In recent years Resident Evil has continued to redefine itself, first with the first-person Resident Evil 7, then with two ambitious remakes of the second and third games. Although it remains primarily single-player, Resident Evil continues to dabble with multiplayer experiences in Resident Evil 3.
Resistance is the latest multiplayer game in the series, but it's a far cry from past titles. The two previous multiplayer games, Operation Raccoon City and Umbrella Corps, have focused on cooperative team-based shooting. Resistance, on the other hand, is a survival-focused experience that pits four players against one.
Resident Evil 3 Resistance certainly has its share of problems, but it provides multiplayer that contextually fits with the series, and uses some of its best mechanics. More than anything, it finally gets playing Umbrella right.
Resistance Gets Right What Other Resident Evil Games Got Wrong
Operation Raccoon City and Umbrella Corps had a lot of problems, including terrible controls. However, one of the big things it got wrong was that their cast of characters simply felt too generic. Resident Evil has a tradition of playing as scrappy characters, who barely manage to survive. Resistance feeds into this idea with a team of average people that have to rely on teamwork. The real interesting part, however, comes with the opposing player that takes on the role of an Umbrella mastermind.
There's no fun in playing an Umbrella character that has the exact same skill set as the good guys, like in Operation Racoon City. Resistance gets this, and instead has the evil player controlling a diabolical experiment, something Umbrella is so well known for. The most memorable villains in Resident Evil are those with grandiose master plans and eccentricities, namely, Albert Wesker. Resistance encourages the Mastermind player to be creative and unpredictable to take the survivors down. The Mastermind feels empowering in the best way possible, and lets players pull the strings. As much fun as it is, though, Resistance still has a long way to go.
Resident Evil Resistance Creates a Foundation For the Future
Resident Evil Resistance is a strong concept that combines the series' history with modern asymmetrical games, but it's definitely flawed. The big problem is that playing as the Mastermind is almost too fun, and unbalanced. The Mastermind has so many options and matches, near the end, often devolve to the survivor team simply getting overwhelmed. There's currently a big balancing issue, as the Mastermind has ultimate control over the map, while Survivors can't even share ammo or items. Considering Resistance is the first incarnation of this style of game, it's understandable that there'd be issues. Still, Resistance works well as the foundation for the future, and it'd be worth it purely for Capcom figuring out how to make playing Umbrella fun.
Resident Evil 3 is currently available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.