PREVIEW
Raccoon City is still in trouble. Fans of Capcom’s genre-defining series, Resident Evil, are getting geared up to once again confront flesh-eating zombies and mutants of all kinds in a new adventure featuring Jill Valentine from the original RE. With new monsters and types of zombies and slightly improved graphics, RE3 is not going to disappoint.
Playing RE3 is like slipping on an old pair of sneakers. After the break between RE2 and the new release it is amazing how quickly it all comes back. The door-opening sequences are exactly the same, and stir up a quiver in the gut. Capcom has made few changes in the gameplay and style of RE3. There is a new “dodge” feature that allows you to avoid the hungry jaws of certain doom, and the graphics look smoother, but other than that it’s so similar you’ll pick up on the game right away.
Unlike the other two RE games, RE3 takes place mostly outdoors, in alleys and streets wasted by the catastrophe that has struck Raccoon City. The story takes place in two sections, which should be familiar to RE players, the first 24 hours before RE2, and the second in the 24 hours after RE2. The game opens with Jill Valentine packing for Europe, and wouldn’t you know it things just don’t go right for her. Jill ends up being knocked out and severely injured. With the help of “a 21-year old hot blooded, tough guy from South America,” Carlos, Jill struggles to escape the terror of zombietown, er, Raccoon City.
Capcom is hyping a new feature of the game called “Live Selection,” which means that players make decisions that affect the story. This enhancement fits right into the series. With the first and, especially, second RE games, features similar to this aided in the replayability. We can only hope that RE3 will be even more rewarding in consecutive plays than the other two titles.
Avid RE fans can expect a fall filled with terror and gore. RE2 debuts on the N64, and Resident Evil: Code Veronica makes a premiere on the Dreamcast this fall. But the real gem is going to be the next installment of the series. With a live action feature film in production, directed by George Romero of zombie flick fame, it doesn’t look like the frenzy will die down anytime soon. Enjoy the sunshine of summer because this fall will be dark indeed.