Resident Evil has been one of the most popular game series since the first installment was released in 1996. After their initial success, the series branched out into multiple games on different consoles, including mobile devices. There’s been an enormous amount of spin-offs to the original series, film adaptations, and even a rumored Netflix series is currently in the works. No matter how many mixed reviews, or complaints one of their games receive, there are always more to come as people will continue to play the games no matter what.
With over 20 games in the series, 7 of which are the main storyline, Resident Evil always manages to grab the interest of gamers by adding new elements and twists into the series. Many fans have been praising the newest addition to the series, which is the Resident Evil 2 remake. But how does the new Resident Evil 2 compare to the original version and past Resident Evil games in general? In order to find out, I’ve looked up every game in the series and ranked them from worst to best according to their rating on Metacritic.
If you didn’t already know, Metacritic is a site that gathers all video game reviews and averages them on their site for gamers to see whether the majority enjoyed the game or not. Nearly every game can be found on Metacritic, including some Resident Evil games that you might not have even heard of yet.
First things first, we have the worst ranked Resident Evil game in the entire series, which is:
Umbrella Corps (Metascore: 38%)
Umbrella Corps was released worldwide in 2016 exclusively on PC and PlayStation 4. This game has both online multiplayer and single-player capability. For the story mode, you play as Agent 3A-7, which belongs to an imitation company of the Umbrella Corporation.
This new company sends Agent 3A-7 on multiple missions to test out new tools to fight against zombies. The online multiplayer mode of the game happens to take place 3 years after the events from Resident Evil 6. In this portion of the game, it’s your job to go to abandoned areas that have been overrun by zombies in order to search for lost files and secrets from the Umbrella Corporation.
Resident Evil Survivor (Metascore: 39%)
Coming in with a very slightly better rating than the last, Survivor follows “Vincent” after his helicopter crashes on Sheena Island. Following the crash, Vincent can’t recall anything that has happened to him before, or even his own identity. He assumes the identity of Vincent after a man named Andy tells him that he knows him.
Survival seems to be a challenging game, considering there is no save point. If you lose, you have to restart the game from the beginning. This game was released on the original PlayStation and PC. Many reviews claim that this game lacks a plot and also has a lack of action.
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (Metascore: 52%)
This game takes place during the same time as Resident Evil 2 and 3, but it is not canon. Operation Raccoon City is a hypothetical situation following characters from the Resident Evil games on different search and rescue missions. The game has two different plots, one of which follows the Umbrella Security Service attempting to retrieve the Nemesis-T Type. The next part follows the Echo Six team, who are sent on a mission in Raccoon City to find out what caused the outbreak. Despite getting incredibly mixed reviews, this game managed to sell more than 2.3 million copies and was a huge success for the series.
Resident Evil: Outbreak File #2 (Metascore: 58%)
Sequels are typically never better than the original, which is exactly the case with Outbreak File #2. This game has five different scenarios in which players can select a difficulty and character to play as. For every scenario, you are given a checklist and you have to complete literally everything on the checklist in order to complete the game at 100%. After you completely finish everything on your checklist, you are given an additional mode with unlimited ammo and unbreakable weapons. Depending on which character you choose, there are specific items hidden on the map for you to find.
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (Metascore: 65%)
Exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS, Mercenaries is an extended version of mini-games featured in Resident Evil 4 and 5. The goal of the game is to defeat as many enemies as you possibly can in a certain timeframe. Players are given the option to either play from over-the-shoulder view or first person. Critics claim that although the game is tons of fun, it lacks content and gameplay. There’s really not enough in the game to make it entirely worth it. Fans have also complained about the game, saying once you finish, there’s no need to replay it.
Resident Evil: Dead Aim (Metascore: 65%)
Released in 2003 on the PlayStation 2, Dead Aim comes in as a tie with Mercenaries. The story mostly follows Bruce McGivern who is a part of an organization that is anti-Umbrella. Fong Ling, who is a part of the Chinese MSS, is assigned to accompany him on a task to stop the Umbrella Corporation and prevent the threat of a T-Virus missile from Morpheus. Critics stated that despite the repetitive environments and lack of story, the game is very fast-paced and could have had potential if it were a longer game. Although the game may be enjoyable to play at the moment, it’s unfortunately not very memorable.
Resident Evil: Revelations (Metascore: 70%)
Set between Resident Evil 4 and 5, Revelations follows BSAA Agent Jill Valentine on a mission to search for the missing Chris Redfield and Jessica on the Queen Zenobia cruise ship where they were last spotted. Revelations was initially released on the Nintendo 3DS. Later, the game was eventually released on a variety of modern consoles including Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The original version of the game on Nintendo 3DS was even more of a critical success, although the console versions also did pretty well. Many critics stated that even though it was formatted for the 3DS, it was well-formatted for other consoles and the online mode of the game is equally engaging.
Resident Evil: Zero (Metascore: 70%)
Resident Evil Zero is a prequel to the original Resident Evil game. This story follows S.T.A.R Bravo team members Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen while they have to investigate a pharmaceutical wing of the Umbrella Corporation that was attacked by contaminated leeches. Many fans thought that the game had amazing graphics, although some critics complained about the controls of the game not being updated. Fans praised the spooky atmosphere, sound effects, and environment that the game displayed. When Capcom re-released the remastered version in 2016, critics were disappointed in the lack of improvements made to the controls, but really admired the scenery.
Resident Evil Outbreak (Metascore: 71%)
Players get to play as eight different characters that were originally clueless civilians at J’s Bar in Raccoon City. When a zombie wanders into the bar and attacks one of the bartenders, they find themselves having to escape Raccoon City before becoming infected. Other than the main eight characters, you can also control supporting characters if you choose to. The game also has co-op capability, which was the main issue that critics had with it. While playing online, there’s no way to communicate with other players, which makes it frustratingly difficult to work as a team.
Resident Evil: Deadly Silence (Metascore: 71%)
Deadly Silence is an enhanced version of the original Resident Evil game that was released exclusively for Nintendo DS. Plenty of new features were added into the game along with additional controls for the DS. There were four new modes included, including two online modes. Critics admired the controls of the game but many players complained that purchasing Deadly Silence wasn’t worth the money, since the original Resident Evil was cheaper.
There wasn’t enough additional content to make the game worth the extra money. Many critics also weren’t a fan of how the game was adapted to the smaller DS screen, saying that the backgrounds became less clear and appear to be much more high-quality on a TV screen.
Resident Evil 6 (Metascore: 74%)
With four different scenarios to choose from, including a variety of characters from previous Resident Evil games, and complete co-op availability for the story mode, many fans went into Resident Evil 6 expecting to not be disappointed. Plenty of critics adored the storyline but were not impressed with the element of horror in the game. In comparison to other games in the series, Resident Evil 6 definitely leans more towards action than horror. Fans were also divided about the online co-op ability, some players believed that playing the game with another player is unnecessary, while some fans loved that they had the option to play the story with a friend.
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (Metascore: 75%)
Claire Redfield made her return in Revelations 2, which is one sequel that managed to be more well-liked than the first installment, Resident Evil Revelations. Starting off with Claire and her co-workers being attacked at a company party and taken away to a deserted island, the story leads up to a variety of different events that take place in multiple episodes within the game.
Players can choose to play as either Claire or Moira Burton, who is the daughter of Barry Burton. While many critics had negative responses to the co-op function in Resident Evil 6, they actually praised the co-op capability in Revelations 2.
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (Metascore: 75%)
Darkside Chronicles is a re-telling of events that took place in Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil Code: Veronica. Players are able to play as fan-favorite characters Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield. Like many other Resident Evil games, this one has multiple scenarios that you can play through. Critics claimed that although the game lacks a complex storyline, the mechanics, amazing visuals, soundtrack and weapon system make this an enjoyable game to play throughout the night.
Fans commented that the game is suspenseful, spooky, and definitely worth playing. Darkside Chronicles was originally released for the Wii and was later made available on the PlayStation 3.
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (Metascore: 75%)
The Umbrella Chronicles contains five scenarios that take place around the same time as Resident Evil, Resident Evil Zero and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Chronicles basically summarizes the events that take place in those three games and even gives you some insight into Wesker’s point of view in the first Resident Evil game. The first three parts of the game take place in Raccoon City, and the last scenario takes place in Russia. Critics praised the way this game summarizes the Resident Evil series and makes it easy to understand for new players, while negative reviews mentioned that this is an average game that presents nothing new to the series.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (Metascore: 79%)
Resident Evil 3 was originally supposed to be a spin-off to the series instead of a part of the main story. The plan was to make it a more action-oriented game that introduces completely new characters, but instead, they made the story follow Jill Valentine. When the game was first released, many critics loved Nemesis as a villain and the graphics of the game. Some of the negative reviews complained about the short length and the number of puzzles. Nemesis is currently only available to play on the first PlayStation, Gamecube, PC, and Dreamcast. Hopefully, because of the success of Resident Evil 2, we will soon see this game on modern consoles.
Resident Evil 5 (Metascore: 84%)
The fifth installment to the main series of Resident Evil dropped the scares for a more action-based co-operative story mode. You can either play as BSAA Agent Chris Redfield or Sheva Alomar. Chris and Sheva are assigned the mission to capture a man named Ricardo Irving in order to prevent him from selling a bio-organic weapon.
In this game, Chris has to face Wesker and his old partner, Jill Valentine once again. The game mostly received positive feedback, although some critics and fans made complaints about the inventory system and controls. Resident Evil 5 is available on PlayStation 3 and 4, Xbox 360, PC, and the Xbox One.
Resident Evil - Code: Veronica (Metascore: 84%)
Code: Veronica follows Claire Redfield and her brother Chris Redfield attempting to survive a zombie outbreak at two different locations. Claire is on an island where she is imprisoned. Chris and Claire are both on their own personal missions to find each other, which brings Chris to Rockfort Island, where Claire is. Critics praised the original versions of the game, saying that it’s a must-play game. Some critics even stated that this was one of the best Resident Evil games to date. Although, the PS4 version of the game had more negative complaints about the graphics and camera angles.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (Metascore: 86%)
Biohazard was Resident Evil’s first VR game and completely strays away from the main storyline. Resident Evil 7 follows totally new characters and mostly takes place inside of an abandoned house. The game was a huge success amongst critics and fans. Some fans complained that the game is too different from the rest of the series and doesn’t feel like a Resident Evil game.
Fans were also surprised that there were no zombies in the game since the game has nothing to do with the T-Virus. Many critics admired the graphics and gameplay but complained about the finale of the game, especially the last boss battle. Resident Evil 7 is a revival of the true horror that the first few games in the series presented.
Resident Evil 2 - 1998 (Metascore: 89%)
Resident Evil 2 follows Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield 2 months after the events of Resident Evil. After the outbreak infected many citizens in Raccoon City, Leon and Claire are left to fend for themselves and attempt to escape. The sequel to Resident Evil was loved by many people, with many fans saying it’s one of the best games of all-time. Critics also praised the game, though they made complaints about the controls, voice-acting, inventory, and some of the puzzles. Despite the negative feedback, it’s still one of the most popular and loved Resident Evil games, even more so today.
Resident Evil (Metascore: 91%)
The game that started it all, the original Resident Evil comes in third place with a 91% score on Metacritic. Resident Evil follows Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, who are members of S.T.A.R.S to investigate missing members of the task force. Their mission leads them to a mansion in which they soon discover is infested with zombies. Resident Evil is one of the most popular horror games and many people say it paved the way for more horror games to shine. A majority of critics loved the game with there being almost no negative reviews for it.
