There's been some good Resident Evil buzz on the site so I figured I'd offer up my opinion on all the games in the series I've played. The series is legendary and has had all range of games from epic to epically ****tastic (See: Resident Evil: Survivor). I'll be reviewing them in order of which they were released.

Resident Evil (PSX, Sega Saturn, Remade for Gamecube and DS)
The original bad **** itself, Resident Evil introduced fans to the universe of Raccoon City and Umbrella. Playing as a squad of elite police officers, you discovered a ruined mansion with more than enough dark secrets to deter any intruder. Unless of course you were Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, the two heroes of the title. Tight controls, great graphics (for the time), and good music albeit ****ty voice acting.

Rating: 8.2
Gamecube Rating: 8.7

Resident Evil 2 (PSX, PC, Game.com, N64, Dreamcast)
Arguably the greatest title in the series (only challenged by RE4), the players this time were thrust right into the heart of a ravaged Raccoon City as it was slowly being devoured by the undead. Great controls, an awesome story line, solid voice acting, and four different ways to beat the game, RE2 was the total package and should grace top 10 lists for a long time to come. There simply is nothing else to say, RE2 is a masterpiece.

Rating: 9.5

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PSX, PC, Dreamcast, Gamecube)
One of the most difficult games in the series also introduced a creature that quickly became the villainous figurehead for the game. Nemesis was a boss creature that helped redefine fear for RE gamers everywhere. He'd stalk you around the city, even following you into rooms as you ran from him. Using a new bullet-crafting system and a bit of a clunky dodging system as well as a real-time decision method of story telling, RE3 was a great addition to the series that doesn't always get the credit it deserves.

Rating: 8.9

Resident Evil: Code Veronica (Dreamcast, PS2, Gamecube)
Technically, this would be Resident Evil 4, but no need to worry. Code Veronica was to Claire Redfield (the heroine of RE2) as Resident Evil 4 was to Leon Kennedy. It continued the story of Claire Redfield as she searched for her brother Chris, the hero from the first game and soon to be released Resident Evil 5. This was also the first game to not use pre-rendered backgrounds and instead allow the character to move around with an unfixed camera. Like RE2, everything seemed above average from the gameplay, music, boss fights, and the story all melded together perfectly.

Rating: 9.2

Resident Evil: Survivor (PSX)
One of the truly terrible entries in the series, I personally beat this game in exactly 1 hour and five minutes. Using a first person perspective, Survivor told a new character's story that nobody cared about. Clunky first person controls (which were compatible with a light gun in Japan but not the US seeing as Capcom did not want backlash from the softies who would bring up the recent Columbine tragedy as enough reason not to), ****ty voice acting, and some incredibly dense AI made this game worthy of a toilet drain. The only redeeming quality is the first person perspective because it's fun to see Resident Evil in a different way, but it did not count for much in comparison to the rest of the ****tiness the game presented.

Rating: 1.4

Resident Evil 0 (Gamecube, Wii-Japan only)
Set hours before the first game and taking the role of an escaped convict named Billy and Rebecca, a side character from RE1, Resident Evil 0 introduced an odd sort of team mechanic where the player played as both characters (switching between the two at the press of a button). It worked okay, but it was not the incredible title people were expecting. The game was slated for release on the N64 but it was cancelled when it was realized that the N64 simply coudln't cope with the power the game required. Nevertheless, RE0 is the **** of the series, getting next to no notice despite the fact that it was quite a good game.

Rating: 8.5

Resident Evil: Dead Aim (PS2)
Another terrifyingly bad entry into the series and another first person, light gun optional game, Resident Evil: Dead Aim made gamers wish for a vial of the T-Virus along with the game so they could end their suffering. Although, to it's credit, the game was nowhere near as gut-wrenchingly terrible as Survivor. I actually played it all the way to the end and was not wowed by it in any way. The only exclamation I could utter was, "This is a ****ton better than Survivor" but that's like saying, "At least this **** is shaped nicely".

Rating: 5.1

Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube, PS2, PC, Wii)
Not only did this game help to revive the series and steer it in a new direction, but it sent shockwaves through the gaming community as a masterful and challenging action title. Winning numerous game of the year awards, RE4 continues the tale of Leon Kennedy, one of the two heroes from the second title as he traverses the Spanish countryside as a US Special Agent searching for the president's daughter. The game featured amazing action sequences, thrilling boss fights, and a simple to use interface. Resident Evil 4, like 2, will always be remembered as one of the greatest additions to the genre in history.

Rating: 9.7

Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (Wii)
The best in the first person entries in the series, Umbrella Chronicles tells several chapters of several games including some new perspectives. The on-rails shooter idea didn't fly with a lot of people, but I didn't think it was that bad. The real problem was the simplicity of the game and how short it was. With a universe as large as Resident Evil's, you'd think they'd have at least several dozen missions but alas, they do not. UC is fan service, plain and simple. Capcom did not set out to make a great game, they set out to make a game to hold us over between RE4 and 5 and it's not that bad.

Rating: 7.7



So there you go. My quick minute reviews of each game I've played. I stayed away from the Gameboy Color game and mobile games not just because they look terrible, but because they were rated as such. Also, the Resident Evil Outbreak series was not reviewd simply because it's a cancerous sore on the **** cheek of the series and will be ignored and referred to simply as, "That ****ty game series that shares the same name but it nowhere near as awesome." How bad is Outbreak? I'd rather play Survivor again. It's that bad.

What do you think? Agree or disagree? Got something you think I should have said or got wrong? Discuss!

"You were almost a Jill Sandwich!"

B-Movie voice acting, but greatness. Wish I still had it on PC.

I have the director's cut on Playstation and have been contemplating starting it again. I love that terrible live-action opening.

Somewhere around this mess of a computer desk, I have an old demo CD that contains that opening as a trailer. Don't know if it still works though, it's old (hell, it has a demo for The Curse of Monkey Island on it) and hasn't been treated well.

When we did get the game, due to the age rating, I wasn't allowed to play it. I remember sneaking downstairs in the middle of the night, turning the PC on, starting the game up...and getting as far as the dog corridor as Jill before pissing myself, quitting...and trying again.

Oddly enough...I considered that fun.

Haha, yeah tell me about it. The first time seeing the dogs is a pretty good scare for a lot of people. Although, Nemesis has his moments.

1.4....ouch! you gave the rest good reviews, though...that one must have been REALLY bad...

Trust me, you have no idea. I played through it, all the way through, in one goddamned hour.

That's how much it sucked.

wait, so it was just short? or was it an hour of suckfest?

No, it was not just the length. Youtube it, look at any video with footage of Resident Evil: Gun Survivor, it's absolutely horrific. It makes babies want to kill themselves.

baby suicides are a huge factor in whether or not I give a game my stamp of approval. huge.