Plant your backside on the sofa and kick up with a nice cuppa as we welcome you to yet another installment in our ongoing Badass Bosses feature, where the folks at PSU Towers scrutinize some of the most memorable boss battles from the PlayStation brand’s illustrious 15-year history. Last time around we placed Uncharted 2’s resident baddy Zoran Lazarevic under the microscope, where the merciless warlord took on hero Nathan Drake in a hectic game of cat-and-mouse in the heart of Shambhala. As far as final battles go, it certainly ranks among the PlayStation 3’s finest.
For our latest effort, PSU decided to turn the clocks back over a decade and focus on one of the most iconic villains to have graced a PlayStation platform—one that’s responsible for countless soiled sofas worldwide since he appeared in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis back in autumn 1999. Yep, it’s the eponymous, leather-clad, rocket launcher-wielding Tyrant himself, Nemesis. And as far as bosses go, you’d be hard pressed to find a tougher customer.
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Nemesis was deployed in to Raccoon City by Umbrella as a means of exterminating the pesky surviving S.T.A.R.S members that previously foiled the pharmaceutical giant’s activities in the infamous Mansion Incident, which was documented in the original Resident Evil. Hulking, relentless and alarmingly intelligent, Nemesis pursues protagonist Jill Valentine throughout the entirety of the game, popping up at various—often crucial—points to impede her progress, either by smacking the poor lass about with his meaty fists or employing the use of a decidedly rusty-looking rocket launcher. Make no mistake: Nemesis will make short work of your health if given the chance, and requires an extreme amount of patience and ammunition to fell. As such, it’s important to know exactly how he functions in terms of attack strategy if you are going to stand a chance of beating him. Wade in guns blazing with no efficient game plan and it’s a one-way trip to the ‘You Died’ screen. Nemesis undergoes three noticeable transformations throughout the game, and we’ve detailed them all below.
First up is his standard, human-like form that you’ll encounter during the early stages of your adventure. If you try to run, ‘ol Nemmy will pursue you with extraordinary speed and deliver a mighty overhead blow, so try to avoid creating too much distance from your target as possible. In terms of bread-and-butter attacks, your inexorable adversary tends to favour a simple punch, which he executes with his left arm, so always evade the creature by running past him on the opposite side to avoid this attack and maneuver behind him. This should allow you to get off a few shots before your foe turns around and continues his pursuit. If Nemesis catches you, he’ll grasp you by the throat and proceed to throw you to the floor. When this happens, hammer away at the Square and D-pad like there’s no tomorrow to get your backside off the floor sharpish, or he’ll close in for another round. If you’re close to death this attack is almost guaranteed to kill, which sees Nemesis inserting a tentacle through Valentine’s skull in a brutal finishing move. Pump enough lead in to Nemesis and he’ll eventually fall flat on his face, seemingly defeated. This isn’t the case at all, however; he’ll eventually get back up, exhibiting increased aggression and as a result is more likely to use faster, deadlier attacks such as running punches. Again, maintain medium distance and repeat the same strategy to defeat the creature.
In terms of weapons, it all depends on what stage of the game you’re at. Early encounters will give you little choice but to plump for the pistol and shotgun combo, while later fights will find you better equipped with delights such as the Magnum and Grenade Launcher. The latter is undoubtedly one of the most effective means of disposing of Nemesis, thanks to its ability to fire varying types of ammo, all of which pack a considerable punch. Acid and Freeze work best, though, so savour these rounds like gold dust. The fundamental principle of dodging and taking pot shots at your hulking opponent should form the nucleus of any battle with Umbrella’s mutant monstrosity, regardless of what piece of kit you happen to be wielding at the time (okay, excluding the Rocket Launcher, but then you wouldn’t be reading this if you were just going to bomb through RE3 with an infinite tool of destruction, would you?). Be warned that weapons such as the Shotgun and Magnum have greater recoils, so you’ll only likely be able to get off 1-2 shots before Nemesis gets a little too close to comfort. In addition, we recommend not relying on the dodge mechanic too much, and rather simply run out of the way instead; while the evasion maneuver can prove exceedingly useful at the right time, it can also end up being detrimental if utilized in close quarters, and more than often while dodging Nemesis’ fists Valentine will smack in to a wall, allowing your foe to counter you—not exactly what you had in mind, we bet.
Of course, this is merely one incarnation of the beast. Nemesis will eventually shed the upper portion of his trench coat, ditch the Rocket Launcher and employ the use of his tentacles in battle. Ironically, while his appearance is certainly worthy of pant-wetting status, he’s not actually as dangerous as his previous form. For one thing, the tentacles are far easier to avoid than his meaty fists, and he is unable to perform the old grab and throw/instant kill technique. Nonetheless, he’s still capable of dealing some severe punishment to our voluptuous heroine, so keep on your toes all the same. Nemesis’ most lethal maneuver involves him using his slippery limbs to grasp your character’s mid-section, before violently throwing him/her (it’s possible to take on Nemesis under control of Carlos in this form, hence the multiple gender reference) to the floor, causing significant damage in the process. Other attacks include a basic tentacle whip and dragging your character by their feet in an effort to pull them closer towards the towering bio-weapon, though none are particularly damaging in contrast to the ‘ol grab ‘n slam tactic. As mentioned his attacks are easier to dodge this time around, so those of you with immaculate timing should be able to activate the evade mechanic, dodge an attack, and follow up with a round or two before repeating the process.
Failing that, simply avoid his assault by running around him and use the tired-but-tested shoot, move, shoot tactic. Maintain your distance if possible and you’ll limit his attacking capabilities significantly, as he’ll only be able to grab you in relatively close proximity. Keep in mind that Nemmy still possesses incredible strength, speed and agility, so don’t expect to waste him any quicker—you’ll need to fill him with just as much lead/explosives as before in order to have him bite the dust temporarily. Unlike previous encounters however, Nemesis will no longer fall unconscious when you’ve inflicted a certain amount of damage, and will merely fall to his knees before rising again after about 10-15 seconds. This may happen a few times over before he finally gives up the ghost, dropping yet another item in the process for your consumption.
Last but not least, Nemesis undergoes one final, aggressive mutation after ingesting the remains of a deceased Tyrant 103, which just so happens to inaugurate the final battle of the game. Here, your inexorable adversary sheds any human attributes he may have possessed before and transforms in to a hulking, four-limbed monstrosity that can only be dispatched for good by employing the use of a gigantic Rail Cannon that just so happens to be sitting around the corner from your starting position. First you have to power it up, though, so shove all the batteries in to their appropriate slots as soon as the fight begins and avoid any confrontation with Nemesis. Once this is accomplished, you can turn your attention to slaying the relentless beast permanently.
Before you do, it’s best to bone up on a few cold, hard facts. Nemesis’ final incarnation is his slowest yet, but don’t let that fool you—he’s still as deadly as ever. In close proximity he’ll smack you about with his gigantic limbs, while over long distances he’ll spit a nasty acidic fluid at you, causing a fair amount of damage. He can also create an acid ‘shower’ that covers a fairly wide radius, leaving pools of acid on the floor that are harmful to anyone who touches them. It’s not a particularly deadly attack, but it’ll slow you down should you come in to contact with them. It also doesn’t help matters that the area you are fighting in is decidedly tight, giving you little room to maneuver. As such, Nemesis can pin you against the wall if you aren’t careful, making it exceedingly difficult to escape without sustaining a heap of injuries in the process. Whatever you do, don’t let him box you in, and keep on the move at all times. Once the Rail Gun is powered up, it’ll eventually blast a massive chasm through the center of the room, creating another path for you to traverse. It’s here you’ll need to lure Nemesis to in order to finally defeat him. There are two ways of going about this; one is to simply unload everything you have at him (utilize your most potent weapons here, such as the Rocket Launcher, Grenade Launcher w/Acid or Freeze Rounds, and the Magnum Revolver) to damage the creature to the point where it will begin limping towards its final resting place, or simply bait it into following you there. There’s a five second countdown before the cannon fires, so make sure you get out of the way quickly—one direct hit should blow your former leather-clad stalker into bloody chunks. Just don’t hang about too long, as you have the small matter of getting out of the city before it is obliterated by an incoming nuke.
Join us next time on Badass Bosses when we dissect a modern-day clash of the titans—Metal Gear Solid 4’s Rex vs. Ray battle.