If there’s one thing that scares the crap out of me, it’s Resident Evil 3’s implacable Nemesis. Even since his original appearance on the PlayStation in 1999, he’s always been my favourite video game monster. As the remake approaches, a new demo is here to show off how Nemesis will be scarier than ever.
Through no choice of my own—many of my coworkers at Kotaku don’t like playing scary games—I’ve become the resident expert on Resident Evil. I’ve always enjoyed the original games, but Capcom’s recent entries have been amazing. Resident Evil 7 was a grimy and experimental gorehouse romp, while the Resident Evil 2 remake provided a new spin on a fan favourite.
My favourite game in the series was always Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Having a monster that could show up at almost any moment felt revolutionary. Games like Alien: Isolation and even the Resident Evil 2 remake have built on that. Still, I love the original and eagerly await the Resident Evil 3 remake’s release at the start of April. (Well, ok. I’ll be playing it a bit earlier than release because of my job, but I still can’t wait.) Obviously, I needed to try the demo and so I sat down to stream it today.
It’s a bit of a strange time to stream a bloody and apocalyptic game, but Resident Evil 3’s demo was a damn delight. Protagonist Jill Valentine is confident and assured in the face of the zombie horde. This translates to a few changes in gameplay including a special dodge that allows her to perfectly evade zombies if timed right. There’s also the Nemesis. The demo doesn’t spend too much time with him, but it’s a terrifying preview of what’s to come. He’s fast as hell and can jump right over Jill to block her path. Resident Evil 2’s stalkerish Mr. X was scary at first too, but he was slow and easy to avoid after a while. Nemesis feels like a whole new ball game.
That’s part of the fun. Horror games allow us to face extreme circumstances or spooky places. If there’s a scary door, players usually can choose when to open it. Nemesis takes that away. It’ll show up whenever it damn well pleases. If you’re curious about what’s to come, I hope you sit down and enjoy the stream. After you’re done chilling in Animal Crossing, maybe you’ll consider a little horror to go alongside your digital vacationing. Or not. Times are strange after all.
Leave a Reply