As one of Capcom's most successful series, the Resident Evil games have been known worldwide as the scariest games ever created. The release of Resident Evil 2 on PlayStation saw record breaking sales and made Resident Evil synonymous with both terror and fun all over the world.

With that kind of success, a third installment should come as no surprise. But with the PlayStation's technology showing its age, does Resident Evil 3 offer enough new features and leaps in PlayStation technology to keep gamers interested? Yes and no.  

It should first be said that if you have played Resident Evil  and Resident Evil 2 and didn't really enjoy either, then Resident Evil 3 will not be any more appealing. However, if you're a hardcore fan of the Resident Evil games, it is safe to say this is more of what you love the series for.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the story of the game, it's very simple. A large company has manufactured a disease that somehow became exposed to the public and now wreaks havoc on Raccoon City.  People have turned into zombies and ungodly mutations of what they once were. Even animals like dogs and birds have suffered and now as one of the lone survivors of this, Jill Valentine must escape the city before being killed by one of the numerous pitfalls that line her path out of town.

During development of Resident Evil 3, some gamers were turned off when Capcom let it be known that some areas of the game had already been played through in Resident Evil 2. Luckily, it is only one small section that lasts all of ten minutes. That aside, there are lots of new locations for gamers to explore and flee in terror from. In fact, almost all of Raccoon City is yours to explore. Markets, restaurants, alleys, and a clock tower are just a few of the areas you'll be navigating your characters through.

Like the previous games, graphics are realistic and very crisp. To add to that, characters now have "skins" that get rid of those nasty polygon edges that can flicker now and then. Everything from the main character in the game to the gun in her hand looks very detailed. Truthfully, that's not really a change from the other Resident Evil games.  Great graphics are a given in this series. 

Players who have experienced the other Resident Evil games can testify that the sounds and music are top-notch. Every small detail has been taken into consideration to make Resident Evil 3 an assault on your sense of sound. Small details as the sound of your footsteps changing to match the terrain and the sound of an empty bullet casing falling to the ground have been thought of and used. Add a very moody soundtrack to the mix and Resident Evil 3 has one of the best implementations of sound ever heard in a game. If that doesn't impress you, surely the shuffling of a zombie's feet around a corner accompanied by a painful moan will have you looking over your shoulder in fear.

With improved graphics and sounds, and the classic gameplay that made the other Resident Evil games so great, one would think that automatically makes Resident Evil 3 an instant purchase right? Hold on a minute. While the graphics and sound are exceptional, there's really nothing here that players haven't already seen or heard. Truthfully, there is little in Resident Evil 3 that hasn't already been done before.

Of the few new additions is a new "live selection" feature which makes players choose what to do in certain "key moments" that would normally be regular cinemas. For example, if Jill encounters Nemesis (the main villain in the game), the player might be given the choice to make her fight him or hide to avoid conflict. This system works out nicely and is a welcome addition that keeps things fresh and interesting.

On the other hand, most of those live selections occur when running into Nemesis and, to be honest, he's not really that scary. The idea is that Nemesis is supposed to hunt Jill and follow her all over town. He is supposed to be able to open doors, but he really won't make his entrance into a room until the door is out of your sight. He does pop up suddenly and warrant a startle now and then but, other than those cheap scare tactics, he isn't much of a threat to players.  (Ammo is plentiful and he goes down rather easily.)  He can't necessarily be taken down with a pistol but there is so much ammo for the other weapons, players will probably just leave their pistols at a save point.