I'm playing all the Resident Evils for the first time in release order

Pixel Grotto · Mar 13, 2018

This is the order I'm going by.

*****

CLASSIC RESIDENT EVIL
1. Resident Evil 1 (COMPLETED on 3/17/2018! See my progress updates: 1, 2, 3, 4 and final thoughts.)
2. Resident Evil 2 (COMPLETED on 3/27/2018! See my progress updates: 1, 2, 3, 4 and final thoughts.)
3. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (COMPLETED on 4/13/2018! See my progress updates: 1, 2, 3 and final thoughts.)
4. Resident Evil: Code Veronica (COMPLETED on 4/23/2018! See my progress updates: 1, 2, 3, 4 and final thoughts.)
5. Resident Evil REmake (COMPLETED on 5/6/2018! See my progress updates: 1, 2, 3, 4 and final thoughts.)
6. Resident Evil Zero (COMPLETED on 5/17/2018! See my progress updates: 1, 2, 3 and final thoughts.)

ACTION RESIDENT EVIL
7. Resident Evil 4 (COMPLETED on 6/7/2018! See my progress updates: 1, 2, 3, 4 and final thoughts.)
8. Resident Evil 5 (COMPLETED on 8/23/2018! See my progress updates: 1, 2, 3, 4 and final thoughts.)
9. Resident Evil Revelations (COMPLETED on 9/24/2018! See my progress updates: 1, 2, 3 and final thoughts.)
10. Resident Evil 6 (COMPLETED on 11/10/2018! See my progress updates: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and final thoughts.)
11. Resident Evil Revelations 2 (COMPLETED on 12/14/2018! See my progress updates: 1, 2, 3 and my final thoughts.)

FIRST PERSON RESIDENT EVIL
12. Resident Evil 7 (COMPLETED on 12/22/2018! See my progress updates: 1, 2, 3 and my final thoughts.)

THE NEWEST RESIDENT EVIL
13. Resident Evil RE2make (COMPLETED on 2/2/2019! See my progress updates: 1, 2, 3 and my final thoughts.)

=EXTRA STUFF=

(I'm not going through ALL the spin-offs, since some of them, like Outbreak, were focused on online that is no longer fully functional, and others, like Dead Aim, I simply don't have the hardware to fully enjoy. I decided that I was most interested in the ones below.)

SPIN-OFF GAMES
Resident Evil 1.5, Resident Evil Gaiden, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (See my final thoughts.)

NON-GAME RESIDENT EVIL
Resident Evil Comics (See my final thoughts.)
Resident Evil Novels (See my final thoughts.)
Resident Evil Movies (See my final thoughts.)

*****

When I say that I'm playing these for the first time, I mean it. With the exception of RE1, which I played a little of back in the day (but never beat or got very far), I am a newbie to the series. I know who characters like Jill, Chris and Wesker are, and I have a rough idea of the plot of certain games, but the vast majority of stuff is new to me.

I never really wanted to play the series while growing up because I was a weenie and too scared of survival horror. I've since become interested in the genre, though, and I actually played through Sweet Home, the Famicom game that inspired the first RE, recently and loved it. It only seemed natural to tackle all of these games next!

I'm making this thread to track my progress and share my thoughts and screenshots. Hope it's entertaining!

*****

FINAL EDIT on 3/16/19: After a year's worth of Resident Evil, this thread came to an end. Thanks for following along. It's been wild.

Pixel Grotto · Mar 13, 2018

So right now I'm currently playing Resident Evil 1. Not the remake (I'll get there eventually) but the original. I wanted to do this to experience the evolution of the series and also to see how the first game continued the legacy of Sweet Home.

It's been great so far. I'm currently playing as Jill - not sure if I will do a playthrough as Chris after or just move on to RE2. We'll see. Anyway, I'm in the part where I've passed through the guardhouse and re-entered the mansion. Some takeaways and screens that I took:

The tank controls aren't as bad as I remembered! When I first played RE years ago I remember being flabbergasted at them and getting caught in walls all the time. Now, I find them pretty intuitive, though aiming can still be a challenge.
The low-poly look has REAL charm now that it's considered a nostalgic aesthetic.

RE1 is still scary, at least in the beginning when ammo is scarce and you're unfamiliar with the interior of the mansion. That tension at not being able to see what's just around the corner, and the little sound cues that indicate when different enemy types are near is fantastic design.

I knew it was coming, but the "Hellhounds jumping out the windows" scene still made my heart jump a little.
I tried knifing the crows in the gallery puzzle room. It didn't work out so well, haha.

It's a real trip playing this after completing Sweet Home and seeing the odes and similarities. The behind-the-back reveal of the very first zombie is the same as the reveal of the "Man" enemy in Sweet Home, and all of those door transitions are the same. ITEM MANAGEMENT is also the TRUE nightmare of both games, and the discovery of more details about the mansion through files scattered about the place is a callback to Sweet Home as well. Funny how all games do this nowadays.

I like how things switch up after the guardhouse section, when you encounter the Hunters in the mansion. By this point, I'd memorized the mansion interior, had massacred every slow-moving zombie in there and felt reasonably comfortable around the place. Suddenly, this comfort was challenged by new, more agile enemies that kept slicing my head off. It's great game design that forces you to rethink your strategies for covering what was once familiar and comfortable territory.

It'll be a while before I get to it, but I'm super excited to see how the Remake re-visualizes this game.

More thoughts to come! I've also posted more screenshots on a Twitter thread here.

Shoe · Mar 13, 2018

I hope this isn't Chris' blood...!

DC5remy · Mar 13, 2018

Just wait until you cannot walk and shoot and die 1000 times. Hated that in the later series.

VaporSnake · Mar 13, 2018

Seems like a good way to experience the whole series, good luck :3

Bishop89 · Mar 13, 2018

I need to this too.

I don't remember much about the first trilogy.

Snake Eater · Mar 13, 2018

Not sure why you'd adjust playing the games in order of release unless you like stories in reverse order

Personally I can't replay any of the older RE games with the tank movement mechanics

imbarkus · Mar 13, 2018

I really value my experiences with Deadly Silence, Survivor, and Dead Aim.

Consider taking them on as some sideshots if you get fatigued.

Lukemia SL · Mar 13, 2018

Bishop89 said:
I don't remember much about the first trilogy.

My name is not Alice but I remember everything.

My order is:

Remake, 0, 2, 3, CV, 4, 5, Rev1, 6, Rev2, 7

Neptonic · Mar 13, 2018

Do you really need Remake, 3, and Zero if the much better Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles exists? Gets rid of all those pesky puzzles and dumb backtracking. It boils down the purest Resident Evil experience to what the developers truly wanted.

SARCASM
ENJOY THESE VERY GOOD GAMES OP
also Umbrella Chronicles is actually fun but people don't like fun light gun games

Sub Level · Mar 13, 2018

I liked PS1 resident evil, despite having played REmake already. Good job starting with the ps1 games OP!

Pixel Grotto · Mar 13, 2018

imbarkus said:
I really value my experiences with Deadly Silence, Survivor, and Dead Aim.

Consider taking them on as some sideshots if you get fatigued.

I was curious about Deadly Silence and am considering doing my Chris playthrough of the first game there. How good of a port is it and how well does it use the DS capabilities? I feel like having the map on the bottom screen would be great.

StuBurns · Mar 13, 2018

Zero after REmake... That'll break a man.

saenima · Mar 13, 2018

Fun times ahead :)

Even though i literally just made a long post shitting on 6 on another thread, they're all worth playing for different reasons, only if to see the evolution of the series.

My highlights:

2
3
4
Code Veronica
Revelations

Lukemia SL · Mar 13, 2018

StuBurns said:
Zero after REmake... That'll break a man.

Tough true, but story and non spoilers about character betrayals for a first timer it'd be the correct way to go.

Trodding through CV while really wanting to play the goodness of 4 was harder for me.

Deleted member 419 · Mar 13, 2018

I hope you have a blast OP. This is absolutely the best way to play through a series imo, chronologically. And RE is one of the best series to do it with, because there are so many interesting design philosophies that get reinforced/reimagined/deconstructed at various points in the series.

Seriously, if there is any franchise to play in chronological order and watch its design progression, it's Resident Evil.

StarPhlox · Mar 13, 2018

Congratulations. You just made the best decision of your gaming life. It'll be nice to have REmake to break up the mediocre Code Veronica and Zero. From then on its relatively smooth sailing.

Dusk Golem · Mar 13, 2018

I will definitely be following, and for the record the order is a pretty good way to play the series in general.

Some asides I will mention, no spoilers but notes I will make if going in fairly blind:

-For Resident Evil 1 you don't need to play both Chris and Jill's campaigns. You can if you want to, there are some differences, but playing through one I think is fine as they're mostly similar.

-For Resident Evil 2, make sure that you play both Leon and Claire's campaigns. There's some pretty big differences if you play both.

-Resident Evil REmake, like RE1 you don't need to play both Chris and Jill's campaigns. You can if you want to, there's some differences and even more differences than the original RE1, but they're still pretty similar.

-For Resident Evil 4, once beating the game I will suggest playing the secondary optional campaign known as, "Separate Ways" for the complete experience. It is in the PS2 and all later versions (but not the GameCube original). I don't know what platform you're playing on, but if on PC I will suggest a certain texture mod. Also I suggest dipping your toes into the Mercenaries Mode.

-Resident Evil 5 I HIGHLY suggest playing on Veteran difficulty, Veteran Difficulty is basically equivalent to RE4's Normal difficulty. I also HIGHLY suggest finding a co-op partner to play the game with, it'll make the game a lot more enjoyable. Also once you complete the game, definitely play Lost in Nightmares and Desperate Escape, their DLC but included in the Gold Edition, and both are very much worth playing. Also dip your toes into Mercenaries, it's quite a bit of fun.

-Resident Evil Revelations 1 if you have time and feel like it, I suggest playing Raid Mode, potentially with an online co-op partner. Raid Mode is an optional mode, but probably the best thing about Revelations 1. It's essentially dungeon crawling RE with some fun twists.

-Resident Evil 6 after you do the prologue chapter I suggest you mess around in Mercenaries a bit to get used to the controls before hopping into the main game. I suggest playing Professional in RE6 as it's essentially the equivalent to Veteran difficulty in RE5. ALSO, instead of playing campaign by campaign, I HIGHLY suggest playing the game in this order:
Prelude Chapter
Chris Chapter 1
Chris Chapter 2
Jake Chapter 1
Jake Chapter 2
Leon Chapter 1
Leon Chapter 2
Leon Chapter 3
Jake Chapter 3
Chris Chapter 3
Jake Chapter 4
Leon Chapter 4
Chris Chapter 4
Jake Chapter 5
Chris Chapter 5
Leon Chapter 5
Ada's Campaign
I have some reasoning for all of these placements, it's essentially the 'chronological order' of events in the game but with a few changes for pacing. Ada's campaign was originally unlockable, which is why it's last, but frankly despite a patch later making it available from the start I highly suggest playing it last as it's meant to be played last I feel. This order though will help the pacing of the game I feel, as it varies up the tone and events more. I also suggest like RE5 to play with a co-op partner. Dipping toes into Mercenaries is also fun here, maybe the best part of RE6.

-Resident Evil Revelations 2 there's two DLC bonus episodes, they aren't as good as the main game and some hate them but I think they're okay. They have a few story expansion things and moments, so really it's your call if you want to play them or not. Raid Mode in Rev 2 is fun but I don't think as necessary to play as Revelations 1 due to a few things, but it's up to you.

-Resident Evil 7 make sure to play the DLC stuff. Not a Hero is free for all so that's easy enough, End of Zoe costs money but is worth playing I think. The Lost Footage DLC has some gems in it, I think the ones you must play as Bedroom and Daughters, but I'd also add on 21, Basement, and Jack's 55th Birthday Mode if you want the full 'experience'. Jack's 55th Birthday Mode in the Banned Footage DLC is essentially this game's Mercenary Mode, and for the other DLC pieces I suggest playing Banned Footage stuff before Not a Hero and End of Zoe, but up to you.

-ALSO, this is just my opinion and you don't need to feel like you have to take it, but I'd kind of recommend even though it's a spin-off if you can get it for cheap enough to play Resident Evil: Dead Aim. I think it's often underlooked, it takes place between the classic and modern Resident Evils, showing elements of the older RE games and RE4, and has a story with a few connections (not important, but interesting). I think it plays the most like the mainline RE games and provides a good experience if going all the way through. Umbrella and Darkside Chronicles tell important canonical stories, but their gameplay is so different so up to you there.

Hope some of this was helpful~

Pixel Grotto · Mar 13, 2018

Dusk Golem said:
I will definitely be following, and for the record the order is a pretty good way to play the series in general.

Some asides I will mention, no spoilers but notes I will make if going in fairly blind:

-For Resident Evil 1 you don't need to play both Chris and Jill's campaigns. You can if you want to, there are some differences, but playing through one I think is fine as they're mostly similar.

-For Resident Evil 2, make sure that you play both Leon and Claire's campaigns. There's some pretty big differences if you play both.

-Resident Evil REmake, like RE1 you don't need to play both Chris and Jill's campaigns. You can if you want to, there's some differences and even more differences than the original RE1, but they're still pretty similar.

-For Resident Evil 4, once beating the game I will suggest playing the secondary optional campaign known as, "Separate Ways" for the complete experience. It is in the PS2 and all later versions (but not the GameCube original). I don't know what platform you're playing on, but if on PC I will suggest a certain texture mod. Also I suggest dipping your toes into the Mercenaries Mode.

-Resident Evil 5 I HIGHLY suggest playing on Veteran difficulty, Veteran Difficulty is basically equivalent to RE4's Normal difficulty. I also HIGHLY suggest finding a co-op partner to play the game with, it'll make the game a lot more enjoyable. Also once you complete the game, definitely play Lost in Nightmares and Desperate Escape, their DLC but included in the Gold Edition, and both are very much worth playing. Also dip your toes into Mercenaries, it's quite a bit of fun.

-Resident Evil Revelations 1 if you have time and feel like it, I suggest playing Raid Mode, potentially with an online co-op partner. Raid Mode is an optional mode, but probably the best thing about Revelations 1. It's essentially dungeon crawling RE with some fun twists.

-Resident Evil 6 after you do the prologue chapter I suggest you mess around in Mercenaries a bit to get used to the controls before hopping into the main game. I suggest playing Professional in RE6 as it's essentially the equivalent to Veteran difficulty in RE5. ALSO, instead of playing campaign by campaign, I HIGHLY suggest playing the game in this order:
Prelude Chapter
Chris Chapter 1
Chris Chapter 2
Jake Chapter 1
Jake Chapter 2
Leon Chapter 1
Leon Chapter 2
Leon Chapter 3
Jake Chapter 3
Chris Chapter 3
Jake Chapter 4
Leon Chapter 4
Chris Chapter 4
Jake Chapter 5
Chris Chapter 5
Leon Chapter 5
Ada's Campaign
I have some reasoning for all of these placements, it's essentially the 'chronological order' of events in the game but with a few changes for pacing. Ada's campaign was originally unlockable, which is why it's last, but frankly despite a patch later making it available from the start I highly suggest playing it last as it's meant to be played last I feel. This order though will help the pacing of the game I feel, as it varies up the tone and events more. I also suggest like RE5 to play with a co-op partner. Dipping toes into Mercenaries is also fun here, maybe the best part of RE6.

-Resident Evil Revelations 2 there's two DLC bonus episodes, they aren't as good as the main game and some hate them but I think they're okay. They have a few story expansion things and moments, so really it's your call if you want to play them or not. Raid Mode in Rev 2 is fun but I don't think as necessary to play as Revelations 1 due to a few things, but it's up to you.

-Resident Evil 7 make sure to play the DLC stuff. Not a Hero is free for all so that's easy enough, End of Zoe costs money but is worth playing I think. The Lost Footage DLC has some gems in it, I think the ones you must play as Bedroom and Daughters, but I'd also add on 21, Basement, and Jack's 55th Birthday Mode if you want the full 'experience'. Jack's 55th Birthday Mode in the Banned Footage DLC is essentially this game's Mercenary Mode, and for the other DLC pieces I suggest playing Banned Footage stuff before Not a Hero and End of Zoe, but up to you.

-ALSO, this is just my opinion and you don't need to feel like you have to take it, but I'd kind of recommend even though it's a spin-off if you can get it for cheap enough to play Resident Evil: Dead Aim. I think it's often underlooked, it takes place between the classic and modern Resident Evils, showing elements of the older RE games and RE4, and has a story with a few connections (not important, but interesting). I think it plays the most like the mainline RE games and provides a good experience if going all the way through. Umbrella and Darkside Chronicles tell important canonical stories, but their gameplay is so different so up to you there.

Hope some of this was helpful~

Thank you! This is awesome - keeping this for future reference. Good to know about the big differences between Leon/Claire's campaigns for RE2. I'm probably going to just play as Jill for RE1 and maybe do Chris in the remake, or possibly tackle his story in Deadly Silence as a little side venture.

I will be playing the PC version of RE4, so all mod suggestions are much appreciated.

And thanks for the insight on Dead Aim! I'll check it out. The spinoffs are the games I know the least about and they seem the most divisive so all of this is super helpful.

Neptonic · Mar 13, 2018

Pixel Grotto said:
I will be playing the PC version of RE4, so all mod suggestions are much appreciated

The world's greatest HD texture pack still being worked on after 4 years of development:
http://www.re4hd.com/

Dusk Golem · Mar 13, 2018

Pixel Grotto said:
Thank you! This is awesome - keeping this for future reference. Good to know about the big differences between Leon/Claire's campaigns for RE2. I'm probably going to just play as Jill for RE1 and maybe do Chris in the remake, or possibly tackle his story in Deadly Silence as a little side venture.

I will be playing the PC version of RE4, so all mod suggestions are much appreciated.

And thanks for the insight on Dead Aim! I'll check it out. The spinoffs are the games I know the least about and they seem the most divisive so all of this is super helpful.

Neptonic said:
The world's greatest HD texture pack still being worked on after 4 years of development:
http://www.re4hd.com/

Essentially that, the mod isn't 100% completed yet but all the environments are done so a good time to use it.

Your plan for RE1 and REmake seems good, and RE2 indeed is a good idea to play both campaigns. Both go through the game very differently, have different events, different boss battles, some different areas, etc.

For the spin-offs, it's kind of an open game there. Here's some thoughts on them I'll share:

-Resident Evil: Dead Aim is the one I'd most suggest playing currently. It's canonical (though not important but a few fun connections), but more-so out of most of the spin-offs it plays the most like a classic Resident Evil game. It also shows a very interesting transition from the classic Resident Evil games to the modern ones, it kind of plays like a classic RE with a more modern RE4-esque set-up. It also is surprisingly atmospheric and has some interesting twists.
For placement if you decide to go through it, Dead Aim would've been released before RE4 and around the time of Remake/Zero, but I'd play it after REmake/Zero, but before RE4.

-Resident Evil Survivor is the precursor to Dead Aim, it is canon as it's mentioned loosely in Zero's opening, but it's not very important. It's okay, I don't hate it but I don't view it as a must-play either. It's basically a first-person RE, it's not on-rails but has on-rail elements. If you choose to play it, play it before REmake/Zero as it came out after the classics but before REmake/Zero (it was a PS1 game). The game I will mention has multiple branching paths, there's multiple times in the game you get the choice to go to three very different locations, like one choice will lead you either into a hospital, a library, or an arcade, while another split will lead you into a Night Club, a Warehouse, or a Prison. As such the game is worth playing through at least three times... Which the game is SUPER short, a single run is like 40-90 minutes, so it shouldn't be too hard. Game has multiple variations of scenes based on your route as well, and also has a lives system where if you run out of lives you start all over. Up to you if you want to play or not.

-Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles and Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles are on-rail shooter versions of the RE games. Both are canon and tell new scenarios to the series lore, they are good but quite different than the other games. Umbrella Chronicles tells an on-rail shooter retelling of Resident Evil Zero and REmake, as well as what is SUPPOSED to be RE3 but honestly it's just some entirely new made-up scenario with some RE3 elements. It also has a new scenario set in Russia of Chris and Jill infiltrating the last Umbrella facility to shut them down for good, and also has chapters you unlock where you play as Wesker during the events of Zero, Remake, RE3, and the new scenario where you can see what he was up to behind the scenes. Umbrella chronicles is more of an Arcade shooter, it's fun but kinda' dumb.
Darkside Chronicles has a retelling of RE2 and Code Veronica in it, as well as a new scenario featuring Leon in 2002 in South America, and tells the time he worked with a side character who appears in RE4 later and shows their history together. This game is more a 'cinematic on-rail shooter', it has a MUCH bigger focus on story and drama, as well as more cinematic set-piece moments in gameplay than Umbrella Chronicles. It is bigger budget than UC and quite different, but I liked it quite a bit. If you're up for on-rail shooter spin-offs for RE, one being an arcade game with some new little story bits, and the second being a narrative drama-ridden cinematic on-rail shooter, these I think are worth checking out.

-Finally, Resident Evil: Outbreak. If it weren't for the fact it's hard to play multiplayer these days (there's some fan servers, but have to do a lot of elbow grease to get them working and find partners to play with), you can play them single player but will have to deal with three AI companions. THIS SAID, Outbreak is freaking awesome. They play like the classic RE games but with some new touches and interesting scenarios, both Outbreak File 1 and Outbreak File 2 having scenarios in familiar and new locations with familiar and new enemies from the classic entries in the series. It's not quite as good without multiplayer as it was designed with it in mind, but it still is worth checking out for a fan I think. It tells the story of several people trying to survive and escape Raccoon City while RE2/RE3 are happening.

The other spin-offs I think should only really be played if you want to go all in, but hopefully this stuff is helpful as well.

WyLD iNk · Mar 13, 2018

Subscribed.

The n00b Avenger · Mar 14, 2018

In RE2 it's not important to play both character's individual campaigns as it is to play both Scenario A and Scenario B.

Personally I'm a fan of Claire A/Leon B(IE play as Claire first) more so than the other way around but ymmv

Dusk Golem · Mar 14, 2018

The n00b Avenger said:
In RE2 it's not important to play both character's individual campaigns as it is to play both Scenario A and Scenario B.

Personally I'm a fan of Claire A/Leon B(IE play as Claire first) more so than the other way around but ymmv

Yes, but in the you achieve both results by playing both campaigns so it is what it is.

imbarkus · Mar 14, 2018

Pixel Grotto said:
I was curious about Deadly Silence and am considering doing my Chris playthrough of the first game there. How good of a port is it and how well does it use the DS capabilities? I feel like having the map on the bottom screen would be great.

Deadly Silence does a really good job of capturing the experience of PS1 RE1 on the slightly lower-res screen, and yes the map is nice. It's even got the original cheesy video intro. The upgraded mode with the knifing segments is a kitschy, retro-at-this-point DS-specific touch screen add-on, but it's good fun. If I remember correctly I think you have to beat the game to unlock Master of Knifing mode, which is all touch screen swiping like mad knifing. I have good memories of the port.

Dusk Golem said:
-ALSO, this is just my opinion and you don't need to feel like you have to take it, but I'd kind of recommend even though it's a spin-off if you can get it for cheap enough to play Resident Evil: Dead Aim. I think it's often underlooked, it takes place between the classic and modern Resident Evils, showing elements of the older RE games and RE4, and has a story with a few connections (not important, but interesting). I think it plays the most like the mainline RE games and provides a good experience if going all the way through. Umbrella and Darkside Chronicles tell important canonical stories, but their gameplay is so different so up to you there.

Sadly you'd need a CRT and a GunCon 2 for the true Dead Aim experience, I'm glad I got to play it that way about 7 years back. Sadly I never got the play an import version of Gun Survivor, and got all the way to the boss of Survivor in a marathon session before it just broke me. Still, it was also good fun for a playthrough, though ironically way more of a "light gun game" than Dead Aim. The latter, as you mentioned, is a kind of light-gun enhanced midppint between RE3 an 4 in gameplay, and you get the debut (other than GameBoy RE Gaiden) of the boat setting that would be thematically revisited in Revelations.

Too bad we got out of last generation without Capcom bringing Dead Aim over to Wii. Could have been an easy port I think.

Valkerion · Mar 14, 2018

Was thinking about doing this too sometime. My friend has been going through the series as well since maybe last October and she loves it now.

Its really awesome how each story has little ques for the future or past titles if you look for them. (RE5's Africa is mentioned way back in RE1!) Also RE2's layout and pacing might be the best in any game ever imo. Basically the perfect game. Enjoy OP, Tank controls are awesome!

GrayFoxPL · Mar 14, 2018

Hope you'll appreciate the original trilogy + Code Veronica. There's nothing like them. RE1(and Remake) is the most non-linear game in the series. You can encounter many different events depending on how you play.

Have a vomit bucket during RE6 playthrough.

Branson · Mar 14, 2018

StuBurns said:
Zero after REmake... That'll break a man.

Why? Ive never played Zero and plan on playing Remake and 0 at some point in the future.

Ocirus · Mar 14, 2018

MMM! You're in for a treat! At least until you get to RE 0 and 6.

I'd strongly recommend RE Outbreak, but unfortunately there isn't a real good way to play with other people anymore... Still, I had an awesome time playing Outbreak entirely by myself, and definitely enjoyed the group dynamic. It offered so many new and different things that had never been seen in any RE game, and some things that haven't been seen since. I genuinely believe it was far ahead of its time and would be a great game to rerelease for current consoles and steam.

Dusk Golem · Mar 14, 2018

Branson said:
Why? Ive never played Zero and plan on playing Remake and 0 at some point in the future.

Some really hate Zero. My opinion is more favorable, and the recent HD Remaster has some advantageous to it. Let me say this straight: Zero is nowhere near the quality of REmake, but it is kind of a toss-up of opinion. Some people think more favorably of it, it's among others least favorite entries in the series.

So what it does well is the HD Remaster is quite possible the most beautiful looking classic survival-horror game, like just look at some of these shots:

I can understand some prefering REmake's art style, but Zero HD looks fantastic, and unlike the HD Remaster of REmake they still had the source files for the environments so the HD Remaster looks amazing. This is singularly the best thing about Zero.

It also has some pretty decent music, it's not series best but it's also not worst and is pretty good. Two more popular examples you'll hear earlier in the game for no spoilers:

And I will add I personally think it has some of the better puzzles for a Resident Evil game, but that's more objective.

Now, some love it/hate it elements that divide more people. The story is a big one, it goes into some more sci-fi territory and has some fuckery with time and place of things, and doesn't make the most of some elements it has and a sorta' boring and out there villain. This said, many who like the story enjoy it most because the two protagonists, Billy and Rebecca, are fairly likable and it's fun to see their scenes together.

Another split thing is the actual level design in the game, some like it and some dislike it.

Out of the classic RE games it has maybe some of the most boring enemy selection, and I will admit it has some of my least favorite enemies in the series among the cast. There's a couple stand-outs, but it's pretty much a dull selection with a few annoyances.

The partner and item drop system some people really despise. To explain, in RE0 you play as both Billy and Rebecca and switch between them through the press of a button. Some situations you're forced to play as one or the other, or can choose one to tackle something or another, but some people don't like the system. What some even dislike far more is the item drop system. This game has NO item boxes like other Resident Evils. Instead you can drop items wherever you want on the ground. This has some advantageous, but the end result is you'll drop an item somewhere and then need to run back to the location you dropped it to get it again. This is combined with the game having more 'multiple items to carry for a puzzle' stuff than usual RE games, so there's a lot of backtracking and item management if you don't plan ahead. There's also at least two times that you go to a place and an item you haven't needed for hours so it's probably not in your inventory are suddenly needed again, so then you have to backtrack and find them again. The items do appear on your map, but it still can be an annoyance.

Also frankly it's not that scary outside of one element which is pretty well done, but all the same.

I still like it but it is on my lower half of the RE games. Worth playing I think, though.

Blackbird · Mar 14, 2018

I really like your stance on trying each title on its respective launch order, to see exactly how much the series has grown, changed and evolved.

I'll be definitely watching this thread, i hope you have a great time OP!

*Plus, make sure to play Claire A + Leon B (in that order), it's basically the way to go on Resi 2.

Strangelove_77 · Mar 14, 2018

If you liked the first one you're going to love the remake.
I'm glad you're not playing one after the other as well. It's good to put some time inbetween those two.

On another note, if I were you I'd skip 3, Code Veronica, Zero and Revelations. It's not necessarily because they're bad games(Well Revelations kind of sucks) but because the formula for those games will get tiring by the time you get to 3. It's the same but not as good. It'll feel like you're playing the same old shit over and over and I really wouldn't want you to get discouraged from the rest of the series.

Pixel Grotto · Mar 14, 2018

Dusk Golem said:
The partner and item drop system some people really despise. To explain, in RE0 you play as both Billy and Rebecca and switch between them through the press of a button. Some situations you're forced to play as one or the other, or can choose one to tackle something or another, but some people don't like the system. What some even dislike far more is the item drop system. This game has NO item boxes like other Resident Evils. Instead you can drop items wherever you want on the ground. This has some advantageous, but the end result is you'll drop an item somewhere and then need to run back to the location you dropped it to get it again. This is combined with the game having more 'multiple items to carry for a puzzle' stuff than usual RE games, so there's a lot of backtracking and item management if you don't plan ahead. There's also at least two times that you go to a place and an item you haven't needed for hours so it's probably not in your inventory are suddenly needed again, so then you have to backtrack and find them again. The items do appear on your map, but it still can be an annoyance.

I really enjoy reading your insight! I'm actually quite looking forward to Zero and when I was considering my playthrough of the series for a brief moment I considered doing it by series timeline instead of release order, which meant Zero would've been first - but I decided against it.

The item dropping mechanic actually sounds a lot like Sweet Home, where you could only drop items in the spots where other items came from. It was a little annoying, especially in parts of the game where you needed to use a rope or board to cross a chasm, and you'd unfortunately replaced your only rope with a tonic several screens away... Backtracking ensued! In the end I tolerated it, though, so hopefully it won't bother me too much in Zero.

Resident Evie · Mar 14, 2018

I'm so jealous of you getting to experience all these games fresh and in order! I'm also so glad you're starting with the OG Resident Evil and not immediately going to the REmake route (I HATE when people ignore the 1996 original because 'we have the remake now'...just no! The original is its own brand of magic!)

Some of the entries are a little dodgy but you are going to have so much fun with 2 and 4 especially!

lordlad · Mar 14, 2018

Shoe said:
I hope this isn't Chris' blood...!

I'm sorry but he's probably......................

Markitron · Mar 14, 2018

Tbh I would skip RE1 altogether and start with REmake and RE0. RE1 was great, don't get me wrong, but REmake is better in every conceivable way. IMO RE1 will just ruin the plot of REmake on you.

ResidentDante · Mar 14, 2018

Markitron said:
Tbh I would skip RE1 altogether and start with REmake and RE0. RE1 was great, don't get me wrong, but REmake is better in every conceivable way. IMO RE1 will just ruin the plot of REmake on you.

Totally disagree.

He wants to play them all though, and going from REmake back to RE 2 and 3 just feels strange. The consistency is better playing the original trilogy together. There's enough changes and new stuff in REmake to make the replay of the game excellent even though you've played RE1.

lowlifelenny · Mar 14, 2018

Zero's fine. Perhaps not great but anything but mediocre.

Kromeo · Mar 14, 2018

Dusk Golem said:
The partner and item drop system some people really despise. To explain, in RE0 you play as both Billy and Rebecca and switch between them through the press of a button. Some situations you're forced to play as one or the other, or can choose one to tackle something or another, but some people don't like the system. What some even dislike far more is the item drop system. This game has NO item boxes like other Resident Evils. Instead you can drop items wherever you want on the ground. This has some advantageous, but the end result is you'll drop an item somewhere and then need to run back to the location you dropped it to get it again. This is combined with the game having more 'multiple items to carry for a puzzle' stuff than usual RE games, so there's a lot of backtracking and item management if you don't plan ahead. There's also at least two times that you go to a place and an item you haven't needed for hours so it's probably not in your inventory are suddenly needed again, so then you have to backtrack and find them again. The items do appear on your map, but it still can be an annoyance.

Also frankly it's not that scary outside of one element which is pretty well done, but all the same.

I still like it but it is on my lower half of the RE games. Worth playing I think, though.

The problem is after you move to the second half of the game you either need to spend ages moving all your items from the main hall or wherever you're storing them or keep running all the way back every time you need them, the lack of item boxes is by far the worst thing about the game. There a certain boss that's complete nonsense as well (you know which one) and the main villain is ridiculous.

I still love the game though

Dreamboum · Mar 14, 2018

Dusk Golem said:
-Resident Evil 6 after you do the prologue chapter I suggest you mess around in Mercenaries a bit to get used to the controls before hopping into the main game. I suggest playing Professional in RE6 as it's essentially the equivalent to Veteran difficulty in RE5. ALSO, instead of playing campaign by campaign, I HIGHLY suggest playing the game in this order:
Prelude Chapter
Chris Chapter 1
Chris Chapter 2
Jake Chapter 1
Jake Chapter 2
Leon Chapter 1
Leon Chapter 2
Leon Chapter 3
Jake Chapter 3
Chris Chapter 3
Jake Chapter 4
Leon Chapter 4
Chris Chapter 4
Jake Chapter 5
Chris Chapter 5
Leon Chapter 5
Ada's Campaign
I have some reasoning for all of these placements, it's essentially the 'chronological order' of events in the game but with a few changes for pacing. Ada's campaign was originally unlockable, which is why it's last, but frankly despite a patch later making it available from the start I highly suggest playing it last as it's meant to be played last I feel. This order though will help the pacing of the game I feel, as it varies up the tone and events more. I also suggest like RE5 to play with a co-op partner. Dipping toes into Mercenaries is also fun here, maybe the best part of RE6.

I disagree with this. They're not playing the series in chronological order and it serves no purpose to do this unless you want to have a stilted experience. I can't see any fun being had to just purposefully stop yourself from playing a campaign to play a random chapter from another one. You never need the chronological order to understand what is happening.

///

I played the whole series back to back in 2015, so here are my thoughts : You've got a good list going but I'd honestly hold off on Revelations until you finished the main series. RE:R1 is a huge slog and there's a high chance that the padding is going to make you give up on that task

Also Resident Evil Zero soured me on the classic style after playing so many of them, I'd hold off on this one too, especially since this game is 80% nonsense. It's best that you end the classic RE block on a high note than a bad one.

I'm only speaking about RE1 since it's the only one you've played. I really liked that game, I thought it had a great atmosphere and it's weird seeing how lit up the mansion was, it's basically a discotheque since it's hardly ever dark. Still scared me from time to time. My only huge gripe is that the early game plays a lot like this : find an item in the west wing on the mansion, use it on the east wing, and vice versa. The game wasn't very fun for me when 80% of the doors are locked, it gets much much better when you actually get to unlock most of the mansion and you don't have to try every door to figure out where to go. Leaving the mansion for the first time, and then going back with the hunters spawning is where the game really shine for me because you have to use your knowledge to move around, and this time you can actually open things around the place.

Pixel Grotto · Mar 14, 2018

Dreamboum said:
I played the whole series back to back in 2015, so here are my thoughts : You've got a good list going but I'd honestly hold off on Revelations until you finished the main series. RE:R1 is a huge slog and there's a high chance that the padding is going to make you give up on that task

Also Resident Evil Zero soured me on the classic style after playing so many of them, I'd hold off on this one too, especially since this game is 80% nonsense. It's best that you end the classic RE block on a high note than a bad one.

I'm only speaking about RE1 since it's the only one you've played. I really liked that game, I thought it had a great atmosphere and it's weird seeing how lit up the mansion was, it's basically a discotheque since it's hardly ever dark. Still scared me from time to time. My only huge gripe is that the early game plays a lot like this : find an item in the west wing on the mansion, use it on the east wing, and vice versa. The game wasn't very fun for me when 80% of the doors are locked, it gets much much better when you actually get to unlock most of the mansion and you don't have to try every door to figure out where to go. Leaving the mansion for the first time, and then going back with the hunters spawning is where the game really shine for me because you have to use your knowledge to move around, and this time you can actually open things around the place.

I'll keep in mind your advice on Revelations! I was a little confused of when I should play those so maybe when it comes time I'll adjust the order depending on if I'm feeling any fatigue.

It's also interesting to hear the mixed opinions on Zero from everyone here - I thought that both Remake and Zero had pretty much unanimous praise but maybe that's just because I remember high review scores back when they came out, as well as the general enthusiasm for GameCube getting what were then some high profile third party exclusives.

As for RE1, I def agree with you; the very beginning had some moments where I was essentially just running around collecting items and feeling really vulnerable, but I'm at that point now where the Hunters are prowling and even though they're a pain to shoot sometimes, it's great to finally have access to all the doors and be reliant upon my knowledge of the map. The sense of tangible progression is quite evident, and that's one of the feelings I like most in games.

Ap3x · Mar 14, 2018

Great idea OP, will watch this thread. I think it's a good decision to play them in this order, it's fun to see the technical improvements with each game, beliefe me.

rude · Mar 14, 2018

Objectively best save room music

inspectah · Mar 14, 2018

Is the RE4 HD pack for the original release or also for the HD one from 2014?

Dreamboum · Mar 14, 2018

rude said:
Objectively best save room music

This post is objectively true

Mr.Beep · Mar 14, 2018

Wow I wonder how you will go playing them in order when they switch up in 4. Fantastic series both 'versions'. I think I finished RE3 like 10 times to get all the extra little files when you complete the game. Still think CV gets way too much hate and is solid and a pretty epic old school RE (maybe too long), and you can certainly fuck yourself with ammo but I still rate it.

The only mainstream I didn't play was Zero and 6. Are they worth trying at all?

Taruranto · Mar 14, 2018

Eh, sometimes I dream of doing the same thing (They are also very short games), but I know I'd get bored around RE3. Have fun, they are certainly worth.

Mr.Deadshot · Mar 14, 2018

4 is the only truly great one :)

Phonomezer · Mar 14, 2018

rude said:
Objectively best save room music

Didn't lie

Skulldead · Mar 14, 2018

You've forgot about Resident evil Gaiden on Gameboy Color, the gameplay is pretty average to poor, but that music is spooky and scary as hell for a portable format like that, i really like the atmosphere of this entry.

I'm playing all the Resident Evils for the first time in release order

One Winged Slayer

What Are Ya' Selling?

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account

Self Requested Ban

User requested account closure

Local Horror Enthusiast

Local Horror Enthusiast

Local Horror Enthusiast

Local Horror Enthusiast

Unshakable Resolve - Prophet of Truth

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account

Banned for trolling with an alt account