mageroel said:
Yo guys,
I recently looked into the series, and it looks quite nice (or so I think). I'd like to step into this series, but I have no idea which game to start with. Any suggestions? Which one do you think is the best? Should I actually not play these games?
Find out in the next episode!
I'd love to hear your opinion on this one.
As a long time die hard Resident Evil Fan, I feel obligated to get you going on the right foot. But the journey is long, and there are many games to play. Not all the play styles are the same, and there may be some "totally old" graphics to swallow along the way. In the end of this post, I will give you an ordered list.
"But why do I have to play all these games that are so old?" I'll tell you; because each one references the last in some way. In the most recent release, all the major plot points are wrapped up, and it's fairly satisfying if you've been following the series from the start.
The Gamecube had two Resident Evils of worth; Resident Evil REmake, and Resident Evil Zero. RE:REmake is a graphical remastering of the PS1 version. New areas are added to the environment, play modes, weapons, and difficulties. It is my favorite Resident Evil to date. RE:Zero is a prequel, and follows one of the supporting characters from the first game. It details the history of the infamous Umbrella Corp, and what has lead their research to this point, and the fate of one of its primary founders. I do not care for this paticular Resident Evil, because I feel it stretches the story of the beginning incidents thin, and lessens the value of the original (and remake) game. I'd still play it, because the story comes into play later in the series.
The PSN has RE2, which many (not me) hail as the greatest of the series. When RE1 introduced Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, RE2 introduces the next batch of RE superstars; Leon S Kennedy, and Clair Redfield, Chris's sister. RE2 picks up a few months after the first, and details the fate of Raccoon City. RE3 happens at the same time as RE2, and follows Jills escape from the city. This is my 2nd favorite RE game because of NEMESIS.
On the ps2 (and ps3 if you're lucky to have a backwards compatible version) there's Resident Evil: Code Veronica. It was originally a Dreamcast exclusive. This game follows Clair and Chris, details more history of Umbrella and its founders. It's ended with what may have been the beginning of the series most badass villain moments, leading to his progressing fame in the series (shh, not telling who, but, it's not hard to find out).
And then there's Resident Evil 4. Also, "And now for something completely different." It follows Leon S Kennedy, now certified badass, and has absolutely NOTHING to do with previous itterations of the series other than the characters and their motivations. Still worth playing, and the story will be important in RE5.
Next up, RE5. The most recent RE, and plays like RE4. It ties up ALL the loose ends, pays homage to all the games, and brings everything to a
satisfying close.
Order to play;
(I'll list it's original platform so you have an idea of its graphical abilities.)
Resident Evil (PS:One) // or Resident Evil: REmake (Gamecube)
Resident Evil 2 (PS:One)
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PS:One)
Resident Evil Zero (Gamecube)
Resident Evil: Code Veronica (Dreamcast/PS2)
Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube)
Resident Evil 5 (ps3/360)
There are more Resident Evil games out there, but these are the ones worth playing. The others are... not. If you want a quick once over for story and don't want to play that many games, the Wii has two rail shooters that put you in the hot seat and let you watch its story unfold while you House-of-the-Dead zombies away. I have not played these, so I can't attest to their value.