Capcom found a great deal of success with the Resident Evil 2 remake, which sold millions of copies and stands as the highest-rated video game of 2019. With Resident Evil 3 sharing many assets and narrative links with Resident Evil 2, it only made sense for Capcom to pursue a remake of it next. The Resident Evil 3 remake isn't quite as compelling as Resident Evil 2, but it's still a strong entry in the series and is plenty entertaining while it lasts.

One of Resident Evil 3's biggest issues is its short length, though in some ways, it's also a strength. Even while thoroughly exploring most environments, we were able to complete Resident Evil 3 in about four and a half hours, and that's likely to upset some people who spend $60 on the game. However, it being so short means that all the fat is cut off and there are no wasted moments. Resident Evil 3 has significantly more forward momentum than perhaps any other game in the series, with one major plot development after the other, unique gameplay sequences, and challenging new enemy encounters constantly thrown at the player from start to finish.

The original Resident Evil 3 is quite short too, and in fact, the vast majority of Resident Evil games are on the shorter side. However, it is disappointing that the Resident Evil 3 remake is missing some of the features that gave the original game more replay value. For example, the Mercenaries mode is missing in Resident Evil 3, as are the branching story paths, which were referred to as "Live Selections" in the original.

The removal of Resident Evil 3's Live Selections does have a bright side, though, and that is a more cohesive and better-told story overall. Capcom has been using the Resident Evil remakes to expand and clean up the franchise's story, with Resident Evil 3 getting some of the most plot changes so far. This means that even veterans of the original game will have some surprises to look forward to in the story, an element that was missing from the Resident Evil 2 remake.

Despite some story changes and expanded roles for characters like Brad Vickers, the general plot outline in Resident Evil 3 is still the same, with Jill Valentine attempting to escape Raccoon City while being relentlessly pursued by the Nemesis monster. The Resident Evil 3 remake takes an even grimmer, more serious tone than other games in the series, with minimal banter or cheesy lines, and the plot is engaging throughout. Jill Valentine and the rest of the cast are all great, brought to life with cutting-edge graphics and impressive voice acting work.

The Nemesis monster itself is meant to be the star of the show, but in practice, he actually feels like a step back from Resident Evil 2's Mr. X. Jill's encounters with the Nemesis happen at very specific, scripted moments, and his aggressive, bombastic pursuit of Jill makes him less scary than Mr. X. Nemesis still gets some great jump scare moments, but him running full speed at Jill and shooting rockets at her is just not as scary as Mr. X slowly stalking Leon and Claire like a slasher movie villain.

Resident Evil 3, in general, is not as scary as Resident Evil 2, let alone the original Resident Evil 3. Whereas the original used creepy music to great effect, the new Resident Evil 3 likes to use action music and explosions instead. The game lacks the unnerving atmosphere from the original, with once-disturbing moments like the Dario Rosso encounter now just loud and annoying. And Dario isn't the only thing that's loud in Resident Evil 3. Players will lose track of the number of explosions that happen during the game, and there are even Uncharted-like set-pieces thrown in for good measure. This over-the-top action makes it far more difficult to actually be scared by the Resident Evil 3 remake, which purists may find disappointing.

While its scare factor has been dialed down quite a bit, Resident Evil 3 is otherwise an excellent survival-horror gameplay experience, with a focus on inventory management, puzzle-solving, and of course, surviving hordes of undead creatures. Enemies in Resident Evil 3 are even more aggressive than before, though Jill Valentine has some special maneuvers she can use to dodge enemy attacks when timed properly. The boss fights are particularly fun and will most certainly test players' skills when played on higher difficulty settings.

Higher difficulties, Charlie Doll collectibles, and the Shop are the main ways that Resident Evil 3 injects some replay value into the experience, with players able to purchase special weapons and perks to make subsequent playthroughs a little easier. However, it's quite likely that many will have their fill of Resident Evil 3 after the initial playthrough, and may not feel terribly compelled to go back through to unlock the extra content.

One way Capcom attempts to address Resident Evil 3's short length and relatively low replay value is through the Resident Evil: Resistance multiplayer game, which comes free with RE3. Resident Evil: Resistance is really its own distinct game as opposed to a mode for RE3, with its own list of achievements and completely different style of gameplay. It's yet another asymmetric multiplayer horror game, with one player taking on the role of the Mastermind and four others playing survivors.

Conceptually, Resident Evil: Resistance is a good idea on paper, but the game seems to heavily favor the Mastermind player over the survivors. As a result, playing as the Resident Evil: Resistance Mastermind and screwing over the survivors can be fun, but playing as a survivor and constantly having to deal with the crap the Mastermind is throwing into the mix is a much more frustrating experience. There's a balance that could have been struck here, but Capcom missed the mark.

Depending on its popularity, Capcom could fix Resident Evil: Resistance to make it a more appealing option for fans of these kinds of games, but in its current state, it's hard to recommend anyone pick up RE3 to play it. Things may be a different story a few updates from now, but that remains to be seen.

The Resident Evil 3 remake will appeal to hardcore fans of the franchise and those needing their survival-horror fix, but its especially short length and lack of replay value, even compared to the PS1 original, definitely makes it harder to recommend than Resident Evil 2. There are times when Resident Evil 3 is brilliant, but purists may dislike how much it leans into the action at the expense of its scares. The game looks phenomenal, controls like a dream, and it's nice to have the entire mainline Resident Evil saga available on modern platforms, but it's hard not to be somewhat disappointed after being blown away by Resident Evil 2.

Resident Evil 3 is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Game ZXC was provided an Xbox One code for this review.