Resident Evil 3 review: A tale of two game experiences

Surviving a Mess

Speaking of survivors, their roles house many issues in Resistance too. I had a choice of six different survivors. Each survivor has their own abilities and role. For example, Tyrone is a brawler and tank. He starts the match out with a melee weapon rather than a pistol, which would have been fine if there was some sort of lock-on button. The melee is spotty at best because the character will swing frantically, and it may or may not hit its intended target.

Other characters are capable of dealing more damage, hacking cameras and healing allies. I never found either character to be better than another as all four survivors have to work together to escape. If I wanted more ammunition, healing supplies, or equipment, I would have a chance to purchase them at a terminal between each area. Essentially,  I could gather almost anything I wanted as long as I had the money to do so. And most of the time, I did. This capability made dealing with enemies a breeze.

The process of the escape is the biggest issue. Survivors must locate puzzle pieces and keys within each area and deliver them to specific places. Once located, keys and puzzle pieces appear as icons on the player’s screen. They will appear through walls, friendly players, and enemies. Icons only add to the already busy heads-up display. The chaotic mess that is Resistance’s HUD made me stressed and confused about what was happening during each game.

Finally, survivors are capable of becoming infected. If their infection level becomes high enough, survivors will stop and cough, lose health and the countdown timer will lose time. The only way to remove or reduce the infection was through a blue herb. It can be purchased at a terminal between rounds or found throughout the map.

My infection level never got high enough to cause a problem. Instead, it was more of a nuisance during my games. Managing the infection level, my inventory, enemy threats and objectives served to be more of a miserable job than a fun game.

Resident Evil 3’s Silver Lining

The silver lining of Resident Evil 3 is its action-adventure gameplay and excellent story. After enjoying the time I had with the characters and gameplay in Resident Evil 3, I wanted more by the time the credits rolled. This remake is very short, and fans of the original will certainly notice the cut sequences. However, the updated graphics, action sequences, and level design make it a very enjoyable campaign.

If you jump to Resident Evil: Resistance, then you will be met with a stressful mess of bad NPCs, a cluttered HUD, and a slew of other issues. Stick to Resident Evil 3‘s campaign even though it is a short train ride.

A copy of this game was provided to App Trigger for the purpose of this review. All scores are ranked out of 10, with .5 increments. Click here to learn more about our Review Policy.