Resident Evil 3: What the remake needs to do better

Resident Evil 2 is considered the ultimate horror cult classic. On the other hand, a word is rarely said about the successor Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Wrongly! But what did Jill Valentine do to ensure that her story is always placed in the back rows of the Resi Orchestra? We are looking for answers – including how the remake can do it better.

In April, just a year after the remake of Resident Evil 2, the zombie-infested Raccoon City is back. Resident Evil 3 may finally get the chance to shine. Not only in the new splendor of the general overhaul, but also out of the broad shadow of its predecessor, which at best has to fight with part 4 among resident evil fans for the sunniest place on the podium.

But: why does Resident Evil 3: Nemesis almost always fall under the radar? Why did Leon S. Kennedy's adventure in the police station gain cult status while Jill Valentine's escape from the city is reviled by many fans – even though both games are actually very similar on closer inspection?

Every beginning is difficult

Resident Evil was undoubtedly one of the most influential horror games of his time. Its sequel then took the virus mutations out of the intimate and claustrophobic atmosphere of the old mansion and put the horror on the streets of Raccoon City. It expanded the exciting background story to include the corrupt Umbrella Corporation and managed to maintain the dense atmosphere despite the expansion of the outside world. In sh ort: it was a prime example of a sequel: bigger, fatter, even better.

Resi 2 picks up connoisseurs and newcomers immediately: Umbrella is the enemy, researches with viruses, something went wrong and now an entire city is contaminated. The way the two protagonists Leon and Claire are introduced, the police rookie who is new to the city, or the sister who is looking for her lost brother, is a grand entry that helps to identify immediately: somehow it is, what I see there is familiar, but I'm still a newcomer. Resident Evil 3 had much less to tell at this point.

The third part largely lacked the offer of identification. In Jill's adventure, Capcom no longer thought it necessary to put the context in context. There is chaos, Raccoon City is controlled by a company called Umbrella. Jill wants to get away. Any questions? Those who are not familiar with it had no idea what it was about. Atmospherically, Resident Evil 3 didn't make the most appealing first impression. It's about little things, but that's exactly what often matters.

Same, same, but different!

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis brought some cool innovations with it, but largely based on its predecessor. The absolute highlights of the game include the moments of horror in which the title-giving mutant Nemesis appeared. Until the grand finale, it was not possible to finally kill the relentless S.T.A.R.S. These moments were called live selection sequences, moments when you had to decide whether you wanted to run away or face the monster.

The confrontation with Nemesis is one of the most memorable moments in the game. Because it was a matter of making a decision within a few seconds that should simplify or complicate the course of the game. Waited too long and the game severely punished Jill. Pure panic! That made Nemesis, compared to Mr. X, the predecessor's "more iconic" boss, even though he was clearly just a pimped version of the same.