Last week, I posted my persona list of the “worst” original Resident Evil games. While it was disheartening to put Capcom‘s Resident Evil 7: Biohazard as part of that list as, in the end, I don’t really think it was a bad game. It’s just that I wasn’t having that much fun during the start and, well, I just think these five other Resident Evil games are better. So, let’s go through the other entries in Capcom’s legendary survival-horror series to see which are the ones I think are better.

But first, a little housekeeping as I reiterate a few things regarding how I ranked them. First, I’ll only be looking at the canonical Resident Evil games. As such, you won’t find the Survivor games, the Outbreak games or even the Revelations game. Second, only the original versions are going to be eligible for the ranking. I just think it would be unfair to include the Remakes as they were developed with modern sensibilities and can correct the problems of the originals.

This links directly into my third and fourth rules. The third being I’ll be ranking them while keeping in mind when they were made as looking at them through today’s standards would be unfair to older games with blocky graphics and somewhat archaic mechanics which were sort of workarounds for the day. Finally, a big factor when it comes to my rankings would be my first impressions of the game at the time. Got all that? Good! Time to rank!

#5 Resident Evil

After losing contact with STARS Bravo team in the Arklay Mountains, Alpha Team, including Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, head to the area where they were last seen. After the team is attacked by monstrous dogs, the team hole up in a deserted mansion. Unfortunately for them, the mansion is also filled with horrors that are trying to kill them. Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine must find a way to escape the mansion as well as figure out what’s happening.

The game that started it all! At the time, the original Resident Evil was a game like no other. Even though Resident Evil is credited for creating “survival horror”, there were already other games like it, such as Alone in the Dark. But Resident Evil was definitely the one that launched horror games into the stratosphere.

Playing the original Resident Evil on the original PlayStation was pretty much a hoot. This wasn’t a shooter nor was it an adventure game. It was a weird hybrid all wrapped up with cheesy horror B-movie niceties. While I didn’t really get scared while playing the game, the spooky atmosphere did keep me on edge, especially when a jumpscare, like dogs crashing through the windows, could happen at any time. I also never really had trouble with the game’s tank controls so I was able to wrap my head around playing it right from the get go.

The only reason why it’s not higher on the list is because of all the backtracking you have to do. At a certain point, running from one end of the mansion to the other gets really tiresome. While that could be said for all of the other Resident Evil games, the first one just feels much more boring to do.

#4 Resident Evil: CODE: Veronica

Taking place a few months after Raccoon City was obliterated due to a zombie outbreak, Claire Redfield infiltrates Umbrella’s European location in the hopes of finding dirt on the company as well as hoping she would locate her brother, STARS member Chris Redfield. However, she gets captured by the biotech company and is imprisoned on an island… and the island suffers from another zombie outbreak as soon as she arrives.

Code: Veronica was essentially the last of the “classic” Resident Evil games. This was just before the series focused more on action rather than survival horror as well as using the tired old tank controls. I honestly thought this would have been much higher on this list as this game was the very reason why I purchased a SEGA Dreamcast in the first place! However, I do have to be honest. As good as this game was, the “traditional” Resident Evil gameplay was starting to feel a little old by this time. Capcom made a few improvements, such as fully 3D rooms instead of the static prerendered locations, but the jank was just tiring by now.

Still, this was definitely a step up from the last official entry, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. The graphics as leagues better and, if you played this on the Dreamcast, you could actually see your heath via the VMU on your controller. Your characters (yes, there are several of them) could dual wield guns this time around. While getting your character to aim at two different enemies can be a little taxing, at least its there, making it a little bit easier to not get surrounded.

#3 Resident Evil Village

Ethan Winter thought the nightmare was over. After surviving being captured by the Baker family, he was starting to settle down with Mia, his wife, and Rosemary, his newborn daughter. It looked like he was going to get his happy ever after. But all of that was shattered when Chris Redfield and his team kill Mia and capture him and Rosemary. Their transport mysteriously crashes, leaving Ethan in a mysterious village filled with new nightmarish monsters. But Ethan has to endure the horrors in the hopes of rescuing Rosemary.

I’m actually surprised that I placed Resident Evil Village way up here. After all, I’ve mentioned previously I had a hard time getting into Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. But I guess that kind of primed me to get ready for Resident Evil Village. This game does play a lot like its predecessors but Capcom decided to get much more crazy with this entry.

They certainly didn’t play it safe here as it had a bonkers story of trying to rescue your dismembered baby from four insane people and the big twist regarding who Ethan Winters really is. Not only that, each of the aforementioned insane people control an area and they don’t play alike. My personal favorite is Donna Beneviento‘s house as you’re stripped of all of your inventory and weapons. There’s only one creature you have to face for the majority of the setting. But, as you have no weaponry, you can’t fight it. All you can do is just outrun or outsmart it. It’s a thrilling idea and it works really well.

However, what’s keeping it from being even higher is the fact I didn’t have a lot of fun during the last couple of locations, namely Salvatore Moreau‘s swampy area and Karl Heisenberg‘s factory. While they’re mostly fine and their boss fights are actually the best in the game, in my opinion, the area itself just felt very confusing to go through. I also didn’t enjoy the final boss fight as there were times when I just knew I avoided Mother Miranda‘s but I still took damage. Still, the overall package is great but I don’t mind taking a trip through this village once in a while.

#2 Resident Evil 4

The President’s daughter has gone missing while vacationing in Europe. Leon S. Kennedy, one of the survivors of Raccoon City, is sent to her last known location. He does find her but, in the process, uncovers a cult who is concocting a plot for world dominance.

Capcom realized the old survival-horror formula was getting stale. They tried different things to liven things up, such as causing Leon to hallucinate randomly and giving the main character supernatural powers (which eventually led to the creation of the Devil May Cry series). This slowly evolved into the Resident Evil 4 we know today, with more focus on action rather than horror. As good as the switch up was, I do think this was the reason why the series started to hit its lowest point. But I can’t really blame Capcom for following this new formula as Resident Evil 4 is just so good!

While originally an exclusive on the Nintendo Gamecube, Capcom knew this game had to be ported to every conceivable console out there. Although I did own a Gamecube by this time, I just couldn’t find the game here in the Philippines. I did eventually get to play it on the PlayStation 2 when it Capcom made a version for that system. And I was blown away by this action packed version of Resident Evil! Sure, it took me several tries to get through the initial village siege at the start of the game. But when that was done, I felt I could do anything!

While a part of me was disappointed by this new direction into action rather than scares, I simply cannot deny how fun Resident Evil 4 was. While things can get frustrating, especially during the ones when you’re endlessly assaulted by enemies from all sides, the combat still feels really good. The cheesy moments, such as Leon doing backflips to avoid lasers or him delivering groan-worthy one-liners add a lot of levity to the proceedings. The bosses are also enjoyable to fight as they’re never overly hard if you know what you’re doing.

But, as good as Resident Evil 4 is, my favorite “original” game will always be…

#1 Resident Evil 2

Raccoon City rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy runs into Claire Redfield, who is in the city looking for her brother, Chris Redfield. Just as the two enter the city proper, they are both assaulted by the undead. Both of them are separated but plan to meet at the city’s police station. The two must find a way out of Raccoon City before they are either overwhelmed by the hordes of zombies or before the city is obliterated by a missile designed to contain the outbreak.

Expectations were sky high for Resident Evil 2. After the phenomenon that was the first Resident Evil, fans were like the game’s very own zombies as they were hungry for more. Not only did Resident Evil 2 meet these lofty ideals fans hoisted to the upcoming game, they exceeded it.

Although the first game did allow you to play as two characters, Resident Evil 2 one-upped it with Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield as both of their adventures were happening at the same time. You had to play both as Leon and Claire to get the full story as well as the real ending. Some actions you did with one character would affect what the other character would experience so you may have to pick which character would have to face more hardships. Still, this made you feel like you were getting two adventures in one game! Actually, make that four games as you could start with Leon and continue with Claire in one playthrough then try out starting out as Claire then Leon! Such value for your money!

Gameplay was still frustrating to the uninitiated as the tank controls were still bonkers and some enemies would attack you from off screen. But, if you’re already a veteran of the first game, then it’s something you just dealt with and gotten used to. The story is a big leap from the previous entry as it really showed how brutal Umbrella really is underneath that pharmaceutical company cover.

Now, the main reason why Resident Evil 2 takes the top spot is my memories of first playing through it. This was one of the best gaming experiences I had thanks to all of the aforementioned good stuff above. While it may not be up to snuff by today’s standards, way back when this was released, this was a landmark title that everyone needed to experience.

What is your favorite Resident Evil game? Let me know in the comments section below!