Resident Evil Series Best to Worst

[BHvrd]

Include any you want, if you want to include the games that strayed from the main series go ahead, personally i'm just rating best to worst based on the main games.

My Opinion:

Resident Evil 1 - Playstation

(Not the remake, not the DS version, not the Director's Cut, the original real deal! If it wasn't for this one, then well, there wouldn't be anymore, it's simple as that, not to mention from beginning to end the game is still a classic, even with all the B movie cheese.)


Resident Evil : Code Veronica - Dreamcast

(Personally never played X on ps2, so can't judge based on it. Code Veronica "imo" was just great! The story fit and was intriguing and the game had some really frigtening and freaky moments, from beginning to end it was every bit as good as the original, actually better I think, but the original has to be #1 :p.)


Resident Evil 5 - PS3/360

(Ever since Veronica this is the game I have been waiting for! Ties up loss ends and puts the series back on track! Has a next gen flair that ups the gameplay but also hampers the experience a tad bit, not much, i'm all for more gameplay in games these days especially since they cost so much. Story wins the day here in the long run.)


Resident Evil 2 - Playstation

(Great follow up, instant classic, the only reason I didn't rate it higher is cause it sticks to a more basic story and doesn't really expand terribly much on the story, though it does up the ante enough to come above others and the game is paced to perfection.)


Resident Evil 0 - Gamecube

(This one helps make the story more intriguing, only reason it didn't beat 2 is cause the pacing isn't quite as good imo. Kinda a companion piece.)


Resident Evil 3: Nemesis - Playstation

(Typical story, a bit of a cookie cutter sequel, though the Nemesis is scary/funny and makes it more interesting it just doesn't stack up to the rest in the series.)


Resident Evil 4 - Gamecube

(Never played the PS2 or Wii version, based on Gamecube cause that's what version I played..anyway...this is last on the list. Really all that can be said is that "at the time" the game was fun to play, it was a new experience and a pretty cool one "except for the end which was dog poo"....now...it just doesn't hold water. Story is a head slapper and the game is "imo" just kinda a cash-in. Ridiculous mini games "though fun" a silly vendor and just more of a Rob Zombie vibe the game just wasn't scary. Really liked it at the time, but now I just don't think it fits in with the series well at all.)

[Ed Oscuro]

Resident Evil 2: The first one I played (if only for a few minutes), and the only one I can really claim to feel nostalgia for. But beyond that, it's a very good game with amazing atmosphere.

Resident Evil 4: Lots of good scenarios and a few amazing ones; great mood (with one of the widest ranges of weather and lighting effects I can recall in a game), and serviceable controls for a decent if somewhat slow action gaming experience. Pretty much perfect given the system.

Resident Evil Remake (2002 GC): I think this is pretty much the stylistic apex of this sort of game. Favorite moments: Running around the hallway, into the area with the hanging coffin, and the music track "Cold Water." Not quite the epic that RE2 is, but otherwise it's really improved over the PSX games in nearly every imaginable way. I only put it below RE4 because I can only replay the games with tank controls so much (and that also limits my willingness to go through RE4 often).

Code Veronica: Still a very good game, but it's basically the same as previous installments in pacing and look. Favorite track: #66, Rasen. Next favorite - Deja Vu (just the intro). The graphics are very good despite being used mainly as a marketing gimmick for the Dreamcast (later ported to the GameCube, and sold for very low prices - that's where I got my copy).

Resident Evil 3: Haven't played much of it yet, but it strikes me as very ugly compared to RE2, with lower-quality CG backdrops - but that only counts for so much. Quite possibly deserves a higher rating.

Not yet played: RE Zero and many of the more exotic titles (GBC, Gun Surviror titles, and so on).

Sweet Home fits somewhere between rank #2-#4. Dino Crisis fits either just before or after Code Veronica (only lower on account of the neverending warehouse scenes, not enough jungle in this one), and I haven't played DC 2 yet. I'm not enthusiastic about Dino Crisis 3.

I have the original Biohazard for Saturn, and a couple guides for it as well - mainly out of curiosity's sake; it's a bit dated and probably superseded by the remake in every way. That said, I'm aware the original game got an entirely new soundtrack for the Director's Cut (one of the first games my folks bought for me - and one I never got to play; it's the only one I know of that they returned; on account of the gory cover; it's funny to think how far things have come in the gore department - and RE1 carved out this niche or more accurately bit through it, one vertebrae at a time).

[heybtbm]

1.) Resident Evil 4. Simply the best of the bunch. The new control scheme was exactly what the series needed. I'm not sure what really needs to be said at this point. Contender for greatest game of all time.

2.) Resident Evil 1, 2, 3, and Code Veronica. All tied up. They're each excellent considering the era they came out in. Pretty much identical games. +1 maybe to CV for starting the 180 degree turn (or was it RE3?). -1 to RE1's punishing inventory system.

3.) Resident Evil 0. I couldn't stand the inventory system (drop it anywhere...ugh) and the 2-person "wait here while I do this" system was annoying as well.

I'll withhold judgment on RE5 until I'm done. So far it's almost as good as RE4 was the first time through. I'm not sure how you compare RE4/5 with RE0/1/2/3/CV...they're such different games.

[BydoEmpire]

I love the series, and I've played through all of the following:

1. RE 2 - A+ - first one I played, and a nearly perfect balance of action and puzzles. Great atmosphere, pacing, characters, settings ...
2. RE 4 - A+ - great fun from beginning to end. Really well done. Action-heavy, of course, but so fun I didn't mind.
3. REMake - A - same great game, shiny new coat.
4. RE1 - A - great puzzles, great atmosphere, great action and a pretty unique game at the time.
5. REZero - A- - I enjoyed the 2p puzzles. The formula was getting old but it was still cool.
6. Code Veronica A- - very good, though not as memorable to me as others.
7. RE3:Nemesis - B+ - I can't put my finger on it, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the others. Good but not great.

I really enjoyed Umbrella Chronicles, but since it's so different it doesn't make sense to compare. Haven't played 5 beyond the demo, but I didn't like it all that much.

[Daltone]

RE2 - A fantastic 'one up' of the first game. Best in the series by about a mile.

RE / REMake / Deadly Silence - Whilst I didn't care for the touchy knife aspects of DS, the cart still contained the original game in all its glory. The fact that the game is still fun to play is a testament to how well designed it it is. The Director's Cut on the PS1 probably just about edges it in terms of being my favorite.

Code Veronica - After the letdown of the 3rd instalment CV was a minor return to form, but somehow it never gripped me in the same way the earlier titles did.

RE3 - I really enjoyed the city setting in the second game, but for some reason this seemed like a bit of a rehash.

REZero - I found RE Zero to be stale and the character switching to be a tired attempt to breathe new life in to old bones.

RE4 - And on the subject of tired old bones - awful control, dire plot. Looked very shiny, despite the notable lack of visible damage done to enemies, but the gameplay felt very very dated. Without the RE moniker you'd be left with a really bland action game.

Other mentions - Gaiden, Outbreak and finally, at the very bottom, comes Gun Survivor.

[Zap!]

Resident Evil 4 - Gamecube

(Never played the PS2 or Wii version, based on Gamecube cause that's what version I played..anyway...this is last on the list. Really all that can be said is that "at the time" the game was fun to play, it was a new experience and a pretty cool one "except for the end which was dog poo"....now...it just doesn't hold water. Story is a head slapper and the game is "imo" just kinda a cash-in. Ridiculous mini games "though fun" a silly vendor and just more of a Rob Zombie vibe the game just wasn't scary. Really liked it at the time, but now I just don't think it fits in with the series well at all.)

While I am in no way knocking you for your opinion, you are heavily in the minority. Most RE fans, including myself, put it at the top. It's equivalent to telling a Star Wars fan that Empire Strikes Back was the worst of the SW movies. :)

And play the Wii version, BTW. The most perfect controls on a Resident Evil game. By far.

[kupomogli]

While I am in no way knocking you for your opinion, you are heavily in the minority. Most RE fans, including myself, put it at the top. It's equivalent to telling a Star Wars fan that Empire Strikes Back was the worst of the SW movies. :)

And play the Wii version, BTW. The most perfect controls on a Resident Evil game. By far.

RE4 shouldn't be at the top because it's nothing more than a shooter with worse controls. The storyline is just bland and generic. The game itself has some good parts, but it's extremely monotonous throughout. Also. Leon is certainly dumb on the ending. I'd have tapped that if Ashley asked me.

--

Resident Evil 2. This will also either be first or very high up on the list on most fan favorites.

Resident Evil Outbreak/Outbreak File 2. Alot of people actually don't like these. I think the games give a sense of urgency because the zombies aren't contained to a single area but can actually follow you from room to room. While the first stage in the original Outbreak is the best, the others certainly don't fall behind. The only bad thing about the Outbreak series is the terrible load time unless you have a PS2 HDD(which I don't, though originally bought one for it just for Outbreak but was unusable because I didn't have a online adapter which they didn't sell anymore.)

Resident Evil Remake.

Resident Evil.

Resident Evil Code Veronica

Resident Evil Nemesis.

Resident Evil 4. It's not too bad a game, but it's a bad Resident Evil. The gameplay being a shoot em up style just throws out the survival horror aspect. Don't need to worry about bullets as you're guaranteed to never run out. Just shoot and keep shooting.

Resident Evil Gaiden. Awful game. If they had it 2d but then kept your basic RE gameplay, this game would have been pretty good, but they don't. The attacking is like using Tidus' Overdrive on FF10 where you have to keep hitting the correct spot and no way to block a Zombie attack at all, so you run out of ammo and you'll just be slashing with your knife repeatedly(same gameplay.) Why couldn't we have just got the canceled Resident Evil GBC that is just like the original :(.

Resident Evil Survivor/Survivor 2 Code Veronica. The first survivor is terrible. Sortof a crappy FPS type RE game. Survivor 2 I've heard was just the same and almost just as bad, though never played it.

[Zap!]

RE4 shouldn't be at the top because it's nothing more than a shooter with worse controls. The storyline is just bland and generic. The game itself has some good parts, but it's extremely monotonous throughout. Also. Leon is certainly dumb on the ending. I'd have tapped that if Ashley asked me.

I would have too. But Leon, like Obi-Wan, puts his job first and obeys the order to the T. It's a sign of loyalty. He's a good soldier, which is why I like him. Dresses better than Chris too. Swag level is sky-high.

As for controls, play the Wii version. Best controls in the series.


Resident Evil 4. It's not too bad a game, but it's a bad Resident Evil. The gameplay being a shoot em up style just throws out the survival horror aspect. Don't need to worry about bullets as you're guaranteed to never run out. Just shoot and keep shooting.

That's not true. The were many places where you had to conserve. Especially with the re-generators.

[RJ]

Guess no one played Resident Evil: Dead Aim- A Guncon2 shooter for PS2?

Dont bother. It'd be last on anyone's RE list.

[CDiablo]

2,3,1,CV,0,4 and I havent played 5 but based on the demo its like 4 and that game aint an RE game.

[walrusmonger]

If I had to pick one, it'd be RE5, since this is one of the most perfect co-op games I've ever played.

My ranking:

RE1
RE3
RE5
RE4
REmake
RE2
RE:UC
RE:Outbreak

Even though I own RE:CV, I still have yet to play it :-/

[Nesmaster]

4, 5, 1, 2, haven't played 3, 0, or CV.

[heybtbm]

Leon is certainly dumb on the ending. I'd have tapped that if Ashley asked me.

This has "new sig" potential.


Resident Evil 4. Don't need to worry about bullets as you're guaranteed to never run out. Just shoot and keep shooting.

Huh? Try playing on Professional.

[kupomogli]

Guess no one played Resident Evil: Dead Aim- A Guncon2 shooter for PS2?

Dont bother. It'd be last on anyone's RE list.

Never played Dead Aim, but the first Survivor game can be played using either the Guncon or controller. It's pretty bad though :P.

*edit*

Watching some videos on Youtube, Dead Aim really doesn't look that bad. It sortof looks like RE4 in a way. If you can play it with a controller, I'd say it'd probably be just like RE4, like Survivor.

[Ed Oscuro]

This has "new sig" potential.
Kupo has entertained me for some years now with such quality posts :D

Edit: Whoops, I forgot the Outbreak games. Oh well - I still haven't played 'em. Will have to put these and a bunch of other last-gen games on my to get list, as prices seem tolerably low now.

[sebastiankirchoff]

RE1
RE4
RE5
RE Code Veronica
RE2
RE3
Umbrella Chronicles
Survivor
Outbreak
Outbreak 2

Haven't played 0 or Gaiden or Survivor 2, but they look pretty lame (well, 0 looks fun)

[RJ]

Never played Dead Aim, but the first Survivor game can be played using either the Guncon or controller.


Oh, I thought they took out the Guncon support for the US release...

[kupomogli]

Oh, I thought they took out the Guncon support for the US release...

I used a controller, though I think it had Guncon support.

[Press_Start]

Oh, I thought they took out the Guncon support for the US release...

Nope, Dead Aim has GunCon support. Though I haven't played it with the controller, the GunCon interface delivers a different experience to play but the title sums it, you need DEAD AIM!

[boogiecat]

Resident Evil on the Saturn and RE N64 versions are the rarer ones(not so sure about that...) but a must buy..

[Oobgarm]

2
Code Veronica
1
4
Outbreak
5
3

Have not played 0, Outbreak 2, or any of the rail shooters, so I shall not pass judgment on them.

If Outbreak had voice chat, it would have been higher. It's like Left 4 Dead, only Resident Evil-style.

[RJ]

Nope, Dead Aim has GunCon support.


Yes I know- I owned it. Look closer at kupomogli's post; we were talking about RE: Survivor (for PS1).


You can play Dead Aim w/ a Guncon2, PS2 mouse, & IIRC just a controller, or combo Guncon2/controller, but I dont recall what did what. I dont think it had (PS1) Guncon support.

I didnt enjoy playing it long enough to find out. Specifically, the boss battles are near-impossible & totally unfair. There's a PITA boss battle where you have to hit him in an exposed organ on his back when he turns around-& HE NEVER DOES.

[Press_Start]

Yes I know- I owned it. Look closer at kupomogli's post; we were talking about RE: Survivor (for PS1).

:oops:

[sebastiankirchoff]

Does anybody here like the N64 version of RE2 better than the PS version? I like the PS version better, but it was a pretty amazing feat on the N64.

[heybtbm]

Does anybody here like the N64 version of RE2 better than the PS version? I like the PS version better, but it was a pretty amazing feat on the N64.

The first time I played through RE2 (start to finish) was with the N64 version. It was great for the time. The only difference I remember was the sound wasn't nearly as good as the PS version...very muffled. I'm guessing they had to sacrifice a few things like that to fit on the N64 cartridge.

[Ed Oscuro]

I need to play through that. The extras on the cartridge seem to make it a no-brainer must-have for me, but whether I'd think it's better is uncertain, since I like the original game's soundtrack so much. The movies aren't such a big deal to me.

Now I'm wondering if the PC version (which I have) had better music than the PSX. Same for Dreamcast.

[bangtango]

Does anybody here like the N64 version of RE2 better than the PS version? I like the PS version better, but it was a pretty amazing feat on the N64.

Yes, I do like the N64 version of RE2 better and always have. As much as I hate the N64 controller, I feel it suits RE2 better than the DualShock. Crazy as it sounds.

As for my list, it goes...

1. Resident Evil 2 (N64 then PS1): perfect mix of action and puzzles.

2. Resident Evil (PS1): by far the best storyline of any RE game because it is kept pretty simple compared to the sequels. I don't have much use for the murky grand conspiracy storylines that started to creep in over time. In RE1? A bunch of people find a mansion and decide to investigate.

3. Resident Evil: Code Veronica (DC): Challenging......I've run out of ammo in Code Veronica a greater number of times than in any other RE games. For that, it deserves a high spot.

4. Resident Evil 3 (PS1): Should be subtitled "Going through the motions." To me, Resident Evil 3 is to Resident Evil 2 what JPN Super Mario Bros. 2 (Lost Levels) was to the first Super Mario Bros or "the second quest" was to the first Legend of Zelda. More of the same, rehashed for your enjoyment.

5. Resident Evil Outbreak games (PS2): absolute junk, all of it.


Never played RE4 and probably won't anytime soon.