RE3 Remake

Contrary to internet speculation
Jill's face was not derived from Resident Evil movie actress Milla Jovovich
but rather Russian model Sasha Zotova

It's funny how much the Resident Evil 3 remake resembles the Resident Evil 2 remake; the same engine using some of the same locations and character models, but the resemblance goes even deeper.  Just like my criticism of the Resident Evil 2 remake, the game improves on the original PSX version in virtually every way...and yet there are missed opportunities both in terms of it being a remake of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and a sequel to the Resident Evil 2 remake.

It's a commonly held belief that the Resident Evil 3 remake was only in development for about a year.  That's not actually true, but neither is it entirely incorrect.  According to Capcom the game was under development for about three years.  However, a lot of that time was spent in pre-production since much of the work needed to wait until the tools and personnel became available after the Resident Evil 2 remake was more-or-less finished.  So, what we have is a sequel that was quickly put to market in order to capitalize on the success of its predecessor.  In other words, the 2019 - 2020 situation mirrors 1998 - 1999 release circumstances extremely closely.

Gameplay-wise the dodge mechanic is a welcome addition that enhances boss battles considerably.  I like the little callbacks and tie-ins to other entries in the Resident Evil series, as well as continued references to James Cameron's "Aliens" film with lines like "Stay frosty!" and a coffee shop named "Sigorney"...not to mention the voices of Nathaniel Bard and Mikhail Victor being performed by William Hope (A.K.A. Lieutenant Gorman).  The sound effect and music are great.  There's also a fun smattering of incidental dialogue for players who take their time examining the scenery.  Overall, the game feels like a distilled version of it's predecessor which ties back into what I mentioned in the previous paragraph.

I wonder if that mask filters out COVID-19?

A lot of the complaints leveled against the Resident Evil 3 remake don't jive with me.  I don't think the inclusion of QTEs from the original would have enhanced gameplay all that much, nor do I particularly miss the water treatment plant or clock tower areas.  Jill's outfit is a bit bland (with the new Laura Croft standard issue jeans and tank-top), but her original tube-top, skirt and sweater always came across as way too impractical.  Personally, I still prefer her S.T.A.R.S. uniform (aside from those weird little shoulder pads).  All the supporting characters are improved over the original versions, especially Carlos.  I've heard some complaints that he lacks a distinct personality, but to me he makes a good foil for Jill...maybe it's just his mop of hair, but Carlos strikes me as the kind of guy who spends all his free time surfing at the beach or lifting in the gym.  His reactive (rather than active) personality contrasts nicely with Jill's analytical/aspiring mindset (particularly when his back is to the wall, push comes to shove and the chips are down).

Having exceeded my idiomatic expression limit for the day, I will wrap this up by bringing up a few issues: the lip sinking is a bit off, the camera sometimes gets stuck in zoom mode, and the Nemesis encounters would have benefited from being less scripted in nature.  The horror elements are also downplayed here in favor of a more action-driven experience.  I expect that we will see a resurgence of horror themes in the upcoming Resident Evil 8 though.  As for more remakes, it sounds like Capcom is working on a Resident Evil 4 remake.  Personally, I think Code Veronica would benefit more from an overhaul although the game I'd like to see Capcom do most of all would be the original Dino Crisis complete with scientifically accurate dinosaurs.  Can you imagine using haptic feedback to simulate a T-Rex getting closer and closer?...yeah, and some people think Mr. X is scary.  Sadly, I doubt it will happen because there's probably less money to be made down that road.  Oh well...