With the second 'Resident Evil' game breaking sales figures in 1998, fans were left screaming for more. The following year, plans for a third game started to come to fruition. Initially, the game was to take place on a luxury cruise liner in which Hunk ( a mysterious spy from Umbrella who was introduced as an unlockable character in 'Resident Evil 2' ) was attempting to harbour samples of the G-Virus. This didn't happen alas, instead it focused on Jill Valentine ( who was one of the protagonists in the first game ) attempting to escape the zombie infested town that was once Raccoon City and so 'Resident Evil 3: Nemesis' was born. 'Nemesis' was unique in the 'Resident Evil' series in that it was the first game to have a single protagonist as opposed to two.
The game is divided into two segments. The first segment, set 24 hours before the events of 'Resident Evil 2' starts with Jill escaping from her apartment, with plans to flee Raccoon City. On her way to the police station, she runs into fellow S. T. A. R. S member Brad Vickers ( who many will remember from the first game as the spineless pilot who left his colleagues stranded in the mountains ) who warns Jill about a new bio-organic weapon created by Umbrella who is sent out to eliminate the R. P. D, only moments later to be brutally killed by said creature. This is none-other than Nemesis, a gargantuan, severely deformed monster who with his rocket launcher will hound you throughout the game. After managing to evade Nemesis and get out the police station alive. You will meet smooth-talking but kind-hearted Carlos Oliveria, well-meaning Mikhail Victor ( who is paralysed after being attacked by zombies ) and cold Nicholai Ginovaef, all of whom are members of the U. B. C. S ( 'Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service' ). Jill then joins forces with the Umbrella soldiers and decides to travel with them to the Raccoon City clock tower where a rescue chopper is to meet them.
However, Nicholai later goes missing and is presumed dead, Mikhail ends up taking his own life during a face-off with Nemesis in a bid to save Jill and Carlos as they travel via train to the clock tower, which ends up crashing in the courtyard of their destination. Not long after arrival, Jill has another face off with Nemesis and is injected by him with the G-Virus. It is at this point you will temporarily take control of Carlos in order to gain an antidote to save Jill from the virus. It is also at this point you learn that Nicholai is a supervisor from an espionage organisation sent out to gather combat data on the infected subjects who, if successful in his mission, is to receive a generous cash reward.
In the second section of the game ( which is now set two days after the events of 'Resident Evil 2' ), after being cured from the virus, Jill then leaves the clock tower to head to the Incineration Disposal Plant ( a plant disguised as an abandoned factory which Umbrella are using to dispose of bio organic waste ) where she learns that the government are planning to launch a missile into Raccoon City to prevent the virus from spreading. Your remaining mission now is to get out alive before the city is wiped out completely.
'Nemesis' is my favourite out of all the 'Resident Evil' games. Yet again, some new monsters are introduced here such as the Gammas ( a deadlier variation on the Hunters from the first game ), Drain Demios ( hideous blood sucking monsters ), Brain Suckers ( a more vicious variant on the Drain Demios ) and a giant worm like monster. Nemesis is indeed the stand out from all though. He terrified me at the time ( listen to how he growls ''S. T. A. R. S' each time he pounces an attack and you'll know why ). As the game transpires, Nemesis gradually becomes more and more mutated and by the end becomes a slug-like pulp. There are more cryptic puzzles to solve here too ( the water temperature puzzle had me baffled for days ). Also, certain sequences in the game require the character to make a certain choice to get out of a dangerous situation, which will vary the way the game ends.
The voice acting here is actually rather passable ( sexy Catherine Disher does a far better job of voicing Jill than the inexperienced bimbo who voiced her in the first game who is simply only known as 'Inezh' ) and the soundtrack is pretty hot too. Also fun is the bonus game 'The Mercenaries' unlocked upon completion in which you can take control of one of the three U. B. C. S members in order to reach a target destination in a given time.
This would have made a fine finale to the series but Capcom felt they could expand the format further and in 2000 made 'Resident Evil: Survivor'. It was dreadful. It was by this point I lost interest in the games ( with the exception of the excellent 2002 relaunch of the first game ).
If the much hyped remake of 'Resident Evil 2' is successful when it appears, one wonders if a remake of the third game will be on the cards. Let's hope so.
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