Ranking The Entire Resident Evil Series

Resident Evil is one of the most important and successful series in all of video games.

Resident Evil is one of the most important and successful series in all of video games. From the first Resident Evil, which effectively launched the horror genre to the upcoming suspense-driven Resident Evil Revelations 2 ( check out our cover story reveal here), the series is filled with ups and downs as dramatic as its cheesy, fun story. The horror franchise has transcended different genres, from overhead Game Boy Advance games to a light gun adventure, offering a huge variety to its fans. I became a lifelong fan of the series at age 11 after a nerve-jangling play session with the 1996 original. Since then I've played and beaten practically every game the series has to offer. As part of our month-long celebration of the Resident Evil series, I've ranked all 20 main releases in the zombie-riddled franchise according to my own tastes.

20. Resident Evil Survivor (2000 - PlayStation)
Light gun shooters were having a heyday in the late '90s,
and classics like Time Crisis made their way into fans' homes on the
PlayStation. With Namco's Guncon peripheral readily available for consumers,
Capcom went to work on a light gun game based on the Resident Evil franchise.
While it sounds like a no-brainer combination, something terribly wrong happened
along the way. For whatever unholy reason, Capcom dropped light gun peripheral
support for the on-rails first-person shooter during development. Fans were
left to fend off the recycled Resident Evil monsters using the clunky d-pad or
DualShock controls instead.

19. Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (2012 - PS3, 360,
PC)
Upon early inspection, Operation Raccoon City looked like an
awesome twist for the series. Playing as Umbrella operatives, fans would blast
zombies with a multitude of weapons via a modern third-person shooter formula.
The skilled agents could seamlessly switch to melee combat to thin out the
crowds. Sadly, the final package was a letdown thanks to developer SlantSix's
uninspired mission design and game-breaking bugs.

18. Resident Evil Gaiden (2001 - Game Boy Color)
What this portable spin-off isn't necessarily fun, but it is
original. Transposing the moody, tense world of Resident Evil to the Game Boy
Color couldn't have been an easy task (Capcom canceled a GBC port of the 1996
original, which is telling). Gaiden's non-canonical story features series Leon
S. Kennedy and Barry Burton aboard a zombie-infested cruise ship.
Unfortunately, the mismatched combat involves a timed button press minigame
that would more at home in an NES golf game. The "gunplay" is so rough that it's the reason Gaiden is the only game in the series I haven't beaten.

17. Resident Evil: Deadly Silence (2006 - Nintendo DS)
As a port of the original 1996 Resident Evil, Deadly Silence
succeeds. It even allows players to manually reload their weapons without
accessing the inventory screen. Unfortunately, the core new features involve
awkward new first-person knife fights and brainless puzzles using the DS's
touchscreen. Why would Jill or Chris want to ignore using all their hard-won
ammo to fight a pack of deadly Hunters using a blade with all the stopping
power of butter knife? Your guess is good as mine.

16. Resident Evil: The Mercenaries (2011 - 3DS)
The quality of the games covered on this list makes a
dramatic upswing starting with this 3DS title. Packaged as a standalone game
featuring Resident Evil 5's addictive Mercenaries mode, this early 3DS game's
combat felt impressively close to its larger console counterpart. The
stop-and-shoot gunplay fit the 3DS's single circle pad perfectly, though the
choppy enemy animations detracted from the experience. It also offered a cool first-person mode to give players a closer view of the battlefield.

15. Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (2009 - Wii, PS3)
This follow-up to Umbrella Chronicles - the Wii's on-rails
Resident Evil anthology game - retells the stories of Resident Evil 2 and RE Code:
Veronica with some new story morsels. Stitching together the Wii remote
shooting gallery is a narrative that tells the backstory of Leon on Krauser
hinted at in RE 4. The dysfunctional duo's South American exploits are a good
time, but the game's annoying shaky cam-style gameplay makes it a worse
experience than its predecessor.

14. Resident Evil: Dead Aim (2003 - PS2)
Dead Aim is one of the series' most unique and
underappreciated titles. The game makes use of a light gun with a d-pad where a
real pistol's hammer would be. This allows players to run around an
undead-infested shift in third person, then switch to a first-person light gun
aiming mode. This unique control set up allowed players to dial in headshots
for the first time in the series. It wasn't a particularly noteworthy game
outside of the core gameplay, but watching a zombie fly back into a wall after
a messy headshot felt great.

13. Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2 (2004 - PS2)
This sequel to Resident Evil's foray into online gaming
delivered some excellent environments. Players could team up with random
strangers to fight through a T-virus infected zoo (complete with an undead
elephant) and a return to Resident Evil 2's underground Umbrella lab. It was a
fun return to four-player co-op for the series, but lacked the impact of the
original Outbreak. Sadly, the official servers were deactivated years ago, so
any planned vacations to Raccoon City will need to be solo trips.

12. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007 - Wii, PS3)
Around the same time Capcom released RE 4 for the Wii, the
company released an on-rails shooter that would retrace the series' past and
catch newcomers up on the story. The result was a simple but fun new
perspective on major games in the series like Resident Evil Zero, the GameCube
remake, and Resident Evil 3. Unlocking and upgrading guns added a necessary
layer of progression to the otherwise linear levels, and alternate perspectives
on important events like Wesker's take on the Mansion Incident. The two-player
local co-op helps push it over the edge as a solid game to play for any Wii
owner.

11. Resident Evil 6 (2012 - PS3, 360, PC)
One of the most polarizing entries in the entire series also
happens to be one I unabashedly enjoyed playing. I adore the franchise's darker,
more intense entries, but I also appreciate how over-the-top insane RE 6 is.
The gameplay is all over the place, from wonky stealth sequences to intense
motorcycle chases. These aren't the core reasons fans fell in love the series,
but playing through the chaos with a friend is a blast. Even better, Jake's
furious melee moves make him a worthy heir to Wesker's bloodline.

Up next: The cream of the Resident Evil crop...