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RESIDENT EVIL - From best to worst

Matt_Fox

Member
With hype building for Resident Evil 8, I thought it might be fun to try ranking the previous games in the series.

Now there have been a lot of remakes, remasters, directors cuts, and spin offs so for my list below I'm simply going with how much I enjoyed playing the seven main games upon their initial release.

1st. Resident Evil 4 (2005). For me not just the best game in the series but one of the best games of the Noughties. It felt wonderfully solid and grounded - every mutating villager, every monstrous boss, every bullet from the broken butterfly had weight to it. Powerful, bold, unusual game design like nothing that had been seen before.

2nd. Resident Evil 2 (1998). Having a chance to revisit this game recently with the remaster was a real joy. It took everything about the original and made it bigger and better. The expansion into the city streets instantly upped the anti and made Resident Evil 2 feel like a proper 'end of the world' style zombie experience.

3rd. Resident Evil (1996). Alone In The Dark back in '92 might have invented the genre, but it was Resident Evil that actually coined the phrase 'survival horror'. An enclosed area, locked doors to figure out, precious little ammo, and zombies for company - what a recipe.

4th. Resident Evil 5 (2009). Perhaps controversial putting this one so high (I remember reviewers at the time uncharitably refer to it as Resident Evil 4.5) but I thought it was brilliant. The African setting (which was also controversial to some) was so fresh and unique, as was introducing the sidekick Sheva.

5th. Resident Evil 7 (2017). Easily the scariest of the Resident Evil games. Putrid decay lingers everywhere and really creates an environment that you don't want to be in. It's a bit low in the list as the pace is sluggish (to accommodate VR) and the final third of the game tails off a bit.

6th. Resident Evil 3 (1999). Rushed out just one year after Resident Evil 2, and perhaps a little samey, for me this is one of the weakest entries in the main series. Video games are fundamentally about empowerment and having to constantly evade and flee the Nemesis sits somewhat at odds with that.

7th. Resident Evil 6 (2012). I'm struggling to remember this game, with its messy interwoven story, but I do recall the deflated feeling of disappointment. From the start it felt 'off' to me and unworthy of the Resident Evil name.

So, how'd I do on my ranking? Which are the best/worst Resident Evil's for you?

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MiguelItUp

Gold Member
I think it's a swell list. If we're not including remakes and what have you, my list would be...
RE1, RE2, RE3, RE4, RE7, RE5, RE6 (which I still haven't played to this day, lmao. But I KNOW it belongs last.)

If remakes DO count. It'd look more like...
RE1R, RE1, RE2, RE2R, RE3, RE4, RE7, RE3R, RE5, RE6
 

Matt_Fox

Member
Personally

Resident Evil 2: Remake
Resident Evil: Remake
Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 7
Resident Evil 1
Resident Evil 3 Remake
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil: Revelations 2
Resident Evil Zero
Resident Evil 3
Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Resident Evil 6
That's a thorough list! Not much love for Resi 5 in there tho...
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
1st. RE1('96), RE2('98) and RE3('99)
2nd. REmake (GCN)
3rd. others
My man.

My favorite is the OG 1996 release but if I'm being honest

RE2 Remake
RE2
RE1
RE3
RE1 Remake
RE: CVX
RE7
RE3 Remake
RE4
REV 2
RE 0
REV 1
RE6
RE5

One thing that I think is totally fair for RE4 is that it is a phenomenal videogame but a terrible Resident Evil game.
 
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sublimit

Banned
A Tier
1)Resident Evil 2 (classic)
2)Resident Evil 1 (classic)
3)Code Veronica
4)RE Remake
5)Resident Evil 4
6)Resident Evil 5
- - - - - - - - - -
B Tier
7)Resident Evil 0
8)Resident Evil 2 Remake
- - - - - -- - - - -
C Tier
9)Resident Evil 3 (classic)
10)Resident Evil 6

The A tier i loved it ,B tier was ok but with some problems and C Tier was disappointing even though i still enjoyed them more or less.

I don't consider RE7 a Resident Evil game and i haven't played the RE3 Remake yet.I really want to play the Revelations games though. They have been in my backlog for years and from what i've played of the first Revelations (i had played the demo) i'm sure i will enjoy them.
 
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S

SpongebobSquaredance

Unconfirmed Member
I can only speak on the games I've played

1. Resident Evil 4
2. Resident Evil Remake
3. Resident Evil Zero
4. Resident Evil Code Veronica
5. Resident Evil 5
6. Resident Evil 7
7. Resident Evil Revelations
8. Resident Evil Revelations 2
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
1)Resident Evil 2 (classic)
2)Resident Evil 1 (classic)
3)Code Veronica
4)RE Remake
5)Resident Evil 4
6)Resident Evil 5
7)Resident Evil 0
8)Resident Evil 2 Remake
9)Resident Evil 3 (classic)
10)Resident Evil 6

I don't consider RE7 a Resident Evil game and i haven't played the RE3 Remake yet.I really want to play the Revelations games though. They have been in my backlog for years and from what i've played of the first Revelations (i had played the demo) i'm sure i will enjoy them.
Revelations is a pretty decent game, the story is actually quite good but it's presented in a really confusing way, the ship parts are infinitely better than the arcade style flashbacks and Chris' sections. I think Revelations 2 is superior though. They did a great job with Barry and the co-op works really well. The story is kind of dumb at times (Claire's love interest subplot) but the main story is pretty decent. Revelations 2 was a total surprise after RE6. I wasn't expecting anything and was really surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I think I've played through it 3 times.
 

Ryllix_

Member
From the games I've played all of, or enough to feel I can fairly judge:

1. Resident Evil 2 Remake
2. Resident Evil 2
3. Resident Evil 1
4. Resident Evil 3
5. Resident Evil 1 Remake
6. Resident Evil 7 (Similar to how I feel about 4. The game is great but it doesn't feel at all like a "resident evil" game)
7. Resident Evil 4 (it's clearly a good game, but being labeled a "resident evil" game has always hurt it in my eyes)
8. Resident Evil 5

Never played 6, but watching videos of it clearly it's terrible as a "resident evil" game
 

Pejo

Member
I still think the original REmake was the best one, followed by RE2 Remake for updated gameplay. I like RE4 in concept, but actually playing it feels worse than the old PS1 games to me with the way Leon controls. 5 was great if you played it with a friend, just ok otherwise. RE3 was fun, Code Veronica was fun. 0 I didn't care for. 6 is the worst one by a landslide. I thought the Revelations series was really good when it was all done. The OG is about in the middle of the pack.

I really hope the RE4 remake is true and that they update the controls to the RE2/Revelations style. That will significantly increase my enjoyment of it.
 

Ravix

Member
1. RE1 Remake
2. Code Veronica
3. RE4
4. RE2
5. RE3
6. RE0
7. RE5
8. RE6
9. Every Spin off game
10. The garbage RE2 and RE3 Remakes.
11. RE7
RE7 deserves last place because it doesn't feel anything like a RE game and more like a cheap VR cashgrab. I'm sure RE8 will suck as well since they kept the same bland MC and first person mode.
 

AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
Don't think I can rank definitively. Only adding those played, obviously.

S Tier
REmake, RE2, RE4

A Tier
REmake 2, RE3

B Tier
RE7

C Tier
Code Veronica X, REmake 3

Superseded Tier
RE1
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
i just think that REbirth is the absolute best and that RE 0 /RE 2/REmake 2/ RE 3/ REmake 3/ RE 4 and RE 7 are all fantastic.
Yes i love RE 0 and i don't care.
I have my issues with Zero in terms of story but the biggest thing that keeps me from enjoying it more is the lack of an item box. Being able to drop items is nice but it can be a pain tracking stuff down. I'd much rather have the item box. The game is insanely gorgeous though.
 
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fart town usa

Gold Member
1.REmake
2.RE4
3.RE2
4.REmake2
5.RECV
6.REmake 3
7.RE7
8.RE5
9.RE0
10.RE6

Low tier trash: Every spinoff and Revelation games. The original RE3 is the only main entry I havent played.
Damn dude, you owe it to yourself to play the original Nemesis. It's so good. Never understood why people bash it. Nemesis is better in the original than the remake, it has branching narrative paths like the OG 1996 RE (character cutscenes you can completely miss out on), some really memorable locations, good puzzles. The Mercenaries mode after beating the game is a blast too. Great replay value. It's a fantastic game through and through. You should definitely check it out sometime.
 

ethomaz

Banned
1. Resident Evil
2. Resident Evil 2 / Resident Evil 7 (tie)
4. REmake
5. Resident Evil: Code Veronica
6. Resident Evil 3
7. REmake 2
8. Resident Evil 4

I didn't care after RE4 being one of the most boring RE I ever played... and REmake 3 lol lol lol
 
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kunonabi

Member
1. RE3
2. RE Outbreak
3. Resident Evil/RE DS
4. REmake
5. RE0
6. RE2 = REmake2
7. Dead Aim
8. Survivor - kind of unfair to put it so high since most of the appeal is all the weird in-jokes and funny moments from my crew playing it together but it was still a highly entertaining experience which is more than I can say about the stuff that comes next.
9. RE Gaiden
10. Darkside Chronicles
11. Umbrella Chronicles
12. RE6
13. RE4
14. RE5
16. Revelations
17. RE7
18. Code Veronica
19. Revelations 2
20. REmake 3
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
For now, just passing by to say that I'm one of those weirdos that thinks that Resident Evil (2002) does not make Resident Evil (1996) obsolete. I still love OG RE1 for lots of reasons, and play it yearly.

Ranked list with rationale incoming later.
Dude abso-effing-lutely. I play through the OG 96 release probably every other month. For about 3 years it was literally the only game I played, and that was recently, like 2015-2018. Just wasn't gaming much and I was dealing with a lot of shit that fell into my lap. It was like zen meditation. It's my personal favorite game of all time. It really is an absolute masterpiece in terms of game design. People crack on the voice acting but who cares, the sound design, environments, gameplay, and story hold up 100%. The success of RE is one of the reasons Capcom was able to stay afloat back then, and that's coming from Alex (CVX Freak). He's about to release a book that details tons of behind the scenes stuff, he lives in Japan, speaks the language and interviewed tons of people who were involved in the early RE games. Can't wait to read it.
 

T8SC

Member
1: Resident Evil 2
2: Resident Evil
3: Resident Evil 3
4: Resident Evil Zero
5: Resident Evil: Code Veronica
6: Resident Evil: Revelations
7: Resident Evil 4
8: Resident Evil 5
9: Resident Evil: Revelations 2
10: Resident Evil 7
11: Resident Evil 6

I've ignored the spin offs (Survivor, ORC etc) and also the remakes. The GC Remake would be up equal with original RE2 though.
 

Matt_Fox

Member
1. RE3
2. RE Outbreak
3. Resident Evil/RE DS
4. REmake
5. RE0
6. RE2 = REmake2
7. Dead Aim
8. Survivor - kind of unfair to put it so high since most of the appeal is all the weird in-jokes and funny moments from my crew playing it together but it was still a highly entertaining experience which is more than I can say about the stuff that comes next.
9. RE Gaiden
10. Darkside Chronicles
11. Umbrella Chronicles
12. RE6
13. RE4
14. RE5
16. Revelations
17. RE7
18. Code Veronica
19. Revelations 2
20. REmake 3
That is a thorough list! I cant help notice you've got 3 at both top and bottom!!
 

Mabdia

Member
Well... I just can't see 4 and 5 as good games to the franchise.

Don't get me wrong, they were good games in the time when they got released. Yet, they sucks as resident Evil. Add to that that both are unplayable these days.

I tried to play both and they both sucks to play.

My top:

REmake
RE2 (1998)
Code Veronica
RE1
RER2
RE3
RER3
RE4 (Fun game, bad RE)
RE5 (Fun game, bad RE)
 
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