Nemesis is a fitting swansong to the PS1 era

Of all the franchises that got their start during the fifth console generation courtesy of Sony PlayStation, few have had the lasting impact of Resident Evil. Aside from being one of the first horror game franchises to have mainstream crossover success, Resident Evil helped name the genre it belonged to and coined the term “Survival Horror” even though it wasn't technically the first game to stick to its tenets. But while much attention is normally paid to the first entry and its timeless sequel, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis tend to get lost in the shuffle.

Originally released 25 years ago today, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis would herald 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 the production of RE3. It's a bombastic, action-packed thrill 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 future series

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

In addition to smoother movements and more options for dealing with multiple threats at once, 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 crafting. For the first time in the series, players had more than just regular ammo pickups to rely on and could collect three different types of gunpowder to store in the game's crates. In a snap, players could craft extra ammo and make Resident Evil 3: Nemesis feels like it's a perfect balance between the series' traditional difficulty and a more action-oriented tone.

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis' “Fight or Flight” moment is one of the series' best tricks

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

The Resident Evil 3 remake retains much of the original's more action-oriented approach to combat and scenario design, but its cutting of Live Selection moments in favor of set encounters with Nemesis is one of the things that makes it feel slightly less than the original. Because the game's events run concurrently with those in Resident Evil 2it is understandable Resident Evil 3: Nemesis may be seen by some as a non-essential part of RE cannon. But to miss out on the original's excellent scripted events, fantastic gunplay, and impressive series innovations is to miss out on an excellent swansong to the era that birthed the series in the first place.