While the movies largely ignored the games, Resident Evil: Apocalypse is somewhat faithful to its video game source Resident Evil 3: Nemesis - here's how the sequel adapted it. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis from 1999 started life as a spin-off, with Resident Evil - Code: Veronica intended to be the true third entry. Originally going by the working title Resident Evil 1.9, the game was intended to follow a survivor as they escaped Raccoon City, but during development, Capcom renamed it Resident Evil 3 and insisted Jill Valentine become the lead.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis put more of a focus on action than the previous games, and also introduced the Terminator-like Nemesis (who is similar to Mr. X). This creature famously kills S.T.A.R.S member Brad Vickers during its introduction, is much faster than the players and hard to pull down during combat. In what was a major innovation at the time, it could even follow gamers into other rooms. Nemesis was regarded as somewhat disappointing at the time, but is now considered a classic title in the series. It was also remade in 2020, though a common critique was its short length and condensing the original's already slim campaign.
Resident Evil: Apocalypse from 2004 is the second movie spin-off, with Milla Jovovich's Alice having to escape Raccoon City with other survivors. The movies largely ignored the events of the Resident Evil game series, preferring to create new storylines while occasionally bringing in some fan-favorite creatures or characters to keep fans happy. Apocalypse is probably the closest to its source and pulls the basic concept and tone from '99's Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Chief among these is the character of Nemesis, who like his gaming counterpart is sent by evil corporation Umbrella to eliminate S.T.A.R.S .
Resident Evil: Apocalypse gave the monster a backstory, revealing he's actually Matt Addison, a mutated version of Eric Mabius' character from 2002's Resident Evil. One of the biggest differences between the sequel and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is that Milla Jovovich's Alice is the lead, while Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory) is a ing player. For instance, the game revolves around Jill constantly outrunning Nemesis, but the two rarely encounter each other in Apocalypse. The movie introduces Umbrella mercenary Carlos Olivera, who helped Jill in the game but they have little interaction in Apocalypse - and Nicholai, who was a villain in the game but is a heroic, ill-fated side character in the movie.
Resident Evil: Apocalypse recreates survival key moments from the Resident Evil 3: Nemesis game too. The RPD's last stand against the zombie horde is lifted from the game's introduction cut scene - down to the shot of the zombie's reflection in a police helmet. Jill dons her famous, if impractical costume from the video game, while Nemesis - who is tough to defeat in the games - shoots down an Umbrella helicopter with a rocket in both. There are other visual nods, including the undead crawling out of their graves, a brief visit to the RPD station or a scene in a cable car. Nemesis and Apocalypse also end the same way, with Raccoon City being nuked off the map.
Aside from Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, perhaps the big homage to the games is to Resident Evil - Code: Veronica. During the finale, Alice is fired on by a helicopter, before being confronted by armed guards. She drops her pistol before diving to catch it in midair and shooting them, which is almost shot for shot from Code: Veronica's - which Robbie Amell wants to adapt - opening. Dr. Ashford and his daughter Angela are also named for the evil twins from the latter title. Resident Evil: Apocalypse is ultimately more action-focused than Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, and their stories largely diverge.
