This isn't the first time a user's requested rankings for the Resident Evil games, but with RE7 having been released to reasonably good reception, I figured that hey, I'd go for it - get people's thoughts on the series, and how RE7 fits in. Admittedly, the last Resident Evil game I played was RE5, so this isn't a definitive list, but, whatever, I'll go for it:
13) Resident Evil Gaiden
Ask most people what the worst Resident Evil game is and they'll probably say RE6 or possibly Umbrella Corps. By these responses, I can assume that either these games are actually worse than Gaiden, or that Gaiden is so obscure that few people have played it. I'm guessing...hoping...for the latter. Because Gaiden is bad. So bad that it's outside of canon completely. The story is bad, the gameplay is bad, it's just plain tedious to play through. It's also insanely difficult - I had to restart the game numerous times just in order to complete it. Most Resident Evil games are scant on ammo, but if you know what you're doing, you can generally keep on top of things. Gaiden, you need to use nothing but the knife for at least the first quarter of the game, and take down every zombie you see, because you need the ammo off them.
Oh, and the music sucks as well.
12) Resident Evil: Survivour
Survivour is a weird game. I mean, it's been referenced a grand total of once within the series, so, yes, unlike Gaiden, the game's actually canon. It's also a bit more competently designed than Gaiden, but...well, imagine a game with RE2 graphics, with infinite ammo for your handgun, and a lack of any kind of tension, coupled with a lacklustre plot. There's some fun to be had with Survivour, but it's not really a game with any lasting impact. At least House of the Dead is over faster and has the campy factor.
11) Resident Evil Outbreak: File II
10) Resident Evil Outbreak
I'm grouping these two together, because not only File II effectively just an expansion, but everything I can say about Outbreak, I can say about File II as well. Outbreak gets the higher ranking because it has a slightly more cohesive plot, but that's about it. Also, I was never able to finish the last mission of File II, so there is that.
So, what to say? Well, Outbreak deserves some kudos in that it's probably the most 'survival horroribly' game in the series. As in, you're more vulnerable than ever before, you're controlling average joes, you're on a time limit thanks to being infected, your weapons are mostly hand-made with only limited access to firearms, and if you're like me, you'll die. A lot. It's a perfect microcosm for Raccoon City as a whole, really - how many people have what it takes to survive a zombie outbreak when their day job is bartending? Not a lot. So, yeah. I think Outbreak deserves a lot of props for conveying a true sense of vulnerability.
On the other hand, it comes up short in its plot. As in, it doesn't have one, not really. It's a bunch of scenarios that have a beginning and end, but nothing really cohesive that binds them. I'll say this now, none of the plots in Resident Evil have been that spectacular, but even by those standards, Outbreak comes up short. Also, the AI. It's servicable, but there's a reason I think that this is made with playing with actual humans in mind.
I think there's a lot of potential for another Outbreak-style game in the series, but for now, it's a flawed gem for me.
9) Resident Evil: Dead Aim
Dead Aim cobbles from Survivour (the first person perspective, albeit hybridized with third person movement), and Gaiden (a derelict liner). Which was cobbled again in Revelations, showing that the Resident Evil universe hates ships almost as much as it hates helicopters. That said, it's a far better game than either of its predecessors. It's a bit more challenging than Survivour, in that you can restock on handgun ammo ad infinitum, but will run out of it in the field. Also, the zombies are not only tougher, but headshots are far more effective. Hard to pull off, but effective. It's a game that's never been referenced as far as I'm aware, but, well, I can live with that. At the least, unlike Survivour, this game is at least fun.
On the other hand, it's weird. Like, really weird. Like, "wait, did the T-G virus give Morpheus lightning powers as well as a sex change?" Like, "is his plan really dispatching the T-virus through missiles, because nukes are out of fashion?" Like, "is Bruce McGirven one of the blandest characters in the setting?" Well, yeah. But he's kind of like a proto-RE4 Leon, down to his very attire, so, fine, I can live with that.
Dead Aim isn't that memorable. But it is fun. Sometimes, that's enough.
8) Resident Evil (original)
"Look out! It's a monster!"
...what? Did you think I'd pull out the Jill Sandwich line? Nah, I'm too busy looking at blood stains for five minutes.
So, yeah, RE1 hasn't aged well. Not only in its voice acting, but even in gameplay, it's rough. Really rough. It's the game that kickstarted the series, but subsequent installments improved on it in practically every way. So, it gets the #8 place because, hey, it's a mainstream title, and an influential one. On the other, there's really no reason to play it rather than the remake.
Next.
7) Resident Evil Zero
Oh Zero, what happened to you?
The thing about Zero is that, if you read its selling points, it sounds quite interesting. A game that focuses on Bravo Team in the leadup to RE1? The ability to control two characters at once like a buddy system? The ability to put items anywhere rather than relying on item chests, adding to the sense of tension? Well, shit. What's not to like?
What's "not to like" is a lot of this game, unfortunately. Zero is...well, tedious. That's the first word that comes to mind, and a lot of it comes down to its item system. Now, the limited storage space is an idea that CAN work in a Resident Evil game (see Outbreak, or even RE5), but here, it's just tedious. There's nothing to stop you taking all your items with you, it just means you have to do an awful lot of backtracking to do so. This isn't injecting tension, this is injecting tedium. I will say that the buddy system does work quite well though, so there is that. But what about the prequel aspect?
Not much to say. The plot is just downright un-engaging to me. The environments are drab, Marcus is a bore, it does give us some interesting insight into the history of Umbrella, but you'd be better off reading Wesker's Report II. For some reason people seem to really like Billy Cohen, but I have to ask, why not replace him with a Bravo Team member? Flesh out existing characters that need it rather than making up new ones.
Zero is competently designed enough that it isn't ranked lower, but it's easily one of the most tedious games in the series.
6) Resident Evil Code: Veronica
With Code: Veronica, we arrive at the dead centre of the series for me. Doesn't have any major flaws, doesn't have any major strengths. It's...fine. It's average. It's relatively enjoyable. It's at this point that people started to comment that the series was getting stale, and, yeah, I can see why. That's this game's legacy. Relatively enjoyable, but is also the point where the series started losing steam, and needed RE4 to save it.
5) Resident Evil 5
So, RE5 takes the #5 spot. Is that poetic? Ironic? Fitting? Well, I'm sure I could find some kind of word to describe its placing, but it's probably better to describe the game itself. Which is something that people have done well before me, usually negatively, and, yes, it's easy to see why. RE4 took the main games in a more action-focused direction, but RE5 takes that direction and runs with it even further. It's the game where you have a turret section against an El Gigante, a deck gun section against a giant fish monster, and where, towards the end, you take actual cover from zombies with miniguns, and call down an orbital satellite to deal with an Uroboros creature. I enjoy RE5, and I've placed it higher than even some main series, more traditional entries. Yet without a doubt, it's a game that feels out of place in comparison to everything that came before. It's also the last game I've played in the series. Even if you make the argument to judge it as its own thing, it does have a number of flaws.
And yet, I like this game. Thing is, while it does take an action-heavy turn, the core gameplay in of itself is engaging enough. You're not nearly as vulnerable as you were in past games, but not so invulnerable that you can just lay waste to your foes. There's also the plot which is...well, it's silly, but it's still engaging. It's engaging to see the origins of Umbrella, it's engaging (in a tragic way) to see the ease of human cruelty in regards to exploitation of Africa (perhaps the only Resident Evil game I can actually ascribe any sub-text to), it's engaging to see Chris finally finish Wesker off. RE5 diverges from its lineage in terms of gameplay, but in terms of plot, it does give a lot of satisfaction, no matter how silly the plot can get. It's even arguably engaging in that after years of seeing Umbrella make Bio-Organic Weapons, we get the first sense of B.O.W.'s actually being used on the field. From what I understand, RE6 ran with this concept even further, but here, while it's a different tone from the series up to this point, it is a tone and context that does have precedent.
Finally, the co-op. It's fun, for the most part. Sheva is competent enough, though has an unfortunate tendency to always use the weakest weapon in her arsenal, regardless of how powerful the monster is. It's far more enjoyable if playing with a human player mind you, but does detract from the tension even further. The stripped down item system fits the game's more frantic pace, but does detract away from the item management system that RE4 introduced.
The reason I place RE4 over more traditional entries like Zero and Code: Veronica is that for all its flaws, RE5 is fun. It's engaging. It's hectic. It's the game that sacrifices a lot of what made Resident Evil Resident Evil, but it does so with a clear focus on what it wants to be. RE5 was the last Resident Evil game I played, but honestly, it was quite a good place to leave the series on.
4) Resident Evil 2
RE2 gets a level of reverence that surprises me. I mean, it's good, don't get me wrong, but at least by my reckoning there's at least three games in the series that surpass it. Key among them is Resident Evil 3. But, regardless, while I'm not as enamored with RE2 as many other people, I still hold it in high regard. High enough to give it the #4 position. I'll start by saying that without a doubt, this is a massive improvement over RE1. Mainly in the voice acting (not perfect, but still improved), the graphics are better, the gameplay is smoother, it widens the scope while remaining survival horror, it even introduces a lot of replayability with its A path/B path system.
If I have one criticism of RE2 is that it gets a bit too easy, at least for Leon. Towards the end of the game, if you've been playing your cards right, you tend to be a bit overpowered with the shotgun you get. Still, RE2 is solid. I talked a lot about RE5 because it's a mixed bag. RE2 is, like I said, solid.
3) Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
So, RE5 comes at #5, RE3 comes at #3...hmm...
Well, whatever. RE3 comes in at #3 which means that, among other things, I do consider it superior to RE2. It builds off what RE2 introduced, and runs with it. Actually spend most of your time in Raccoon City rather than 5-10 minutes on the streets before entering the police station? Check. The Nemesis, which is more intimidating and deadly than the T-103? Check. The inclusion of branching pathways? Check. A culmination to the Raccoon City Outbreak, how while RE2 shows the start of the disaster, RE3 shows its end? Check. I'm not trying to diss RE2, but I feel that's a good way to look at RE3, as a game that takes the strengths of RE2, and builds on them even further, or in some cases, solves them. RE3 isn't the hardest game in the series, but it does remain hard, while RE2 can become very easy towards the end.
The one downside? Easy mode. Don't play in easy mode. Nothing kills RE3's sense of atmosphere than starting off the game with a bloody assault rifle that can mow down zombies left, right, and centre.
2) Resident Evil (remake)
Or Resident Evil REmake, if you want to be clever. But, yeah. Part of the reason why I rank RE1 so low is that, among other issues, its remake blows it out of the water so hard that it can't help but look even worse. This game is easily the hardest, scariest, most atmospheric game in the series (that I've played at least), and it helps that it got a graphics overall, much, MUCH better voice acting, extra content such as Lisa Trevor, and retains a sense of dread throughout the entire game. It's easily the best of the pre-RE4 games, both by itself, and in terms of its style of gameplay.
1) Resident Evil 4
Well, you all knew this was coming, didn't you?
RE4 is amazing. Amazing that it went through such development hell and came out as good as it did. Amazing in that it's just so fun to play. Amazing in that it manages to find the perfect mix of action and horror, a mix that didn't even last into RE5 as it took a detour down the action route. Amazing because in spite of the cheesy plot, I can't help but be engaged. Amazing in that, while I'd played a number of Resident Evil games prior to 4, 4 clicked immediately.
4 isn't without its detractors mind you - for better or worse, it is a watershed moment in the series, the point where the former fixed camera angle was ditched for an over the shoulder control scheme, and a more actiony-focus. Still, like I said, RE4 does still feel like a Resident Evil game, in that you have to be careful with your ammo, you have to be tactical, you're feeling exposed for about 90% of the game, with the other 10% being moments like Krauser and Saddler, where, sure, you're doing summersaults and martial arts, but it's just too fun regardless. Oh, and this game makes QTE's fun. Yep, I said it. RE4 isn't just my top Resident Evil game, it's in my top ten games of all time.
So, that's just me. Discuss, debate, post. Obviously RE6 and 7 have been omitted, but that's on me. Curious to see what other people think.
13) Resident Evil Gaiden
Ask most people what the worst Resident Evil game is and they'll probably say RE6 or possibly Umbrella Corps. By these responses, I can assume that either these games are actually worse than Gaiden, or that Gaiden is so obscure that few people have played it. I'm guessing...hoping...for the latter. Because Gaiden is bad. So bad that it's outside of canon completely. The story is bad, the gameplay is bad, it's just plain tedious to play through. It's also insanely difficult - I had to restart the game numerous times just in order to complete it. Most Resident Evil games are scant on ammo, but if you know what you're doing, you can generally keep on top of things. Gaiden, you need to use nothing but the knife for at least the first quarter of the game, and take down every zombie you see, because you need the ammo off them.
Oh, and the music sucks as well.
12) Resident Evil: Survivour
Survivour is a weird game. I mean, it's been referenced a grand total of once within the series, so, yes, unlike Gaiden, the game's actually canon. It's also a bit more competently designed than Gaiden, but...well, imagine a game with RE2 graphics, with infinite ammo for your handgun, and a lack of any kind of tension, coupled with a lacklustre plot. There's some fun to be had with Survivour, but it's not really a game with any lasting impact. At least House of the Dead is over faster and has the campy factor.
11) Resident Evil Outbreak: File II
10) Resident Evil Outbreak
I'm grouping these two together, because not only File II effectively just an expansion, but everything I can say about Outbreak, I can say about File II as well. Outbreak gets the higher ranking because it has a slightly more cohesive plot, but that's about it. Also, I was never able to finish the last mission of File II, so there is that.
So, what to say? Well, Outbreak deserves some kudos in that it's probably the most 'survival horroribly' game in the series. As in, you're more vulnerable than ever before, you're controlling average joes, you're on a time limit thanks to being infected, your weapons are mostly hand-made with only limited access to firearms, and if you're like me, you'll die. A lot. It's a perfect microcosm for Raccoon City as a whole, really - how many people have what it takes to survive a zombie outbreak when their day job is bartending? Not a lot. So, yeah. I think Outbreak deserves a lot of props for conveying a true sense of vulnerability.
On the other hand, it comes up short in its plot. As in, it doesn't have one, not really. It's a bunch of scenarios that have a beginning and end, but nothing really cohesive that binds them. I'll say this now, none of the plots in Resident Evil have been that spectacular, but even by those standards, Outbreak comes up short. Also, the AI. It's servicable, but there's a reason I think that this is made with playing with actual humans in mind.
I think there's a lot of potential for another Outbreak-style game in the series, but for now, it's a flawed gem for me.
9) Resident Evil: Dead Aim
Dead Aim cobbles from Survivour (the first person perspective, albeit hybridized with third person movement), and Gaiden (a derelict liner). Which was cobbled again in Revelations, showing that the Resident Evil universe hates ships almost as much as it hates helicopters. That said, it's a far better game than either of its predecessors. It's a bit more challenging than Survivour, in that you can restock on handgun ammo ad infinitum, but will run out of it in the field. Also, the zombies are not only tougher, but headshots are far more effective. Hard to pull off, but effective. It's a game that's never been referenced as far as I'm aware, but, well, I can live with that. At the least, unlike Survivour, this game is at least fun.
On the other hand, it's weird. Like, really weird. Like, "wait, did the T-G virus give Morpheus lightning powers as well as a sex change?" Like, "is his plan really dispatching the T-virus through missiles, because nukes are out of fashion?" Like, "is Bruce McGirven one of the blandest characters in the setting?" Well, yeah. But he's kind of like a proto-RE4 Leon, down to his very attire, so, fine, I can live with that.
Dead Aim isn't that memorable. But it is fun. Sometimes, that's enough.
8) Resident Evil (original)
"Look out! It's a monster!"
...what? Did you think I'd pull out the Jill Sandwich line? Nah, I'm too busy looking at blood stains for five minutes.
So, yeah, RE1 hasn't aged well. Not only in its voice acting, but even in gameplay, it's rough. Really rough. It's the game that kickstarted the series, but subsequent installments improved on it in practically every way. So, it gets the #8 place because, hey, it's a mainstream title, and an influential one. On the other, there's really no reason to play it rather than the remake.
Next.
7) Resident Evil Zero
Oh Zero, what happened to you?
The thing about Zero is that, if you read its selling points, it sounds quite interesting. A game that focuses on Bravo Team in the leadup to RE1? The ability to control two characters at once like a buddy system? The ability to put items anywhere rather than relying on item chests, adding to the sense of tension? Well, shit. What's not to like?
What's "not to like" is a lot of this game, unfortunately. Zero is...well, tedious. That's the first word that comes to mind, and a lot of it comes down to its item system. Now, the limited storage space is an idea that CAN work in a Resident Evil game (see Outbreak, or even RE5), but here, it's just tedious. There's nothing to stop you taking all your items with you, it just means you have to do an awful lot of backtracking to do so. This isn't injecting tension, this is injecting tedium. I will say that the buddy system does work quite well though, so there is that. But what about the prequel aspect?
Not much to say. The plot is just downright un-engaging to me. The environments are drab, Marcus is a bore, it does give us some interesting insight into the history of Umbrella, but you'd be better off reading Wesker's Report II. For some reason people seem to really like Billy Cohen, but I have to ask, why not replace him with a Bravo Team member? Flesh out existing characters that need it rather than making up new ones.
Zero is competently designed enough that it isn't ranked lower, but it's easily one of the most tedious games in the series.
6) Resident Evil Code: Veronica
With Code: Veronica, we arrive at the dead centre of the series for me. Doesn't have any major flaws, doesn't have any major strengths. It's...fine. It's average. It's relatively enjoyable. It's at this point that people started to comment that the series was getting stale, and, yeah, I can see why. That's this game's legacy. Relatively enjoyable, but is also the point where the series started losing steam, and needed RE4 to save it.
5) Resident Evil 5
So, RE5 takes the #5 spot. Is that poetic? Ironic? Fitting? Well, I'm sure I could find some kind of word to describe its placing, but it's probably better to describe the game itself. Which is something that people have done well before me, usually negatively, and, yes, it's easy to see why. RE4 took the main games in a more action-focused direction, but RE5 takes that direction and runs with it even further. It's the game where you have a turret section against an El Gigante, a deck gun section against a giant fish monster, and where, towards the end, you take actual cover from zombies with miniguns, and call down an orbital satellite to deal with an Uroboros creature. I enjoy RE5, and I've placed it higher than even some main series, more traditional entries. Yet without a doubt, it's a game that feels out of place in comparison to everything that came before. It's also the last game I've played in the series. Even if you make the argument to judge it as its own thing, it does have a number of flaws.
And yet, I like this game. Thing is, while it does take an action-heavy turn, the core gameplay in of itself is engaging enough. You're not nearly as vulnerable as you were in past games, but not so invulnerable that you can just lay waste to your foes. There's also the plot which is...well, it's silly, but it's still engaging. It's engaging to see the origins of Umbrella, it's engaging (in a tragic way) to see the ease of human cruelty in regards to exploitation of Africa (perhaps the only Resident Evil game I can actually ascribe any sub-text to), it's engaging to see Chris finally finish Wesker off. RE5 diverges from its lineage in terms of gameplay, but in terms of plot, it does give a lot of satisfaction, no matter how silly the plot can get. It's even arguably engaging in that after years of seeing Umbrella make Bio-Organic Weapons, we get the first sense of B.O.W.'s actually being used on the field. From what I understand, RE6 ran with this concept even further, but here, while it's a different tone from the series up to this point, it is a tone and context that does have precedent.
Finally, the co-op. It's fun, for the most part. Sheva is competent enough, though has an unfortunate tendency to always use the weakest weapon in her arsenal, regardless of how powerful the monster is. It's far more enjoyable if playing with a human player mind you, but does detract from the tension even further. The stripped down item system fits the game's more frantic pace, but does detract away from the item management system that RE4 introduced.
The reason I place RE4 over more traditional entries like Zero and Code: Veronica is that for all its flaws, RE5 is fun. It's engaging. It's hectic. It's the game that sacrifices a lot of what made Resident Evil Resident Evil, but it does so with a clear focus on what it wants to be. RE5 was the last Resident Evil game I played, but honestly, it was quite a good place to leave the series on.
4) Resident Evil 2
RE2 gets a level of reverence that surprises me. I mean, it's good, don't get me wrong, but at least by my reckoning there's at least three games in the series that surpass it. Key among them is Resident Evil 3. But, regardless, while I'm not as enamored with RE2 as many other people, I still hold it in high regard. High enough to give it the #4 position. I'll start by saying that without a doubt, this is a massive improvement over RE1. Mainly in the voice acting (not perfect, but still improved), the graphics are better, the gameplay is smoother, it widens the scope while remaining survival horror, it even introduces a lot of replayability with its A path/B path system.
If I have one criticism of RE2 is that it gets a bit too easy, at least for Leon. Towards the end of the game, if you've been playing your cards right, you tend to be a bit overpowered with the shotgun you get. Still, RE2 is solid. I talked a lot about RE5 because it's a mixed bag. RE2 is, like I said, solid.
3) Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
So, RE5 comes at #5, RE3 comes at #3...hmm...
Well, whatever. RE3 comes in at #3 which means that, among other things, I do consider it superior to RE2. It builds off what RE2 introduced, and runs with it. Actually spend most of your time in Raccoon City rather than 5-10 minutes on the streets before entering the police station? Check. The Nemesis, which is more intimidating and deadly than the T-103? Check. The inclusion of branching pathways? Check. A culmination to the Raccoon City Outbreak, how while RE2 shows the start of the disaster, RE3 shows its end? Check. I'm not trying to diss RE2, but I feel that's a good way to look at RE3, as a game that takes the strengths of RE2, and builds on them even further, or in some cases, solves them. RE3 isn't the hardest game in the series, but it does remain hard, while RE2 can become very easy towards the end.
The one downside? Easy mode. Don't play in easy mode. Nothing kills RE3's sense of atmosphere than starting off the game with a bloody assault rifle that can mow down zombies left, right, and centre.
2) Resident Evil (remake)
Or Resident Evil REmake, if you want to be clever. But, yeah. Part of the reason why I rank RE1 so low is that, among other issues, its remake blows it out of the water so hard that it can't help but look even worse. This game is easily the hardest, scariest, most atmospheric game in the series (that I've played at least), and it helps that it got a graphics overall, much, MUCH better voice acting, extra content such as Lisa Trevor, and retains a sense of dread throughout the entire game. It's easily the best of the pre-RE4 games, both by itself, and in terms of its style of gameplay.
1) Resident Evil 4
Well, you all knew this was coming, didn't you?
RE4 is amazing. Amazing that it went through such development hell and came out as good as it did. Amazing in that it's just so fun to play. Amazing in that it manages to find the perfect mix of action and horror, a mix that didn't even last into RE5 as it took a detour down the action route. Amazing because in spite of the cheesy plot, I can't help but be engaged. Amazing in that, while I'd played a number of Resident Evil games prior to 4, 4 clicked immediately.
4 isn't without its detractors mind you - for better or worse, it is a watershed moment in the series, the point where the former fixed camera angle was ditched for an over the shoulder control scheme, and a more actiony-focus. Still, like I said, RE4 does still feel like a Resident Evil game, in that you have to be careful with your ammo, you have to be tactical, you're feeling exposed for about 90% of the game, with the other 10% being moments like Krauser and Saddler, where, sure, you're doing summersaults and martial arts, but it's just too fun regardless. Oh, and this game makes QTE's fun. Yep, I said it. RE4 isn't just my top Resident Evil game, it's in my top ten games of all time.
So, that's just me. Discuss, debate, post. Obviously RE6 and 7 have been omitted, but that's on me. Curious to see what other people think.
