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[NeverYouMind]

Don't you have some boulders to punch?

 

[violence]

I'll also say RE1 Remake is so good. I'm actually starting a new playthrough now. I've never had an issue with the controls. There is probably a learning curve if you didn't grow up with RC cars.

=

RE1 Remake is a great place to start but if you really don't want to then..
RE2 Remake
RE3 Remake
RE4 Remake
RE7

 

[SkylineRKR]

As most others have said, in this case play RE2R, RE3R, RE4R, VII and Village. All these games are fantastic.

You can ignore the likes of Revelations.

 

[poodaddy]

Alright OP, as someone whose wife and daughter both hate tank controls and I, on the other hand, grew up quite used to them, I think I can help here. Here's my take.

IMO the version of RE on Steam, the version you jumped off of, is the best of the top down RE's in general, so I think that type of RE, unfortunately, just may not be for you, and that's ok.

In terms of action, replayability, and charm, the original RE4 is the still the best of the series, but it does have tank controls. It's a third person shooter in most regards with a lot of quick time events, but it is indeed tank controls, so maybe try it but I don't know that you'll love that either.

RE7 is a perfect "reintroduction" to the series for those who don't get into the old ones. It has stellar first person controls, still looks outstanding, mostly good voice acting, and the DLC is extremely fun. This is a scary game, and that is the goal of the game design.

RE4 remake is now the best of the remake titles in most ways that matter to most folks. It's very replayable, has outstanding controls and visuals, mostly good voice acting, (Krauser and Ada are both awful), and if you really want to get a good action experience with pretty decent scares as well and avoid tank controls too, this is the way to go.

My personal favorite of the remake titles is RE2, as I just feel it's an almost perfect modernization of the original, although the B paths for either character are severely watered down compared to the original. This is the way to go if you want third person, no tank controls, and more horror oriented game design.

My personal advice? Play in this order and see if these are for you, and if they're not, they're I wouldn't bother trying anymore.

RE7, (do not skip DLC)
RE2 Remake
RE8
RE4 Remake, (do not skip DLC)
MAYBE try RE3 Remake if you want, it's pretty polarizing, but I liked it. It's definitely far too short, but it's very replayable as a result.

That's my two cents anyhow, lemme know what ya think.

 

[SkylineRKR]

I think you're in a good position to like RE3make potentially. I think it's a good game on its own, just not the best remake in terms of the original. So considering you haven't played the original, I think if you like Re2make you'll like Re3make just fine!

RE3 Remake is brilliant. Its gameplay is about the best its ever been, and the evade mechanic is insanely fun and better done than in the original. I think its more true to a Last Escape than the original was, which had you backtrack and solve puzzles a lot. And its more replayable as well, in fact, I think this might be the most replayable RE of them all. Higher difficulties do change up things a bit and shuffles enemies around. I didn't buy it for full price, but it was one of my best bargain deals on PS4. I had a blast getting the platinum trophy.

The original had more locations and a better Nemesis system. It also had Mercs. The original RE3 is my fave classic RE, I felt it had by far the best gameplay of the PSX games.

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

Youtube story recaps of zero an one. Re1make is truly great though...

Play remakes 2-3-4.

Youtube story recaps of Code Veronica (fixed camera), 5 and 6.

Play 7-8.

This is the correct answer

 

[64bitmodels]

I played the Resident Evil remaster on Steam a bit and that old play style with fixed camera angles and wonky controls just doesn't jive with me. So before I invest any further in these games, is there any advice on how I should approch the series for a guy who has played none of the games and only has a general idea of what is going on? Any games I should avoid? Or games I should play first before others, etc.

Appreciated.

wow you haven't played Resident Evil yet?

actually a shocker.

Play the Remake of 2, i think it's the most approachable one in the franchise for beginners.

 

[Topher]

Alright OP, as someone whose wife and daughter both hate tank controls and I, on the other hand, grew up quite used to them, I think I can help here. Here's my take.

IMO the version of RE on Steam, the version you jumped off of, is the best of the top down RE's in general, so I think that type of RE, unfortunately, just may not be for you, and that's ok.

In terms of action, replayability, and charm, the original RE4 is the still the best of the series, but it does have tank controls. It's a third person shooter in most regards with a lot of quick time events, but it is indeed tank controls, so maybe try it but I don't know that you'll love that either.

RE7 is a perfect "reintroduction" to the series for those who don't get into the old ones. It has stellar first person controls, still looks outstanding, mostly good voice acting, and the DLC is extremely fun. This is a scary game, and that is the goal of the game design.

RE4 remake is now the best of the remake titles in most ways that matter to most folks. It's very replayable, has outstanding controls and visuals, mostly good voice acting, (Krauser and Ada are both awful), and if you really want to get a good action experience with pretty decent scares as well and avoid tank controls too, this is the way to go.

My personal favorite of the remake titles is RE2, as I just feel it's an almost perfect modernization of the original, although the B paths for either character are severely watered down compared to the original. This is the way to go if you want third person, no tank controls, and more horror oriented game design.

My personal advice? Play in this order and see if these are for you, and if they're not, they're I wouldn't bother trying anymore.

RE7, (do not skip DLC)
RE2 Remake
RE8
RE4 Remake, (do not skip DLC)
MAYBE try RE3 Remake if you want, it's pretty polarizing, but I liked it. It's definitely far too short, but it's very replayable as a result.

That's my two cents anyhow, lemme know what ya think.

Good stuff, man. Thanks. RE7 is on sale for <$10 so I may give that one a go after I finish RE2R.

So far I'm in the police station and got the first amulet for the statue. Very early obviously, but it is good stuff. I like Leon. Good voice acting in the game.

wow you haven't played Resident Evil yet?

actually a shocker.

Play the Remake of 2, i think it's the most approachable one in the franchise for beginners.

I'm not much of a horror fan so games like RE or Silent Hill have never been on my radar. That and the fact that I wasn't gaming much at all when the games first came out. I was starting a family during the PS1/PS2 days so different priorities. As far as consoles, I jumped went from Sega Genesis to PS3. lol

 

[Soodanim]

Good stuff, man. Thanks. RE7 is on sale for <$10 so I may give that one a go after I finish RE2R.

On PC? PMed

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

Play the Remake of 2, i think it's the most approachable one in the franchise for beginners.

Nah, that definitely goes to 4 or 5 or even r3make, re2make has too many things in it that are too "hardcore" for new players, it's the only one in the entire franchise with bullet sponge zombies (because that's how they thought of creating fake tension, clearly a lingering after effect from RE7), and mr X can get tiresome especially on repeat playthroughs

 

[64bitmodels]

Nah, that definitely goes to 4 or 5 or even r3make, re2make has too many things in it that are too "hardcore" for new players, it's the only one in the entire franchise with bullet sponge zombies (because that's how they thought of creating fake tension, clearly a lingering after effect from RE7), and mr X can get tiresome especially on repeat playthroughs

4 is the "easier" and more marketable experience but it also dilutes the RE formula a bit too much, very action focused. RE2 remake is pure Resident Evil in its puzzle solving, atmosphere and tension, but without the tank controls and fixed camera angles that OP doesn't like about the first few games.

Also, RE enemies were always super bullet spongy. That's how they got you to resource manage alot with the first few games.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

RE2 remake is pure Resident Evil in its puzzle solving, atmosphere and tension

Puzzles maybe, but all mainline games have atmosphere and tension, RE2make just does the tension in a way that's wildly different from all the other games; heck the original RE2 has plenty of tension, but it didn't lean on bullet sponge enemies to get there, none of them do.
It's clear they didn't really know what to do with the enemy encounter design after RE7, because what worked there, wouldn't work for RE2, so instead they just made shooting enemies feel weak; this is quickly abandoned with R3make and onwards, enemies react and die like they have the entire franchise. Imagine if they made the enemies like that in rem4ke lol, would've been a devastatingly terrible experience.

 

[Arsic]

I played the Resident Evil remaster on Steam a bit and that old play style with fixed camera angles and wonky controls just doesn't jive with me. So before I invest any further in these games, is there any advice on how I should approch the series for a guy who has played none of the games and only has a general idea of what is going on? Any games I should avoid? Or games I should play first before others, etc.

Appreciated.

RE1 Remake does have the things you’re not happy about but within 30-45 minutes you’ll be fine. The game is the blueprint for what many love about fromsoft souls games with the world being connected. It’s got some great moments and memes.

That said if going through it will make you not want to play the franchise further then just start with RE2 remake.

Do RE2R
RE3R
RE4R
RE7
RE8

Those are the games you won’t have issues with. Likely RE5R is on the horizon so skip RE5 for now especially since it was designed for co op and the Sheva AI is absolutely moronic…

If you still need more RE goodness then the Revelations 1&2, of which 2 is superb.

Lastly, if you get over the fixed camera issue then try RE0 last.

Under no circumstances should you play RE6. If you do and think it’s a good game somehow, then there’s no hope for you as a person .

 

[Isa]

Honestly, while most of the oldies are tough, I think the payoff for adjusting to tank controls can be a great skill to have since it opens up more doors to the genre. A lot of classic survival horror games use it and while cumbersome to be sure, there are some great stories to be had. I'd say stick with it if possible but don't force it of course.

I do love the whole franchise though and I think most are worth a try at least. Its a real shame we can't get a classic collection ala Megaman for modern systems. Maybe one day.

 

[NeverYouMind]

RE3 Remake is brilliant. Its gameplay is about the best its ever been, and the evade mechanic is insanely fun and better done than in the original. I think its more true to a Last Escape than the original was, which had you backtrack and solve puzzles a lot. And its more replayable as well, in fact, I think this might be the most replayable RE of them all. Higher difficulties do change up things a bit and shuffles enemies around. I didn't buy it for full price, but it was one of my best bargain deals on PS4. I had a blast getting the platinum trophy.

The original had more locations and a better Nemesis system. It also had Mercs. The original RE3 is my fave classic RE, I felt it had by far the best gameplay of the PSX games.

That reminds me... If you want to play the PC version with mods on Steam you need to go to the game's properties and under Beta tab select DX11_nonRT. None of the mods like the Carlos one in the picture below are compatible with updated ray tracing version. (I imagine it is a similar case with RE2R)

 

[Iced Arcade]

First button.

When ya get to 5 & 6, I'll co-op with ya

 

[Shifty1897]

If you can't deal with the camera angles of the first, just play RE2 Remake and RE4 Remake. The games are self-contained enough. You don't need to know the overarching story, it's not very good anyway.

If you love 2 and 4, go back and play 3 remake, then jump into 7 and then 8. 5 and 6 are not worth playing in 2023.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

More playing and less posting amigo.

If you play REmake you've already played the best one. lol.

 

[Neff]

RE1/REmake is essential.

 

[Soodanim]

Topher I find REFramework worth installing for pretty much all RE Engine games, which for RE is 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8. I primarily use it to disable the vignette, as I'm not a fan. You can also customise the FOV if you want, but that applies a universal FOV and can mess with some puzzles in some of the games.

https://github.com/praydog/REFramework if you're interested, it's as simple as dropping a couple files in the game folder and that's that.

 

[analog_future]

I just did this myself over the past 2 years.

I had written the RE series off as just being not for me, but when RE 2 and RE 3 Remakes got next-gen updates for XSX/PS5, I thought I'd give them a shot.

Now the series is one of my favorite in all of gaming. Totally in love.


I'd rank them as such:

1. RE2 Remake
2. RE Village
3. RE4 Remake
4. RE7
5. RE3 Remake
6. RE5
7. RE6

I still haven't played the original RE/REmake, RE 0, or Code Veronica, but I will get on those eventually.

 

[Sleepwalker]

The story in 1 is really not that interesting, to be fair none of them really are lol

Play 2 remake if you want survival horror
Play 4 remake if you want more action oriented
Play 3 remake if you liked the other 2

Play Village. The rest can be pretty much ignored, 7 imo is not that great and it falls apart in the second half anyway.

Don't worry too much about the stories, they're mostly self contained aside from some callbacks to previous events but you won't get lost.


I love the franchise and I played it back then but you couldn't pay me to play the tank control games in 2023, they are ass despite what the fixed camera/pre rendered background fanatics will try to tell you.

 

[violence]

REmake 1 has the alt controls for those who can't adapt. The character looks stupid in motion though and I would never play it that way. I think you have to be down to play something old even with the alt controls.

 

[BlackTron]

In terms of action, replayability, and charm, the original RE4 is the still the best of the series, but it does have tank controls. It's a third person shooter in most regards with a lot of quick time events, but it is indeed tank controls, so maybe try it but I don't know that you'll love that either.

RE1 and 4's controls feel so different it seems strange calling them the same type of controls, I guess technically they're tank. But RE4 is really the game that ditched the old formula that was hard to play and made it a more third person action game, the over-the-shoulder perspective and aiming-down-sights approach completely transformed it. So OP if you had a challenging time with 1's controls I wouldn't consider it an indication how you'll take to 4.

Of course the RE game with the best control of all is RE4 Wii Edition. It's half zombie lightgun game

 

[Moses85]

Go and play Zero, it's a funny game...

 

[_Idea_of_Evil_]

If you're starting fresh, I would recommend in this order: RE7/8, and then RE2, *3*, 4: Remakes.

3: Remake is cool, but skippable because it's so short. 5 is a fun co-op. 6 is trash.

OG RE4 is still great, but imo it's hard to go back to after feeling the fluidity of the controls in the remake. Never played REmake, so I can't speak about that one.

 

[fart town usa]

I played the Resident Evil remaster on Steam a bit and that old play style with fixed camera angles and wonky controls just doesn't jive with me. So before I invest any further in these games, is there any advice on how I should approch the series for a guy who has played none of the games and only has a general idea of what is going on? Any games I should avoid? Or games I should play first before others, etc.

Appreciated.

Play 2make, Village or 4make. Those are all modern enough and you can control the camera. Can all be played 3rd person. If you enjoy any of those you'll probably be inspired to start exploring the series.

Story is beyond convoluted at this point so don't worry about that, just focus on the gameplay loop.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

RE1 and 4's controls feel so different it seems strange calling them the same type of controls, I guess technically they're tank. But RE4 is really the game that ditched the old formula that was hard to play and made it a more third person action game, the over-the-shoulder perspective and aiming-down-sights approach completely transformed it. So OP if you had a challenging time with 1's controls I wouldn't consider it an indication how you'll take to 4.

Of course the RE game with the best control of all is RE4 Wii Edition. It's half zombie lightgun game

The controls in 4 are definitely the same as the previous 3, RE5 affirms this because you can change the camera angle to fixed for the first part of the Lost In Nightmares DLC and it plays exactly like RE1-3 without making any adjustments to the controls:

 

[SuperBabyMethod]

Play the originals (1-4, and yes, Zero and Code Veronica are awesome), far and away the best of Resident Evil.

 

[indigoSociety]

As someone who loves the series and has played them all I'd say just go straight to RE2 and RE4 Remakes. RE7 is must play too, one of my favourites in the entire series. I finished Village twice but I'd say 7 is superior (same 1st person style, connected storyline). Original releases haven't aged well (tank controls etc) though both 5 and 6 are still worth checking out today. 6 gets a lot of hate but having recently replayed it (got the plat trophy when it originally released) I appreciate it's four distinct campaigns and CAPCOM throwing everything + the kitchen sink into it lol.

I'm sure this thread will be filled with differing opinions but I'd hope all Resi fans can agree RE2R and RE4R are god-tier, must-play titles.

^What he said

 

[35cent]

The only advice I can to this is that I'd try to master the tank controls. It would be a shame to miss out on REmake (my favourite game in the series) and it would allow you to play the original RE3 which is considerably better than the remake. Other than that, I'd say start at maybe RE2 remake. It gives you a taste of the series' roots and has modern controls as well if you never gel with the tank controls. Good luck!

 

[Elder Legend]

Good stuff, man. Thanks. RE7 is on sale for <$10 so I may give that one a go after I finish RE2R.

So far I'm in the police station and got the first amulet for the statue. Very early obviously, but it is good stuff. I like Leon. Good voice acting in the game.



I'm not much of a horror fan so games like RE or Silent Hill have never been on my radar. That and the fact that I wasn't gaming much at all when the games first came out. I was starting a family during the PS1/PS2 days so different priorities. As far as consoles, I jumped went from Sega Genesis to PS3. lol

RE7 is great at start and mod, but falls short at the end

 

[Arachnid]

Just play remake 2, remake 4, then 7,8 together.
Remake 3 if you want more.

For ultimate classic, 1 remake hd.

Everyones covered it, but this is about right.

RE3make isn't up to par with those other 4 though, so be ready for that. Those other 4 though? Some of the best titles in the series and you will have a fun time.

 

[Varteras]

 

[laynelane]

It sounds like you already have your answer, so I'll just say that I hope you enjoy your foray into the series. I didn't start with the first one but, over time, wound up playing them all due to my love of the franchise. It would be great if you felt like giving more updates as you go through RE2 Remake too. Have fun!

 

[Drizzlehell]

I feel similar about the fixed camera games in the series so I usually skip them on my series playthroughs and only play the 2-4 remakes and follow it with 5-8. I sometimes play Gun Survivor too due to nostalgia and how short and easy it is. Revelations 1 & 2 are also pretty good.

The plot of RE1 is pretty basic so you can just catch a short recap to learn what happened and not bother with that game. I would love it so much if Capcom remade it again to be in line with rest of the remakes in terms of gameplay.

 

[Northeastmonk]

Makes me want to replay Village. I love the setting in Village. I didn’t like Umbrella Corps or the first Revelations game. This series has been around for so long. I’d honestly say pick and choose. If I recommend Code Veronica and your time with RE1R sucked then idk what you’d do with anything that’s not a complete Remake. I bought the making of book for RE7. That game has some super dark moments.

Sad to hear no one likes using a shot gun or grenade launcher in the original. I grew up loving that style, so it’s hard to tell me I’m wrong.

 

[BlackTron]

The controls in 4 are definitely the same as the previous 3, RE5 affirms this because you can change the camera angle to fixed for the first part of the Lost In Nightmares DLC and it plays exactly like RE1-3 without making any adjustments to the controls:

You have a point, but I think the camera changes transform it completely. It's a lot different to press a button to look at your character aiming down their sights, compared to pressing the same button to look down those sights "yourself" with them. Sure same button to raise the gun, same stick to aim, but in the different context it's like a completely different game. Walking around and turning is also less clumsy. I played RE1 and 4 back to back on GC, the difference was definitely night and day, one was a modern easy to play game and the other was well...RE1 lol

 

[SpiceRacz]

I would strongly encourage you to start at the original (not the remake) and try to get past the tank controls. I think you'll appreciate the recent games more if you can see where the series started. Plus, they're all short playthroughs.

 

[PrCat88]

I played the Resident Evil remaster on Steam a bit and that old play style with fixed camera angles and wonky controls just doesn't jive with me. So before I invest any further in these games, is there any advice on how I should approch the series for a guy who has played none of the games and only has a general idea of what is going on? Any games I should avoid? Or games I should play first before others, etc.

Appreciated.

RE7 is a soft reboot with modern fps controls and the same game design as RE1 when it comes to exploration and problem solving. That's your best bet if you can't work with camera angles.

 

[Topher]

So far I'm really enjoying RE2R. Digging the puzzles. Now I get what everyone is talking about as far as the backtracking. Is that someone they continued in the newer games?

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

The classic RE games are among my favorite games of all time, but I feel like with original 2 and 3, if you don't have a CRT television, they probably look pretty garbage, even the re-release of REmake has that issue of it looking more pixelated than it's supposed to at times, I haven't played the re-release of 0.

That's putting aside someone not being used to things like tank controls, though I feel like with those, one should simply "git gud".

 

[violence]

The classic RE games are among my favorite games of all time, but I feel like with original 2 and 3, if you don't have a CRT television, they probably look pretty garbage, even the re-release of REmake has that issue of it looking more pixelated than it's supposed to at times, I haven't played the re-release of 0.

All those games have AI upscale packs. The AI upscale packs for RE2 and 3 on dolphin were pretty awesome.

 

[kiphalfton]

Fixed camera games are better than any of the remakes (RE2, RE3, RE4) and new games (RE7 and RE8). Only exception to that is RE4 original version. It's the best one.

 

[laynelane]

So far I'm really enjoying RE2R. Digging the puzzles. Now I get what everyone is talking about as far as the backtracking. Is that someone they continued in the newer games?

There is backtracking with most RE titles. Some of it is for story-related reasons, but quite a bit of it is for picking up supplies, weapons, etc. too. (especially with the newer titles). The titles that don't have it are RE3 Remake, RE5, and RE6 due to the games being set up where you advance in stages and once a stage is complete - you can't go back. Revelations 2 was also like that too, if I'm remembering correctly.

 

[Sleepwalker]

So far I'm really enjoying RE2R. Digging the puzzles. Now I get what everyone is talking about as far as the backtracking. Is that someone they continued in the newer games?

RE4R doesnt have as much backtracking.

RE3R is very short so the backtracking is limited.

 

[bender]

Play the RE2make. Then play the OG RE4. Fuck the rest.

 

[anthraticus]

Is that what they are called? Tank controls? Came across the first zombie and I was trying every button combination I could think of to kill the damn thing. Weirdest interaction ever. I just stood there gaping while the damn thing kept taking bites out of me. I may have to do the youtube version for the story on that one.

So you give it one try and quit ? wimp

 

[Topher]

So you give it one try and quit ? wimp

Didn't say that at all, now did I?

 

[Starbuck2907]

RE4 is considered a masterpiece. The controls take some getting used to, but it is worth it. Play it first, play RE5 next, but only if you can find a friend to co-op it with, the single player is fun, but a little frustrating due to wonky co-op ai. In co-op it is a blast. Then skip to RE4 remake before dabbling around with 7 and 8.