Two years after the release of the critically-acclaimed Resident Evil 7, Capcom saw fit to launch a totally reworked version of the classic PlayStation title Resident Evil 2. It was a major success for the franchise and brought an aged game into the modern era while simultaneously changing certain story and gameplay elements to keep longtime fans on their toes.
Of course, given how well that title went over, Capcom announced that the game’s 1999 followup, Resident Evil 3, would be receiving the same treatment. We’re extremely excited to return to Racoon City, but we also have a few issues we’d like to see Capcom address before the game drops.
10 Excited: RE Engine
Part of the reason why we’re so eager to see Resident Evil 3 remade in 2020 is due to the excellent RE Engine. Capcom built the Resident Evil 2 remake in this engine, and they also used it as the basis for Resident Evil 7. These two games looked and played phenomenally, and we’re expecting RE3 to be yet another home run.
Both the decrepit Baker house featured in RE7 and the RCPD station in RE2 showcased an incredible amount of detail and surpassed the expectations of even the most cynical Resident Evil fans. We can’t wait to see what Capcom has in store for the various locals explored in the series’ third outing.
9 Nervous: Emphasis on Action
When Resident Evil 6 debuted in 2012, fans were less than pleased, to say the least. A trumped-up, action-oriented frenzy that felt more like a bad Call of Duty game than an official Resident Evil title, it has long been viewed as the black sheep or the longrunning survival horror franchise.
Troublingly, rumors suggest that the Resident Evil 3 remake will be following in the footsteps of the aforementioned title and ramping up the action in order to appeal to a wider player base. RE3 was always the most action-oriented of the original trilogy, but we’ll have to see if the game’s atmosphere and pacing have been sacrificed in the name of shoe-horned thrills.
8 Excited: Resident Evil 2’s Reception
As previously mentioned, Resident Evil 2’s 2019 remake was met with rave reviews from critics and fans alike, and it breathed new life into an aging series. A new take on a classic title, it did to the second game what the 2002 GameCube remake did for the original.
Even if it’s only half as good as RE2’s remake, it’ll still be a perfectly solid experience. With a new storyline, new characters, and an all-new unstoppable baddy, there’s a lot to be excited about when it comes to RE3. The potential is almost limitless, and Capcom has already proven themselves capable of delivering.
7 Nervous: Character Redesigns
The Resident Evil 3 reveal trailer was initially pretty coy when it came to showing off its characters, and it’s only revealed about halfway through the three-minute spot that the first-person protagonist is, in fact, Jill Valentine—a heavily redesign Jill, at that.
There’s always going to be a bit of backlash when it comes to redesigning classic video game characters, and we think Capcom seems to be headed in the right direction… for the most part. Jill and Carlos and definitely the most modified characters, and they both look just a bit off when compared to the original. That was a PS1 game, of course, so it isn’t a fair comparison. Still, the jury is out on whether we like these redesigns or not.
6 Excited: Resident Evil Resistance
Billed as the multiplayer component to the Resident Evil 3 remake, Resident Evil Resistance is an asymmetrical four-against-one multiplayer experience set to debut alongside the new remake on the third of April, 2020. Potentially taking cues from games like Dead By Daylight or Friday the 13th, Resistance will pit four hapless captives against one player-controlled “mastermind.”
The mastermind will have the ability to set traps, place enemies, spy on the facility through security cameras, among other things, in an effort to prevent the captives from escaping. The captives, meanwhile, have to work together to escape in a set amount of time, perhaps reminiscent of the countdown sequences which close out the three original Resident Evil titles.
5 Nervous: Diverging From The Original
Part of what made the Resident Evil 2 remake so great was the subtle changes made to the layout and story to keep those who knew the ins and outs of the original from feeling too sure of themselves. While we expect Capcom to make similar adjustments to the followup, we’re worried that they may be taking things a bit too far.
Speculation and rumors suggest that the upcoming remake deviates pretty heavily from the original game in some areas, and that could potentially fatally wound the game’s plot or pacing. We won’t know the truth until we have the game in our hands, but, for now, it’s something to consider.
4 Excited: Best of the Bunch
Everyone has their own personal favorite Resident Evil entry, and, from the 1996 original to its the 2017 return-to-form that was Resident Evil 7, there’s quite a bit of material to choose from.
That said, Resident Evil 3 seems to be a favorite of quite a few longtime RE fans, and for good reason. While the first two entries, groundbreaking though they were, struggled to work around the PlayStation’s limitations and hosted quirky characters and nonsensical dialogue exchanges, Resident Evil 3 felt like the most refined—and arguably scariest—survival horror experience to grace Sony’s hardware.
3 Nervous: It Could Be Delayed
It’s only been a year since the release of Capcom’s last Resident Evil remake, and new reports suggest that the game may be pushed back to either further separate the releases or fine-tune the product.
Though Capcom higher-ups have refuted this, it was a bit strange to hear that RE3 would be releasing so soon after Resident Evil 2 dropped. We don’t intend to look a gift horse in the mouth, but we’re worried that, when it releases in April, Resident Evil 3 will play as if it could have benefitted from a delay. Given the state of most triple-A releases these days, that’s a distinct possibility.
2 Excited: Nemesis
Horror games in recent years have been infatuated with the idea of an indestructible monster from which you can only run or hide, and, though the concept has mostly been played out, Resident Evil 2’s horrifying Mr. X reminded gamers exactly how impactful villains like this could be.
But Mr. X pales in comparison to the downright terrifying Nemesis. A mutant supersoldier hellbent on destroying the members of S.T.A.R.S., it doesn’t get any scarier than this behemoth. We can’t wait to see how he’ll operate in this new take on the classic title, and we’re guessing that he’ll be leagues more disturbing than he was on the PS1.
1 Nervous: Shorter Than Resident Evil 2
Length isn’t necessarily tandem to the quality of a game, but there’s no denying that Resident Evil’s more recent outings have been a bit on the short side. With Resident Evil 2 clocking in at somewhere around eight hours—admittedly two or so hours longer than the original version—some may have been hoping for a bit more.
That said, the Resident Evil 3 remake is said to be about half the length of RE2’s, indicating that it may be as short as four hours. RE3 wasn’t noticeably shorter than its predecessor originally, and we’re worried that Capcom may have cut away quite a bit of meat from the upcoming game’s bones.
NEXT: There’s Another Unnanounced Resident Evil Game In The Works
