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 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 ired 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 ing 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 ired 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.
