Resident Evil 3: Nemesis

"Resident Evil 3" redirects here. For the third live-action Resident Evil film, see Resident Evil: Extinction.

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
European box art depicting the game's main antagonist, Nemesis
Developer(s)	Capcom PS / Win9x / DC / GCN Capcom Windows XP Sourcenext
Publisher(s)	Capcom PlayStation / Windows 9x JP / NA Capcom PAL Eidos Interactive Dreamcast JP / NA Capcom PAL Virgin Interactive Nintendo GameCube JP / NA / EU Capcom AUS Nintendo Australia Windows XP JP Capcom
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 date(s)	September 22, 1999 PlayStation JP September 22, 1999 NA November 11, 1999 PAL February 18, 2000 Windows 9x JP June 16, 2000 PAL November 24, 2000 NA April 16, 2001 Dreamcast JP November 16, 2000 NA November 17, 2000 PAL December 22, 2000 Nintendo GameCube NA January 14, 2003 JP January 23, 2003 PAL May 30, 2003 Windows XP JP April 28, 2006 PlayStation Network JP December 24, 2008 NA December 3, 2009
Genre(s)	Survival horror
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	ACB: MA15+ BBFC: 15 CERO: D ESRB: M PEGI: 16+
Media/distribution	Optical disc, download

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 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, as, unknown to either of them, Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield (Resident Evil 2) make their way into Raccoon City.

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 railgun. 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

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 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 degree 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 playthrough of the main game.

Development

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis was created by a team of 50 staff members, who would become part of Capcom Production Studio 4 in October 1999.^[1][2][3] During most of the development time, the game was referred to as Resident Evil 1.9.^[4][5] 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.^[4][5] 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.^[5] Nevertheless, the story was proofread and sanctioned by Flagship to avoid continuity errors with other installments, an issue that was also given attention in monthly meetings between all directors and producers.^[5]

Rereleases and 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 listed chronologically below: PC, Dreamcast, and Nintendo GameCube.

Windows PC

A Windows PC version was released first in Japan in June 2000 and later in other regions, which features enhanced 3D character model graphics and higher resolutions. Despite this, reviewers such as GameSpot noted, "The backgrounds are murky, the fonts look awful, and the cinematics...look blotchy and bad."^[6]

This version also allows 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).

Dreamcast

A Dreamcast version was released in Winter 2000, which is almost identical to the Windows PC version. Accordingly, it features enhanced 3D character model graphics and the extra outfits and Mercenaries minigame available right from the start. Visually, the environment backgrounds are, according to GameSpot, "much more defined" but overall the game looks similar to the original PlayStation version.^[7] The Dreamcast version also utilizes the VMU by displaying the characters' health status.

GameCube

A Nintendo GameCube version was released in early 2003 and is a port of the original PlayStation version with none of the added features of the prior two ports, such as the extra costumes and unlocked content from the start. However, it does feature an increased frame rate of 60 for FMV movies and enhanced 3D character model graphics. Due to the lack of features from the prior two ports and the absence of any significant improvements, the GameCube version received very harsh reviews, with IGN saying, "The gameplay design is still as brilliant as it ever was on the PSX, but the overall package is not even close to earning its sticker price."^[8]

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)[9] DC: 81% (20 reviews)[10] PC: 75% (14 reviews)[11] GC: 64% (19 reviews)[12]
Metacritic	DC: 79% (13 reviews)[13] PC: 71% (8 reviews)[14] GC: 62% (14 reviews)[15]
Review scores
Publication	Score
1UP.com	GC: C [16]
Allgame	PS: [17] DC: [18] PC: [19] GC: [20]
Computer and Video Games	PS: 9.0 out of 10[21] DC: 8.0 out of 10[22]
Edge	8 out of 10[citation needed]
Eurogamer	PS & DC: 9 out of 10[citation needed] GC: 4 out of 10[23]
Famitsu	GC: 32 out of 40[24]
Game Informer	DC: 8 out of 10[25] GC: 7.75 out of 10[26]
GamePro	PS: [27] DC & GC: [28][29]
Game Revolution	PS: A-[30] DC: C[31]
GameSpot	PS: 8.8 out of 10[32] DC: 8.3 out of 10[7] PC: 6.9 out of 10[6] GC: 4.7 out of 10[33]
GameSpy	GC: [34]
IGN	PS: 9.4 out of 10[35] DC: 8 out of 10[36] PC: 7.6 out of 10[37] GC: 5 out of 10[8]
Official PlayStation Magazine (US)	PS: [citation needed]
PC Zone	8.1 out of 10[38]
PSM	PS: [citation needed]
X-Play	GC: [citation needed]

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".^[32] 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".^[35] Dale Weir from Game Critics called it "the best Resident Evil game in the entire series".^[39]

As of March 2008, Resident Evil 3 had sold 3.5 million copies worldwide.^[40]

Novelization

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

References

1. ^ "Interview with Shinji Mikami". Official PlayStation 2 Magazine-UK (Future Publishing Limited) (4). February 2001. 
2. ^ "Production Studio 4" (in Japanese). Capcom Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on February 6, 2005. http://replay.web.archive.org/20050206023353/http://www.capcom.co.jp/studio4/index.html. 
3. ^ "Capcom's Fantastic Five". IGN.com. IGN Entertainment, Inc. November 13, 2002. http://cube.ign.com/articles/377/377330p1.html. Retrieved May 27, 2011. 
4. ^ ^{a b} (in Japanese) Another Side of Biohazard. World Photo Press Co., Ltd.. 22 March 2001. ISBN 4846523071. 
5. ^ ^{a b c d} Crispin Boyer (August 1999). "Resident Evil Everything". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis Media Inc.) (121): 115–122. 
6. ^ ^{a b} "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PC)". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/residentevil3nemesis/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;read-review. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
7. ^ ^{a b} "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (Dreamcast)". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/dreamcast/adventure/residentevil3nemesis/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;read-review. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
8. ^ ^{a b} "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (GameCube)". IGN. http://cube.ign.com/articles/384/384167p1.html. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
9. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PlayStation)". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/198459.asp. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
10. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (DreamCast)". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/437204.asp. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
11. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PC)". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/431704.asp. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
12. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (GameCube)". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/535838.asp. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
13. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (Dreamcast)". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/drm/residentevil3nemesis?q=resident%20evil%203. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
14. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PC)". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/cube/residentevil3nemesis?q=resident%20evil%203. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
15. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (GameCube)". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/cube/residentevil3nemesis?q=Resident%20Evil. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
16. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (GameCube)". 1UP.com. http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3059539&p=5&sec=REVIEWS. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
17. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PlayStation)". AllGame. http://www.allgame.com/cg/agg.dll?p=agg&sql=1:19887~T1. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
18. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (DC)". AllGame. http://www.allgame.com/cg/agg.dll?p=agg&sql=1:28625. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
19. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PC)". AllGame. http://www.allgame.com/cg/agg.dll?p=agg&sql=1:28596. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
20. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (GameCube)". AllGame. http://www.allgame.com/cg/agg.dll?p=agg&sql=1:40620~T1. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
21. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PlayStation)". Computer and Video Games. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=8541. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
22. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (DreamCast)". Computer and Video Games. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=1992. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
23. ^ Reed, Kristan (9 June 2003). "Resident Evil 2 and 3 Review". Eurogamer. Retrieved on 2009-01-30.
24. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (Biohazard 3: Last Escape) (GameCube)". Famitsu. http://fs.finalfantasytr.com/search.asp?query=biohazard+3. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
25. ^ "Resident Evil 3: Nemesis". Game Informer: pp. 125. January 2001. 
26. ^ Mason, Lisa (April 2003). "Resident Evil 3: Nemesis". Game Informer. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080619043042/http://gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200304/R03.0729.1828.35064.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-29. 
27. ^ Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PlayStation), GamePro, April 13, 2006. Retrieved on 2009-01-30.
28. ^ Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (Dreamcast), GamePro, April 13, 2006. Retrieved on 2009-01-30.
29. ^ Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (GameCube), GamePro, June 14, 2006. Retrieved on 2009-01-30.
30. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PlayStation)". GameRev. http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/sony/resident_evil_3_nemesis. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
31. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (Dreamcast)". GameRev. http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/dreamcast/re_nemesis. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
32. ^ ^{a b} "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PS)". GameSpot. http://uk.gamespot.com/ps/adventure/residentevil3nemesis/review.html. 
33. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (GameCube)". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/gamecube/adventure/residentevil3nemesis/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;read-review. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
34. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (GameCube)". GameSpy. http://cube.gamespy.com/gamecube/resident-evil-3-nemesis/5563p1.html. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
35. ^ ^{a b} "Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PS) review". IGN. http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/161/161482p1.html. 
36. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (Dreamcast)". IGN. http://dreamcast.ign.com/articles/165/165478p1.html. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
37. ^ "Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PC)". IGN. http://pc.ign.com/articles/164/164702p1.html. Retrieved 2010-03-15. 
38. ^ PC Review: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, PC Zone, August 13, 2001. Retrieved on 2009-01-31.
39. ^ "Game Critics". http://www.gamecritics.com/review/re_nemesis/main.php. 
40. ^ "CAPCOM | Platinum Titles". http://ir.capcom.co.jp/english/data/million.html. 

External links

• Resident Evil 3: Nemesis guide at StrategyWiki
• Resident Evil at Wikia