The third chapter in the Resident Evil series and the forth to grace the Nintendo GameCube. But like Resident Evil 2, Nemesis did not receive any enhancements graphically or alterations to the games layout like we saw with the remake of the original game. This was done much to the disappointment of fans old and new who are still amazed by the graphical splendour that is on show in the remake and Zero.

Graphics:

Like I said in the intro above this game received no graphical update like we saw happen with original game. If you've seen Resident Evil 3 on the Sony Playstation, it looks the exact same on the Nintendo GameCube. This seemingly lack of effort can be seen in both a good and bad way however. You can say it's bad because of what we saw done with the remake, and I will admit it would have been great to see this game with those kind of graphics and see the streets of Raccoon City come to life through them. Not to mention how awesome Nemesis would have looked with a graphical overhaul, he was freaky enough as it is had he changed he'd probably give you nightmares for weeks. Unfortunately this all just talk and daydreams now, using the GameCubes full power could have turned RE: 3 into a wonderment of graphical beauty.

On the other hand, had Capcom taken the time to remake the fully from the ground up like they did with the first game (and like we thought and hoped was gonna happen) resources would have taken away from other Capcom games such as Veiwtiful Joe and of course Resident Evil 4. We're waiting long enough for them as it is.

Personally the graphics didn't bother me at all and while playing the game I never thought about it, I was too busy getting involved in the game to be worried about such trivial things. The graphics look great for the time they were first made in, dated today but still do the job in my view. And best of all it means it's all on one disc so you don't have to get up to change discs halfway through.

Sound:

Like the looks (and everything else) no changes were made to the sound. There's really nothing special with regards to sounds to be honest. I didn't find sound making much of an impact on me unless it was the sound of Nemesis' voice in which case my heart rate would jump slightly and I'd run to the nearest door. The acting is quite decent for most of the dialogue scenes but there are a few when you'll think it could have been much better.

Gameplay:

Like with all Resident Evil games the main thing is survival. There are two modes of difficulty to choose from, easy and hard and they are exactly that. Easy mode gives you way more ammo and health than you might need aswell as unlimited Ink Ribbons while hard mode will be a true test of skills and were RE veterans will feel right at home.

This chapter of the saga begins just over one month after the "mansion incident". You play as Jill Valentine who has since left STARS and is now trying to survive the hell that Raccoon City has become as the T-Virus has broke out and the entire city is turning into zombies or other mutant creatures. Jill is trying to escape the city so that she can rejoin her former STARS partner Chris Redfield who has gone to Europe to try and stop Umbrellas plans. However the corporation have different plans for her, they've let loose one of their latest creations know as Nemesis. Through infection with the Nemesis virus Umbrella has created a creature that is not only virtually indestructible but is also capable of some intelligent thought. This means it can be given orders and it will do everything it can to fulfil them. Coming up against Nemesis in the game is something you'll learn to dread, it takes so much firepower to take him down confronting him is almost suicide but if you run he does have the ability to follow you through doors which really puts the pressure on.

A number of new features were added to the gameplay the most impressive of which is the ability to "Dodge". This game features loads more enemies than previous RE games and loads more on screen at one time you'd run out of ammo very fast it you tried to take them all out with your guns. So if you're trying to conserve that precious ammo this new feature will be you're best friend. Dodging however is harder to do than it sounds as it requires almost perfect timing as the dodge button only works in that split second as an enemy makes its attacking move.

Another new addition to the gameplay is the "Live Action Selection". In certain situations (usually when Nemesis shows up) the action will slow down to a heart beat and you'll be presented with two choices on how Jill can deal with the situation she is faced with. You only have a limited time to decide and your decision will be very important. The game can change slightly depending on what you choose events may happen in a different order or happen differently altogether. Not only that but your choice might may things easier for a while or make things worse than before so be careful. Unfortunately you won't know what might happen until you play. Also something else to help you save ammo is the slight edition of interactive backgrounds. In some areas you may find objects such as oil barrels that will explode if you shoot them. This not only takes out any number of enemies in the blast radius but saves ammo too. Just be careful that you're not in the blast radius when you shoot.

Another first for the series is the ability to create your own ammunition. Through out the game you will find different kinds of gun powder which you can use to create ammo for different weaponry depending on the type of gun powder and weather or not you mixed different kinds. I personally didn't see much point in this feature; it would have been much easier to just place the ammo around the levels. The only good reason for this feature is it gives you some choice as to what kind of ammo to create. Will you make Handgun and Shotgun ammo or combine the two gun powders to make Grenade rounds for example. I however don't see how mixing gun powder for Handguns bullets and Shotgun shells makes a Grenade round?

The story is (as usual with RE in my opinion) very involving and like any other RE game you don't learn everything you can learn without collecting the many files scattered throughout the game which give you some deeper insight into the events that took place. Completing the game will also unlock a bonus game called "The Mercenaries – Operation Mad Jackal". A very fun bonus game at that. It's almost like what RE would be if it was an arcade game. You must choose to play as one of the three main mercenary characters in the game, each with their own unique inventory of weapons and items. This basically means your character determines the difficulty level. The object is simple get from the starting point to the finish line before the clock runs out. You start off with just 2 minutes which is not where near enough to reach your goal. But unlike an arcade racing game there is no check points to increase your time, but there are a number of ways to do it. The most simple is to kill whatever enemies get in your way, the bigger and badder the enemy the more seconds it is worth. The second way is to master the "Dodge" move as you will be rewarded time for successfully dodging undead attacks. And the third way is to find and save any civilian that has not been turned into a zombie. Completing the course earns you a reward based on your time and how you did, earn enough reward money and you can purchase special weaponry for Jill to use in the main game.

Playability:

Controls…possibly the most argued aspect of the RE games. The control system can be what makes or breaks a game, and the RE system is one that some call dated and awkward and others call perfect for the RE games. It really is a love it or hate it thing. There are three types of controls to choose from, Types A and B would be the more "traditional" RE types while Type C is a small breath of fresh air as it's the return of the Type C system used in the remake which made many gamers lives much easier.

Using the "R" button you can walk forward, depress the button to run forward, this means that the Control Stick/D-pad is only used for turning left or right or walking backwards. This feels a lot much more comfortable and easy to use and gives you a bit more control over Jill. The only thing that might cause you some difficulty now is remembering that the controls are first person not third, mean if you push the control stick left Jill will turn to HER left not yours as you see it on your TV. Many people will argue that a system that works in the third person would be far better but with the fixed camera system it would just become more awkward when the angle changes. In RE2 on the N64 there was such a control type, it was my first RE experience and the original controls did throw at first so I switched to the third person ones, but whenever the camera angle moved if you didn't adjust how you pushed the control stick in close to perfect time you could end up moving in a wrong direction and returning to the previous angle or worse into the arms of a zombie. But it is all down to the person and like I said, you'll either learn to love it or hate it very few people find a middle ground.

Controls:

A: Action
B: Cancel
X: Item Menu
Y: Map
L: Enemy Target
R: Walk (press hard to Run) Forward
Z: Object Target
C-Stick: 180 degree turn
D-Pad: Move Left/Right/Backwards
Control Stick: Move Left/Right/Backwards

Lifespan:

The main game I found pretty short to be honest as it took me just 4 hours and 12 mins to complete first time on hard mode (no I didn't time myself you are told your time when you finish) and all the previous RE games took me over 10 hours first time. However due to the "Live Selection" feature many (like myself) will be drawn back in to see how things change if they had made the other choices, and make the right ones and you do get different endings. Also by completing the game in hard mode you can unlock up to eight "Epilogues" which give a short description of what the main characters of the RE world are up to and where they are (all that is except Rebecca who seems to have fallen into a black hole I guess). So, any RE vet searching for more stories on the characters will want to unlock all eight of them which could take some time. Add to that "The Mercenaries" bonus game and you've got some serious playtime to use up.

Final Say:

Plain and simple, if you played/own this game on any other system that it's been on then don't bother handing over your cash for this one, there is nothing new or different in it. However if you are a big Resident Evil fan and have somehow missed out on this game then it will be worth your hard earned cash. And for those of you who have only become RE fans because of the GameCube remake and Zero, try not to let the dated graphics throw you off, remember it's not how good a game looks that makes it a good game but how much fun you have playing it. RE3: Nemesis is a chapter in the saga that must not be missed out on by any RE fan. And for those who still haven't played an RE game before but are thinking of starting I would suggest you start with the remake and work your way up, otherwise you might not have a clue whats going on.