The survival horror gaming genre started out as a niche fascination in the 1990s, but franchises love Resident Evil helped legitimize these terrifying experiences and turned them into some of the most successful games on the market.
The public can create a new Resident Evil game every few years, but the 2000s was a pivotal decade for the franchise in terms of the direction of the main games and the increasing number of spin-off experiments. Some of these Resident Evil games have held up better than others and they make for a fascinating glimpse into memory.
10 Resident Evil Survivor turns the zombie apocalypse into a first-person shooter (score: 39)
The Resident Evil series has many spin-offs that push the franchise in different directions. Early in its run there are two Resident Evil Survivor titles that offer first-person light gun gameplay that takes advantage of the series’ terrifying array of creatures.
Resident Evil Survivor borrows enemies and elements from the first two Resident Evil games, while the sequel Survivor 2 – Code: Veronica, looks at material from Resident Evil 3 and CODE: Veronica. It’s a creative hub for the series that feels quite natural, but lacks the impact and terror of the core series.
9 Resident Evil Zero turns back the clock to look at the origins of evil in Raccoon City (score: 62)
The Resident Evil franchise continues to expand its knowledge in complex ways, but in the early 2000s it was quite new to have a prequel game that connects the dots with the original Resident Evil. Resident Evil Zero is an ambitious outlier in the franchise that takes gameplay risks such as its associated “zapping” system, difficulty punishing, and emphasis on leeches.
Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen never got the same fame as others Resident Evil leads. Resident Evil Zero made a bigger splash when it first debuted on Nintendo’s GameCube, and the modern HD remasters aren’t quite as strong, highlighting just some of the game’s fundamental issues.
8 Resident Evil: Dead Aim is an action-heavy light gun adventure on the PS2 (score: 65)
Capcom’s Weapon Survivor The spin-off series of the first-person shooter light gun was a fascinating experiment in the 1990s and 2000s. There are three Weapon Survivor titles that started on the PlayStation and despite the fancy name, the PlayStation 2’s Resident Evil: Dead Aim is for all intents and purposes Gun Survivor 4.
Resident Evil: Dead Aim is technically an improvement over the previous one Resident Evil Survivor games, but only because of the PS2’s hardware. The new characters in the game are among the most forgettable of Resident Evil. The gameplay that shifts between first-person shooting and third-person movement is also tricky.
7 Resident Evil: Deadly Silence brings touch controls to the original zombie experience (score: 71)
Nintendo has a long history of innovating handheld gaming, but their Nintendo DS technology was such a leap forward from its predecessor, the Game Boy Advance. The DS became a reliable home to many ports from the Nintendo 64 era, including a version of the original from the PlayStation Resident Evil.
Resident Evil: Deadly Silence adds a lot of quality improvements to the original, but loses none of the magic of the original during the transfer process. Deadly silence can’t compare with the real GameCube Resident Evil remake, but the main novelty here is to get a proper portable version of the game that started it all.
6 Resident Evil Outbreak forces online players to defeat the undead as a team (score: 71)
The advent of online multiplayer gaming has completely changed the industry and some franchises have been able to reinvent themselves by playing online. Resident Evil has gradually taken up online features, but their first dedicated effort in this area was that of PlayStation 2 Resident Evil Outbreak.
During the events of Resident Evil 2 and 3The online survival game lets players choose from a wide variety of human survivors. Resident Evil Outbreak was a nice evolution of the franchise’s standard formula. The expansion pack of the series, Outbreak File #2, was not received with the same enthusiasm and marked the beginning of the end for the cooperative title.
5 Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and Darkside Chronicles revisit a legacy of evil (score: 75)
Resident EvilThe history of the light gun genre goes all the way back to the original PlayStation, but the Nintendo Wii’s motion-control-focused gameplay led to two impressive Resident Evil archers on the rails. The Umbrella Chronicles and the sequel, The Dark Chronicles, retell pivotal events in the franchise from the perspective of various Umbrella and STARS agents.
These titles are relatively short, but they are packed with unlockable items that extend the light weapons adventure. Both titles have since been collected and remastered for the PlayStation 3, but the original cooperative experience on the Wii is what most audiences remember.
4 Resident Evil 5 marks Chris Redfield’s bold return and a new focus on action (score: 84)
Resident Evil 4 completely changed the game and set unrealistic expectations for the next main title in the series. Resident Evil 5 sends a burly Chris Redfield to West Africa with a new partner, Sheva Alomar, on a personal mission that forces Chris to confront many faces from his past, such as Albert Wesker and Jill Valentine.
The return of these old faces, new landscape, and emphasis on cooperative gameplay are all effective, but the game’s sloppy storytelling begins to push the franchise further away from horror and into general action territory (which culminates in Resident Evil 6).
3 Resident Evil Code: Veronica X is the definitive traditional Resident Evil experience (score: 84)
Originally released for Sega’s Dreamcast, Resident Evil CODE: Veronica was developed as the third feature in the series featuring Resident Evil 3: Nemesis intended as more of a side story. CODE: Veronica tells an appropriately epic tale that spans the globe and puts both Claire and Chris Redfield to the test in new ways as they attempt a reunion.
CODE: Veronica has hair-raising puzzles, disturbing enemies, and it brings Albert Wesker back in a huge way. Code: Veronica X is the improved PlayStation 2 port that adds even more to the satisfying package.
2 2002 Resident Evil remake conjures up an even scarier spectacle than the original (score: 91)
Nintendo struck an exciting deal with Capcom during the GameCube run that gave their console several exclusive titles, including several Resident Evil spell. One of the most exciting projects during this collaboration was a robust remake from 1996 Resident Evil.
Not only does the GameCube remake add significantly more to the game, but it’s also one of the best looking games on the console and it’s legitimately scary. Modern remakes of the classic Resident Evil games have become a popular trend for Capcom, but many consider this GameCube effort to be the strongest of them all.
1 Resident Evil 4 is a franchise high and a turning point for survival horror (score: 96)
The Resident Evil series wouldn’t be where it is today without Resident Evil 4. The groundbreaking title introduces a greater focus on action, removes static camera angles and continues to look ahead. Resident Evil 4 started as a GameCube exclusive, but has grown into one of the most ported games of the generation.
The greater reach and commitment in Resident Evil 4 felt revolutionary at the time and the game still has a very addictive structure. With an official next-gen remake on the way, time will tell if the GameCube original will finally meet its match.
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