Nemesis is a fitting swan song for the PS1 era

Of all the franchises that started during the 5th generation of consoles courtesy of Sony PlayStation, few have had a lasting impact resident evil. In addition to being one of the first horror game series to have mainstream crossover success, resident evil it helped name the genre it belonged to by coining the term “Survival Horror”, even though it wasn't technically the first game to adhere to its principles. But while much attention is normally paid to the first entry and its timeless continuation, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis tends to get lost in the shuffle.

Originally released 25 years ago today, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis it would foreshadow many elements that players would come to love about both Resident Evil – CODE: Veronica and Resident Evil 4. Interestingly, the title was developed by a sort of “B-Team” within Capcom. At the same time, Resident Evil 2 director (and future Platinum Games founder) Hideki Kamiya worked on what would become Resident Evil 4with series creator Shinji Mikami overseeing production RE3. It's a bombastic, action-packed ride, and the innovations it brings to the table make it one of the more surprising entries in the series, helping it stand the test of time as a fitting cap to the PS1 trilogy.

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis introduced several pillars of the upcoming series

For all the ways in which Resident Evil 3: Nemesis it feels like a solid conclusion to a trilogy of incredibly similar games, the amount of innovation it brought resident evil the formula should not be overlooked. While the game still adheres to the classic “tank” controls, which continue to be players' biggest gripe with the original PS1 trilogy, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is the first game in the series to introduce the “quick 180” turn, forever changing the way future games would handle movement and combat.

Along with smoother movement and more options to deal with multiple threats simultaneously, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis also introduced something that would become a major mechanic in Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes (like Resident Evil 7 and 8): ammunition manufacturing. For the first time in the series, players had more than standard ammunition to rely on and could collect three different types of gunpowder to store in the game's boxes. In a pinch, players could craft additional ammo by crafting Resident Evil 3: Nemesis I feel like it strikes a perfect balance between the series' traditional difficulty and a more action-oriented tone.

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis' Fight or Flight Moments Are One of the Series' Best Tricks

The inventory and mechanics of movement that Resident Evil 3: Nemesis introduced are one thing, but the Live Selection segments from the PS1 original (which were sadly cut from the game for the 2020 remake) are what set it apart when stacked against its two amazing predecessors. These choice-based segments gave the player a split-second chance to decide to face Nemesis or run from him, with the choice to fight resulting in increased risk, but the opportunity for some incredible rewards .

The Resident Evil 3 the remake retains much of the original's more action-oriented approach in terms of combat design and scenario, but the cutting of live selection moments in favor of fixed Nemesis encounters is one of the things that makes it feel somewhat less than the original. Seeing how the events of the game run concurrently with his Resident Evil 2it is understandable that Resident Evil 3: Nemesis may be regarded by some as a non-essential part of RE canon. But to miss out on the original's excellent scripted events, great gunplay, and impressive innovations to the series is to miss out on a great swan song for the era that spawned the series in the first place.