Every Resident Evil Remake, Ranked

When it comes to re-releasing their games, Capcom has been pretty good about that, especially regarding the Resident Evil franchise. Most of the mainline games, and even some spinoffs, are available across most current platforms. Besides ports and remasters, Capcom has also been a pioneer in the remake scene.

The first Resident Evil game getting remade on GameCube was not the first of its kind. However, it did set up a good blueprint for other developers to follow. With that game, there are three other full-on remakes in the series with Resident Evil 4 being the latest. They’re all great, but which is the best Resident Evil remake?

Updated March 16, 2024 by Mark Sammut: At the moment, Capcom has its hands full with the launch of Dragon’s Dogma 2, which is set to debut on March 22, 2024. The action RPG sequel is highly anticipated, and it will hopefully live up to expectations. While news is currently limited, it is only a matter of time before Capcom once again shines a spotlight on its horror franchise, and rumors have even started to circulate suggesting that a Resident Evil 5 remake could be in the works. Presuming it ends up happening, that project will come with some lofty expectations since the Resident Evil remakes have been constantly fantastic, and the fifth numbered entry is one of the franchise’s more polarizing entries. So far, Capcom has largely focused on revisiting genre classics, giving them a modern coat of paint that makes them more accessible to a contemporary audience. Resident Evil 5 still looks fine for the most part, and a remake would have to do a lot more than just provide a fresh coat of paint.

4 Resident Evil 3

Metascore: 84

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis was released just a year after Resident Evil 2 in 1999, also on the PS1. The remake was close behind Resident Evil 2’s as well which was in 2020 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. This was in April which was a huge month for PS1 remakes as Final Fantasy 7 Remake was soon after. It was also the beginning of the pandemic ramping up worldwide, giving players all the more reason to stay inside and game with their old pals Jill and Cloud.

What works well for the Resident Evil 3: Nemesis remake over the other two remakes so far is that it is one cohesive story. There are alternate routes to take in some cases, but Jill is the only character with a campaign. This made the whole experience feel more focused. Also, as an enemy that is constantly stalking the player, Nemesis is more iconic and threatening than Mr. X. Hearing the term “S.T.A.R.S.” should send shivers down anyone’s spine.

3 Resident Evil (2002) & HD Remaster

Metascore: 91 (2002)

• 	Resident Evil (2002)	Resident Evil HD Remaster
  Platform(s)	Wii, GameCube	PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, PC, Xbox One
  Released	2002-04-30	2015-01-20
  How Long To Beat	12 Hours	12 Hours

The first Resident Evil game helped create the modern survival horror genre that fans are still eating up today. It was released on the PS1 in 1996 and six years later it got a remake on GameCube. Besides various straight ports, it also had a more involved re-release on the DS in 2006 which added touch controls. The biggest revamp since 2002, though, was the remaster in 2015, which is now available on almost every major platform out there. As mentioned in the intro, it soon becomes the blueprint for remakes to follow. The visuals were a huge upgrade, obviously, which was wild at the time.

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It had some dips along the way in its middle years, but thanks to Resident Evil VII being a brave new invention of the series, it is now back on top.

The GameCube was only a year old and yet Capcom was able to pump that amount of power out of that little cube. It still looks great today even on the native hardware. It’s another example of a remake that followed things perhaps too close to the original since not a lot was technically new. Chris and Jill’s campaigns were mostly the same, like Leon and Claire’s, for example. However, what still makes the remake of Resident Evil compelling is that it feels like Capcom’s original vision for the game in its truest form as well as the Resident Evil series as a whole.

2 Resident Evil 2

Metascore: 93

Resident Evil 2 was first released in 1998 on the PS1. Over the years it received a lot of ports with marginal differences between them. Its first giant upgrade was in the remake which came out over twenty years later in 2019. The reaction was generally very positive, being seen as a return to classic form for the franchise following the great but very different Resident Evil 7​​​​​​. Reviews were stellar and, on paper, it was a much better game than the original. Ditching the tank controls was a huge boost for the game along with the revamped inventory and weapon systems. The wildest part about the game was the inclusion of Mr. X who was a small part in the original release, but now it stalked Leon and Claire all the time.

The Resident Evil 2 remake falters somewhat in some regards as Capcom did not combine the two campaigns all that well. In the original version, there were technically four campaigns. Players could start with Leon in his A scenario and then play through Claire’s B scenario and vice versa if Claire is chosen first. That mechanic is alive in the remake, and it would have been more interesting if the story made more of an effort to weave these two tales together better instead of having players replay the same events with very slight differences. Nevertheless, 2019’s Resident Evil 2 is still comfortably among Capcom’s greatest survival horror games, and the remake came out at an important time since it showed that the franchise will not be ignoring its heritage despite embracing a new era. In fact, this entry set the bar so high, it made the Resident Evil 3 remake seem worst than it is, despite latter being a perfectly good horror release in its own right.

1 Resident Evil 4

Metascore: 93

Resident Evil 4 is widely considered the greatest game in the franchise, so it should come as no surprise that Capcom held nothing back with the remake for their star Leon. The original version held up surprisingly well across its plethora of releases from the GameCube edition in 2005 to the first round of remasters in 2011. It felt good to play up until now with the modern remake.

Now, suddenly, the older versions of Resident Evil 4 feel dated due to all the remake’s fantastic quality-of-life changes. The knife, for example, was given more power in various ways. Players can crouch and stealth attack enemies as well as parry attacks in the Resident Evil 4 remake. There is a storage container, extra quests, and an overall bigger world to explore. It is an epic action horror game that belongs on the shelves of any fan of the genre even if they have never played a game in this series before.

Separate Ways DLC (Metascore: 89)

If the base game was not already brilliant enough, Capcom followed it up with Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways, a remake of the original title’s 2005 DLC. In this mode, players get to take control of Ada Wong, allowing them to go through a streamlined but largely similar adventure to Leon. Although largely offering the same (great) action as the main campaign, Separate Ways throws out a few tweaks courtesy of a grapple hook mechanic that adds a nice twist to Ada’s combat. Otherwise, the DLC is more of the same, which is like topping up a steak with a slightly smaller but still as delicious steak.

While players who simply stick to the main game will not feel like they are being short-changed, Separate Ways does an admirable job of making Ada’s journey seem crucial to the overall narrative, providing context that helps tie up a few loose ends. Ultimately, this DLC is a brisk but sweet ride that allows fans to spend a bit more time in this universe, all the while acting as a showcase of Resident Evil‘s strengths, charm, and legacy.

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