Resident Evil 3 Nemesis | 1999]
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is a survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom in 1999. Originally created for the PlayStation, it is the third installment in the Resident Evil series, occurring almost simultaneously with the events of Resident Evil 2. Players control Jill Valentine, a former elite operative, as she attempts to escape the zombie-infested Raccoon City. The game features the same engine as its predecessors, showcasing 3D models, pre-rendered backgrounds, and fixed camera angles. Choices made by the player influence the story progression and endings.
Resident Evil 3 was developed concurrently with Resident Evil – Code: Veronica, initially conceived as a spin-off with a different protagonist. The game aimed for a more action-oriented gameplay style, increasing the number of enemies players would face. It introduced the Nemesis, a creature that periodically stalks the player throughout the game, inspired by the T-1000 from the 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
The game received positive reviews, selling over 3 million copies worldwide. Critics praised its detailed graphics and the menacing Nemesis, although it faced some criticism for its short length and story. After its PlayStation release, the game was ported to Windows, Dreamcast, and GameCube, achieving varying degrees of critical success, with the GameCube version facing criticism for its relatively high retail price and outdated graphics. A remake titled Resident Evil 3 was released in 2020.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis allows players to control Jill Valentine in a third-person perspective, interacting with the environment and enemies in a survival horror setting. Players can also control other characters at certain points. To progress, they must evade enemies, act wisely, and explore the city. Interaction with the environment includes opening doors, pushing objects, and climbing obstacles. Weapons, ammunition, and other items are scattered throughout the city and can be collected for the player's inventory, which has a limited number of slots requiring players to manage space by storing items frequently.
Players can use various firearms, from handguns to rocket launchers, to defeat enemies. In addition to enemies, environmental elements like explosive barrels can be shot to damage nearby foes. The game introduces a quick 180-degree turn maneuver for dodging attacks, and players have a certain amount of health that decreases upon taking damage. Health can be restored using items like first aid sprays and herbs, which can be used individually or combined for increased healing effects. There’s also an ammunition crafting system that allows players to create new ammo from different types of gunpowder. Besides combat, players often need to solve logical and conceptual challenges.
In specific situations, players face dangerous scenarios and must choose between two possible actions; failure to choose can result in instant death or penalties. These choices influence the story and endings. Nemesis, a recurring boss, is significantly stronger than the player, capable of using a rocket launcher and chasing players while evading attacks. Players can choose to fight or flee in various encounters, some of which are mandatory while others change based on player decisions. Regardless of whether players evade or defeat him, Nemesis will continue to pursue the player until the game ends.
Completing the game unlocks a mode called The Mercenaries - Operation: Mad Jackal, where players control mercenaries Jill encounters in the main game, racing from one side of the city to the other within a time limit. The initial time provided is insufficient for completing the task directly; players must kill enemies, rescue civilians, or explore hidden areas to extend the time. Depending on the rank earned and difficulty chosen after finishing the main game, alternate outfits for Jill and an epilogue file detailing activities of various characters post-game can be unlocked. The Mercenaries mode and Jill’s alternate outfits do not require unlocking in the Windows and Dreamcast versions.
On September 28, 1998, just 24 hours before the events of Resident Evil 2, former S.T.A.R.S. member Jill Valentine tries to escape Raccoon City. Most of the population has turned into zombies due to the T-virus secretly developed by the Umbrella Corporation. On her way to the Raccoon City Police Department, Jill encounters her teammate Brad Vickers, who is killed by a new enemy. This creature, known as the Nemesis-T Type, is a bio-organic weapon programmed to target remaining S.T.A.R.S. members. Jill evades Nemesis and meets survivors from Umbrella’s Biohazard Countermeasure Service (U.B.C.S.)—Carlos Oliveira, Mikhail Victor, and Nikolai Zinoviev. Nikolai informs Jill that she can contact a rescue helicopter by reaching the clock tower.
After repairing a cable car, Nikolai disappears, presumed dead, and Nemesis traps the remaining group members in the cable car. Mikhail sacrifices himself with a grenade, causing the cable car to crash into the clock tower's courtyard. Jill rings the bell to summon the helicopter, but Nemesis appears, destroys it, and infects Jill with the T-virus. Though Jill temporarily defeats Nemesis, she loses consciousness due to the infection. Carlos finds Jill and takes her to safety. Three days later, he discovers a vaccine for Jill's T-virus infection at a nearby Umbrella hospital and administers it to her.
After regaining consciousness, Jill sets out to find an escape route through Raccoon Park and enters the park ranger's cabin, where she encounters Nikolai. He reveals he is an Umbrella "supervisor" sent to gather combat data on bio-weapons. Nikolai retreats, and Jill later faces a giant insect-like creature called the Grave Digger. After defeating the monster, Jill escapes through the insect's tunnel into a ruined Umbrella factory in the city. Inside the factory, Jill meets Carlos, who reveals that the U.S. government plans to launch a nuclear missile at Raccoon City to eradicate the T-virus infection. After confronting Nemesis and obtaining a keycard necessary for her escape, Jill learns that a missile strike on Raccoon City has begun.
Depending on the player's chosen path, Jill's final encounter with Nikolai varies. In one version, he attempts to shoot Jill but is ambushed and killed by Nemesis. In another, he tries to hijack Jill's escape helicopter, and players must negotiate with him or destroy the helicopter. If Jill negotiates, he boasts about killing other supervisors and claims a bounty on Jill from Umbrella before fleeing. Regardless of Nikolai's fate, Jill proceeds to her final showdown with Nemesis. After a fierce battle, Jill defeats Nemesis with the help of a massive prototype railgun and meets Carlos to escape the city by helicopter. If the previous helicopter was taken by Nikolai, Jill and Carlos meet Barry Burton, a weapons specialist from S.T.A.R.S., who helps them escape in his helicopter. As the nuclear missile vaporizes Raccoon City, Jill vows revenge against Umbrella, and a news broadcast mourns the destroyed city and its victims.
Resident Evil 3 was developed by Capcom and produced by Shinji Mikami, who directed the original Resident Evil and produced Resident Evil 2. After the release of Resident Evil 2, Capcom had multiple Resident Evil projects underway, with Hideki Kamiya set to direct the next major installment. This game was initially set aboard a cruise ship and centered on HUNK retrieving a G-virus sample. However, after Sony announced the PlayStation 2, Capcom canceled this project, citing that it wouldn’t be completed before the console's release. Capcom wanted to avoid keeping fans waiting for a new Resident Evil on the PlayStation for years, leading to the decision to promote a side project as the third main game. Kamiya's team moved on to Resident Evil 4.
The selected project was a spin-off developed by a relatively inexperienced team under the direction of Kazuhira Aoyama, aiming to introduce a new character escaping the infected Raccoon City. However, following promotions, Capcom decided to feature Jill Valentine as the main character and confirmed that Raccoon City would be destroyed. Unlike most of the initial script, this story was written by internal writer Yasuhisa Kawamura, who had little experience with Resident Evil. Kawamura became familiar with the universe by playing the original games. The story was refined and approved by Capcom's flagship studio to avoid continuity errors with other games, a concern highlighted during monthly meetings among directors and producers.
Resident Evil 3 utilizes the same game engine as previous titles. The environment consists of 2D pre-rendered backgrounds, with enemies and some interactive elements rendered in 3D polygons. Developers felt that using full 3D graphics would hinder their ability to create rich and detailed environments. According to project supervisor Yoshiki Okamoto, “There wouldn’t be enough polygons assigned to the enemies. We didn’t want blocky, pixelated zombies.” Environmental interactions were enhanced, allowing players to shoot objects like explosive barrels to harm enemies. A variety of zombie types, including police officers, doctors, and civilians, were added.
While previous Resident Evil games took place primarily indoors, Resident Evil 3 is mostly set in the streets of Raccoon City, allowing developers to create more diverse environments. Capcom introduced more action mechanics, adding the ability to perform 180-degree turns and evade attacks. The game was designed to allow up to nine enemies to appear simultaneously, with improved enemy AI enabling them to pursue players up and down stairs. The Nemesis creature was inspired by the T-1000 from the 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Mikami stated, “I wanted to introduce a new kind of fear into the game. A constant sense of unease was necessary. Nemesis brings that in spades. Once you defeat him the first time and he disappears, you feel that lingering fear of the next attack. I wanted to give players the feeling of being pursued.”
The game was developed concurrently with the Dreamcast version of Resident Evil – Code: Veronica. Initially referred to as Biohazard 1.9 or Biohazard 1.5, it deals with events occurring between the first two Resident Evil games. Code: Veronica continues the story after Resident Evil 2, but Capcom decided to make Nemesis the third numbered game to maintain consistency with the PlayStation titles. Development began with a team of 20 but eventually expanded to between 40 and 50 members. While Resident Evil 2 featured two protagonists across two discs, Resident Evil 3 is a single CD game centered solely on Jill Valentine, who was deemed the "only suitable character" for this role.
