Resident Evil 3 is pleasing fans of the series for many reasons. Seeing Raccoon City rendered on modern hardware is a real treat, and Nemesis looks scarier than ever on the divinely gorgeous RE Engine. Perhaps the biggest gift of all from the game is putting players back into Jill Valentine's shoes for the first time since 2012's Resident Evil Revelations.
Even though the journey is familiar, the character underwent some subtle changes only veteran fans would notice. Despite all the adjustments to the character, she is still recognizable as the member of S.T.A.R.S. who fought her way through the Spencer Mansion all those years ago in the original Resident Evil.
10 Voice Actor
The series is not known for holding onto voice actors for very long, so it is little surprise to see Jill Valentine have a new voice for this remake.
While some iconic characters become associated with their respective voice actors, fans know not to grow too attached to a particular performer for Resident Evil characters. Nicole Tompkins voices the protagonist in this new game. In addition to voice over work, Tompkins also appeared in American Horror Story and the 2016 version of The Amittyville Horror.
9 Outfit
In the original Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Jill dons a black skirt with a blue tube top and a sweater wrapped around her waist. While her new look retains the same colors and general idea, the skirt is replaced with jeans and the tube top is now a blue tank top.
The redesign makes more sense given the new perspective and updated graphics making the world look so realistic. Jill looks like a real person, so it makes sense for her to have clothes more reasonable for such an action-packed situation.
8 Face
Jill's clothes are not the only aesthetic aspect of the character that changed. Her face was also changed. To make her look as real as possible, the designers used real models as a basis for the characters.
Jill is based off Russian model Sasha Zotova. It is not rare for games to use real life people as a springboard for creating characters, and it is a smart move when graphics so closely mimic real life.
7 Her Journey Through Raccoon City
Jill's waking nightmare through the devastated Raccoon City in the remake takes numerous liberties with the source material. It changes things up more drastically from the original than last year's Resident Evil 2 remake did.
Several key segments from the original Resident Evil 3 are missing or else changed beyond recognition. For example, Jill does not go to the Raccoon City Police Department in the remake.
6 Her Classic Outfit
Players who pre-ordered the game have the option to switch into Jill's classic outfit from the original Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. However, even this comes with a change.
Instead of a skirt, her leg wear is more of a skort. The change makes sense, considering the ability to move the camera, unlike the fixed positions from the original. Jill also does tons of running, and jumping, which just isn't comfortable in a skirt.
5 One Liners
Jill is livelier in this game than she ever was in the past, evidenced by her dialogue. She constantly has some retort to wisecracks delivered by Carlos or the menacing roars of Nemesis.
It would be mean to spoil the best ones here, but they all become memorable and solidify themselves as some of the best one liners in recent gaming memory. Her confidence and defiance of the dire situation makes the terrifying game a little more bearable.
4 How She Starts The Game
The original Resident Evil 3 starts Jill off outside her apartment with an NPC who recently lost his daughter. The remake starts off with her waking up at her apartment after a terrible dream.
Shortly afterwards Brad Vickers warns her to leave right as Nemesis breaks into her room. It is a drastically different and more bombastic introduction than the slow ramp up of the original.
3 Personality
Jill doesn't have much of a defining personality in the original games. The standards for video game writing were much lower back then, and fans didn't expect believable characters.
Resident Evil 3 not only features great performances, but Jill's distinct personality helps her stand out from other popular video game protagonists.
2 The Ending
Not only is Jill's journey through Raccoon City different than the original, but the ending is also drastically changed. For starters, there is only one definitive ending, as opposed to the numerous ways the first Resident Evil 3 could end.
Additionally, it leaves Nicholai with an ambiguous fate and eschews Barry Burton altogether, and unfortunate detail for fans of the S.T.A.R.S. member.
1 Her Grief
The introduction to the remake has Jill walk up to her sink and to see herself start transforming into a zombie. Fortunately, this is only a dream, but it reveals important details about the character.
Despite her bravery and stellar combat skills, the events of the first Resident Evil took a toll on her, as they would anyone. Just because she is able to hold her own against hordes of undead doesn't mean the events did not affect her mentally. The original games don't bring this up.