In less than a month from now, Capcom’s highly-anticipated remake of its classic 1999 titleResident Evil 3will be released worldwide and will once again bring players back to the doomed Raccoon City. In the past few months since the remake’s announcement last December, Capcom has been generous in showing fansRE3gameplay previewsto showcase just how awesome the upcoming remake will be.
In the days leading up to the remake’s launch, players will also be able to experience a snippet of the upcoming game viaaResident Evil 3playable demo. Although 2020’sResident Evil 3will be the first full-fledged remake of the game, veteranResident Evilplayers would know that the events that transpired inResident Evil 3were previously reimagined to a smaller scale in previousResident Evilgames. Now, for those who are unfamiliar with the other versions of Jill Valentine’s escape from Raccoon City, here is every other time Capcom remadeResident Evil 3.
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Resident Evil The Umbrella Chronicles (2007)
Back in 2007, Capcom releasedResident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles,which is a first-person rail shooting video game for the Wii. The game served as a behind the scenes retelling of major events throughoutResident Evil’stimeline and is narrated byAlbert Wesker, who exposed Umbrella’s meddling of the Raccoon City incident.Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chroniclesis composed of five scenarios and covered the events inResident Evil 0,Resident Evil, Resident Evil 3, and one original story that told the downfall of the Umbrella Corporation.
In theResident Evil 3scenario of the game, players saw the return of Jill Valentine who finds herself trapped in Raccoon City after just survivingthe Spencer Mansiona few months prior. Although the scenario summarized most ofResident Evil 3’smajor plot points, it is deemed as non-canon given that it wasn’t a faithful retelling ofResident Evil 3. InUmbrella Chronicles, Jill’sRE3scenario began when she was cornered by a group of zombies where she was rescued by UBCS member, Carlos Oliveria.
Jill and Carlos then head to the train station where they encounter the Grave Digger, which is a giant mutant worm that Jill defeated in the graveyard in the original game. The duo then heads to the RPD where they encounter groups of Hunters beforefinally facing Nemesis. After several encounters with the Tyrant, Jill and Carlos reached the police station’s helipad where they had a final battle with Nemesis, before being picked up by the chopper to escape Raccoon City a few moments before it was destroyed.
Of course, given thatThe Umbrella Chroniclescovered three majorResident Evilgames, its depiction of events should only be considered as a summary rather than a reimagining. TheRE3scenario of the game did not depict most of the major plot points of the original game suchas Brad’s death, the other members of the UBCS, the Clock Tower battle where Jill was infected by the virus and the final showdown with a mutated Nemesis. Despite this,Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicleswas the first time that players were able to see the events ofResident Evil 3with better graphics, but unfortunately, its voice acting for Nemesis was considered inferior to the original.
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Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (2012)
Another game that offered another perspective ofResident Evil 3is the 2012 shooter game,Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. In this title, players are put in the role of one of the 12 characters that are divided into two groups. One group containing six members are from the Umbrella Security Service (not to be confused with the UBCS where Carlos is a member), and the remaining six are on the United States Special Ops team. Both teams are dispatched in Raccoon City where they encounter characters from the main series such as Jill Valentine, Carlos Oliveria, Claire Redfield, Sherry Birkin, and Leon Kennedy.
During the first mission of the Spec Ops team, players would encounterJill Valentinewho is running from Nemesis. Players would then help Jill temporarily stun the tyrant, and after reaching a safe zone, she explains that most of the citizens are dead and that the only option now is to leave the city. However, the Spec Ops team refused to team up with Jill, and she explained that if they want to know more about Umbrella, they should investigate the city hall.
After the brief encounter with the former STARS officer, the Spec Ops team ran into Jill again, this time with Carlos Oliveria, in the city’s clock tower. UnlikeThe Umbrella Chronicles,the events of the clock tower battle, including Jill’s infection, was depicted in this game. However, after Carlos and Jill escape to safety, the Spec Ops team never encountered them again. Another problem that this version ofResident Evil 3had is the abysmal voice overfor Nemesis, which is significantly worse than the one used inUmbrella Chronicles.
Just likeThe Umbrella Chronicles,the events ofOperation Raccoon Cityare deemed as non-canon. However, it did offer a different take on the Raccoon City incident and showed a glimpse of what could have occurred behind the scenes ofResident Evil 2and3. Additionally,Operation Raccoon Cityalso showed players whatResident Evil 2and3,its characters and enemies, could look like in a much more photorealistic design and environment.
Now, we are merely days away from the highly-anticipated launch ofResident Evil 3,which is the true, full-fledged modern remake of the 1999 game. Just like last year’s remake ofResident Evil 2, Capcom promised thatResident Evil 3will remain faithful to the original game, while introducing new scenarios, and a reshuffling of some events, to offer players fresh gameplay that will offer tons of surprises even to those who have played the original game.
Resident Evil 3is scheduled to release on August 10, 2025, for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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