Resident Evil 3 is another killer remaster from Capcom. Raccoon City has been recreated in stunning detail, peppered with realistically abandoned spaces, charming in-game advertising, and devastating environmental storytelling, while labyrinthine level design full of challenging nasties makes exploring a delight. It’s easy to recommend purely for that centerpiece, which is good, because its 4v1 multiplayer mode, Resistance, doesn’t stand out nearly as much because of unbalanced survivor team composition and uninspired environments. That said, playing as an iconic Resident Evil Mastermind gave me a delightful rush of power every time. Here’s my verdict for the single-player campaign:

Resident Evil 3 Single-Player Review

Like Resident Evil 2 before it, Resident Evil 3’s 2020 remake does an amazing job of recapturing the horror and tension of the late ‘90s original while completely modernizing its gameplay. It plays like a 2020 game because it is a 2020 game. The classic world is brought to life in glorious detail, and smart level design makes exploring it a delight and replaying it almost compulsory. If only all remakes could be this good; bring on the next one.

And here’s what I said about Resistance:

Resident Evil: Resistance Review

Resident Evil: Resistance’s 4v1 multiplayer mode has its moments but could benefit from some character balancing and combat feedback that feels as good as it does in single-player. Playing as the villainous Mastermind is consistently far more of a blast than trying to stay alive as the unbalanced Survivors, particularly because you can play as iconic baddies from across the series but also because messing with your victims feels so devious.

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Verdict

Overall, Resident Evil 3 is a wonderful continuation of Capcom’s latest remake efforts. Although its just-okay multiplayer mode falls short of the bar set by its magnificent single-player campaign, the latter does such a good job at balancing 2020 gameplay and a classic Resident Evil tone that I recommend it without reservations. Hopefully, we’ll see more classic games in Capcom’s library remade with such finesse and loving care – along with some new games, too.