Resident Evil 3: Nemesis

It's been a long time coming to finally beat this game, this is the one that laid the biggest impression on me growing up and it absolutely surprises me that it took me so long to see the ending. Jill is back to kick some zombie ass and this time she isn't locked to just one location. RE3 takes place in several locations throughout Raccoon City in a seamless fashion and it certainly feels like the biggest Resident Evil thus far.

A lot of people say this game is Resident Evil 2.5 and that it didn't give us much to consider it a full on sequel. I completely disagree with this considering how HUGE this game really is. It's certainly longer than the previous two and it gives us enough new content, such as the gameplay mechanic of crafting your own ammo. I'm really happy Capcom was able to give us one last full RE game on the PlayStation as we all know that is the console where the series peaked and will never quite capture the same magic.

Something I absolutely LOVED about RE3 is that it has massive replayability. Your playthroughs will never been the same considering that the puzzles differ and even the enemies vary. Even if you reload a save, you might have to reconsider the way you approach certain areas. Nemesis encounters very much made this game fresh. I felt safe in not a single area and was constantly paranoid that at any moment Nemesis would reign down from seemingly nowhere to chase me down.

In this game, they introduced a dodging mechanic and it's actually quite useful especially when dealing with Nemesis. Many times has it saved my ass while shitting myself fighting a Hunter or any other disgusting creature in this game. Another new mechanic I liked was the real time decision making, the screen turns B&W and gives you two choices to decide your outcome. It gave me a sense of freedom and I felt like they got clever with it in some instances. The story I thought was gripping enough but you should always expect some kind of B movie plot when it comes to RE. The characters were alright but you were constantly guessing what their fate might be.

Resident Evil is certainly my favorite survival horror series, let alone video game series. It may have taken a turn for the worst in recent times but it only takes a little bit of game time to see what made the classic 3 so special. I really couldn't pick a favorite out of the first 3, but I've heard from some that this is the most fun to play. It had my blood pumping from start to finish and it was exciting to cover so much ground considering 1 was a mansion and 2 was a police station, this time we have a whole city to explore.