Editorials
5 Takeaways from Capcom’s ‘Resident Evil 3’ Demo [Review]
Resident Evil 3 is just two weeks away, but to slake our coronavirus-enhanced bloodlust, Capcom has just released a short demo to play in the interim.
The Resident Evil 3: Raccoon City Demo is free now on PS4, Xbox and PC, and provides an enticing glimpse of 45-minutes of early game action. As the demo begins, Carlos and Jill have just met, and Carlos has brought Jill to a parked subway car to meet Mikhail Victor, a grizzled member of the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service. From there, players are let loose on the city, invited to explore as Jill, with a pistol in one hand and a flashlight in the other.
It’s a solid chunk of the game; small enough that you won’t feel like you’ve seen too much when you start the full game, but substantial enough that you’ll have a good idea of whether or not this reimagined version of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is for you. Here are five takeaways from our time with the demo.
If You Played the Resident Evil 2 Remake, You’ll Feel Right at Home
This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but playing Resident Evil 3 feels almost exactly the same as playing Resident Evil 2. Jill’s movement speed, the way the guns handle, the UI for interacting with the world and your inventory — all of it communicates that this game, as much as it is a reimagining of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, is also very much a continuation of the ideas Capcom developed in the Resident Evil 2 remake.
For example, zombies in Resident Evil 3 retain the hard-to-hit shaky shamble of their RE2 counterparts. Headshots, too, often remain ineffective. Instead, you’ll want to aim for your enemies’ legs to bring them to the ground, allowing you to dart around them. About two-thirds of the way through the demo, this kind of crowd control becomes significantly easier.
That’s when you pick up the shotgun and…
The Shotgun Rules
You can tell a lot about a game by how good the shotgun feels, and Resident Evil 3 is no exception. The Resident Evil series has typically prioritized strategic shooting over thoughtless blasting, and that’s still the case this time around. Shotgun ammo is scarce, so you’ll need to be picky with how you use it.
But, with a reticle the size of a cantaloupe (I’m barely exaggerating), using the ammo you do find to obliterate zombies is fast, easy and satisfying. A quick shot to the chest — and, seriously, the reticle is almost as big as their torso — will have most enemies down for the count.
The ‘90s Are In
From the campy movie posters (one, weirdly, is for Resident Evil 3: Nemesis) plastered on the subway walls to the giant Big Boy-like head smiling out at the city from atop a restaurant, Resident Evil 3 genuinely feels like a late ‘90s-set period piece at times. While few game levels will ever feel as perfectly realized as Resident Evil 2’s Raccoon Police Station, the chunk of urban corridors in this demo have personality to spare.
The Writing is Still Bad
At one point, Carlos tells Jill that clearing a path through the flames in a burning alley should be easy for a “tall drink of water like [her]self].” To which Jill replies, “Fuck you.”
Resident Evil 3 continues to widen the gap between the Naughty Dog-esque visual fidelity Capcom is capable with the RE Engine and the laughably bad dialogue that never seems to improve.
Nemesis is Scarier than Mr. X
Capcom is certainly onto something here. While the sections of Resident Evil 2 that had Mr. X loudly stomping around the police station were pulse-pounding, Nemesis evolves the dynamic in an interesting way. While Mr. X was plodding and inevitable, Nemesis is fast and unpredictable. If you see Nemesis at the end of a hallway, the only option is to stand your ground and attempt to dodge at the last second. Running won’t get you anywhere with this speedy mutant, who can close the gap, even from dozens of feet away, in the blink of an eye.
But, Nemesis’ movements are also difficult to predict. In my first attempt at escape, the monster cornered me and killed me. The second time, I lost him in a building and, though taking the same route, easily escaped. Resident Evil 2 felt tailor-made for speedrunners, and I’m curious what the most nimble-fingered among us will be able to manage given the dynamism of Nemesis.
Of course, we’ll find out in a few short weeks.
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
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