Played, finished, gutted, replayed one more, two or three times and then erased from memory (physical as well as mental). Resident Evil 3 was a really small case of open discussion by fans, as with the specialized press. It is therefore no mystery that a good half of gamers said they were dissatisfied with the treatment they gave Capcom, or better M-Two, subsidiary study of the colossus that worked on the front line, dedicated to the project of the remake of Resident Evil 3. If we try to look back, last year started with the elusive "bang" that bore the name of Resident Evil 2 Remake, with a welcome that went far beyond the usual excellent game.
So how was it possible that in just over a year we found ourselves with a title from the reborn Capcom to be more discussed than praised? Let's try to pull a direct report between all the information we received before and after the launch of the respective two titles.
All crazy about Leon and Claire
Do you remember the months, indeed, the years that preceded the first real reveal to the world of Resident Evil 2 Remake? I perfectly, because, in layman's terms, there was practically nothing with which to fantasize, speculate or feast your eyes on.
Capcom itself enjoyed teasing the attention of its fans, some quotation and iconic object shown on social networks and for almost three years since 2016, the year of its announcement, there was practically nothing. Everyone would therefore have expected a silence that would have favored the creative sphere and in fact then at the moment of the reveal and the announcement of the release within a few months, the enthusiasm was skyrocketing: the remake work had been titanic, almost like a completely new game, designed to enhance the glory of the past and praise that of today.
The absolutely crazy thing was that one of the best games of 2019, especially for the survival horror genre, was a remake.
A Capcom in full splendor therefore he had shown that the remake operations, if well thought out and built from scratch trying to draw from the good tastes and memories of the original, can be a good, outside the common opinion that sees the remakes as mere commercial operations lazy and without inventiveness. Resident Evil 2 Remake has proven to be an important cornerstone for all existing and future remakes. Resident Evil 3 included.
Needless to say, the reception was unanimous, with excellent sales everywhere and stellar reviews. Yet another shot scored by Capcom after years of terrible mediocrity.
Jill's dodge and Carlos's hair
As easily predictable, the internet is the people's bar, and in the forums and other digital aggregates the enthusiasm had infected everyone, even the most skeptical. From those who wanted a remake of the first Resident Evil to those who evoked a remake of the fourth chapter, but many traveled in parallel with the timeline of the saga, talking about a Resident Evil 3 Remake. On the other hand, some assets were already ready, in particular those of the Nemesis: it was enough to take Mr. X and work directly on that model.
The dish was therefore particularly succulent and possibly also easily achievable. After numerous rumors came the leak then confirmed by Capcom: Resident Evil 3 Remake is reality and it too saw a few months pass from its announcement to its launch, a sign that the work on the title had most likely started together with those of Resident Evil 2 - or in any case shortly after - and Capcom would have left more space for one of its associated studios , M-Two, while still overseeing the entire production.
This time too the news was met with great fanfare. When the embargo expired, however, the first problems arose: excellent game, very thick remake, but essentially short, practically no news, even drastic cuts of scenarios and puzzles. At the launch, therefore, the opinion was irreparably split. On the one hand, many have defended the product, praising the experience, albeit short, claiming the same small number of hours even in the original counterpart, while others have found the full price expense for a poor afternoon of play unacceptable.
In the package proposed by Capcom there is also Resident Evil Resistance, a particular asymmetrical multiplayer that can partly justify the commercial operation, but putting us in the shoes of players who do not work for online gaming, this becomes a practically useless product.
In just over a year, the ghost of a Capcom in disarray has reappeared. Why has the reception created such a big gap between the two products? From all this information we can come up with some hypotheses, including those of the most popular is certainly to be found in the surprise effect. As already mentioned, Capcom made us sweat not to show us anything of Resident Evil 2 Remake for almost three years, a time of silence and only conferences of the producers. Its reveal therefore was how open the window to a new world. Resident Evil 3 Remake unfortunately pays this price, which is to be a new game, but already shown by its predecessor, to be extremely limited and reduced to the bone. The expectations of the users certainly influenced the judgment, but the small and small campaign - easily replayable certainly - certainly had its weight in a questionable operation. Then there are the unwarranted cuts. Resident Evil 2 Remake added something, little stuff, but there was therefore the possibility to explore something really new.
Resident Evil 3 instead reversed this aspect, even cutting, not the best choice.
Another fundamental aspect is the price, as already mentioned. A title like Resident Evil 2 Remake was certainly not much longer than the original, but the right replayability through the two runs with Leon and Claire and the related b-sides, could entertain for a good twenty hours. Resident Evil 3 Remake instead with its 4/5 hours is like a DLC, which is why it would have benefited from an adequate budget price for the operation (therefore about 30 €). To justify the full price has arrived Resident Evil Resistance to which we have already asked the question: great for those who play online, but less for those who do not venture into such products.
Was Resident Evil 3 Remake a misstep? In part not. It is true that the work was mainly by M-Two, but Capcom has nevertheless given its blessing to the project, which is why there is still a renewed trust from the Japanese publisher and we hope that from the different welcome for the two titles, Capcom ne got the best feedback for not returning to quite cryptic situations like these.
Even now he speaks of an almost certain Resident Evil 4 Remake always by M-Two: therefore, a partly negative reception like that of Resident Evil 3 Remake can put a project that is already difficult to start in a bad light.
Once again, we are confident in Capcom's wisdom for the future.
