*Spoilers for any and all Resident Evil games may be present.
That's right, Biohazard. The Japanese name for the game series that was changed to the nonsensical name of Resident Evil. Who really thought being a resident of evil made any sense for a name for a game?
No matter how long you've been enjoying the series, its come a long ways from the tanky originals. Lets dive into our top 5 in the series as of post release of RE: Village.
*Only REs we haven't played are the on-rail shooters that were on the Wii/U.
Jill, Resident Evil 3 remake. Image copyright Capcom Co., Ltd
Our top honorable mentions that didn't quite make the cut were:
Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil 3 remake, Resident Evil: Code Veronica X, and Resident Evil 0.
Why they didn't make it:
RE0 is a game that got unnecessary hate at release, likely due to the dual mechanics of controlling two characters at once (sorta), but the story is fantastic and how the story connects to and leads up to the original is fascinating. It's a shame people never really tried it as it weirdly is one of our personal favorites. The train level is a lot of fun and may be one of the best levels in the franchise. I know it's the first damn level, but it's really well done. The remake of Resident Evil 3 got a lot of hate, some of it deserved (scripted Nemesis), yet I found that it made me really like Jill's character even more, albeit very brief in story length. Was I the only one that felt like Carlos looked and sounded like Keanu Reeves? Maybe that just made it a lot better for me as it felt like Speed X Resident Evil, the game. Resident Evil 7 was interesting as it was the first major first person take on the franchise. It felt refreshing for the franchise when it came out, but as time goes, this game hasn't aged well for me. Even at the time it felt like after you had escaped the first area, the game fell off a bit of a cliff. The ship and mine sections of the game just didn't connect very well for me, more of set pieces. I think Village will do much better but are vampires and werewolves really the right thing for a zombie franchise? We'll find out shortly!
**UPDATE! Resident Evil Village
*Sad trombone noise. Resident Evil Village didn't make it. Ethan had another trip down forgettable lane. Check out our full review for all the details, but to sum it up here, it's an improvement over 7 but not good enough to be great. It's a solid game, there's not a ton wrong with it gameplay-wise, but it isn't better than the five below. We had a lot of issues with how characters were used (or barely used) in the game and it just didn't do anything to push the lore forward. It's more spinoff series than anything. Most of the game just feels like boss areas with boss fights, the game. The first third of the game is all too similar to RE4's village and castle. The game was fine, and it was entertaining enough to go through it, but it fails hard for a Resident Evil franchise game, when in fact would benefit from being labeled something else entirely. Now the wait continues for a better RE game in what should be the remake of Resident Evil 4 and hopefully someday the remake of Code Veronica X. Heck give us a Dino Crisis remake and that'd be closer to being part of the RE franchise than this game was. Chris can cameo in that one too and have the same impact.
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5. Resident Evil Revelations
This may be the best Resident Evil you've never played. Jill is the main character of this side story with a new cast of characters around her. Taking place on a big ol' boat, this game was originally only on the Nintendo 3DS then later being ported to PC and consoles with an uptick in quality for the bigger screens. We found the story and characters to all be well developed. Felt like a nice update to more of a RE4 combat system over the shoulder. Enemies probably would have been better off as zombies but instead we got these weird mutant leech characters. Not a fan of the Las Plagas enemy saga of RE. Definitely worth a try with how cheap it is now and how well done it was.
Image copyright Capcom Co., Ltd
4. Resident Evil 3
The original version of it, not the remake that was half-a-make. Look, we actually did enjoy the new one, and as mentioned above, did really like Jill and Carlos Reeves, but they didn't remake the second half of the original. The clock tower was a set piece in the background. Nemesis also didn't cause unending terror on the player as he was always scripted in where and when he'd appear. Since they were remaking it, I thought it would have been a good opportunity to flesh out more of Nemesis and his backstory/relationship with wanting members of S.T.A.R.S. dead. Now the original didn't do that, but it also was about twice as long and Nemesis was truly a terror that could appear most places in the game at almost any time. You could do two playthroughs and have him not show for extensive periods of time or the opposite and never stop showing up and obliterating your ammo count. The game also encouraged multiple playthroughs with alternate ending scenarios, which was missing from the remake as well. The remake really showed how rushed it was and how little it cared about the original, probably should have had the same team that did RE2make redo this as well. A shame as the original was a super fun, tense experience that couldn't be captured in the update.
Image copyright Capcom Co., Ltd
3. Resident Evil 4
Revolutionary at the time, not just for the series, but for the entire gaming industry. I'd say the same about the original game as well. That's why it doesn't get bonus points when Resident Evil games had a similar effect prior. it stars Leon, who is a badass and beloved character in the series. The thing about this game is that it had so much hype and lived up to just most of it. Problem is there's things in it that ruin it for me. When it released, I loathed the QTE (quick time events) of button mashing during cutscenes and action sequences. It worries me the remake could keep this, but I really really hope they don't. It's an outdated feature. The game also does what Resident Evil 7 did for me, in a bad way, which is start the game off great and then fall off a cliff. The beginning village area and some of what comes next was spectacular in level design and story. As you venture to the castle and thereafter it gets rough quick. The chore of escort missions with Ashley is also a blunder. It could have been done better but at least it wasn't game breakingly bad, just more annoying. What made this game good was the over the shoulder controls, the story overall was well done, and the gameplay was unique and extremely fun at the time, still fun now but no longer unique. It did lose a lot of horror for the sake of making the franchise action games. This was a pro and con as it works well if this was a one off the path game, but they continued and made it worse in 5 and 6 before realizing going back to horror was better. There's so much potential for making this the best in the series but there's too many flaws that hold it back from what's ahead.
Image copyright Capcom Co., Ltd
2. Resident Evil 2 / RE2make
Yeah, we're bundling these two as one as they both are mostly the same (about 80%). The original was at the time seen as a superior game that built upon the original's (we'll answer why it's not superior below). The more recent remake of it had a similar effect of pushing the franchise forward for the better. Quite honestly Capcom struck gold with how well the remake was in every facet of the game (look, feel, matching the original, updating for modern gaming, controls, etc.) This one in the series could make a case for being number one, and if it's yours we fully understand, but in our opinion this felt a bit more action focused and less tense in tone compared to RE1. It shares that a bit with RE4 in that they are more like Aliens than Alien the movie. Both are spectacular, and a person may prefer one over the other, yet there's just something special about the first that squeezes passed the sequel. This is better than the previous entries on this list because it's a quality experience almost all the way through. RE4 isn't, about half way through. The story in 2 is much more interesting and deeper than previous entries as well.
Image copyright Capcom Co., Ltd
1. Resident Evil / (REmake)
The grand daddy of them all. The beginning of the franchise. The roots for all the sequels to build off and relate to. Now as you may have noticed, this is bundled together as Resident Evil and the Resident Evil REmake originally only on the Gamecube (now everywhere). The REmake is 110% what the first game was. Meaning it did everything the original on the first Playstation did, but added a tiny bit more to make it even better with at the time, modern textures (which hold up very well as they're pre-rendered static environments). Really just adding the Lisa Trevor section and some game mechanics like Crimson Heads (dead zombies evolved into a reddish version with talons and speed, now running instead of walking). This game was true terror. Many of you may find that hard to believe for the PS1 version looking now like a Minecraft spoof, but back in the day this was the most advanced and "realistic" gaming had been. Think of a horrifying game or movie nowadays that brings chills down your spine, and apply it to that. Now I'd say the remake was much more terrifying. Those added features and sections could make a pig squeal all the way home. Crimson Heads still petrify me when I play the game as there's just something about a zombie you already dispatched of, coming back to life and now running after you through tiny hallways and corridors with raptor like claws and no spare ammo to indulge it with.
The story of the original is slim compared to most current media, but that's okay here. There's something to just not knowing what's going on or what is wrong with this mansion that adds to the eeriness and tone of the setting. It deepens the fear when you hear strange noises, something creaking upstairs and not knowing what's around the corner. Every part of the mansion is mystery and creepiness. Even when you leave, the decayed trees and narrow dirt paths, abandoned facility, just everything works so well and builds upon all intensity as you really just want to get the f*** outta' there. I never felt that in any sequel. Most of them I'm not worried about the next room. I have enough ammo, plenty of space to avoid, more of a lack of threat. This one is narrow, very limited in weapon supply and safe spaces. It's why we personally appreciate Alien more so as it feels intense in fear and limited in space. It's not how many bullets can I unload and just move along to the next area without much concern. This is part of the reason why we find it better than the direct sequel. We also found RE2 to weave in and out of horror and action too much with the second half focusing a bit too much on action. It gets too predictable and becomes overly boss focused. Nemesis felt like a fresh take in RE3, the G-Virus mutations seemed to take the original tyrant idea and go a bit too far with it.
Many of you may have issues with the tank controls present in this game if you weren't around when these were a thing. I'd argue it works for this game still as it does make it even more tense of a game, maybe for the wrong reasons. If you can get passed that, it truly is a gem that any horror fan should play.
Image copyright Capcom Co., Ltd
Let us know what you think the top 5 is, and what you like/dislike about ours' in the comments below!
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