Resident Evil 3: Nemesis

"Resident Evil 3" redirects here. For the third Resident Evil movie, see Resident Evil: Extinction.

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
European box art
Developer(s)	Capcom PS / Win9x / DC / GCN Capcom Windows XP Sourcenext
Publisher(s)	Capcom PlayStation / Windows 9x JP/NA: Capcom Dreamcast JP/NA: Capcom PAL: Virgin Interactive Nintendo GameCube JP/NA/EU: Capcom AUS: Nintendo Australia Windows XP
Director(s)	Kazuhiro Aoyama
Producer(s)	Shinji Mikami
Writer(s)	Yasuhisa Kawamura
Composer(s)	Masami Ueda Saori Maeda
Series	Resident Evil
Platform(s)	PlayStation, Windows 9x, Dreamcast, Nintendo GameCube, Windows XP, PlayStation Network
Release	September 22, 1999 PlayStation Windows 9x Dreamcast Nintendo GameCube Windows XP PlayStation Network
Genre(s)	Survival horror
Mode(s)	Single-player

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, released in Japan as Biohazard 3: Last Escape (バイオハザード3　ラストエスケープ, Baiohazādo Surī Rasuto Esukēpu) is a survival horror video game and the sequel to Resident Evil 2, developed and published by Capcom. The game was released for the Sony PlayStation, and was subsequently ported to the Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo GameCube. The game is also available for download on the PlayStation Network for use with both the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Portable.

The first half of the game occurs 24 hours prior to Resident Evil 2 and the second half takes place two days after. The storyline expands upon the settings and events of the T-virus outbreak in Raccoon City, and concludes with the fate of the city and its infected population.

The game's storyline was later used as the basis for the 2004 film Resident Evil: Apocalypse.

Plot

The game begins on September 28, 1998. The player takes control of former Special Tactics And Rescue Service (STARS) member Jill Valentine in her attempt to escape a ruined and zombie-infested Raccoon City. On her way to the Raccoon City police station, she runs into Brad Vickers, who is killed by Nemesis for being part of the STARS, since Umbrella believes that the STARS members know about their operations in the Arklay Mountains, and will reveal Umbrella to the world. Later on, she encounters three surviving members of the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service (UBCS): Carlos Oliveira, Mikhail Victor and Nicholai Ginovaef. Nicholai is soon presumed dead after an encounter with zombies as Jill gets parts for the cable car. Mikhail sacrifices himself to save Jill and Carlos from the Nemesis, a bio-organic weapon. The cable car that the three were in bursts into flame and Jill and Carlos are separated.

Jill and Carlos meet up later in a clock tower where Carlos has said a rescue helicopter will arrive. Jill summons the helicopter by ringing the clock tower's bell. Nemesis destroys the helicopter, and infects Jill with a virus. Jill temporarily defeats Nemesis, Carlos finds her in a state of weakness, and she blacks out. During this period, Carlos searches for the vaccine to Jill's infection, and the events of Resident Evil 2 occur.

Carlos goes to Raccoon City Hospital to make the vaccine, and while there, meets Nicholai, who reveals that he is an Umbrella Supervisor who collects information based on the soldiers' ability to fight the BOWs. However, the mercenary that Nicholai shot pulls the pin on a grenade he was holding, and Nicholai jumps out a window to escape the blast. Soon after, Carlos is able to create the vaccine, and as he is leaving to go back to the clock tower, Nicholai sets a time bomb at the base, and blows up the hospital. Carlos returns to Jill with the vaccine, warns her about Nicholai, and leaves. Jill then proceeds through Raccoon Park, where she eventually enters a cabin, finds more about the plans for Raccoon City, and briefly meets up with Nicholai again, who explains the role he played. Leaving, Jill enters the cemetery again, only to face off with a giant worm, and defeat it before proceeding.

Jill meets up with Carlos in an Umbrella facility, who tells her that the US government planned a cover up and the US military, after hearing of unsuccessful efforts to avert the T-virus infestation, ordered the destruction of Raccoon City by a nuclear missile. Jill and Carlos split up again to find a way out of the facility. Jill turns on the power so that an exit can be unlocked, but on the way to it, she meets up with Nicholai. He tells her about how he killed the other Supervisors, and how there is a bounty on Jill's head, but he is killed soon afterward. At this point in the game, the player has fifteen minutes to escape the city before the missile strikes. While attempting to escape, Jill has to face a mutated Nemesis one final time and kill it with the assistance of a rail gun. Jill then escapes Raccoon City along with Carlos. Depending on the player's choices, a different ending plays. The city's destruction by the missile is shown, and depending on the player's actions, Barry Burton is the pilot who saves Jill and Carlos. Then a news report is heard about Raccoon City's destruction, and how people uninvolved will hear about the disaster.

Gameplay

File:RE3screenshot01.png

Jill's first encounter with Nemesis, showing a Live Selection.

A new feature to gameplay is the Nemesis, an experimental type of Tyrant programmed by Umbrella to hunt down and kill the remaining STARS members. He can run, use a rocket launcher as a weapon, dodge incoming fire, and is capable of pursuing the player from one area to the next. Nemesis is encountered multiple times throughout the game as a recurring boss. A variety of encounters are possible, with some being mandatory, and some varying in nature and location based on choices made by the player. Even if defeated in combat, Nemesis will inevitably return to continue pursuit of Jill.

In a departure from series' conventions, the player cannot choose between two playable characters from the beginning. Instead, Jill is the sole selectable character, with another character named Carlos also being controllable for a brief portion of the main game.

Resident Evil 3 incorporates a dodge move that allows the player to quickly avoid enemy attacks. Stair climbing is also streamlined; whereas in previous Resident Evil titles, characters were required to press the action button to ascend or descend a staircase, Resident Evil 3 allows the player to use a staircase by walking directly in to it. The "quick 180 turn" was introduced in this game, and would become a mainstay of the series.

The game also features an ammunition creation system, in which new ammunition can be created from different varieties of gunpowder and the use of a cartridge reloading tool, or by combining gunpowder directly with standard grenade rounds to generate different types of rounds for the grenade launcher. For the first time in the series, explosive objects are present in certain areas. Taking the form of oil drums on the ground, or bundles of an unspecified explosive material affixed to a wall; firing on these objects causes them to explode, damaging or destroying nearby enemies. The game also incorporates a randomization feature that varies the placement of items and enemies. Puzzles are also either completely randomized, or have their solutions selected from a pre-determined list.

At certain points in the game, the player will enter Live Selection Mode, in which they are prompted to choose between one of two possible actions. The choice of action affects the direction of the game and story, including which ending the player receives. Each selection has a time limit, with the consequence for going over the limit being either Jill taking damage, or instant death.

There is an unlockable minigame titled "The Mercenaries - Operation: Mad Jackal". The player can choose from Carlos, Mikhail, or Nicholai; the three UBCS members that appear in the main game. Each character possesses a different inventory, causing drastically different strategies for survival with each character. The objective of the game is ostensibly to run from the cable car to the warehouse office (two locations in the main game), within a limited amount of time; however, the starting time limit given is insufficient to actually perform this task directly, and the player must continuously receive time bonuses by performing certain actions in order to complete the mission. Eliminating enemies yields a time bonus, with increasing bonuses for multiple kills in a short time span. There are also six hostages to be saved, with each hostage saved rewarding the player with additional ammunition or healing items, as well as a time bonus. Additionally, six "hidden areas" of the map reward the player with an increasing time bonus for each one found.

Upon completing the main game, the player is rewarded with a number of alternate costumes for Jill, with more costumes being awarded for a higher ranked completion of the main game. Also unlockable are eight "Epilogue Files" each detailing the activities of a different character following the events of the game. The Epilogue Files are unlocked individually and sequentially at the end of each successful play-through of the main game.

Development

During most of the development time, the game was referred to as Resident Evil 1.9. However, three months before the initial release, the name was changed to Resident Evil 3, which project supervisor Yoshiki Okamoto later explained as a means of keeping the titles of the first three games on the PlayStation console consistent. Unlike the majority of the early scripts in the series, the scenario of Resident Evil 3 was not created by Flagship employees but by internal Capcom writer Yasuhisa Kawamura. Nevertheless, the story was proofread and sanctioned by Flagship to avoid continuity errors with other installments, an issue that was also given attention to in monthly meetings between all directors, producers, and planners working on the series.

Ports

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is the last core title in the series to be released for the PlayStation. There have been three ports since the original release, for the following platforms: Dreamcast, PC, and Nintendo GameCube. The PC and Dreamcast versions allow the player to choose Jill's outfit in the main game from the start without going to the boutique, and include two additional outfits not present in the PlayStation version. The Mercenaries minigame is also available right from the start, and had the added feature of allowing players to post their top scores online on Capcom's official website (this function has since been discontinued). The Dreamcast version also utilized the VMU by displaying the characters' health status. The GameCube version is a direct port of the original PlayStation version with no added features other than an increased frame rate for FMV scenes, and smoother-looking character models.

Music

Main article: Biohazard 3 Original Soundtrack

The original 2-disc soundtrack CD for Nemesis was composed by Masami Ueda and Saori Maeda, and was released on September 22, 1999.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	PS: 88% (36 reviews) DC: 81% (20 reviews) PC: 75% (14 reviews) GC: 64% (19 reviews)
Metacritic	DC: 79% (13 reviews) PC: 71% (8 reviews) GC: 62% (14 reviews)

Review scores

Publication	Score
1Up.com	GC: C
AllGame	PS: DC: PC: GC:
Computer and Video Games	PS: 9.0 out of 10 DC: 8.0 out of 10
Edge	8 out of 10
Eurogamer	PS & DC: 9 out of 10 GC: 4 out of 10
Famitsu	GC: 32 out of 40
Game Informer	DC: 8 out of 10 GC: 7.75 out of 10
GamePro	PS: DC & GC:
GameRevolution	PS: A- DC: C
GameSpot	PS: 8.8 out of 10 DC: 8.3 out of 10 PC: 6.9 out of 10 GC: 4.7 out of 10
GameSpy	GC:
IGN	PS: 9.4 out of 10 DC: 8 out of 10 PC: 7.6 out of 10 GC: 5 out of 10
M! Games	PS: 88% DC: 79% PC: 71% GC: 60%
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine	PS:
PC Zone	8.1 out of 10
PlayStation: The Official Magazine	PS:
X-Play	GC:

While not as commercially successful as its predecessor, Resident Evil 3 received rave reviews. GameSpot said: "Unlike other series that offer incremental 'improvements', the RE lineup continues to refine an already excellent premise". IGN critic Doug Perry praised the game, saying: "The story still wonderfully unfolds in an intensely slow, intriguing way, and the combination of the great story telling and precise style of gameplay is still perfectly blended". Dale Weir from Game Critics called it "the best Resident Evil game in the entire series".

As of March 2008, Resident Evil 3 had sold 3.5 million copies worldwide.

Novelization

Resident Evil: Nemesis, S. D. Perry's novelization of the game, was the fifth book in her series of Resident Evil novels.

External links

• Template:StrategyWiki
• Resident Evil at Wikia