges the most from it's source material in terms of level design and structure of all the REmakes, which is something I appreciated) so what's the point in just going down a checklist of things the original had and this didn't? R3make succeeds and fails enough on it's own merits, it doesn't need to be compared to a game that it isn't trying to be a direct emulation of. There's something pointed, I think, in how the game's use of the original's most iconic line is almost certainly going to be interrupted by an enemy attack. Trying to be Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is futile, because Resident Evil 3: Nemesis already exists. The same scares and delights cannot be captured by repeating them, because we've already seen them. So, R3make opts to try to surprise and delight you in new ways. Things like how Nemesis bursts into Jill's apartment within seconds of the game starting represent a refreshing willigness to put the pedal to the pedal and really go nuts with ramping up the adrenaline, but sadly the game doesn't always live up to that standard.
R3make is not a disappointment because it fails to be Resident Evil 3 Nemesis, it disappoints because it fails to fully be itself. The story is too tied to the original's plot to embrace the parts of itself that are legitimately interesting, and while R3make is perhaps the first Resident Evil to not have a really shit bit, the Carlos sections are just less interesting to play. The last third in general feels like kind of a slow, bum note to end on after how exciting the first two thirds are, but it does manage to avoid becoming a total trainwreck like many Resident Evil games fall into for their finales.
It's not a patch on the Resident Evil 2 Remake, but for what it is, a more linear, action-y expansion for that game, it's a fun evening's rollercoaster ride. Unfortunately, Capcom didn't seem to understand that, and instead chose to price this as a 50 quid full boxed release. I think this price/value question is what drives down a lot of feelings about this game, because it's very short and has almost zero replay value, especially compared to other Resident Evil games, and that makes it very difficult to recommend, especially when the Resident Evil 2 remake is better and cheaper. Still, I got it on sale for about 15 quid, and had a thoroughly fun time that I will probably never think about ever again.
The story sets that pace well, but unfortunately nothing can really be said about it beyond that. The narrative that engages here is the cat-and-mouse game between Jill and her monstrous stalker (a read the game leans into at a few points), but sadly the game seems far more interested in the travails of a generic mercenary and their shadowy benefactors. Why is Nicholai's boring ass even here?
I've seen more than a few complaints about this game "removing" content from the original RE3: Nemesis, as if they had the assets for the big worm boss lying around and chose not to put them in the game out of spite. If this was a straight port then I'd maybe understand that line of thinking, but this is basically a completely different game than the original that happens to have a similar plot, (in fact it probably diverges the most from it's source material in terms of level design and structure of all the REmakes, which is something I appreciated) so what's the point in just going down a checklist of things the original had and this didn't? R3make succeeds and fails enough on it's own merits, it doesn't need to be compared to a game that it isn't trying to be a direct emulation of. There's something pointed, I think, in how the game's use of the original's most iconic line is almost certainly going to be interrupted by an enemy attack. Trying to be Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is futile, because Resident Evil 3: Nemesis already exists. The same scares and delights cannot be captured by repeating them, because we've already seen them. So, R3make opts to try to surprise and delight you in new ways. Things like how Nemesis bursts into Jill's apartment within seconds of the game starting represent a refreshing willigness to put the pedal to the pedal and really go nuts with ramping up the adrenaline, but sadly the game doesn't always live up to that standard.
R3make is not a disappointment because it fails to be Resident Evil 3 Nemesis, it disappoints because it fails to fully be itself. The story is too tied to the original's plot to embrace the parts of itself that are legitimately interesting, and while R3make is perhaps the first Resident Evil to not have a really shit bit, the Carlos sections are just less interesting to play. The last third in general feels like kind of a slow, bum note to end on after how exciting the first two thirds are, but it does manage to avoid becoming a total trainwreck like many Resident Evil games fall into for their finales.
It's not a patch on the Resident Evil 2 Remake, but for what it is, a more linear, action-y expansion for that game, it's a fun evening's rollercoaster ride. Unfortunately, Capcom didn't seem to understand that, and instead chose to price this as a 50 quid full boxed release. I think this price/value question is what drives down a lot of feelings about this game, because it's very short and has almost zero replay value, especially compared to other Resident Evil games, and that makes it very difficult to recommend, especially when the Resident Evil 2 remake is better and cheaper. Still, I got it on sale for about 15 quid, and had a thoroughly fun time that I will probably never think about ever again.
MrHoodie
2 years ago