why i love
We all have passions for certain gaming series that others dont understand how we see them dispite there imperfections. We love them for what they are and will not be pursaded otherwise. These are our storys and experiances and why we love the games we do.
timeline1996 - resident evil
A genre creating game creating the legendary series, and becoming a massive cult
classic. 1998 - Resident Evil 2
Horror evolved, upgraded gameplay, exciting story and fantastic characters make this my favourite title in the series to date.
1999 - Resident evil 3: nemesis
A new nightmare and the return of S.T.A.R.S operative Jill Valentine trying to
survive the new nemesis weapon an unforgettable experience. 2000 - CODE: Veronica
The return of the original hero with Wesker showing himself once again mean this
game is an essential purchase. 2005 - resisdent evil 4
Leon returns with a revamped game focusing on suspense on a trip to the unknown.
2009 - resident evil 5
The showdown everyone has been waiting for has finally landed, Chris Redfield
delivers the final blow to Weskers plans and helps relieve the nightmares of the original mansion incident 2012 - resident evil 6
Global terrorism means we follow more of our favourite characters on an adventure around the globe.
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Written by the biggest Leon fanboy in existence
For those of you that have seen my posts on the Facebook group, to say I love the Resident Evil series is a massive understatement. I will tell you exactly why.
Resident Evil, 'Welcome to the world of survivor horror' The year of 1996 was an important one for me, I was a mere 3 years old. I was going around my uncles house, which I always looked forward to as he is the reason I enjoy playing games today, I would've never discovered so many genre defining titles if it wasn't for him. But to get back to point, I walked into his room and he was just starting the game up. I was so excited to see this new game that I knew nothing about, and it was an experience to say the least. Resident Evil is famous for its somewhat horrendous voice acting, but at the time, it was a very early game that had voice acting. The opening cut scene played, which when seen today is laughable, yet still fantastic. But back then, I was terrified, this was my first step into the horror genre in any format of entertainment. The story consists of an elite police operations force, S.T.A.R.S Special tactics and rescue squad, being sent into the mountains outside RaccoonCity, where they were situated, in order to investigate bizarre murder cases, where victims, were apparently eaten. Although a simple prospect it really set the scene and introduced a feeling of dread. Chris Redfield, followed by Jill Valentine, the protagonists of our story are under orders from Albert Wesker, the leader of Stars Alpha team. They are dropped off in the mountains when the situation changes, and end up fleeing to a nearby mansion in order to get away from the threat of the vicious dogs lurking outside. Inside, they decide what to do and depending on your player choice, Chris, or Jill, will determine who gets inside the mansion. The game is significantly harder as Chris, which is who I normally play as. They hear a gunshot and Chris is sent to investigate. 
The gameplay began, and I remember thinking how great the game looked, the eerie sound of the clock in the 'dining room' as (pointed out by the legendary Barry Burton in Jill's scenario) you then head through the room, and walk through the door. You now find yourself in a long narrow hallway, walking towards the camera, there is a corner. This, is when I personally, had the biggest scare of my life. A cut scene plays, where a body is lying on the floor, with a human, crouching above it, its head lowered, you hear a noise which sounds like a bite. Blood seeps over the floor, the creature sits up, and turns around, looking directly at you.
The reason I go into so much detail about this opening, as it is the most important part in the entire series, the first encounter is the perfect opening to what follows throughout the majority of the series. This leads to one of the greatest games of the survival horror genre. The game opens up into you exploring this mansion, scouting for weapons, ammo, health , keys and items used for puzzles. The music is perfect, setting the atmosphere up perfectly, and injecting the fear further. I may have only found it so scary because of my young age, but I know other people who have been older and still found it an equally as terrifying. The game gave me nightmares for years, but I still absolutely adored it. When I finally got over the experience, a new nightmare was about to be unleashed. 
Resident Evil 2,
'1998, I'll never forget it…' This was my personal favourite entry into the series for many reasons, the virus spread into RaccoonCity, and we were now faced with two new protagonists. Claire Redfield, sister of the hero from the first game, and Leon Kennedy, the best character in the entire series. Claire came to Raccoon City to find her brother, whereas Leonis a rookie police officer who happened to arrive late into the city as he overslept, but it was a lucky escape, as he managed to arrive shortly after the core outbreak occurred. They meet up and decide they should help each other to improve their survival chances. The second game improved on the first in many ways, there was an upgrade in graphics, the characters moved faster and were slightly easier to manoeuvre. There were more enemies, bigger bosses, better weapons. But the biggest factor here I believe was the scenario system. Players had the choice of either playing as Leon first, then seeing the story from Claire's point of view in a harder game, or you could play as Claire first and later Leon. I preferred playing as Leon second, as the second scenario is much harder, with more bosses, tougher enemies. Leonhad access to the powerful magnum, which could be upgraded with parts found at the end of the game, and perhaps my favourite weapon in the series, the custom shotgun. The game is primarily set in the Raccoon City police station. With the story developing and Leon and Claire finding different characters, critical to the development of the story in both this game and later in the series. Leon finds Ada, a mysterious character who is loved amongst the fans, and Claire finds Sherry, who is linked to the main antagonist makes an interesting twist in the story. The game was still very scary in places, highlights are certainly the new tyrant enemy, without ruining his key appearances, they often are dramatic, and will certainly make you jump. The game also has a secret hidden minigame, called 'fourth survivor' in which players control Hunk, an operative for Umbrella. He has also became a classic cult character in the series, with his mysterious characteristics, and nick names such as Mr Death, and is known for always getting the job done, even as a sole survivor. He unfortunately has not turned up in the main series since, only as an extra character in bonus game modes. 
Resident Evil 3:Nemesis,
'My last escape' The last of the Playstation Resident Evils took some what more of an action turn, but not massively. The game starred Jill Valentine, escaping from RaccoonCity, the game takes place before the events of 2, and later, after, interestingly, this means we were able to see the full outbreak of the city, and learn the fate of what happened to the City itself. The game did not bring a whole lot more to the table, and was rushed by Capcom because of the series success so far, However, that does not mean it is a bad game. The greatest and probably most popular creature in the series was the core of the game ; Nemesis. Sent in by Umbrella in order to kill all surviving S.T.A.R.S members, in order to prevent the truth from surfacing about their horrific experiments and creation of bioweapons. The game was more open yet still had a desperate claustrophobic feel. Nemesis himself is a behemoth. Who won't stop until his mission is complete, he turns up at many points during the game, another dynamic and interesting feature which has unfortunately been dropped in the later games is the choice selection system. This would often involve Nemesis, with simple choices such as fight or flight, or more interesting choices like where to hide, which direction to go etc, this can have an impact on the ending, and also where you will turn up in certain parts of the game, which can affect time completion, items found and so on. 
On harder difficulty modes ammo is very limited, but fighting nemesis is extremely rewarding, as he can drop exclusive weapon parts and packs holding first aid sprays. This adds a huge risk to the game, especially if you want a high rank in order to unlock more weapons, a fairly large selection of costumes and a new game mode, mercenaries.
Mercenaries is an addictive minigame where you control characters from the Umbrella security force, the object of the game is to kill as many enemies as possible whilst saving as many destrians of Raccoon City as possible. Its extremely rewarding as you get money which can be used to unlock further weapons in the story, with limited ammo, the most expensive being unlimited ammo for every weapon, this obviously gives you a massive advantage and can totally change the gameplay experience. 
Resident Evil: Code Veronica X,
'I'll end this once and for all. Say hello to my comrades you killed!' Although this game was first released on Dreamcast, I played the Playstation 2 version. This game was the last of the Playstation Resident Evil games to use fixed camera angles, and to be of the traditional survivor horror, which is why I hold it very highly in the series. More importantly, this game saw the return of Chris and Claire Redfield, along with Albert Wesker. This game took the series in a very different direction, with the setting, and story. The game is set on Rockfort island, and shows us the story of some of the founders of Umbrella, the Ashford family. A shadow of there former selves, Alfred Ashford, the current head of the family, is now nothing more than a lowly figurehead of a prison. However, he uses the prisoners for his own sick and twisted periments. You start of the game as Claire, and one of the best things I thought about this game was the mystery of the Ashfords, Albert, and his sister Alexia, appear to be on the island, however there is much more to them than meets the eye. When you find yourself in the Ashfords private residence, the lightning effects from outside, the music. It all adds for a defining creepy experience, with a suspended doll in the air, great interior decorating skills, has to be said. The gameplay was traditional Resident Evil, but is regarded as one of the hardest in the series. The main revelation we experience in this game, is that Albert Wesker survived his apparent death at the hand of the Tyrant. By injecting himself with a specialist form of the virus. We also learn further how he is working on taking down umbrella for his own selfish desires. The rivary between him and Chris is also expanded on, with an epic final cutscene battle between the two, setting up the events for their next encounter, which wouldn’t happen until Resident Evil 5. 
Resident Evil 4,
'What is it you fight for comrade?' 'My past I suppose' Resident Evil 4 has gone down in history as one of the greatest games of all time. Due to the complaints that Capcom were releasing the same game again, and again (which I was more than happy with) they revolutionised the survival horror genre. As far as I'm aware this was the first game to use the ever so popular over the shoulder camera view. Meaning you could see clearly in front of you, but not see behind your character. The game took the series in an entire new direction, even getting rid of zombies. However, the mass praise it received from fans and critics alike helped in win many awards over the vast amount of systems it has been released on. The game stars the ultimate Leon Kennedy as a government agent in order to rescue the kidnapped president’s daughter in a remote part of Europe, which is clearly Spain. It's a simple story, but the true magic here is again being pushed into the unknown. The enemies are now humans being controlled by parasites, which entered the bodies of their hosts through various ways. The main being through miners living in the village breathing in dust from the fossilised creatures in the rocks. Also the los Illuminados, a religious cult helped manipulate the villagers and thus turning them into Ganados. It’s very interesting learning more about your enemy as you play the game. The game thankfully still has many of its traditional roots in place, such as puzzles, and item management. But is now much more about taking enemies down than avoiding them, which was the best approach in the originals. The game has some incredible and varied boss fights, and countless iconic enemies and insant-violent deaths. There is a lot of replay value. The main story is lengthy, and features side stories where you control the mysterious Ada Wong. Also Mercenaries makes a full on comeback, and has been featured in every Resident Evil title to date and also spawned a spinoff game on the 3DS. All of these modes unlock outfits and weapons for the main game. 
Resident Evil 5
'It didn’t take long after the fall of the umbrella corporation for their weapons to end up in the hands of terrorists' Resident Evil 5 marked the first entry into the this generation of consoles, its fair to say it was somewhat of a disappointing experience, however, it brought a lot to the table, The game starred Chris Redfield, now working for an anti-terrorist group, B.S.A.A (Bioterrorism security assessment alliance) and is tasked with taking down Wesker in Africa. The game also brought the addition of co op, which added a lot of fun to the game. Players controlled another B.S.A.A operative, Sheva Alomar, (who in single player was useless). The games gameplay was more or less a clone of Resident Evil 4, with very little changes, however, as the inclusion of online co op means no pausing, the inventory system was reinvented, and to many fans was underwhelming, and ugly. The game was mostly set during the day time, and there was no tension. It was clear that the game had betrayed its roots for a more causal audience. However, there are some positive points. 
The games saving grace in my opinion, was Wesker, the antagonist of the series with back with a diabolical plan of taking over the world. It was obvious the virus had changed him mentally and physically. The cutscenes with Wesker, are by far the greatest in the game, building on the rivalry of the two characters from the original game.
Another fun addition thanks to co op was mercenaries mode was again successful. Players could chain combos to take down as many foes as possible, and get high scores as a range of characters from the game. DLC also brought the fan favourite Barry Burton, and Rebecca Chambers from the original game as playable characters in the Mercenaries mode. With knock backs such as Barry sandwich melee moves. These were included with extra chapters to fill in back story and other characters experiences during the events of the game. Lost in Nightmares was the first, which was fantastic. It was clear Capcom had listened to the negative feedback from the fans and wanted a more traditional experience for long going fans. The DLC was set in a mansion very similar to that of the first game having you solve puzzles in order to progress. Luckily, this was well received and would hopefully send a message to Capcom that fans did not want Resident Evil to become an action game. It is likely that this led on to the fantastic Resident Evil Revelations, which is coming out soon on consoles. I would highly recommend people buy it as it is fantastic, and will further tell Capcom to go closer to its roots. 
Resident Evil 6
'Yeah, this is RaccoonCity all over again' After the divisive reception of Resident Evil 5, it was hard for Capcom to decide where to take the series next, so what they did was make a game with four campaigns, one starring Leon Kennedy who would retake the throne of the king of the Resident Evil characters, (with a fetching leather jacket) Chris, and a new character Jake (urgh). There is also a fourth campaign with Ada Wong. Co op also returns. Leons' campaign is more of a Resident Evil 4 experience. Zombies return, and is set on a mission when an American town, Tall Oaks, is hit with the deadly C Virus. He is partnered with Helena Harper. Chris' campaign is more of an action heavy experience, like Resident evil 5, it features him, and B.S.A.A soldier, Piers Nivans in pursuit of an enemy on a revenge mission for their fallen comrades. Jakes campaign is the story of him being the only person in the world who is immune to the virus. Government agent, Sherry Birkin is tasked with protecting him, and making sure they make it to the government. Adas' is again mysterious, featuring her very interesting side to the story. On their own, the stories are quite underwhelming, but as you play more and more, how the story links and develops is very clever, and in my opinion, was probably the best thing Capcom could've done for this game. 
The gameplay is largely like 4 and 5, with the addition of more ways of dodging, you can now sprint, and also dive and roll around. Perhaps the biggest addition some people wanted, is the way you can now move, and aim at the same time. These additions certainly freshen up the experience, and make it feel much less like a clone of 4 as 5 did. The item management needs work though I think, and is very confusing at first, but once gotten used to is very easy to operate.
Again, mercenaries mode returns, largely unchanged from Resident Evil 5, there is also an Agent Hunt mode, giving you the opportunity to control the monsters as you intervene in a real persons game, trying to kill them. Resident Evil 6, like 5, has been very divisive, however, my opinion on it is, although it is not a true Resident Evil experience in the slightest, it is a great one. There are plenty of returning characters, and cutscenes discussing previous events in the games. It will be very interesting to see which direction both the DLC and the next game in the series take. All in all, the Resident Evil series has been one which has had massive impacts on my life growing up, and still today, I love the characters, the story, and the enemy designs. It is fair to say that, especially recently, the series has lost a lot of its charm and appeal. I still enjoy the latest games a lot. However, if the series wants to retake the name of being the king of horror games, it needs to drastically look to its roots. 
Thank you very much for reading, and I hope reading this has hopefully swayed you into trying out the fantastic games this series has to offer.
Connor Wood 
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