Matt_Fox
Member
With hype building for Resident Evil 8, I thought it might be fun to try ranking the previous games in the series.
Now there have been a lot of remakes, remasters, directors cuts, and spin offs so for my list below I'm simply going with how much I enjoyed playing the seven main games upon their initial release.
1st. Resident Evil 4 (2005). For me not just the best game in the series but one of the best games of the Noughties. It felt wonderfully solid and grounded - every mutating villager, every monstrous boss, every bullet from the broken butterfly had weight to it. Powerful, bold, unusual game design like nothing that had been seen before.
2nd. Resident Evil 2 (1998). Having a chance to revisit this game recently with the remaster was a real joy. It took everything about the original and made it bigger and better. The expansion into the city streets instantly upped the anti and made Resident Evil 2 feel like a proper 'end of the world' style zombie experience.
3rd. Resident Evil (1996). Alone In The Dark back in '92 might have invented the genre, but it was Resident Evil that actually coined the phrase 'survival horror'. An enclosed area, locked doors to figure out, precious little ammo, and zombies for company - what a recipe.
4th. Resident Evil 5 (2009). Perhaps controversial putting this one so high (I remember reviewers at the time uncharitably refer to it as Resident Evil 4.5) but I thought it was brilliant. The African setting (which was also controversial to some) was so fresh and unique, as was introducing the sidekick Sheva.
5th. Resident Evil 7 (2017). Easily the scariest of the Resident Evil games. Putrid decay lingers everywhere and really creates an environment that you don't want to be in. It's a bit low in the list as the pace is sluggish (to accommodate VR) and the final third of the game tails off a bit.
6th. Resident Evil 3 (1999). Rushed out just one year after Resident Evil 2, and perhaps a little samey, for me this is one of the weakest entries in the main series. Video games are fundamentally about empowerment and having to constantly evade and flee the Nemesis sits somewhat at odds with that.
7th. Resident Evil 6 (2012). I'm struggling to remember this game, with its messy interwoven story, but I do recall the deflated feeling of disappointment. From the start it felt 'off' to me and unworthy of the Resident Evil name.
So, how'd I do on my ranking? Which are the best/worst Resident Evil's for you?
Now there have been a lot of remakes, remasters, directors cuts, and spin offs so for my list below I'm simply going with how much I enjoyed playing the seven main games upon their initial release.
1st. Resident Evil 4 (2005). For me not just the best game in the series but one of the best games of the Noughties. It felt wonderfully solid and grounded - every mutating villager, every monstrous boss, every bullet from the broken butterfly had weight to it. Powerful, bold, unusual game design like nothing that had been seen before.
2nd. Resident Evil 2 (1998). Having a chance to revisit this game recently with the remaster was a real joy. It took everything about the original and made it bigger and better. The expansion into the city streets instantly upped the anti and made Resident Evil 2 feel like a proper 'end of the world' style zombie experience.
3rd. Resident Evil (1996). Alone In The Dark back in '92 might have invented the genre, but it was Resident Evil that actually coined the phrase 'survival horror'. An enclosed area, locked doors to figure out, precious little ammo, and zombies for company - what a recipe.
4th. Resident Evil 5 (2009). Perhaps controversial putting this one so high (I remember reviewers at the time uncharitably refer to it as Resident Evil 4.5) but I thought it was brilliant. The African setting (which was also controversial to some) was so fresh and unique, as was introducing the sidekick Sheva.
5th. Resident Evil 7 (2017). Easily the scariest of the Resident Evil games. Putrid decay lingers everywhere and really creates an environment that you don't want to be in. It's a bit low in the list as the pace is sluggish (to accommodate VR) and the final third of the game tails off a bit.
6th. Resident Evil 3 (1999). Rushed out just one year after Resident Evil 2, and perhaps a little samey, for me this is one of the weakest entries in the main series. Video games are fundamentally about empowerment and having to constantly evade and flee the Nemesis sits somewhat at odds with that.
7th. Resident Evil 6 (2012). I'm struggling to remember this game, with its messy interwoven story, but I do recall the deflated feeling of disappointment. From the start it felt 'off' to me and unworthy of the Resident Evil name.
So, how'd I do on my ranking? Which are the best/worst Resident Evil's for you?