With the success of the remake of Resident Evil 2, all eyes have recently been on the potential remake of the next game in the series, Resident Evil 3. Done correctly, we know that these old games can be both critical and commercial successes. So, what do we know about the potential for a remake?
Resident Evil 3’s Release and Importance to the Series
Resident Evil 3 first released in 1999 for the Sony PlayStation and is an important chapter in the story of the franchise, seeing a return to Jill Valentine, one of the two playable protagonists from the first game, Resident Evil, now without the over-sized shoulder pads.
The game takes place roughly during the same time as Resident Evil 2, with part of the game occurring before, and others occurring after certain key events in the game, like meeting STARS helicopter pilot, Brad Vickers, for a short while.
The First Piece of News on the Alleged Resident Evil 3 Remake
Rumors began to circulate of a potential remake for the third game soon after it became clear the Resident Evil 2 was a runaway success. From a purely financial standpoint, there is no reason not to create a sequel when considering the revenue gained with the most recent remake.
The first credible rumors have brought about some interesting information. To begin with, AestheticGamer, a constant source of generally reliable information about all things Resident Evil, stated that we could see the game as early as 2020, but there was also some bad news, depending on one’s perspective, stating the following in a series of tweets.
What does this mean for the quality of a potential remake? If true, it could mean everything, or it could mean nothing at the same time, depending on who the project has been outsourced too. One of the benefits of remaking classic, well-made games like the original Resident Evil 1-3, is that one has outstanding source material to work with. Yes, it could easily be mishandled in the wrong hands, but one must assume that Capcom sees the potential for profit in well-made products after taking so much care with the Resident Evil 2 remake.
How an RE3 Remake Would Look
One challenge of remaking the third game in the series lies in the broader scope of environments that Jill explores. In RE2, we have our main police station, the sewers, and the Umbrella plant as the main areas, which were done beautifully. RE3 on the other hand always felt larger in scale since Jill spends the first half of the game running through the zombie-infested streets of the city, visiting the Police Station, train station, a series of offices, restaurants, a hospital, gardens, underground areas, and another large plant towards the end.
This is to say that while the RE2 remake had fewer locations to remake, they were mainly inside and made with a hint of antiquity, at least in the police station. RE3 remake would need to take on a 28 Days Later vibe with a city shattered from within and overrun with the undead.
With that said, seeing the faster-moving Tyrant from RE3 stalk our hero, often with a rocket launcher, would be a sight to behold.
Game Length Issues
A point that few seem to be discussing online is the length of the original game and the possible remake. When the Resident Evil 2 remake released, a common criticism was that the game felt too short. In fact, it is as long, or even a bit longer than the original when once considers the adaptations made to the story and how one navigates the main areas.
Resident Evil 3 is even shorter by comparison, with only the single character’s play through as opposed to having Claire and Leon. In this regard, Resident Evil 3 has a shorter, more streamlined story that is only told from Jill’s perspective, and lacks the Scenario A and B of the second game. This should be considered as a reason that a remake may not be happening at all, as it might frustrate some players and hurt sales.
Lots of Question Marks
One final point that casts doubt on the release of a Resident evil 3 remake, at least in 2020, is that the date is quite close, and we have not yet seen any formal announcement. Considering the success of the last remake, one would expect Capcom to be more than eager to announce the title and then take in what would likely be a great deal of pre-order money.
This then may point to no remake being made at all, or to the launch date actually being farther away than we have been led to believe. Since both Sony and Microsoft are likely to be competing for consumer dollars in the holiday of 2020 with their next-generation consoles, a Resident Evil 3 remake as a launch title for Sony would be a massive competitive advantage and may be a reason we have not heard anything as of yet about the project.
For now, it is all speculation, but it is a fantastic idea to consider!