Capcom released the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Remake as a free upgrade alongside 9th gen. versions of Resident Evil VII: Biohazard and Resident Evil 2.
While free upgrades are usually a mixed bag, Capcom clearly feels there is a lot of commercial legs left in the three and have seemingly made a decent effort to spruce them up for new hardware.
In our comparison of Resident Evil 2, we noted how the original RE Engine remake on 8th gen. consoles had wowed players on release. In spite of facing an uphill task, we found the 9th gen. rerelease did enough to make it worthwhile.
We’re expecting the same for Resident Evil 3.
As always, images were captured on both PS5 and PS4 at 4K then downscaled using the process. PlayStation 5 screenshots of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis are capture with ray tracing enabled at 60 frames per second are on the left (top on PC) throughout the piece. PlayStation 4 images are on the right (bottom on PC).
The best way to view this article is on mobile/tablet where you can slide between images…
Sharper, Crisper, More Nuanced
Like Resident Evil 2 Remake for PS5 and Xbox Series X, Resident Evil 3 aims for 4K across its three modes. With ray tracing enabled, like in our screenshots, there are dips from 60fps.
On PS4, the game scales aggressively from a maximum native resolution of 1600p. This small disparity in native resolution makes a visible difference with aliasing present on PS4.
Textures also see a little bump, both in terms of resolution and how they are filtered. Resident Evil for PS4 uses blur, occlusive smoke effects and other techniques to mask areas where its presentation was suboptimal.
The PS5 version tones down the masking techniques, adding even more sharpness to the game.
Filtering of textures is also improved on 9th gen. console versions of Resident Evil 3. Oblique angles or distance tend to preserve the extra sharpness on PS5 and, again, this feeds the general crisp image quality on the new hardware.
Light Show
RE3 uses ray tracing in the same way as RE2 insofar as it’s subtle. While there are plenty of ray traced reflections replacing the grainy and limited screen space reflections, the best use of RT is in the global illumination.
Scenes with more complex lighting benefit from a lightscape that more closely matches real-life. Where PS4 versions of RE2 and RE3 has a lot of bloom, the remasters tend to tone it down.
Source Material
Back in the day, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis was universally acclaimed though opinions on it have cooled since. This is probably mostly due to its siblings going on to achieve immortality through their place in video games history.
Resident Evil is remembered as popularising the survival horror genre and the use of polys over pre-rendered background while Resi 2 is remembered as the perfect sequel to that flawed masterpiece.
Resident Evil 4 brought the series in a more action-oriented direction with the game also reaching new critical heights, being considered to this as one of the all-time greatest games.
But I feel some of its lower reputation comes from the game itself. It’s a little short and was lighter on content than Resident Evil 2. The street scenes that dominate the early game are forgettable, lacking any personality.
While longer periods of backtracking through large (admittedly unforgettable) areas are mostly absent, a heap of smaller backtracking sessions in less memorable areas replaced them.
Is Resident Evil 3 underrated and overlooked? Or is it rightly less heralded than its siblings? Does Resident Evil 3 Remake for PS5 make you feel like downloading it to see the improvements? Or would you be slightly more tempted to pony up up for the remake after the upgrade?
