Originally released just a year after the launch of Resident Evil 2 on PlayStation, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is the third and final entry in the series on the console. The title would initially launch in Japan on September 22, 1999 as BioHazard: Last Escape before making its way to the West as Resident Evil 3: Nemesis on November 11, 1999. RE3‘s development would begin shortly before the release of Resident Evil 2, running concurrent with the development of Resident Evil – CODE: Veronica for the Sega Dreamcast. After initially launching as a PS1 title, RE3 would receive ports to several other consoles and PC. The first port would be for the aforementioned Dreamcast, with the title later arriving on the Nintendo GameCube in conjunction with the release of the Resident Evil remake and Resident Evil Zero.
While today most players consider Resident Evil 3: Nemesis a weaker side story in comparison to the legendary Resident Evil 2, the game received immense critical praise upon release. In addition to strong reviews, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis would also enjoy strong commercial success, selling over 3.5 million units of the PlayStation 1 version alone. Nemesis is noteworthy now for including significant sections of gameplay that were inevitably cut from the 2020 remake of the game, the aptly named Resident Evil 3.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Premise
At the same time that Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield find themselves trapped in Raccoon City, former S.T.A.R.S. member Jill Valentine decides to leave. The Spencer Mansion incident and resulting T-Virus outbreak have made Raccoon City ground zero for a major zombie epidemic, and Jill’s other former teammates have all moved on, some in pursuit of trying to further expose Umbrella’s criminal activities. Before Jill can leave the city, though, she’ll have to contend with both the zombie outbreak and another, more sinister threat. With all she and her former colleagues know about the Umbrella Corporation, the company decides to send out a specially engineered bio-organic weapon called the Nemesis to hunt down and eliminate all remaining members of S.T.A.R.S.
In terms of its gameplay, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is very similar to both the original Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2. Players will navigate outdoor and indoor environments, eliminating enemies and solving puzzles while juggling limited resources. However, as the final game in the series’ PS1-era trilogy, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis does add several new mechanics and elements that separate it from its two predecessors. Two of the most important are the new Quick-180 turn and ammo crafting system. For the first time in the series, players can combine two buttons to quickly turn the main character around. The ammo crafting is another introduction that would become a series staple, allowing players to collect different kinds of gunpowder and combine it to craft their own ammo in addition to what they find in the environment.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Main Characters
The events of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis run concurrent to those of Resident Evil 2, giving players insight into the downfall of Racoon City from a different perspective. In this final game in the original trilogy, players get to control former S.T.A.R.S. member (and survivor of the Spencer Mansion incident) Jill Valentine as she attempts to escape the city in the midst of a zombie outbreak, courtesy of Umbrella’s pharmaceutical experiments gone wrong. However, unknown to Jill, Umbrella has dispatched a secret Tyrant unit codenamed Nemesis with one goal: eliminating all remaining S.T.A.R.S. members. Main characters in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis include:
- Jill Valentine: One of two protagonists from the original Resident Evil, Jill Valentine returns in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis as its main character. The game chronicles her escape from Raccoon City along with one final fight against the Umbrella Corporation and its operatives.
- Carlos Oliveira: Carlos is a member of the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service (UBCS) dispatched to deal with the T-Virus outbreak in Racoon City. After his unit runs into Jill Valentine, he convinces her to work together to escape the city.
- Nikolai Zinoviev: Nikolai is the secondary antagonist in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and becomes a major figure in other games in the series. He acts as a member of Carlos’ UBCS unit despite secretly being an Umbrella spy sent to sabotage the rescue efforts in Raccoon City.
- Nemesis: The titular antagonist of Resident Evil 3, the Nemesis is a special Tyrant B.O.W. engineered to target and eliminate specific individuals. In this case, the remaining members of S.T.A.R.S. He is unrelenting in his pursuit of his objective and nearly indestructible.
Games in the Resident Evil Series
Capcom’s Resident Evil may not be the very first survival horror game, but it deserves credit for both coining the genre’s name and establishing its core elements. Since the release of that seminal PS1 game in 1996, the Resident Evil franchise has grown into a multimedia empire reaching beyond games and extending into the worlds of comics, action figures, and major motion pictures. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis would end up being the series’ last mainline entry on the console where it got its start, and is still looked upon by many as an important entry in the series’ continued evolution, even if it’s not as great of a leap as Resident Evil 2 was over the original. Games in the Resident Evil series include:
- Resident Evil (1996)
- Resident Evil 2 (1998)
- Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999)
- Resident Evil Survivor (2000)
- Resident Evil – Code: Veronica (2000)
- Resident Evil Survivor 2 – Code: Veronica (2001)
- Resident Evil Gaiden (2001)
- Resident Evil (Remake) (2002)
- Resident Evil Zero (2002)
- Resident Evil: Dead Aim (2003)
- Resident Evil Outbreak (2003)
- Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2 (2004) /em>
- Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007)
- Resident Evil 5 (2009)
- Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (2009)
- Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (2011)
- Resident Evil: Revelations (2012)
- Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (2012)
- Resident Evil 6 (2012)
- Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015)
- Umbrella Corps (2016)
- Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017)
- Resident Evil 2 (Remake) (2019)
- Resident Evil 3 (Remake) (2020)
- Resident Evil: Resistance (2020)
- Resident Evil Village (2021)
- Resident Evil Re:Verse (2022)
- Resident Evil 4 (Remake) (2023)
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Cheats & Secrets
Like both the original and Resident Evil 2, there are no official in-game cheats for Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. However, there are plenty of secrets and unlockables to uncover, as well as several Game Shark cheats that significantly alter gameplay.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Secrets & Unlockables
Unlockables
Beat Resident Evil 3: Nemesis while meeting certain conditions to unlock several hidden bonuses. These include new modes, secret endings, alternate costumes, and more.
Unlockable | How to Unlock |
---|---|
Boutique Key | Complete the game once on any difficulty. Harder difficulties and higher ranks unlock more costumes |
Ending 1 (Jill and Carlos) | During the encounter with Nemesis on the bridge outside the Disused Plant, select Option 1 (Push Nemesis out) |
Ending 2 (Jill, Carlos, and Barry) | During the encounter with Nemesis on the bridge outside the Disused Plant, select Option 2 (Jump off the Bridge) |
Epilogues | Complete the game on Hard difficulty. Further playthroughs unlock more Epilogues |
Jill’s Diary | Replaces Game Instructions A in the File menu. Collect all 30 Notes and Books in the game. |
Mercenaries Mode | Complete the game once on any difficulty |
Alternate Costumes
After beating Resident Evil 3: Nemesis for the first time, players will receive the Boutique Key. Subsequent playthroughs on higher difficulty settings and earning different rankings will unlock additional costumes for Jill to find in the room unlocked by the Boutique Key.
Alternate Costume | How to Unlock |
---|---|
Jill’s costume from Resident Evil | Complete the game on Easy with a rank higher than F |
Regina’s costume from Dino Crisis | Complete the game on Easy with a rank higher than F |
Biker Costume | Complete the game on Hard with an A ranking |
Disco | Complete the game on Hard with an A ranking |
Police Miniskirt | Complete the game on Hard with an A ranking |
Epilogues
Completing Resident Evil 3: Nemesis on Hard difficulty will unlock the ability to view Epilogues. Epilogues are short endings each detailing the fate of different characters from across the Resident Evil series following the destruction of Raccoon City at the end of Resident Evil 3. Beating the game additional times will unlock more Epilogues, with all Epilogues unlocking after 8 playthroughs.
Epilogue | How to Unlock |
---|---|
Jill Valentine | Beat the game 1 time |
Chris Redfield | Beat the game 2 times |
Barry Burton | Beat the game 3 times |
Leon S. Kennedy | Beat the game 4 times |
Claire Redfield | Beat the game 5 times |
Sherry Birkin | Beat the game 6 times |
Ada Wong | Beat the game 7 times |
Special Agent Hunk | Beat the game 8 times |
Jill Valentine
After escaping the city, Jill set out to join Chris Redfield. However, all she found was an empty hideout of Chris’s. On the floor was Chris’s knife. Jill left without hesitation because she firmly believes that Chris is still alive. She will search for him until she finds him. Then they can go and put an end to Umbrella…
Chris Redfield
“Please forgive me Claire.” Chris Redfield has just finished this letter with his signature phrase. As he removes his sunglasses, a lady walks by him with light steps. “She looks about the same age as Claire,” he thinks. A short time later, Chris discovered that his sister was looking for him, but was caught…
Barry Burton
Barry Burton looks at his young daughters and says, “I’m sorry but my comrades are waiting for me.” He knows that he must repay his teammates for forgiving his betrayal. Even if that means leaving his family for now. His wife tries to hide her fear, so she smiles and says, “Don’t worry. We’ll be OK…”
Leon S. Kennedy
Leon Scott Kennedy is confronted by a man who claims to be a U.S. government agent. Leon says, “Leave Sherry alone. She is innocent.” “She knows too much,” the man replies. He looks at Leon and says, “But you have value. This is a good deal. Make your choice.” Without regret or hesitation, Leon closes his eyes and then sharply responds…
Claire Redfield
“Leave us alone.” Claire Redfield couldn’t believe Leon’s words. Leon continued, “You’re looking for your brother, right? Just go!” Claire knew that Leon and Sherry needed immediate medical attention, but she could not waste any more time. “I… I’ll be back. I promise!” She said as she disappeared into the wilderness alone…
Sherry Birkin
“Do you have any relatives?” When the army officer asked her, Sherry Birkin did not respond for she has no immediate relatives. Her father and mother died because of the G-virus. And so, this little girl holds herself with her arms and bites her lip tight. She thinks, “I’m sure she will come back. She won’t forget about me…”
Ada Wong
A woman looks at herself in the mirror. She used to be called Ada Wong… But this morning she will say goodbye to the name. “I’m not Ada Wong anymore…” She feels her ab and thinks, “This is Ada’s scar, not mine.” And as she says goodbye to Ada Wong, she can’t stop her tears. However, there isn’t much time left before her next mission…
Hunk, the 4th Survivor
“Once again, only you survived, Mr. Death,” the chopper pilot speaks with a cold bitterness. “Always, only you, survive, Mr. Death,” the pilot continues. But Hunk does not respond to the pilot. He doesn’t care. “The Death cannot die…,” the survivor thinks to himself with a warm smile…
Jill’s Diary
Collecting all thirty notes and books in the game replaces the first book in your file with Jill’s Diary. Jill’s Diary contains the following entries:
August 7th
Two weeks have passed since that day. My wounds have been healed, but I just can’t forget it. For most people, it’s history now. But for me, whenever I close my eyes, it all comes back clearly. Zombies eating people’s flesh and the screams of my teammates dying. No, the wounds in my heart are not healed yet…
August 13th
Chris has been causing a lot of trouble recently. What’s with him? He seldom talks to the other police members and is constantly irritated. The other day, he punched Elran of the Boy’s Crime department just for accidentally splashing Chris’s face with coffee. I immediately stopped Chris, but when he saw me he just gave me a wink and walked away. I wonder what happened to him…
August 15th
Midnight. Chris, who has been on a leave of absence for a “vacation,” called me so I visited his apartment. As soon as I walked into his room, he showed me a couple of pieces of paper. They were part of a virus research report entitled as simply as “G”. Then Chris told me that, “The nightmare still continues.” He went on to say that, “It’s not over yet.” Ever since that day, he has been fighting all by himself without rest, without even telling me…
August 24th
Chris left the town today to go to Europe. Barry told me that he would send his family to Canada and then he would follow Chris. I decided to remain in Raccoon City for a while because I know that the research facility in this city will be very important to this entire case. In a month or so, I’ll be joining with them somewhere in Europe. That’s when my real battle begins…
Locker Combinations
After entering the Police Station and going through the door in the top left corner, you will reach a room with zombies. Take out the zombies and then head into the next room containing several lockers. Once inside, search the locker with a light on it. The game will prompt for a code. The code is potentially any of the following combinations:
- 0131
- 0513
- 4011
- 4312
Park Fountain Puzzle
When using the water control unit in Raccoon Park to drain the fountain, you will need to align the gray and black gears. The gears need to be moved in a specific order to correctly align them and drain the fountain.
- Step 1: Move the bottom-left black gear Up.
- Step 2: Move the top-center gray gear Down.
- Step 3: Move the top-right gray gear to the Left.
- Step 4: Move the bottom-right black gear Up.
- Step 5: Move the top-center gray gear Down.
- Step 6: Move the top-left black gear to the Right.
Water Sample Puzzle
The abandoned Waste Processing Plant (Dead Factory) contains a puzzle in which players need to align three water levels (A, B, and C) to process the sample. After correctly lining up the water levels across all three containers, the door to the next room will unlock. There are 4 possible solutions to this puzzle that players can use:
- A: 4 Right, B: 2 Right, C: 2 Left
- A: 1 Right, B: 1 Right, C: 2 Left
- A: 1 Left, B: 2 Left, C: 2 Right
- A: 1 Right, B: 3 Right, C: 4 Left
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Game Shark Codes
Playing Resident Evil 3: Nemesis natively on PlayStation hardware means players can take advantage of the many Game Shark codes available for the title, provided they also have a Game Shark device for the console. Alternatively, players using an emulator can input any of the following cheats into the emulator’s “Cheat” menu.
General Cheats
Cheat | Code |
---|---|
Infinite Health Jill | 800CCC90 00C8 |
Condition Always Fine | 300CCC97 0004 |
Secret Mode | 800D1F32 FFE0 |
Hyper Mode | 800D454C 0002 |
Infinite Item Usage in All Slots | 8006D0CA 2400 |
Have 10 Inventory Slots | 800D225E 000A |
Have All Pictures in Epilogue | 800D1F3E 0008 |
Have All Maps | 300D2127 00FE 300D212B 00FE |
Have All Files | 800D212C FFFF 800D212E FFFF |
Infinite Ink Ribbons in Chest | 800D21A0 6381 800D21A2 0001 |
Rapid Fire (Press R1 + R2 + X) | D00CC830 004A 800CCC8C 1E02 |
Total Time is 0 (Get Grade S) | 800D1F28 0000 800D1F2A 0000 |
Save Anywhere (Press L1 + Triangle) | D00CC830 0014 800D1D18 13CC D00CC830 0014 800D1D1A 8005 |
Access Chest Anytime (Press L1 + Square) | D00CC830 0084 800D1F2C 0200 D00CC830 0084 800E01C4 0002 |
View Ending (Press L1 + L2 + R1 + R2) | D00CC830 000F 800CC858 C000 D00CC830 000F 800CC85A 0001 |
All Weapons in Chest | 800D215C 0001 800D2160 0002 800D2164 0003 800D2168 0004 800D216C 0005 800D2170 0006 800D2174 000A 800D2178 000B 800D217C 000C 800D2180 000D 800D2184 000E 800D2188 000F 800D218C 0010 800D2190 0011 800D2194 0012 800D2198 0013 800D219C 0014 |
Infinite Ammo All Weapons | 800D215E 0003 800D2162 0003 800D2166 0003 800D216A 0003 800D216E 0003 800D2172 0003 800D2176 0003 800D217A 0003 800D217E 0003 800D2182 0003 800D2186 0003 800D218A 0003 800D218E 0003 800D2192 0003 800D2196 0003 800D219A 0003 800D219E 0003 |
Mercenaries Mode Cheats
Cheat | Code |
---|---|
Infinite Time | 800D1F98 0078 |
Get Reward | 800CC852 FFFF |
Max Reward Total | 800D25EC 967F 800D25EE 0098 |
BioHazard: Last Escape (Japanese Ver.) Cheats
Cheat | Code |
---|---|
Allows Game to Play in a Mod-Chip System | D01840E2 1040 801840E2 1000 |
Infinite Health | 800CC338 00C8 |
Infinite Health Everyone | 8003E6AA 0060 |
Infinite Ammo | D006D974 FFFF 8006D974 0000 D006D994 FFFF 8006D994 0000 |
Condition Always Fine | 300CC33F 0004 |
Have 10 Slots | 300D1906 000A |
Have All Pictures in Epilogue | 300D15E6 0008 |
Have All Maps | 300D17CF 00FE 300D17D3 00FE |
Have All Files | 800D17D4 FFFF 800D17D6 FFFF |
One-Hit Kill | D0045720 0006 80045720 0001 |
Saves = 0 | D01C35BA 2662 801C35B8 0000 |
Total Time is 0 (Get Grade S) | 800D15D0 0000 800D15D2 0000 |
Omake Mode (Start New Game And Have All Secrets) | 800D15DA FFE0 |
Invisible (Press L2 + R2 to Enable, L1 + R1 to Disable) | D00CBED8 0003 301E4358 0000 D00CBED8 000C 301E4358 0001 |
Access Chest Anytime (Press L2 + Square) | D00CBED8 0081 800D13C0 1E24 D00CBED8 0081 800D13C2 8005 D00CBED8 0081 800DF874 0002 |
Rapid Fire (Press L2 + R1 + Square) (Caetla Users Only) | FFFFFFFF 0001 E00CBED8 0089 E10CBED9 0001 E10CBED9 0008 D00CC270 0501 800CC272 0102 |
BioHazard: Last Escape (Japanese Ver.) Costume Cheats
Cheat | Code |
---|---|
Jill’s 1st Dress (Press Up + L1) | D00CBED8 1004 800D162E 0000 |
Jill’s 2nd Dress (Press Up + L2) | D00CBED8 1001 800D162E 0001 |
Jill’s 3th Dress (Press Up + R1) | D00CBED8 1008 800D162E 0002 |
Jill’s 4th Dress (Press Up + R2) | D00CBED8 1002 800D162E 0003 |
Jill’s 5th Dress (Press Up + L1 + L2) | D00CBED8 1005 800D162E 0004 |
Jill’s 6th Dress (Press Up + R1 + R2) | D00CBED8 100A 800D162E 0005 |
Regina From Dino Crisis (Press Up + L1 + R1) | D00CBED8 100C 800D162E 0006 |
Carlos (Press Up + L2 + R2) | D00CBED8 1003 800D162E 0008 |
Mikhail (Press Up + L1 + R2) | D00CBED8 1006 800D162E 0009 |
Nicholai (Press Up + L2 + R1) | D00CBED8 1009 800D162E 000A |
BioHazard: Last Escape (Japanese Ver.) Mercenaries Mode Cheats
Cheat | Code |
---|---|
Infinite Time | 800D1640 0078 |
Get Reward | 800CBEFA FFFF |
Max Reward Total | 800D1C94 967F 800D1C96 0098 |
Save Anywhere (Press L1 + Square) (Caetla Users Only) | E00CBED8 00840002 800D13C0 1D00 800D13C2 8005 |
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Cheat FAQs
How do you get infinite ammo in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis?
Players can unlock infinite ammo for all weapons in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis as long as they have some skill at Mercenaries Mode. After beating the game once and unlocking Mercenaries Mode, players can attempt to earn the $9999 necessary to unlock Infinite Ammo for use in the main game of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.
How many endings are there in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis?
While the new “Live Selection” moments in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis give the impression that every choice has a consequence, there are actually only two endings in the game, and the outcome of the ending is determined by one Live Selection event in particular. To get the secret, alternate ending to Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, players need to select option 2 when encountering Nemesis outside the Disused Plant.
What are some tips for beating Nemesis in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis?
While it’s not always necessary to confront Nemesis (and, sometimes, it’s even better to run), players will earn rewards for the times they choose to stay and fight. Accordingly, having some tips for how to handle these encounters is helpful. Nemesis is fast, so players will want to start off each encounter defensively by dodging or using the new quick-180 turn if he immediately charges at Jill. After, stick to heavier ammunition like Shotgun rounds or Grenades to quickly take him down.
How long to beat Resident Evil 3: Nemesis?
Beating Resident Evil 3: Nemesis for the first time should take most players around 5-7 hours. After becoming more familiar with the game and enemy/item placements, most players can significantly shave that time down. Unlocking all secrets and bonuses requires beating the game multiple times. As such, 100% completion of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis can take anywhere from 15-35 hours depending on how many times players need to replay the game and how long each playthrough takes.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©CheatCC/Matt Karoglou.