Awesome Boss: While the pursuer bits with Nemesis are rather contentious, many reviewers have agreed that the scripted fights with the monster are the best parts of the game, being tense and harrowing experiences.
Awesome Music: If there's one opinion most fans and critics share regarding this game, it's that its soundtrack is vastly superior to its predecessor's which majority of fans agreed was weaker than its original soundtrack.
"Metamorphosis" is perhaps the magnum opus of the entire soundtrack; a beautiful and bombastic reimagining of "Nemesis Final Metamorphosis" from the original, it defines Jill's final stand against the tenacious Nemesis as she wields her weapons and a giant railgun to finally put the monster down for good.
The remixed version of "The City of Ruin" which plays after Nicholai shoots Murphy, is widely praised by fans to be a faithful re-arrangement of the classic track.
The remixed version of the original game's save-room theme "Free from Fear". Fans were doubly glad the song doesn't stop playing after a short while like Resident Evil 2 Remake's new save theme. And on that note, fans were delighted to discover a better remix of Resident Evil 2's save theme which plays in the save-rooms during Carlos's section in the RPD.
From the Resistance side game, there is "The Pressure Is On", the song that plays during when there is only a minute left before the survivors run out of time. A fast-paced "time is running out" theme that combines catchiness with a desperation for escape.
Broken Base: The one change that the fandom can't seem to agree on is the decision to introduce Nemesis at the very beginning of the game instead of partway through like the original. Fans of the decision argue that it shows that Capcom knows what the fans are here to see; Nemesis was far and away the most popular part of the original game, so putting him at the beginning makes sense and helps establish him as a very terrifying and capable threat. Detractors argue that it removes all of the mystique that made him so terrifying in the original, and the fact that the rework means that Nemesis is no longer the one to kill Brad means that the threat he does pose isn't as personal as it was in the original.
Unlike its predecessor, which largely follows the same story beats as the original (although it still got dinged for changes to second run and the lab), this game features a very different structure, with numerous plot changes. Many fans of the original are upset, as the game has fewer puzzles and exploration than the original, with Nemesis ending up far more scripted and appearing far less often, and locales such as the Cemetery and Clock Tower being excised, along with the Gravedigger boss and a few enemy types. Defenders of the game point out that the gameplay is solid, the boss encounters against Nemesis are quite fun, and they argue that the characters tend to be more likable and better-performed than in the original; and while things are cut it gives the game a very breakneck pace.
Contested Sequel: Compared to its better received predecessor, this remake has proven more divisive, particularly among those fond of the original. The main points of contention come down to the short game length, the chasing scenes with Nemesis feeling somewhat underutilized and scripted in their placements, and the omission of features in the original such as ability to craft enhanced ammo or grenade freeze rounds, the branching paths and Gravedigger boss fight. Meanwhile, the more positive reviews praise the game's manic, anxiety-inducing pace, the characterizations of Jill and Carlos, the actual boss fights with Nemesis, and additional gameplay mechanics, especially fixing some of the fiddlier mechanics like the dodge.
Critical Dissonance: The remake has received generally favorable reviews from game critics. Fandom response however has been mixed. It's generally been accepted that the game is short and Nemesis could have been better implemented. That said, general consensus is the game is good on its own merits, just not as a remake. Despite the flaws, it is still a very fun and enjoyable game that's better paced, has stronger chemistry between its leads Jill & Carlos, and the soundtrack is stronger than that of this game's predecessor.
Naturally, any enemy capable of a One-Hit Kill can become this, and in this game it's the Hunter Betas. Unlike the Hunter Gammas, who are also capable of insta-kills, the Betas are relentless and fast, and each encounter with them is in some sort of confined space. Worse yet, most of them are faced by Carlos, who lacks any hard-hitting weapons to take them on with.
NE-Parasite zombies are a borderline case. They have a very long reach and are much tougher than a normal zombie, but they can also cover up their weak spot and make it effectively invulnerable unless you shoot out the host's legs and put them on the ground.
Ensemble Dark Horse: Most of the members of the U.B.C.S were well-received by the fandom.
This game's version of Mikhail Victor is agreed to be a step up from his original incarnation. Originally, he was mostly out-of-commission and delirious because of his injuries, getting smacked around by Nemesis before ultimately sacrificing his life for Jill. In the Remake, even with his wounds, he's shown more active, jovial, and his last stand is portrayed more impressively, being impaled by Nemesis and still going out in a blaze of glory, complete with kick-ass final words at that.
Due to Carlos' new look, many fans have jokingly called him "Carlos the Hobo" due to his messy hair and beard. Another one is "Miguel", since his new design also bears a very strong resemblance to the Tekken character; the European Spanish dub of the game even uses the same voice actor.
To distinguish the original game and the remake, fans will often call the latter the "Three-Make."
Game-Breaker: Reloading your save file becomes this. The game keeps track of enemies you've killed over the course of the game. The more you reload, the more points you gain simply by cleaning house and reload your save file point, where it stacks the number of kills. It's also a favorite tactic in the last section of the hospital Hold the Line segment, as you can kill all enemies until either your weapons run out of ammo or the zombies run out of zombies, then simply reload your autosave and do it over and over again. This can be the easiest method of getting some of the infinite ammo weapons, so long as you can put up with Tyrell's constant nagging for you to use the C4 and seal the entrance.note This only works up to a point; once you've killed enough baddies to get the maximum reward there's no need to keep doing it anymore, since it doesn't give points per kill, but rather a big payout once you hit certain milestone numbers.
Good Bad Bugs: During Nemesis's chase sequence where he has his rocket launcher, if you bait him around the corner at just the right angle, his shots will hit the wall and he won't stop shooting the wall until you move.
It's Easy, So It Sucks!: A criticism the game faced was that it was deemed easier compared to RE2 Remake and the original. Puzzles are almost absent in the game and those which made in are fairly basic especially in contrast to hardest puzzles of original, Nemesis is less challenging to fight due to his overall slow and sluggish movements, infinite weapons do not subtract your score and can simply be obtained from an in-game shop rather than needing to be unlocked through difficult challenges, and ammo is far more plentiful. Nightmare difficulty somewhat addresses these complaints by making enemies faster and more aggressive, as well as less ammo pickups, and Inferno difficulty goes beyond even that. However, the issue is that Nightmare is only accessible after completing a playthrough on Hardcore, while Inferno is subsequently only available on completion of a Nightmare run.
It's Short, So It Sucks!: Just like the original game; according to reviewers, a common point of criticism is the game being comparatively short to complete, clocking in at most six to seven hours. note granted, this is still comparatively longer than RE2 Remake when on a single playthrough, but the fact that the predecessor had multiple playthroughs via the mix of paths in one game balanced out the short length.
However, there are some unlockable items & modes upon completing the first playthrough of the story till the end and other challenges in the game to provide replay value. note including Hardcore difficulty and Nightmare mode upon completing Hardcore. And completing Nightmare mode will also unlock Inferno mode. All grant some new challenges in the form of different/more aggressive enemy behaviors, item and some enemy placement being rearranged, as well as there being less ammo/healing items and, in Inferno specifically, less save points. There's also beneficial items, which can be unlocked via in-game currency for completing challenges, which can make the game easier going on the difficult modes and a cake walk on the easier ones.
It's the Same, Now It Sucks!: Another facet of complaints over Jill's new outfit is how it's the thirdgame in a row where the main female protagonist is wearing a tanktop and jeans combo, being rather bland especially to their male counterparts.
"Nemesis got a nosejob!" comments became fairly common when fans saw his redesigned look with a silly looking, grotesquely placed nose on his otherwise handsome face.
When Capcom announced that they created a model of Nemesis in order to be scanned (phrased as "created Nemesis"), gamers mentioned that the company is actually a front for Umbrella Corporation. Some gamers even mention to start preparing in case a zombie apocalypse starts.
A lot has been pointed out about the fact that a ransacked store prominently has an unopened pack of toilet paper on the counter. Cue the inevitable comparisons to the COVID-19 pandemic and people's insistence on emptying stores of the stuff.
Jill's final blow against Nemesis. The first two times was done with the railgun (while smaller than the original, it still qualifies as a BFG) on its stand. The third and final time has her grab the railgun and carry it by her own two hands while shoving it in its mouth before firing. Many jokes about her taking tips from her boulder punching partner have been made in various playthrough videos.
Nest-3.Explanation Due to Remake 2 renaming the Umbrella lab into the Nest and this game replacing the Dead Factory with the Nest-2, fans have been joking that the next remake game would also replace the last part of the game with a place called the Nest-3.
"No, No, No. You print money! I like money!" Explanation One of Nicholai's lines, specifically him denying to give Jill the T-Virus vaccine despite proposing to give it to her if she battled Nemesis and survived. Fans have taken to using a screenshot of the line, recently with the rumors of Resident Evil 4 getting a remake despite low fan demand and the game insisting Capcom stop porting/remaking it and Capcom refusing because the game always sells well on whatever system it's ported to and a Remake would equal big bucks as well
"Bitch can't even swim." Explanation One of Jill's most memorable sassy lines from the remake. Jill says this line when she spots Nemesis coming out of the sewers, aflame after Mikhail's heroic sacrifice, and falls clumsily into the water of the nearby lake. Jill assumed that would be the last she'd see of him. It wasn't.
Resident Evil 3 is a finished product. Explanation Taken from an interview in June 2020, where then-RE series producer Peter Fabiano stated that 3 would not be receiving any DLC. This has been dredged up in response to the announcement that Resident Evil Village would be receiving DLC "due to popular demand", as a point of contrast. Village was longer, had more exploration and a Mercenaries mode, when some of the fanbase upset at the changes 3 made to the original had been clamoring for DLC to add in cut content.
Narm Charm: Jill matching if not surpassing Chris' boulder-punching feat of strength by lifting and wielding a railgun bigger than she is, with a kickback so powerful it shatters the concrete beneath her, to finish off Nemesis. It's a sequence that could generously be described as Anime-as-fuck, but it's so cool and lines up Jill's coolness so it works, plus the franchise abandoned realism years ago.
Jill's new default tank top and jeans outfit appears to be lifted from a beta version◊ of the original game's intro.
The idea of a zombie being able to talk actually dates back to the very first game, as the Keeper's Diary last two entries were of a now zombified man writing down his increasingly less lucid thoughts in between chowing down on a co-worker.
"4. Itchy. Tasty."
The dodge mechanic in this game is very similar to the one in Resident Evil: Revelations 2, right down to the animation. The only difference is that Revelations 2 does not have the bullet time mechanic.
A criticism of the remake is its moderately short length, clocking in between 5-6 hours. However, this is roughly the same length as the original game (and indeed some of the other classic games as well).
This isn't the first game in the series to have a live-action introduction. That honor goes to the 1996 original version of the first game, albeit with far less competent acting.
Newer fans were shocked by the inclusion of lickers in the Police Station section along with Hunters Gamma in the sewers and Hunters Beta in the hospital, as originally lickers were exclusive to Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 5 and the Hunters were found in every other Resident Evil game apart from Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 6. However, this actually isn't the first game where both monsters have appeared simultaneously; the first Resident Evil: Gun Survivor had both lickers and Hunters Alpha as monsters back in 2000.
Scrappy Weapon: Similar to 2 (Remake), acid rounds just aren't what they used to be in the original games, except now it's even more emphasized. Their most significant use is in softening the scaly armor of Hunter Betas, enabling other weapons the means of easily finishing them off, but Jill encounters only a handful of the Betas (especially if Carlos cleaned house in the hospital). Meanwhile, explosive and mine rounds are relatively effective against all enemy types (including Hunter Betas), while flame rounds are incredibly effective against Nemesis.
Sequel Difficulty Drop: The actionized nature of the game compared to the previous remake ironically evens the odds considerably, as Jill has a number of tricks like an easy-to-use dodge to evade the hordes. Her knife being unbreakable means she can fall back on the time-honored ammo-saving trick of downing a zombie with a few headshots or blowing one of its knees off and then going ham on them in melee before they can recover, the above-mentioned dodge allowing for quick escapes if the zombie starts to get up. Carlos' sections have him equipped with an assault rifle, a handgun making for a decent backup weapon and plentiful ammunition throughout the areas he explores; when he starts to encounter some difficulty with Lickers and Hunters Beta, both the police station and the hospital have no shortage of flashbangs and hand grenades lying around.
Nemesis is comparatively easier to incapacitate than the previous Tyrant. One hand grenade will always be enough, compared to the much tougher Mr. X.
There's one particular point that makes Nemesis a far harder enemy. One screw up and it can and will put you into a Cycle of Hurting that will be game over and it will do so with normal attacks to catch you that more off guard.
Another aversion is that zombies are far more resistant to being kneecapped, often requiring multiple handgun magazines or a full assault rifle magazine to do so, likely because in the previous game it was trivial to blow off their legs and just run past them (or finish them off with a few knife swipes). You're better off using the tried-and-true method of shooting them in the head, which takes far less shots and has a chance of killing them instantly.
So Okay, It's Average: The game incorporates the fantastic upgrades to graphics, the inventory system, and the shooting mechanics that helped make Resident Evil 2 (Remake) the surprise success it was, while also adding in dodge mechanics in line with the more action focused nature the original game had in relation to the more survival horror focused original Resident Evil 2. However, for many critics the game never rises above being more than just "a lesser Resident Evil 2," pointing to: 1) Nemesis being a lesser Implacable Man in comparison to the Tyrant for only showing up in scripted scenes and areas, as opposed to the Tyrant roaming the precinct freely; 2) the less engaging "big mutant boss battle" at the end of the game that is similar to the one that ended the RE 2 remake, just with a bigger gun; 3) the dual playable characters mechanic being worse as Carlos doesn't have his own separate campaign unlike in RE 2, 4) the brevity of the game in general (an average play time is about 6 hrs). This last point gets pointed to the most since the RE 3 remake left out entire sections from the original, whereas the RE 2 remake added two new playable sections. All of this has led to many stating that while the game was not bad per se, it plays more like a DLC for the RE 2 remake than a game in its own right.
That One Achievement: One challenge requires you to get through the entire game while only using one healing item. This effectively means zero healing items, as you're forced to use at least one green herb at the start of the substation area to expel a parasite (you won't die if you don't use an herb, but you'll be stuck in "Danger" status once Jill ralphs up the parasite herself). However, you can cheese it by relying on the Defense and Recovery Coins.
Nemesis's lash attack in the NEST 2 is a pain to defend against. When his health is significantly low, he will whip his new tentacle arm in a circle at Jill and nearby zombies, and these are hard to avoid. Even the grenade launcher can't stop him when he's doing this.
Nemesis' third form ground pound attack in Nightmare or above. There are two version of it: A three-hit combo, and a five-hit combo with his right claw that become faster in his last two attack. Avoiding these attack pretty much requires you to pull off multiple perfect dodges in quick succession and getting hit by this attack will pretty much kills you as Nemesis will finish you with his next attack before Jill can recover. Not even the Defence and Recovery coins will help here.
That One Boss: Nemesis' third form isn't bad in the first three difficulty settings (Assisted, Standard, and Hardcore). HOWEVER, he becomes an absolute chore to fight in Nightmare and especially Inferno difficulties due to being faster with his attacks and him being able to stunlock Jill to death. Even if you have the infinite rocket launcher and the stat boosting coins, Nemesis can still kill you in three hits in Inferno. What you're supposed to do is master the dodging ability and use the quicktime bonus (when you immediately aim, time slows a bit); but it's so finicky without the S.T.A.R.S. bonus manual (and risky even if you do); which leads many to say that this fight is cheap and believe it hasn't been properly playtested.
Inferno mode manages to make the opening rather difficult. Thanks to the zombies being at their strongest and most aggressive, there's a likely chance the zombies can grab Jill even when she's a fair distance away from them and instantly kill her. At least on Nightmare, autosaving doesn't make this too annoying. But Inferno mode disables autosaves, which means having to keep redoing the opening chase sequence over and over again.
Near the end of the game, Carlos must defend Jill from a hoard of zombies that break into the lobby of the hospital. While not too difficult on the first three difficulties, Nightmare and Inferno turns it into absolute torture for the same reasons as the above (provided that the player is doing a "no-shop" run). What makes this worse is the fact that Carlos now must deal with multiple zombies in the same room, alongside two Hunter Betas, practically giving the player little-to-no breathing room.
Jill's new default outfit, consisting of a tank top and regular jeans, has drawn backlash from fans of her original tube top and miniskirt and for being very derivative of Lara Croft's look in the Tomb Raider (2013)reboottrilogy. This despite her classic look also being available as an alternate outfit via pre-order DLC, and other fans citing that a tube top and miniskirt aren't exactly something one should wear during a zombie outbreak. The reason given (to look more "realistic") was seen by some as a silly/dumb justification; even the "more practical" explanation is iffy, since a tank top shows nearly the same amount of skin as a tube top, and as such would offer just as little protection from zombie bites, while the taller boots on her classic outfit would actually provide better protection.
Even the classic outfit DLC has caught some flak, as the skirt has been replaced by a skort. While it is for practical reasons as some camera angles will cause Panty Shot in several scenes otherwise, the change hasn't been well received. Naturally, lots of mods are made in attempt to return the true classic look.
As with other releases using the RE Engine (Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Resident Evil 2 (Remake), Devil May Cry 5), some fans were unhappy with Jill getting a facial redesign from her more stylized look based on Julia Voth in previous titles, even though the photorealistic engine required a redesign both for Unintentional Uncanny Valley reasons and texture sampling and the like making her have to look much closer to her actual facial capture actress.
There are several regarding Nemesis himself.
Nemesis getting a nose, longer, thinner, pencil-like teeth, and his longcoat looking more like wrapped up garbage bags was criticized by some as making him look too goofy compared to his original design.
Nemesis appearing in the opening sequence of the game rather than a while later was criticized for taking away the tension and buildup of his first appearance in the original.
While the boss fights were praised, some criticism felt having Nemesis morph into a more beastial form past the 2nd fight was way too early when it happened and robbed some of the scare factor since, by that point, he's no longer stalking you in game until the final two boss battles.
For many fans part of the appeal of Nemesis was his gradual breakdown over the course of the story. Even if Nemesis was shot and blown up, he refused to stay down for the count. Over time Nemesis would start to show the wear and tear of combat, continuing to pursue Jill even if he was mutilated (i.e. the disposal center has acid dumped on Nemesis which melts his head and arm off). Nemesis was scary because he did not despair, and remained driven to kill Jill regardless of the cost to himself, and even as his power began to diminish. By contrast, the horrific injuries Nemesis suffers from in the remake only seem to give him beneficial mutations that enhance his ability. Not to mention the final mutation in the original was a fairly modest blob monster with broken, misshapen legs that hobbled around. This Nemesis turns into a giant tentacle monster, who now seems stronger than ever.
While the more sympathetic characterization for Brad Vickers is a much welcome change as well as his Heroic Sacrifice, the remake has him meet his fate against a horde of zombies rather than Nemesis himself, removing Nemesis's establishing moment as a dangerous Hero Killer and the "hunting down STARS members" accidentally becomes something of an Informed Attribute as a result.
A magazine interview indicated that the branching paths and multiple endings of the original had to be cut. Additionally, Resistance apparently will replace the original incarnation of the Mercenaries bonus game.
The amount of puzzles in the remake is severely reduced compare to original, which in fact was one the must puzzle heavy games in the whole series.
The greatest point of contention among critics are the removal of specific sections that were in the original game, key among them being the Gravedigger boss fight and clock tower segment. This is especially egregious in the case of the Gravedigger, as developer comments and a screenshot indicate it was originally planned for the game.
Some didn't like that the Dead Factory was now just a part of the hospital and much more sterilized in this version as opposed to the creepy and foreboding atmosphere of the original.
Likewise, changing the acid room fight and removing the missile time limit didn't sit well with most. The former for just being a repeat of the clock tower fight only with Carlos now helping. And for both, the lack of a time limit removes any sense of urgency and panic.
The gore system is noticeably toned down compared to Resident Evil 2 (Remake) where taking off a zombie's limbs or even blowing their heads off doesn't look as icky as it used to be. Because the areas in the game are much bigger than before and zombies show up in greater numbers, it's likely that keeping the original gore system would have caused stability issues.
Jill doesn't get her iconic line ("You want STARS? I'll give you STARS.") when fighting Nemesis for the final time. She gets it much earlier when leading Nemesis away from the subway and it can get interrupted if Nemesis hits you. Not to mention that it sounds like a random throwaway line to taunt Nemesis instead of a badass Pre-Mortem One-Liner like in the original.
Some minor complaints about the opening and ending as well.
In the original, you actually get to see most of the outbreak at the start and the cops and UBCS trying to fight off the zombies but ultimately being overwhelmed giving you a real good sense how out of control things have gotten. Here, the start just shows some live action news clips but never refers to the dead coming back, just riots and the spread of the infection before cutting to the Nemesis' creation. You see some of the chaos after Jill leaves her apartment but never feel the magnitude of it as the game doesn't dwell on it much and Jill shortly meets Carlos not long after in a rather abrupt manner.
For the ending, in the original you saw the destruction from the ground level as the missile strike consumed it which gives you the sense of weight and catharsis that Jill and Carlos (and maybe Barry) barely survived after everything that's happened. In this game, you just see the missile strike from the air view of the city. Jill gives her wrap up speech and that's pretty much it, end game. No news report about the city's destruction either, which helped drive the somber tone to the ending. Considering how Jill and Carlos tried and failed to save the city in this version, that actually would've been more prevalent here as well.
Also related to the endings is the lack of multiple endings some that helped set the tone and also dwelled on what certain characters did during the ordeal (like Barry) and a missed opportunity to tie with the ending of one of the Ghost Survivors scenario of the previous game, and also helped to add replay value to the game.
The game removes the self-defense mechanic from the previous remake, meaning that if Jill or Carlos take a hit, they take a hit.
They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: Even with people who loved the game, many players have lamented the underutilization of Nemesis as a stalker enemy and had hoped with the remake Capcom would fully take Nemesis’s stalking tendencies to the next level. Instead, he is even more scripted than he was in the original and most of his prominence is within boss fights, having only one real area where he stalks the player heavily.
Lickers make a return during the Raccoon Police Station section of the game, despite not having appeared in the original Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.
Pale Heads, originally introduced in Resident Evil 2 (Remake)'s "Ghost Survivors" bonus scenarios, begin appearing in and after the underground warehouse.
Unintentional Uncanny Valley: A unique inversion of the Uncanny Valley can happen here: because of the RE Engine's photorealistic high-quality models, it can be difficult to tell at first that the opening cutscene is actually done in live-action... thus unnerving you with the absence of the small CGI imperfections that you would be subconsciously expecting to see.
Project Resistance originally drew a chilly reception, as fans were worried that Capcom would forgo making single-player game in favor of a multiplayer-only game. The fact that the main series games that offered multiplayer (5 and 6) were divisive, and multiplayer-focused spinoffs like Operation Raccoon City and Umbrella Corps were mediocre-to-maligned did not help. The announcement that Resistance will only be bundled in the remake of Resident Evil 3 got fans to warm up to the idea. The closed beta before the announcement of the remake also helped convince many who played it that the game had potential.
Nemesis's redesign was criticized for being too goofy based on his more ramshackle costume, cartoonish teeth, and off-center nose, based on the cover art stills. When Capcom released a trailer focused on Nemesis, some of the criticism died down as he does seem more menacing in motion, has a truly scary voice, and a flamethrower boss battle was all put on display.
The Woobie: Jill appears to have severe PTSD from the start - she suffers from horrible recurring nightmares and judging by the state of her apartment, she apparently requires a lot of medication and struggles to eat as well.
Brad is clearly remorseful for his cowardice in the first game, and made a tremendous effort to change as a person, culminating in holding back zombies after being bitten so Jill can escape. Godspeed, Brad Vickers. You earned your place in S.T.A.R.S during your final moments.
and he won't stop shooting the wall until you move.
