Is Resident Evil 3 skippable?

So with the release of RE7, I've decided to finally buckle down and play through the whole series. Up until now I've only ever played 4 (one of my all time favorite games) and 5 (which was fine). I've played through Resident Evil 0 HD, RE 1, and RE2 so far this month. I found Zero to be a total chore all the way through, and thought that one was borderline masterpiece, just a bit too vague at times. 2 felt great, even though it was my introduction to the "tank controls" which I found contributed to the tension. The multiple playthroughs and the completely different environments from the previous game gave it a great feel.

Now I boot up RE3 and once again I find myself in the fiery streets of Raccoon City, and know that I'm heading to the same exact police station from Resident Evil 2, and I'm just exhausted. When people reminisce about this series, 3 is rarely lauded nearly as much as the first two, and I've seen a fair amount of complaint surrounding the title. Knowing that RE4 is next, would skipping 3 be a forgivable sin? I expect 6 to be a challenge to endure as well, but typewriter ribbon try-every-door centric gameplay may have worn out its welcome at this point.

From what I remember 3 doesn't really reuse that much content from 2.

It also does some stuff pretty cool stuff like Nemesis and branching paths, but it did also suffer from some pretty bad balancing if I remember (the game is either super hard or pretty easy depending on the difficulty chosen).

I think the reason it's not as much talked about is because it wasn't and revolutionary or quite as great as 2 or 4 and not because it's a bad game.

If you enjoyed 2 and especially the second play through of 2 where mr X or whatever it's name is, is after you, I'm sure you will enjoy 3. I remember it being shorter than 2 as well so it's not that big of a commitment.

But maybe I should point out I haven't played the game in over 10 years, so I might be remembering it with my rose tinted glasses on.

Maybe have a short break before playing 3? Skipping it completely when it's one of the few mainline games you haven't played yet seems to defeat the point of doing a series playthrough.

Though If you really want to skip it for now then skip it, no point forcing yourself to play something you're not enjoying just to tick a box.

If you want to skip the best RE game then sure it's skippable.

I'd skip 4 and 5 before I skip 3

I played through them all upon the original release dates and really enjoyed part 3. The branching paths, the ammo crafting, the story. A really solid game. Kids might not understand it though.

Alright, as long as people are vouching for it, I'll take a week off and give 3 the old college try.

3 is great. Nemesis changes the feeling that 2 had by having this always over your shoulder kind of threat looming and hitting you whenever it feels like. Totally changes the formula.

3 is great - I've actually been playing it on the Vita recently. Nemesis is a great pain-in-the-ass if you aren't ready for him to show up, but isn't that the point? I really liked 3, so definitely give yourself a break after 2 and pick up 3 sometime soon. I understand how it seems very "samey" after 2, but it's a great game!

The thing I remember best about 3 is my friend being pissed that we beat it like the day after he bought it. We did play it non-stop, but it was still a rude awakening.

From what i saw of the quick look, 7 takes a lot of ques from 3 in terms of the nemesis stuff.

I never played 1 and never felt like i missed anything so if its story reasons not sure if anything isn't skipable. I never beat 4 and beat 5 co-op didn't feel i missed anything either.

Nemesis wasn't the eye-opener that Resident Evil 2 had been, but if you're playing through the whole series it is still worth your time. The game plays a bit faster than either of the previous entries. I recall it being the first of the games to really lean into a more overt action focus. You might end up enjoying the change of pace.

Plus, as others have said in this thread, the "Nemesis" character defined an important paradigm for the horror genre, one that exists to this day. The threat of a roving, omnipresent enemy did a lot to ratchet up the anxiety in a game that otherwise made you feel powerful and competent. Alien Isolation and Resident Evil 7 are both recent releases that have borrowed the Nemesis DNA for their own ends.

It's definitely not a step forward and more of a continuation of what 2 was doing but I really enjoyed it. Depends on your enjoyment of how 2 controls and the idea of being hounded by Nemesis. Still my favourite Resident Evil enemy.

3 is pretty short and fast paced, it's also the wrap up of all the raccoon city story threads, and in part it runs parallel to RE2.

My suggestion is if you are main lining through the series, it to play Code veronica before resi 4, as it's the conclusion to the Umbrella story. Code veronica may not be a numbered part of the series, but is a very good, classic resi game.

@gtb08: I'm kind of doing the same thing, playing through the games from the start, I'm nearly finished up with the REmake, but have no idea where I could pick up 2, as I only really have a PC and PS4. How did you go about playing through RE2?

@gtb08 This is a good suggestion, by the way. Code Veronica has significant implications on the series post-RE3.

Just be sure to conserve as much ammo as possible, though. ;-)

There *is* a PC version of RE2, but the hoops you'd have to jump through to not only get it, but get it working, might not be worth it.

Your best bet, save for emulation, would honestly be to just get a PS1 and a copy of the game. Or even a PS2... might actually be even cheaper that way nowadays.

RE3 is the best Resident Evil.

RE3 is actually a spin-off and Code Veronica which is thought of as a spin-off is actually the third main RE game. The only reason these things got reversed in marketing was due to some contract Capcom had with Sony. In this light, the game called "Resident Evil 3" can be skipped but I still like it.

RE3 is cool. Don't worry, the police station is a really short segment of the game. It's almost entirely new environments. Also, it isn't very long or anything. Code Veronica...now that's a long game. Also, seriously, play Code Veronica (specifically the X version, which is what the HD re-releases are). It's actually a main game, even though it isn't numbered.

@agentape: i bought it on my ps3, but ps1 emulation is very simple and available if you don't have a ps3. I had a great time with RE2 and seriously recommend it

Yes, it is. In all honesty it is a side story is anything. Code Veronica was more a true continuation of the series than anything else.

I like 3 the most, me and a friend have been marathoning through them recently, and 3 is by far the shortest, on first run it can be done in 4-6 hours easy

thats frustrating, i really don't feel like having to emulate a game in the series, owning every other one, but code veronica seems like a popular choice...

R.e 3 is awesome the gamecube version is the definitive version of that game.

If you have an Xbox 360 sitting around, the Code Veronica remaster is available on the Xbox Live service.

Personally, I would consider Code veronica to be essential to play, from a lore perspective. It is however a very long game, and very much in the vain of RE1 and 2, I would also say its the hardest RE game, conserve that ammo.

so if RE fatigue is setting in maybe give it a lil time, after you play 3. That being said it is a very good one of those games, and although there is a mansion, the rest of the locales are a refreshing change, from Raccoon city.

As others have said CVX is the version to get, i personally, first played the plain version on the dreamcast back in the day, and that version is good too.

Also the intro movie kicks so much ass;

While Resident Evil 3: Nemesis at one point was planned to be a side game, Code Veronica was NEVER planned to be Resident Evil 3. The Original Resident Evil 3 took place on a ship where you played as HUNK, but that was scrapped and parts of that game have since been used in Gaiden, Revelations, and Dead Aim.

Personally one of my favourites in the series and is still cannon regardless of CODE V actually being RE3 - it's non-skippable if you ask me. Just play it on Easy so you can enjoy the game and story.

No way, it's one of the best for sure.

It`s also on the PS3.

We all know that those games haven't aged well and are, for most people, no longer fun to play. Resident Evil 3's story takes place simultaneously with Resident Evil 2's. All you need to know from the story is that Umbrella Corp. sends in mercs to blow up Raccoon City but Jill escapes. Weirdly, much more story-relevant stuff happens in Code: Veronica. Not that it's worth playing either.

This. I feel 3 doesn't get as much love as it deserves, it and Code Veronica (which you should play as it's really a mainline game just without a number) are by far the best 2

3 isn't as slow and spooky as the first two and it's not as fast and tense as 4. It's like a middle child that doesn't have as strong an identity as its surrounding siblings.

Wouldn't say skippable though, especially story wise. It's pretty important in that regard. Play it, dude.

I'd skip Code Veronica long before I'd skip RE3, though I guess you should probably play CV too. It has a couple of neat ideas that aren't in any other game in the series, like Jill's dodge move, the real-time "choose your own adventure" type stuff, and mixing gunpowder to make ammo. That last bit actually makes the game kinda easy, but it won't seem that way when a giant monster man wearing a trenchcoat is chasing you down city streets.

Don't skip Code Veronica either.

Also you need to read the books by S.D Perry.

@barrock said:

Let's not get crazy now.

Didn't even knew there was RE books but ofcourse there is RE books.

RE3 is probably my favorite old style RE (though I don't actually remember it all the way through), but I also acknowledge that it feels like the one that isn't as important; it was one of those 'been there, done that' kind of games if I remember correctly, mainly due to visuals and controls I believe. Nemesis is arguably the most well-known 'villain' of all RE games I believe. Also, Code Veronica is next even though it's not a numbered one. I like RE3's mercenary mode. I'd say definitely play it if you're wanting to experience everything that matters in the RE universe.

Wow, much love for RE3 and CVX, i had no idea! Excited to get down to business.

I've never played it but skipping a Jill RE should be illegal.

RE 3 is my least favourite of them all, but I think it's not skippable. The story in that game it's important for the lore of the series and the gameplay helps you kind of understand how the series evolved in something like RE 4 or 5...they wanted to add more action to the game since then. Some of my friends consider it the best one of them all but I stick to RE 1 all the way.

And of course Code Veronica it's a must play.

RE3's story is all right and there's definitely some cool ideas in it (the very presence of Nemesis gave the game such a unique feeling of tension), but boy, playing through it a couple months back for the first time, it definitely has some pretty nasty issues. Making ammo come from gunpower is kind of an interesting idea since it, in theory, lets you make more ammo for the weapons you prefer. However, ammo is randomly determined when you start the game. If you're as unlucky as I am, you may never get a single type C ammo, the one needed for the magnum bullets and grenade rounds.

My major gripe with the game though are the nearly unbearable boss battles. Sure, they're more action-y than in the previous game, but it's very obvious that these boss fights just simply don't work with the classic RE control scheme. I never really had any huge issues with boss fights in the first two, but there are quite a few in this game that are just painful. They dish out tons of damage and move way faster than you can handle with tank controls (not even the 180-turn makes that much of a difference). Yeah, there's a dodging mechanic, which can help. But at the same time, dodging in RE3 feels incredibly clumsy and sometimes beyond your control. Granted, I guess maybe I don't understand the specifics behind it, but I got the thing to work by mashing buttons and hoping for the best. It's way too unreliable to make you feel comfortable when the game throws incredibly long and aggressive boss fights straight at you, like the absolutely miserable clock tower fight. If anything, it feels like an sloppy solution thought up after designing all the bosses. To be fair, this really only becomes an issue if you pick hard difficulty, but easy seems like such a joke that it's probably not worth it unless you're in purely for the story.

This isn't to say RE3 is a bad game. There were a lot of things I enjoyed, like the small branching events, and, again, Nemesis' inclusion as a wandering threat (his boss battles?...not so much). It's just punctuated by far too many frustrating moments. RE3 wants to be a more action-focused game like the series would later become, but was forced to adhere to design made for a differently paced game. If you really want to play all them and get the full story, it's probably worth it. But be warned, this game will test you.