General Resident Evil 30th Anniversary Series Playthrough

[dvader]

30th Anniversary Resident Evil Series Playthrough

In 1996 Capcom would release a horror game that would become their most prestigious franchise and influence gaming forever. On March 22 1996 Resident Evil was released in Japan and a week later in America. With its stunning cinematic presentation and thrilling genre defining survival horror gameplay, Resident Evil became a massive hit and has not slowed down. There have been some ups and downs but for the most part the Resident Evil franchise has delivered great gaming experiences, its different eras all have their masterpieces. Next year marks the 30th anniversary of this legendary series, and with it comes the latest entry, Resident Evil Requiem.

I believe this would be a great time to do a full series playthrough ending with RE9. Starting now should give us what I hope is plenty of time to get through every game. This is not a timed thing, please take your time, most of us including me will be playing many other games while doing this. Go at your own pace and play the games you want to play, what constitutes a full series playthrough might be different for different people. For me it at a minimum means the mainline series, I will personally do some of the spinoffs but not all (why would I ever play Umbrella Corps again). Then there are the multitude of different versions and games with multiple ways to beat them, once again I leave it up to you to decide what a completion means to you. For me a game like RE2 is not finished until I do one full scenario A and B to get the true ending, but I don't need to do it with the characters flipped, just once is enough. If you want to go all out and beat every game to 100% more power to you! Want to speed run games, do it!

The whole point is to just enjoy playing Resident Evil games and SHARE your thoughts on them. Rank them as you play, or rank them before you play and change rankings as you go. Play a game in a way you never have before. I never have played the Wesker bonus game in RE0, I plan to do that during this playthrough. I can setup a leaderboard for speed runs if that is something some of you are interested in. We can organize co-op games here as well. The beauty of this series is how many ways there are to enjoy this franchise, let this be a celebration.

GUIDELINES

• Attempt to at least play and complete every mainline RE game. You may play as many RE games and versions of each game as you wish.
• Play in whatever order works for you. I will be going by release date order.
• Share your thoughts on each game!
• If you want to do speed runs, knife only challenges, no hit runs and so on please share and I will try to acknowledge these feats in a section below.
• I will keep track of every member who completes the main series playthrough.

MAINLINE ENTRIES

1996

1998

1999

2000

2002

2002

2005

2009

2012

2012

2015

2017

2019

2020

2021

2024

Due to image limit, the next post will continue.

 

[dvader]

SPIN-OFF ENTRIES

2000

2001

2001

2003

2003

2004

2007

2009

2011

2012

2016

2020 (RE:Verse has been shut down, no longer playable for this playthrough)

DLC AND OTHER VERSIONS

Due to image limit, there is also RE Saturn version, RE2 Gamescom, RE4 VR, RE4 Wii, OG Seperate Ways, RE4 remake VR, RE8 VR


SERIES PLAYTHROUGH COMPLETION LIST

All who complete the mainline series playthrough will be posted here. We can have different categories for those who just do mainline and those that do more.


RECORDS AND RANKINGS

For anyone who wants to post speed runs, special playthroughs or even mercenaries scores. Post your times and scores and I can add them here.


I can evolve this first post as time goes on. If anyone would like to help with the imaging or even do some badge or something for those who complete the playthrough please let me know.

 

[dvader]

I am starting with the original standard version, doing a Jill playthrough which is what I almost always do. My history with RE began on day one (or around there) and after playing it I would never be the same. My first night with RE1 is one of my favorite childhood memories and I feel it set the stage for the lover of video games that I am. I grew up with an NES like everyone did back in the day but when the 16-bit wars began you had to pick a side and my dad chose to get me a Genesis. I became a Sega nut, hating on Nintendo, having playground arguments about how Genesis does what Nintendont. Then came time for the 32/64 bit era and Sony announced they are entering the ring, HA this TV company is going to make video games, what a joke. So that Christmas, like the great Sega fan I was, I asked for a Sega Saturn. My older brother asked for Playstation, what a loser. I enjoyed my Panzer Dragoon and Virtua Fighter but I couldn't deny that Playstation had some cool games.

One day my brother came home from some store that had magazines and he said he saw a game preview for this horror game called Resident Evil, coming to the Playstation. Over time I saw many magazines cover this state of the art game. The graphics were incredible, the mature themes were so tantalizing for a 13 year old. My brother being a massive horror movie fan, made it his mission to get Resident Evil day one and I could not wait to try it. The night he bought RE I invited my best friend over for a sleep over, my brother bought both D and RE1, with the intention of starting RE1 at midnight for maximum effect. Our appetizer that night was D, we managed to beat it in two hours, a fine FMV puzzle game but nothing special. I was obsessed with the long box cover (which I still have), reading the manual, learning about Chris and Jill and the rest of the STARS team. We actually waited till midnight to start the game, finally the clock struck 12 and we started it up.
Ah AHHHHHHH BLOOD SPLAT DUN DUN DUN. RESIDENT EVIL! From the opening I was transfixed. My brother picked Chris cause he is a dude of course you pick the dude (not knowing he had no gun and was hard mode). Then the opening intro started and I could not believe I was playing a video game. Real actors, special effects and fun music, Resident Evil was the first big console cinematic game. When that cast of characters started I knew immediately that Barry was my guy and I was going to love to hate that douchebag blond dude, little did I know how legendary he would become.

My brother went first and had no idea how to control Chris. Those first few moments with the controls were hilarious, it was such an alien way to control a game. He stumbled his way into the dining room and eventually reached the first zombie. He had no clue how to use the knife so the zombie slowly ate him while we all screamed in horror. You Died!

It was my turn next and since I read the manual I knew to pick Jill. I loved Barry and Jill's back and forth instantly, Barry's lines to this day are seared into my brain. I got to the first zombie and promptly shot him dead, progress! I then proceeded to explore the mansion, these graphics, this music, this atmosphere, there was NOTHING like this. I reached a hallway that looked like the one in magazines and in the back cover, the dogs were coming. I KNEW the dogs were coming and still when they burst through the window I threw the controller into the air, all of us screaming, I desperately tried to get the controller in time but Jill was dead.

My friend went next and so on all through the night. We found new weapons, got some important keys to go deeper and deeper. We reached Yawn at one point, mindblowing boss at the time. Oh we didn't have a memory card so we had to start over after every death. Eventually my friend and I went to bed but my brother stayed up playing. In the morning he told us he found a way out of the mansion to a smaller guest house and eventually was killed by these horrible reptilian creatures, the hunters. His description blew my mind, how big was this game?! For the next month I was obsessed, I did nothing but play this game over and over. Beat it every which way possible, including unlocking the infinite launcher. It quickly became my favorite game ever up to that point.

My Saturn was left gathering dust, I had broken free of the childish bias behavior and became a fan of gaming, I got my own PS1 later than year. Resident Evil was the first game to show me what the future of video games would be, no longer just games for kids with stages and high scores. They could be full stories, with a movie-like presentation. They could elicit the same emotions the best movies could but go even further with interactivity that put you at the center of the action. At that moment I knew I would be a fan of gaming forever.

-------------------------

I just finished my RE1 playthrough, beat it with Jill, best ending under 2 hours without speed running at all. The game is so easy, I know Chris is hard mode but still, its a pretty forgiving game. I still love the horrible voice acting, has such a charm that was lost in the remake. I will say I can appreciate so much of what REmake did, there seemed to be sections that were so underbaked in this original.

The music really stands out, there are some killer tracks that only play once like the mansion basement song and when Barry knocks out Wesker. The files are really interesting to read, it seems that researchers and workers were trapped in the mansion for over a month after the outbreak, while more and more slowly got infected. What a cool time period that would be to explore in a game, trapped in the mansion, get killed if you try to escape, watch your friends slowly turn. According to the note of John, Ada was on site, so there is a playable character right there. Oh and one note makes mention of White Umbrella, was there a Red Umbrella? Is Blue Umbrella a nod to that note. Fun to look back.

 

[dvader]

I bought the non dual shock version of RE: DC at launch mostly for the RE2 demo. Well my favorite game at the time was getting a new version and I get to play the demo of the sequel, it was the easiest decision to buy. I still have vivid memories of playing the RE2 demo for the first time, how mindblowing the Raccoon City streets were, how improved the models and their animation was. I replayed that demo a million times, RE2 quickly became my most anticipated game ever. As for the DC, I had fun with it, I don't go back to arrange mode that often but its a nice extra mode to have.

...

I just finished my Chris Arrange mode playthrough, what an absolute blast. This is a run I have rarely attempted so I had almost no recollection of where things were plus the added difficulty of Chris made this feel like a first time RE1 run through and man I remember how addicting and fun this game is. There is something so charming and fun to control with this game that is lacking in REmake. Things to note, Chris' handgun, head popping machine. The Hunters were brutal, like 2x the amount in Jill's normal campaign, I died a few times as the ganged up on me and hit stunned me then insta kill. It reminded me why they are THE BEST BOW IN RE. I was in some tight situations, lacking health, needed to get through some tough enemies. I fought mamma spider on danger and survived, made it to the save room after just in time. Those are the moments that make this formula so great.

It was also the first time I have ever played the dual shock version... WTF... serious WTF is this music. Its HORRENDOUS, from start to finish. I cannot believe for a chunk of time this was the version available to people, with garbage music. The classic all time tracks that defined a series was just absent?! What? There are people who only played this version and don't know the classic music??? It's crazy to me. Even the ending credits was ruined!

Anyway DC is a ton of fun, now I want to try some of these randomizers. I am a weirdo that prefers to play the OG to REmake, this game means so much to me, I love every second of playing it. Honestly its probably the game I have beaten the most counting every version of it.

 

[‘99 Problems]

Always interesting to read a gamer’s perspective from the 90s. Thanks for sharing, grandpa .

I will follow the guidelines though I am confused at the format…is this a competition?

 

[dvader]

Always interesting to read a gamer’s perspective from the 90s. Thanks for sharing, grandpa .

I will follow the guidelines though I am confused at the format…is this a competition?

it doesnt have to be. I think its more for keeping track of who accomplishes this. If people want to post speed run records and the such then we can have a leaderboard.

 

[Cindy B]

This is so great Dvader! I remember reading your contributions back in the day

I’m not sure what kind of runs I’m going to do near the release for RE9 but I’ll be sure to post some of it here.

I know I’m going to be on OBSRV for sure helping new players out, lots of Alyssa’s lol

Enjoyed reading all of your memories and will read more when you post them

 

[Burton]

I've been coping with the wait for RE9 with a series revisit for a while, here is my progress:

RE0 -
RE1 -
RE2 -
RE3 -
RE4 -
RE5 -
RE6 -
RE7 -
RE8 -
RE9 -
CV -
Rev1 -
Rev2 -
REmake1 -
REmake2 -
REmake3 -
REmake4 -

 

[dvader]

Ok this is going slower for me than I anticipated, now I am not sure I will finish. Well next up is RE2, a game that solidified my love for this franchise. Lets go back to before the DC and the demo disk and to the news about RE2, or what is now RE1.5. I still remember the screenshots and previews in magazines about RE2, a very blue hued modern looking police station and new heroes called Leon and Elza, a biker chick. The game would have way better animations and the characters would show visiable wounds as you played. The screenshots were amazing, I was excited to play any new RE game for sure but the idea of being in the middle of the city outbreak was so good. Easily my most anticipated game at that time. Some months went by and the game got delayed a bit and when it finally resurfaced Elza was gone and in came Claire Redfield, giving us a clear connection to the first game. Gone was the modern cold style of the RPD and in came the more museum look we all love now. The changes were clearly for the better, RE2 began to take shape and the news about two discs with two different scenarios that will interact with each other came out. This was going to to take the chose a character from RE1 to a new level and it absolutely delivered, that zapping system was so well implimented, its sad it never really happened again. I loved how experimental games were back then. I got RE2 the day it came out and played it all weekend. I remember reading some article about how RE2 had a bigger opening weekend than whatever movies came out that weekend. Resident Evil 2 was the series hitting the big time, it was a showcase game for the PS1. I played RE2 countless times, did both scenarios every which way. Unlocked the infinite launcher, did 4th survivor and tofu, which was hard as hell. It's the most complete package of any RE game until RE4, to think it had the different scenarios, it introduced the first battle mode mini game, and it expanded the story about Umbrella so much. RE2 was the series coming out party, RE1 was a great start, it set all the rules for the gameplay and tone of the series but RE2 was really the one that shaped it into the best version of what it could be.

....


RE2 is done, I did Clarie A and Leon B and the Extreme Battle mode. Extreme Battle mode is a great mode, never got to play it before, it really uses the full map well and pushes you to really use all your weapons well. Its still not Mercs level but a nice precursor to it. Now about the main game, still an asbolute classic and my favorite of the old games. From the jump that opening in the city is so much more grand than anything in the original, its such a step above, its shocking. Everything about that opening is perfect, captures the feel of a city in ruins so well, and showcases how much more detailed RE2 is compared to the first. So many more zombies on screen, much better animations, more background effects, the voice acting in general is a massive step up. RE2 is one of those magical sequels that improves on the original in almost every way.


Then we get into the RPD, what a location. I might still give the edge in design and in freedom to explore to the mansion... but RPD is really close to it. Its just more exciting, the lickers show up so fast, they are the hunter equivalent in this game so right away everything is more dangerous. I love the choices you get to make about closing the window shades and picking up the backpack or the machine gun, the zapping system was brilliant. This game is more guided than the first, forcing you down a more set path but man does it unfold so well and even when backtracking new events pop up, the balance of action to exploring has never been better. The puzzles could absolutely be better, it has the worst puzzles of the three PS1 games.

Once you get into the sewers it becomes extremely linear, again I think the ebb and flow of the action, the bosses, the new locations work so well that its acceptable to be a little more linear. There was one really cheap moment in the sewers with the valve, if you dont remember to bring it you will have to backtrack rather annoyingly to get it. I think the lab's atmosphere is incredible, the best lab in the series history. The giagantic plant stairs is one of my favorite backgrounds in the series. Once the alarms go off and that music kicks in, oh man it doesn't get much better.

Then comes side B, this is the game entering hard mode. It waste no time getting you back in the RPD and changing things up. Not only do you get to see the new sections of whichever charatcer you didn't pick but you also get Mr.X. He is not a stalker like in the remake, he is preprogrammed to show up at specific moments to scare the shit out of you. When he did the double burst of the walls the first time I played I screamed and dropped the controller. I was petrified the rest of the game that he would burst through any wall at any time. There is a lot more bursting through objects in scenario B, in general it plays with expectations to deliver a harder more intense scenario. The ways your choices can affect the second playthrough is so brilliant. My favorite is what happens to Ivy if you activate the spary that you think will kill them only to find out it makes them all posionous.

I love the characters, the story was basic but still memorable, the action and music is at its best. I had an absolute blast playing this game. This is everything classic RE should be and its still one of the greatest games ever made.

 

[dvader]

Resident Evil 3 is an interesting one because it was one of two games in development. So RE2 is released, its an absolute masterpiece and now we await the next one. Word comes out of a true next gen RE game for the Dreamcast, I lose my mind cause I am extremely excited for the DC and the graphics are going to be mindblowing. But at the same time we get the annooucement of Resident Evil 3 starring Jill in Raccoon City being chased by Nemesis. A 3rd PS1 game wasn't the worst thing but it wasnt a NEXT GEN RE game, it quickly became apparent that RE3 was like a quick side game to bridge the gap between RE2 and the big showcase game, Code: Veronica. And so I wasn't as excited to play RE3 like I was RE2, it felt a lot like more of the same. Having a lot of the pre release media show you returning to the RPD didn't help either, it kept feeling like more of the same. I bought it at release and loved the opening intro and greatly enjoyed the game, yeah it was a step back to RE2 but still had some great ideas. It was the first time I felt slight disappointment, it wasn't THE EVENT that the first two were. But it was a nice entry to tide me over until Code: Veronica hit.

This was a fun game to complete, its so fast paced and really pushes you to maximize heath and ammo, at least at the start. For sure the hardest of the three PS1 games because of Nemesis constantly chasing you and the amount of enemies. Of course the introduction of series staples like quick turn and auto aim is great. To this day I still have no clue how to do the dodge move, it just works sometimes and other times it does not. By far the star of the show is Nemesis, just an incredible enemy and byy far the best in the entire series, the way this game works him into so much of the game is remarkable. Plus the randomization helps keep the game fresh between runs and even save reloads. When that creepy being hunted music is on I was on my toes, freaking out if he was coming or not. In this run I did decide to fight him a few times to at least get the better shotgun, the fact that you get special rewards for downing Nemesis is another layer to the gameplay. That with the ammo choices and live selection really empowers the player to try to play different ways in the absense of a second character or storyline. Do I perfer this method to having two characters, no, I like RE1 and 2 more for its different runs.

As much as the action is very well done and RE3 has the best puzzles of the PS1 games and some of the best ones of the series, it lacks in the level design a bit. I feel RE3 is about pushing forward, relentless attack on the player to keep going, that means the exploration part takes a hit. A lot of the game feels more like a central area with long straight paths coming out of it. You pick one of those paths, run it to the end, get what you need then return to the central spot. Gone is the big maze like central hub that is a center piece of the series, to me thats the biggest knock on this game and why it isnt one of my top RE games. There were a few rooms where the item you need to progress is literally in the same room, or in a room next door. There are some standout areas like the clock tower but thats pretty short. Dead factory was pretty cool but not as good as either of the first two labs. For me, the classic formula needs to have a bunch of keys, lots of hallways, locked doors and running back and forth as you strategically clear areas you use a lot. This game doesn't really do that, you just fight what is in front of you, or run in the case of Nemesis. It also didn't introduce to many new monsters, mostly just Nemesis, gravedigger and the drain deimos which are boring compared to the hunters and lickers. How amazing Nemesis is used does make up for the lack of new monsters but it is noticable.

One thing that was apparent in this session is how much the remake failed, holy shit, what a difference. This version is so much better and not just with how great Nemesis works, the content was butchered. No Clock tower, no park, no dead factory or at least didn't have the personality of it. I do enjoy the variety of locations the game has, they really did a good job fleshing out the city. The story is pretty basic but showcases how messed up Umbrella is and finally brings in how the government responds to all these events. There is this really cool battle depicted in the background between US special forces and Tyrants which I wish was explored more in the remake. The nuke was the ending of the Raccoon City trilogy, ending it with a bang; the epilogues also serve as a closing point to the RC trilogy. Those epilogues are interesting reading them now, especially Ada which says "this was the last time I use the name Ada Wong" well shes Ada in 4 lol. More hints that the series changed direction so much with the RE4 reset, oh well. Oh another great part of the game is Mercenaries, the best mini game of the old era and because of it we had the amazing future Mercenery modes.

All in all another great RE game, even when they weren't exactly what I wanted they were still great classic games. The level of quality between RE games and other survival horror games of the time was pretty big. So next up one of my favorites and one of the most debated games in the series, Code Veronica.

 

[dvader]

Code Veronica, this one was special, to me personaly this was the height of RE mania. So as I mentioned in the RE3 write up RE3 and CV were sort of revealed together, RE3 being a quick follow up and not moving the story forward was clearly the "side game". Code Veronica was the true sequel RE2 desevred, next gen graphics, brand new story months after the Raccoon City incident, and a scale the series has never seen before. Plus it stars RE1 and RE2 heroes tying the entire series together, not to mention the return of the series greatest villian. CV was RE to the max, my hype for this game was through the roof, partly because of how enamored I was with the Dreamcast, everything on it felt so mindblowing and RECV would be no exception.

It was also around this time that I was getting very active on gaming message boards on Gamestop and board that was called Everything Resident Evil. There I became part of a long standing RE fandom, I met people I still chat with today, we eventually spun off and became the fansite Biohaze. Code Veronica was when I felt the RE lore was blown wide open, finally we escape Raccoon City and now the entire world is part of this zombie soap opera. Umbrella's history was expanded so much, our heroes becoming globe trotting freedom fighters and the villains began to have major personalities, including the best move the series ever did which was bringing back Wesker to have an on going villian and rivalry. I remember how amazing it was to play as him in the battle game and see a logo HCF, who is this, a rival company to Umbrella, what did that mean! We discussed and analyzed every aspect of the lore on that board, the fandom was so alive, the future of the series so exciting. In terms of one game RE4 still holds my place for most hyped RE game, but in terms of fandom and lore Code Veronica time was my favorite.

This game gets a lot of shit, I get the complaints, they are valid but I do think they will hit people differently depending on what you want out of the game and your experience level with RE. For the first few hours I was starting to feel like huh maybe I was wrong and this game is kind of bland. Don't get me wrong, the start is still impressive, the graphics still get me, I will always remember the first time playing it. Sure it looks odd now but I kind of like the exaggerated colors and that Dreamcast look that games had. The opening CG is still impressive and leans into the action series RE has become. Yes new mechanics from RE3 are missing, whatever, RE2 is the best of the old bunch and it was missing all those too; level design and survival horror aspect is what matters here. While the games map is the largest in the series it doesnt have many choices in where to go. Very few times do you get a key or item that lets you pick between two or more paths which was a staple of the first two games. Instead you get an item and find your way to what it opens and so on, this also results in quite a bit of backtracking, more so than usual. The first Claire section does have some long treks that are annoying but the game keeps the pressure on with many enemies, some which repopulate after specific points. This game really tries to have moments happen as you explore every area piece by piece with cutscenes, weird traps, enemy surprises and so on. There is plenty of ammo so I never felt that much in danger but somehow a bunch of players get stuck without ammo, not sure what they are doing, all in all this is a pretty easy game in desperate need of a harder mode.

Once the tyrant shows up the game really picks up steam, you get a sort of end game escape sequence in the middle of the game. Much has been said about the tyrant on the plane fight, yes if you SUCK at managing ammo you can be screwed here. Still its a neat fight where you have to use the environment to kill him, I enjoyed it a lot. Then you are off to antartica and a much better location with less running large distances and more of hallway back and forth which I love. Chris' section is brilliant, the level design of the island really begins to shine when you see old paths being blocked, new locations being opened up and it becomes a lot more like the mansion/RPD sticking to just the military base which lowers the backtracking. You do need to remember where everything is though, it can be easy to forget how to reach a certain room but thats part of genre. The best non boss enemies show up again, I loved seeing the hunters return and I appreciated the new drones that sweep the halls for you. Once Chris gets to Antartica again you see the level change with huge new sections opening up. When I get into the recreated mansion I still remember my reaction the first time I saw it, the classic mansion recreated in full 3D with new graphics, I was in love (little did I know what was soon coming); moments like that made CV really feel like a love letter to the whole series up to that point. The Steve boss fight is a mess and the checkpoint is horrendous, I give you that but they had the balls to kill off a playable character, very rare for this series. First person aiming is used for the first time in the series, a really cool gameplay addition. Oh I loved having the 3D items back to be examined, big RE1 vibes. Dual weilding guns is cool as hell, this game gets some shit for missing mechanics but it does have some interesting original ones. The way the "zapping" system works is pretty well done with quite a few items that can be left for Chris but its no where as in depth as what RE2 achieved, still it's a nice call back.

The X version which I played here of course gives us more Wesker which is always a good thing. I love the story in CV, its officially when RE embraces being an action horror extravaganza. Chris is jumping into a fighter jet like its a random car in a parking lot, every thing is over the top, and it all fits the lore so well. Ashfords make for a compelling twisted villain duo who have their own history which added so much to the lore. The final hours is awesome cutscene after awesome cutscene, Wesker hamming it up as he fights Chris in an epic duel setting up the big RE5 showdown and kind of emphasises just how weird of a side story RE4 was. CV was the bridge from the OG trilogy to all the action games that came after. Oh and the music! It's so good, the CV theme song remains my favorite theme of any one RE game. I loved playing this game again, it hit every single note I want from a RE game. The game is lacking in post game content, the battle mode is cool especially for its first person mode (did you know the entire game was supposed to have a first person option but that was removed) but it's over pretty fast. No unlockable difficulty mode really hurts though at the time that was basically the series norm. This game remains amazing, forget the haters, it's as pure a classic RE game as it gets.

 

[MGr]

If any game should be remade, I think it's CV. There is no game in the series more fitting for one.

 

[Burton]

I agree, I always thought CV did not get the credit it deserved and a remake could really work well, both in terms of its suitability and to allow it to be appreciated more.

 

[Duty]

The problem with Code Veronica is the characters. It would be pretty damn difficult to get them correct these days when they were already on rocky ground when the game was released. It gets everything else right, though. Great survival horror gameplay.

Actually there's always a risk they could ruin even that. I mean just look at RE3R. They nerfed the heck out of it!