The majority of this list was fairly easy to construct, but when looking at the back-end I found myself in something of an internal debate. Having played all of the spin-off games, I found that this and the first Outbreak game were the standouts. However I’m having to give it to Resident Evil: Dead Aim as it does something a little different and here in Europe, we weren’t blessed with the online capabilities of Resident Evil: Outbreak. Which despite any claims it doesn’t, renders it something of a damp squib.

Something of a black-sheep in the family, Resident Evil: Dead Aim doesn’t get a whole lot of attention these days. Often lumped in with other spin-offs like the aforementioned Outbreak games and typically overlooked in relation to the series as a whole. Dead Aim is the third of the Survivor spin-off titles and by far the best of the bunch. The first two games were shoddy first-person efforts with broken mechanics and dull, repetitive gameplay. This one broke the mold by being a decent game and mixing up the mechanics to create something rather unique. Played primarily in third-person for exploration and then switching to first-person during combat. A system that sounds pedestrian these days, but at the time was rather novel.

Plot-wise this one is pretty inconsequential, not really adding a whole lot to the series lore due to it being a spin-off title. None of it’s characters have made further appearances in the series and there has been little to no mention of its events in other games. However don’t let this deter you from sampling one of the better spin-offs Resi has to offer.

Before you stop reading this list, hear me out for a second. Resident Evil 5 is not a great Resident Evil game, but it is a damn good game regardless of the moniker that it bears. Moving away from dingy cities and sterile underground labs (at least for the first few chapters), Resident Evil 5 jet-setted us over to Africa for a wildly different game. This time around you must fight the Uroboros, a parasitic organism that infects its host and slowly turns them into gelatinous masses of tentacles. Which believe me, provides some of the more interesting creature design in the series.

Taking the more action-oriented approach of Resident Evil 4 and ramping it up to new heights, this game saw the inclusion of co-op play. Sadly this addition would be one of the franchise’s biggest downfalls in later instalments, but in this game it works wonderfully. Playing the game solo is ok, but the multiplayer is where it truly thrives. There’s plenty of tense encounters that will really test your teamwork skills and teach you both the value of sharing precious ammunition.

Resident Evil games aren’t particularly renowned for highly cerebral storytelling and 5 is no different. If anything, Resident Evil 5 reaches new levels of absurdity but it’s strangely engaging in how simultaneously silly and self serious it is. Series villain and all round evil bastard Wesker makes his grand return to the series, giving players a chance to duke it out with him once and for all. It makes for one incredibly fun (if not absolutely ridiculous) final battle against the biggest douchebag in Resident Evil history. That alone makes it worthy of being on this list.

One of the series’ more recent highlights, Resident Evil: Revelations saw the franchise make the first attempts to get back to its horror roots. Set primarily aboard a vast ocean liner, resident heroine extraordinaire Jill Valentine is sent to track down her old comrade Chris Redfield, who was last seen aboard the vessel. As you’d expect, the place is crawling with all manner of ghoulish sea mutants who will stop at nothing to devour Jill’s face. Cue the dramatic lighting, limited ammo and tight claustrophobic environments.

Whilst Revelations is a great game, it doesn’t rank higher on this list due to its unbalanced tone and direction. The forays into the bowels of the ghost ship only make up roughly half of the game, with the rest being missions set in different locales and taking a more action oriented approach. These levels are still fun and help to add some depth to the game’s narrative, but they consistently break the tension that its sister campaign tries to create. When it hits the right notes, Resident Evil: Revelations feels like a true return to form, it’s just a shame it didn’t run with that idea all the way to the bank. Similar issues managed to creep into it’s mixed bag of a sequel, that ruined its foreboding atmosphere with needless co-op and episodic structure.

Starting off life as a 3DS exclusive, before receiving multiple ports due to strong sales, this is one of the few recent Resi games that you should seek out. It’s thick atmosphere and less liberal approach to giving the player ammunition give it an edge over the likes the dreadful Resident Evil 6. I’d definitely recommend giving it a go, even if it just for the creepy ship segments.

Mechanically one of the more interesting games in the series, Resident Evil 0 is an often overlooked gem in the series. Putting players in the shoes of Rebecca Chambers, Bravo Team’s rookie medic and Billy Coen, an escaped convict. Acting as a prequel to the events of the first game, this one threw a lot of new ideas into the mix. Not many of which stuck with the series, for better or for worse. The most noticeable addition is the zapping between the two protagonists on the fly.

Each character comes with their own unique skills and inventory slots. Both of which factor into the game’s many puzzles and mastery of item balancing is crucial to survival. Another new, and rather brilliant mechanic, that 0 introduced was the ability to drop items anywhere and retrieve them at a later date. Said items would even be marked on your map too, allowing for even more strategizing and improvisation on the fly. A lot of Resident Evil 0’s unique features feel like the embryonic stages of future installments. The zapping mechanic most certainly being a predecessor to the co-operative play of 5 and 6.

Outside of these new mechanics, 0 doesn’t stray far from the series formula. It still operates on a fixed perspective and supplies are in short supply, which becomes much more of a hinderance when you’re balancing for two. The learning curve can be steep and the enemies are pretty ferocious this time around. Besides the standards zombies, there’s a large variety of mutated insects and skinless monkeys to test your mettle, each with their own unique behaviours that add a lot of challenge to already mechanically dense game. Thankfully this one is available on current-gen systems as part of the Resident Evil: Origins collection, so a beautiful HD port is available.

Whilst the visuals and controls have aged like milk, the original Resident Evil is still a landmark in gaming history and one that shouldn’t be so easily dismissed in the modern age. You may scoff at the clunky graphics and horrendous voice-acting, but I can assure you that there’s not a single one of you who won’t find a handful of moments to make you mess your trousers when re-visiting this absolute classic.

Set during the first outbreak, we follow S.T.A.R.S. operatives Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield as they descend upon the sinister Spencer Mansion in search of their missing comrades. Once inside they’re separated and are immediately set upon by hordes of zombies, dogs, giant spiders and other such malformed monstrosities. Playing as either Chris or Jill yields its own set of advantages and disadvantages, alongside differing plot-beats and side characters.

The eerie music and cheesy dialogue really sell the b-movie aesthetic and it still has an alluring charm to this day. If you can accustom yourself to the dated visuals and somewhat clunky controls, you’ll find this first outing to be one hell of a good time. There isn’t a whole lot more that can be said about this game. It’s a bonafide classic. So much so that it’s influence can still be felt twenty years after its first release.

The last of the classic era Resident Evil games and still one of the finest offerings the series brings to the table. Whilst it may have done very little to revolutionise the series, it certainly perfected the formula that had been established in the first three entries. An added bonus was the enhanced visuals, courtesy of the Dreamcast and later the Playstation 2, that made the world feel more immersive due to the fully rendered 3D environments that were a first for the series at that point. This jump to the third-dimension allowed for much greater scope in terms of combat and enemy encounters. Little additions like being able to freely aim through scoped weapons and a more free-flowing camera that would follow the player made for a much more visceral experience.

Code Veronica is noticeably quite long too, with a narrative that takes many twists and turns along the way. Focusing on Claire Redfield who post-Resi 2 gets imprisoned inside an Umbrella facility whilst searching for her brother Chris (They’re always looking for that guy…), Code: Veronica is also responsible for introducing us to the wonderfully psychotic twins Alfred and Alexia Ashford. Two mad-as-hatters villains that the series has never really topped in terms of sheer madness and camp. Wesker also makes his grand reappearance in this game too, but I can’t help but feel he’s completely upstaged by the delightful Ashford twins.

Serving as the swan-song to the classic-era of the franchise, Code: Veronica holds up very well to this day. There’s plenty of puzzles, tense confrontations and some of the best boss battles in the series here to sink your teeth into. There was a recent HD remaster available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, although it has yet to reach the current-gen systems or the PC. Which truly is a shame as this is one of the best Resident Evil games out there and one that any fan of the series, casual or not, should play.

The series final outing for the original PlayStation and still one of the best it has to offer. Set alongside the events of Resident Evil 2, 3 finds us once again taking control of Jill Valentine to help her escape the zombie infested Raccoon City. Her escape won’t be so easy though, as something is hunting her down. Arguably this is the point in the series where Capcom began to gravitate towards more action-oriented gameplay, but to me it just feels like a natural progression of ideas. The inclusion of the Nemesis heightens the suspense and intensity of combat, so players are given a great arsenal of moves and weaponry to fight back. Where the first two games made you feel almost helpless, this one empowers you. You are truly capable of fighting back and truly hold your own against enemies. The inclusion of a neat little dodging mechanic really brought this idea to life. No longer would a leaping Hunter spell instant doom. You could easily dodge out of its path before promptly blowing it to kingdom come in a moments notice.

This feeling of empowerment isn’t sure to last too long though. There’s a much greater threat lurking in this game and his name is Nemesis. A hulking behemoth whose mere presence is enough to make you weep. As well as reducing you to a panicking mess as he charges at you full speed. It’s a feeling you’ll have to get used to as he continually stalks you throughout the game. This threat of Nemesis appearing at any given moment is almost as terrifying as actually facing him. No other monster really compares to him for sheer brute force and surprise attacks.

Compared to the first two games, Resident Evil 3 is a very different beast. It’s much faster and more bombastic. There’s very little aimless wandering or long-winded puzzle segments. The puzzles are still there of course, but everything is more straightforward as you’re forced to keep moving lest the Nemesis appear and brutally murder you.

Our number three spot is taken by what is often considered the best of the original trilogy and you’d be hard-pressed to argue against that point. Taking everything that made the first game so enticing and lifting it to incredible new heights, Resident Evil 2 is the definitive example of a sequel should be done. It improves upon the original in every way possible, throwing new curve-balls, mechanics and terrifying monsters at you with every new area you visit.

Set long after the events of the first game, you play as either rookie cop Leon Kennedy or university student Claire Redfield. Both who happen to land smack-bang in the middle of a virus outbreak and must band together with some other stragglers to escape the city. Gameplay wise it didn’t change a whole lot from the first game, it merely refined it to a point of near perfection. The graphics were more detailed, the number of enemies onscreen at once was increased and  both character’s scenarios have last effects on one another, depending on which order you play them in. Compared to its predecessor, Resident Evil 2 is a much mechanically and narratively dense game. It provides all the thrills and shock horror moments that you’d expect. Only this time around they’re much more nuanced, completely disorientating the player and subverting rules that were instilled in us from the first game.

The original may have kick-started the genre, but Resident Evil 2 is the one that really defined it. Tighter gameplay, a better story (and voice-acting for that matter) really sell the immersion, making you genuinely care for our two protagonists and really want to see them get out alive. Capcom are currently in the midst of producing a remake of this for current gen systems and I for one cannot wait. Even as it approaches its twentieth birthday, this is still a real standout title. Not only one of the best games in the series, but one of the best games on the PlayStation, period.

Taking the franchise in a drastically different direction and helping to revolutionise the third-person action genre in the process, Resident Evil 4 stormed onto shelves and surpassed everyone’s expectations in the process. Abandoning the zombies of yesteryear for much more intelligent and sinister enemies in the form of the Los Plagas, proved to be one of the best moves Capcom has ever made. At least at first, as brilliant as Resident Evil 4 is, it did signal a turning point in the franchise. One in which subtlety and genuine scares were kicked to the curb in favour of ferocious action. The horror is still there, it’s merely presented in a radically different way.

Ditching the fixed camera angles for an over-shoulder perspective, Resident Evil 4 gave players wholly different experience. Combat was more immediate and engaging, with highly intelligent enemies that could swarm you in seconds. The puzzles were toned down in favour of escort missions and large-scale boss fights against some of the series’ most gruesome creations. The story was perhaps leaning a little too much on the absurd, but in an almost self-aware manner. Taking the reigns once again is the floppy haired Leon Kennedy, who after his efforts in the second game, is tasked with rescuing the president’s daughter Ashley from the clutches of a bizarre cult in the Spanish outback. From then on it’s a constant barrage of giant trolls, psychotic dwarfs and a seemingly endless horde of enemies out to lynch you.

Resident Evil 4 is an unquestionable masterpiece. Not only from a technical stand-point, (for it’s time at least) but as an experience overall it’s virtually unrivaled by any modern game out there. Even on repeat playthroughs, it still has the same potency that made it impactful in the first place. However, I personally don’t think it’s the finest example of the series ethos, it certainly has all of the qualities that make a great Resident Evil game but it just falls short when compared to the finest outing for the series.

Speaking of which…

From the embryos of a game that helped create a genre, comes a game that is the ultimate definition of the genre. Where do I even start with the Resident Evil remake? The sublime art style? The intense and challenging gameplay? The unnerving atmosphere? It’s difficult to find a starting point as every facet of this game is dripping in quality design. Yes, Resident Evil 4 might be the greatest thing since the birth of the internet, but it’s not truly what the series is all about. This game however encapsulates everything that makes Resident Evil the grandiose juggernaut of the survival horror genre.

This is also a fine example of how a video game remake should be done. Everything was rebuild from the ground up, with an incredible attention to detail. The once familiar mansion is more hostile and confusing, with many more rooms and offshoots not seen in the original. An overhaul of the original game’s mechanics also serve to ramp up the tension to insane new levels. The once formidable zombies become a real force to be reckoned with due to the inclusion of the Crimson Heads. A form of zombie that is capable of rising from the dead (again), sprouting claws and chasing you down. It’s possible to combat this by burning their corpses, but the items needed for this take up precious inventory space. Space that you could be using to store an extra clip of bullets, or a well needed herb. Auto-use defence weapons give you a fleeting sense of security, but in reality do very little bar granting you a few extra seconds to escape. Everything in this game wants you dead and you feel it from the opening moments.

If there was ever a go-to Resident Evil title, this is surely the one. It takes all of the winning formulas found in previous games and combines them all together to create the quintessential Resi experience. Everything here works and it works beautifully. It’s wonderfully atmospheric, genuinely challenging and very bloody scary. This my friends is the best Resident Evil game that will stay with you. Praise be to the holy knights of Capcom who brought the HD version to current-gen systems last year. Taking an already stunning game and making it look even better was no small task and they truly delivered. I would urge anyone to play this game, it’s an incredible experience and for my money, the best Resident Evil game that has ever been made.