1. Resident Evil (1996)
Both Director's Cut versions (1997)
Remake (2002)
(Remastered (2015)
Originally going to be an full 3D remake of Sweet Home. Resident Evil went through several major changes during development. Some of which later got used, the game that revamped survival horror genre. Easily one of the greatest PlayStation 1 games I ever played. Just on PlayStation 1 had three different versions of the same game. Later versions replaced costumes, added an new variation & in Director's Cut Dualshock Edition had an new soundtrack. Although that soundtrack could be one of the absolute worst in the entire franchise. There exists two versions of it's remake with many changes between the two. Remake was according to the team 75% different from the original game. You can unlock an kamikaze Forest zombie after beating both characters on normal. By beating it on hard mode unlocks one of their original concepts for RE1. Originally you would have to memorize which item boxes had which stuff as item boxes aren't connected. They didn't it as they felt this made the game too hard. This mode is called Real Survivor removing auto aim & automatically set to hard mode. If you can somehow survive Real Survivor, you can attempt doing Invisible Enemy. Every enemy including the bosses are invisible. You have to use your ears in most areas or memorize every enemy placement to survive. Remastered version added achievement/trophy support with an new control set & two costumes from Lost in Nightmares. This version is one of the select few to get residentevil.net support. Some ports had even greater changes with Resident Evil: Deadly Silence surprisingly standing out the most. Regardless which version of RE1 you end up getting. You play as two characters with one having an second playable character. There are several changes in both their campaigns with many endings. It is well worth all the trouble to get as it still one of Capcom's greatest games ever. An amazing soundtrack in earlier versions on PlayStation to an impressive sound design of it's remake. Resident Evil is still getting more people into it today with the list of names getting longer each day.
2. Resident Evil 2 (1998)
Dualshock Edition (a few months later)
One of the greatest video game sequels I ever played. For many fans including myself this is their favorite RE game of all time. Just like MKII did to the original, Resident Evil 2 really had impressive stuff to boot. In Resident Evil 1, you had two characters in their scenarios of what happened at the Spencer Mansion. In Resident Evil 2, both characters gets an second playable characters for several parts. It is mind blowing they were actually able to give us four different scenarios. Yes that's right you heard me correctly four possible scenarios of how this story gets told. They did an great job making each variation of the story different & unique overall. In most versions you will get two versions of one mini game. The 4th Survivor acting as an hidden canon story within RE2. You play as an Umbrella soldier name Hunk to escape with an sample of G-Virus. If you beat the game six times also unlocking The 4th Survivor. You will unlock The Tofu Survivor which is an parody hardier version of it. What's crazy is Tofu currently the only playable character in the entire series to change colors depending on their status. For example if he is close of dying Tofu becomes red or getting poisoned becomes purple. Starting with Dualshock Edition with some ports adding another mini game called Extreme Battle. Some of the best easter eggs of it's time were present in this game. Resident Evil 2 had an amazing sound design overall. I really can't praise the game anymore than I could or flat out criticize it in any possible way. It is really in every sense of the word that damn good.
3. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
This is where the time line starts getting confusing to follow. In it's development originally this game was going to be an spin off taking place in Raccoon City. At the time they were also working on Resident Evil CODE: Veronica, another main series game. But Capcom signed an contract with Sony to give them three main games on their console. This cause their spin off game becoming an main one quickly getting the title of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. This did push CODE: Veronica back but on purpose in US version made tougher than usual. In earlier games they made our versions of them tougher than the one they got in Japan. Yet in the case of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis in an attempt to held fans off for CODE: Veronica. They made Resident Evil 3 more difficult than the previous games. They created an mini game called The Mercenaries Operation: Mad Jackal for this purpose. This min game continues what started with Saturn port of RE1 in it's Battle Mode. If the title sounds a little familiar don't worry I will talk more about it later on. You get to explore Raccoon City more with an creature name Nemesis constantly stalking you. An interesting fact this concept was inspired by T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. What's more interesting is they wanted to force players to make quick decisions adding up to it's higher difficulty in the United States. There are two endings that are decided on the bridge quick time event. Half this game takes place before RE2 with the remaining half after it. Resident Evil 3 pushes what they could do on an PlayStation 1 game. Did you know with an game shark you can play as Tofu from RE2 in this game no I'm not kidding. An great sound track with an interesting story. In conclusion at first you are thinking how will this stand out from the previous two games. The more you play of it, the more you will notice it's uniqueness standing out.
4. Resident Evil CODE: Veronica (2000)
X version (2001)
One of the few main series games not numbered. Resident Evil CODE: Veronica stands as one of the finest RE games ever made. This was the only Resident Evil game to debut on an Sega console. Not too long after it's release came out with Resident Evil CODE: Veronica X updating textures and added some cut scenes. This is also the only main series game to not have multiple difficulties. I am not going to lie this is an hard game. Similar to RE2, doing somethings in Claire's portions could help out her brother Chris in his. Technology wise an huge step up from previous entries. Resident Evil CODE: Veronica has an great story with one of the best monster line ups. Some of the best voice acting in any Resident Evil game. The first Resident Evil game to cover more settings in different parts of the world. There is an mini game called Battle Game, an successor to previous Battle & The Mercenaries mini games. Oddly the only main series Resident Evil game you can't play the campaign with alternate costumes. They really did an great job with making this game scary. Although it does go heavily into action that later turned out to be an foreshadowing of things to come. There also exists an spin off game called Resident Evil Survivor 2 Code: Veronica released in Japan for arcades. An rare PS2 port of this game adding some content also got released. Believe it or not Shinji Mikami the creator of Resident Evil really wanted this to be Resident Evil 3. But the team voted against it for several reasons. One reason he stated this was because CODE: Veronica added more critical details of the story. This is an amazing game that sadly Capcom isn't doing much to keep it up with the times. Especially considering this is one of the most requested RE games to date.
5. Resident Evil 0 (2002)
Remastered (2016)
Originally released a few months after Resident Evil remake. Resident Evil 0 uses the same engine of remake with some new features. This was the first Resident Evil game to allow you to switch between two playable characters. This took place a day before the original following Rebecca Chambers of S.T.A.R.S. Bravo team. Just before she got inside the Spencer Mansion of RE1. Originally they attempted to make RE0 on N64 but ended up moved to it's successor Game Cube. This was the first Resident Evil game to lack item boxes & allows you to drop stuff. An feature becoming stable in this series. Resident Evil 0 Remastered added a lot more than Remake Remastered. Automatically in both character's inventories is an briefcase to switch out outfits. Originally you beat the game then in later runs an hidden key to unlock closet door for alternate outfits. After you finish the train you won't be able to switch outfits. Now beating the game unlock Wesker Mode changing some things up. Instead of Billy Coen, fan favorite Albert Wesker is playable with some of his abilities. Like CODE: Veronica, in Wesker Mode you can't change the difficulty. By beating Wesker Mode, Rebecca's outfit becomes unlock in the main game. They also added two new costumes for Billy but given Rebecca a lot more to wear. Don't get me wrong Rebecca is one of my favorite characters. I felt Billy should've gotten two more outfits at least. What's better is an mini game called Leech Hunter. You can switch out outfits before playing an nice touch. The goal of it is collect an hundred leech charms. Fifty blue leeches for Billy & fifty green ones for Rebecca. An great sound design that still works by today's standards. An great prequel to be the last survival horror main game until the newest entry.
6. Resident Evil 4
PS2 port (a few months later)
Xbox One & PS4 ports (2016)
Without question one of the greatest Capcom games ever made. An huge inspiration to several game franchises like Dead Space & Gears of War. They officially made the jump from survival horror to action genre. They felt going survival horror would leave the franchise on the verge of dying soon. This was the last main RE game to have it's creator Shinji Mikami before he left Capcom with several employees. Originally released on Game Cube blowing the game world away. A few months later PS2 port comes out with more content. More recently Resident Evil 4 got remastered on Xbox One & PS4. I didn't list HD versions because they weren't true HD version of the game. There exists two versions of PC port. Many people were shocked in graphics between Game Cube & PS2 versions. This forever change action games in gaming. Possibly one of the most successful Capcom games ever made. You also can play The Mercenaries that quickly became one of the most popular things in all of Resident Evil franchise. If you get five stars on every level as every character. You can unlock the handcannon in the main game for free. But it will cost you an fortune to fully upgrade it. Assignment: Ada is an mini game you play as Ada to collect five samples of Las Plagas & escape. Separate Ways is sorta like scenarios of RE2, parts of CODE: Veronica & shares an similar purpose as The 4th Survivor. In Separate Ways, you play as Ada in her portions of the main game answering some unanswered questions in the process. Second set of alternate outfits greatly changes up the game play. In later versions added an new hidden weapon after beating Professional Mode. This is an handheld device similar to the same technology for removing Las Plagas from bodies. This also acts as an alternate to flash bangs. Either beating the main game or Separate Ways, unlocks all cut scenes that can be viewed in another mode for your pleasure. One of the most ported RE games in history. This is an timeless classic that left such an strong inspiration for many years to come.
7. Resident Evil 5 (2009)
Xbox One & PS4 ports (2016)
One of the best selling Resident Evil games to date. Resident Evil 5 amaze a lot of people back in the day. Although some RE games had an coop feature, Resident Evil 5 was the game to do it right. After beating the game you can choose to be Sheva to experience parts of the campaigns Chris can't. Just like Devil May Cry series also by Capcom, you can choose any level after beating them to go for achievements/trophies or upgrading your gears much easier. Originally you have to buy all extra figurines, both extra episodes, versus, costumes and an new variation of The Mercenaries. In Xbox One & PS4 ports, you automatically get all of that. They combined both versions of The Mercenaries together. Also adding as an bonus The Mercenaries: No Mercy from PC version. In all three versions of The Mercenaries, you get double the number of levels from RE4's. A lot more playable characters with each one standing out. Versus works similar to many games with The Mercenaries being the basis of it. This game is packed with great content to keep coming back to it for hours. I highly recommend RE5 to anyone wanting an great coop game or trying to get more into Resident Evil series.
8. Resident Evil: Revelations (2012)
PC, Xbox 360, Wii U and PS3 ports (2013)
The first main RE game debut on an handheld. In all of it's ports added a lot of things to the game. Such as two extra dlc characters, in place of it's original hard mode is Infernal Mode. An mode so difficult many people argue it shouldn't made the final cut. In this variation new higher level custom parts are found. But majority of enemy placements is random making areas you clean out not safe. You play as a lot of characters within the campaign. Similar to previous games, two characters are working together to survive. In later versions added online that really helps in Raid Mode. In this mini game, you have to get enough medals to unlock levels. To fully complete it requires a lot of trial & error. There are three campaigns changing up what you need to do & becoming tougher. Speaking of difficulty you can unlock the bonus level Ghost Ship. In this level you can fully explore the entire ship but you really need to bring your A game & it's recommended to have another player. They also added residentevil.net support that you can send custom pieces to rare weapons into your game. You can scan around an unique feature that could save your life in this game. In Xbox 360, PS3 and PC adding trophy/achievement support. Resident Evil: Revelations tells it's story in the episodic format. It's hard to believe an 3DS game really wow many people back then. This is one of the finest RE games I ever played.
9. Resident Evil 6 (2012)
Xbox One and PS4 ports (2016)
Resident Evil 6 is considered one of the absolute worst Resident Evil games. Capcom admitted of rushing the game out seeing a lot of people really wanted it at the time. In fact shortly after release through free updates made Ada's campaign available by default. Instead of having to beat Chris, Leon and Jake's campaigns. They also added an second character for her character name Agent whose not present directly anywhere in the actual story. This meant to play as him in Ada's campaign you have to join someone else's game. Agent Hunt mode is one of the absolute worst experiences I ever heard. Yes even worse than beating both sides of DMC2 on Must Die difficulty I'm not kidding. You can't pick your monsters or fix up controls. Some of them have very bad controls. Your goal is to prevent other players from finishing an level. What is weird about this although you can pick up at any point of the game. Similar to RE5 or Devil May Cry series. You only get scoring system after complete an entire chapter. Each chapter in this game is from an hour close to two hours real time. You can't able more than one infinite ammo among weapons. The entire store system is way too tedious for it's own good. If there were big pay offs for going the extra mile like in RE5 then this wouldn't be much of an issue. Sadly the pay offs aren't worth mentioning wasting several hours instead of playing something better. Most dlcs adds more modes to play with several characters. Originally in Xbox 360, PC & PS3 versions, you link your accounts to residentevil.net. You do this in order to take on challenges ranking every player on all connected versions. There exists two different colors of most characters costumes. Only the best players can collect the retro style costumes similar to PlayStation 1 models. But those for newer characters looked terrible. They mess up greatly on classic ones like why does Leon have blood on his face or hey Chris you need an shave. In Xbox One & PS4 versions, all dlcs are included but change how to get retro costumes. You must play online in Predator to unlock them making the process a little bit easier. But those versions don't support residentevil.net. In Predator has one player in every round being Ustanak. Your goal as regular characters is take down Ustanak. If you are Ustanak, you must eliminate all players to win the round. In Onslaught, despite both players being on the same map. You are given an entire map as your opponent where you can't run into each other. Instead depending on how many you kill within an combo determines the size of wave for opposing player. In Siege, you take turns being Agent standing your ground or monsters to wipe out the unit. Survivor is Resident Evil 5's Versus counterpart sharing the same purpose. You automatically get The Mercenaries that adds secret bosses. Just like RE5 on Xbox One & PS4, The Mercy No Mercy is also present. Easily the best mode of the entire game in my honest opinion. Not only this is an twenty hours game with all four campaigns. They attempted way too much with the story already being difficult to piece together. Resident Evil 6 tried to be good but ended up being an huge disappointment.
10. Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015)
Capcom got inspired by Telltale's The Walking Dead series. But thankfully they didn't direct rip it off. You can get this in parts or altogether like I did. In all four episodes you have four playable characters. Barry's portions are taking place six months after Claire's. Each one having adding uniqueness to such an amazing game. You can unlock two more variation of the campaign. Countdown which is similar to The Mercenaries for the campaign. Basically meant for speed runners to challenge how quick they can beat it. Invisible Enemy similar to the mode of same name from Resident Evil remake. Thankfully they made it much easier if you learn enemy movements & weaknesses. You can get dlc costumes for all four playable characters in all modes of play. Some dlc costumes got release for free in Raid Mode. In Raid Mode, you are an program inside an experiment. You get to play as most Revelations 2 characters but added some fan favorites. Although for some of them came straight out of RE6. In fact majority of levels in Raid Mode are from RE6. Wouldn't you think they would have more levels from Revelations 2? An handful of enemies in Raid Mode came from other RE games. Throwback Map Pack was okay for what it is. I had better dlcs for it's price not crazy about half those levels. You would think they would do more in higher difficulty variations but nope. There exists two endings for Raid Mode taking much longer going for the first ending. Among getting one of them automatically reset to continue playing. You also get two bonus episodes that greatly change up the game. The Struggle taking place in between Claire & Barry's portions. You play as Moire with Evgeny getting things ready before the old man passes away. This was meant to test your determination & hunting skills. Little Miss also takes part during Claire & Barry's portions. You play as two versions of Natalia in an short stealth campaign. Dark Natalia is now the scout similar to Natalia in the main game. None of the enemies can see her making parts of it a bit easier. The ending of it explains Natalia's connection to Alex Wesker. I am still disappointed in Wesker's sister for many reasons. Her brother was unquestionably the best villain of this franchise. Her plan ends up being uninspired & puts the conclusion of it in an close of herself's hands. The virus she made is okay but kinda gets ruined by adding Wesker's Uroboros virus. The end of Neil's boss fight determines which ending you get. You have an great upgrade system to improve several things for both campaign & Raid Mode. One controversial thing I should bring up is relating to Claire's voice actress. This was the only time not explained Alyson Court doesn't voice Claire. Now there is an mystery whose actually the new voice of Claire Redfield. This game was both Claire & Barry's return to the franchise. This also marks Barry's first playable appearance in an main game campaign. Most of the story is told better than Revelations 1 but ended more rushed. Also you will be doing with a lot of the same bosses with Neil or depending on endings Alex being the exceptions. This is one of the best sequels within Resident Evil series. I am really impressed by all the hard work that went into such an great game.
Now it's time to rank all these Resident Evil games from worst to beat...
10. Resident Evil 6
9. Resident Evil 0
8. Resident Evil CODE: Veronica
7. Resident Evil: Revelations 2
6. Resident Evil 5
5. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
4. Resident Evil: Revelations
3. Resident Evil
2. Resident Evil 4
1. Resident Evil 2
Next Friday I'm finally going to have Resident Evil VII: Biohazard. I won't review it until I played everything the game has to offer. It is only fair I give it the respect it deserves by doing this. Until next time I'm Jack Red and I'll see all of you later.
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