I'm liking the write-ups OP, plus all the additions. It really is a storied franchise, that means so much in different ways to each person. I too grew up with the originals, but the games I first owned in the series were the RE1 Director's Cut and then RE2. And that was after finally getting a PS1 for Christmas, that I had been begging for for years. I want to say it was '97 cause my grandparents and aunt pitched in for me, and my aunt got me Tomb Raider.
RE2 is my absolute favorite, partially due to rose tinted glasses. But it all just works. I replayed it so much since I didn't have many games, and imagine my shock and awe when I finally got a memory card! There was a whole route system to replay the game for new story bits!?!?! God damn what a game, talk about great game design.
I love most of all the games, and have been replaying them myself as well lately. Been going back to play a ton of games I miss in my diet. Sick of what passes for most AAA these days. Some solid shmups and beat'em ups. Games with good fundamentals and perhaps an arcade-y touch. I've been playing out of order though, going through the few titles I never finished despite my interest. I don't mind tank controls and fixed cameras, I think RE Code Veronica does some neat things with the camera. I also love many series inspired by RE. I think the influence of design choices in Dino Crisis also affect RE in interesting ways. I know some ppl might loathe it, but I really enjoy good action, and personally the story kind of makes sense for the heroes now experienced and jaded to not be as scared. DC2 was such a fun game.
Recently I played through Code Veronica. Well, tried. I made the same mistake from my first playthrough on my Dreamcast. Kept weapons and ammo on certain characters, had no tell or que that I was going to have to play as another and then wham! The f'n end! Good luck beating the boss with no ammo and a handgun. I also get it does some things to add tension and try to elevate story telling, instead of just cinematics, such as having to save Claire quickly with a rapid shot against the boss, but if the player doesn't act in a split second its game over. Like the ancestor of the QTE. But my girlfriend hated the fact I couldn't see the ending. I have to start a new game cause I didn't have a good early save. She thinks its bad game design to let the player softlock themselves out of beating a game. I explained a LOT of oldschool games are like that lol. I'll replay it sure, but went to two other RE's first, since I've actually already beat CV.
RE:4 was the first that torqued my shorts. I couldn't gel with it. I love my GameCube, but damn the vibe was all wrong. Not at all what I wanted. I wanted that down to earth feel with people not trained for combat trying to survive against zombies and other monsters. Here I was trying to save the King's President's Daughter?! For fuckin' real? Jesus talk about whacky. Then all the human foes. I never made it far before I put it down. I owned it on the GC and PS2, plus the PS4 and Xbox. Tried it again years later. This last week I put it down again thanks to the far too snappy aiming, it makes me sick which is a total bummer. I have a far more open mind now and really wanted to enjoy it but the bland browns everywhere are giving me 360 era flashbacks, and my nausea was easing when I enabled motion blur but damn I had to put it on hold.
I started up RE Revelations, the only other RE I haven't beaten. I loved the second and owned the first but for some reason, despite loving Jill just never tried to finish it. Well its movement and aiming, and lack of a sprint tick me off. But its not bad. Too much of a goofy shooter, a total product of its time, but I do really enjoy all the pretty and sexy ladies and hunks everywhere. The Mercenaries mode is so addicting for me, I love being able to play as whoever I want lol.
I almost went I spent a boatload to try and get used copies of RE2 and 3 for my DC. But I don't want to spend that much right now. I have a PS3 and Vita, but my PS3's store wont let me buy anything which fucking sucks. I can use my Vita to do so, but some titles I already own, and trying to scroll through like 10k items just to find the title I want to DL for my PS3 is absurd. I don't want to play them on a handheld. But I'll find a way. I have every title available to play on modern systems ready to go on my Series X. Just damn fine games overall, they tell a story, I like the inventory management in the titles that have it. I even intend to go through 5 and 6 again. The only game I genuinely disliked was 7. I don't like FPS's anymore, and it was just too grody. Shit's nasty for the sake of nasty, which is fine, but I don't find it fun. I also don't like the stalker stuff, and after RE2make and 3, then 7 and 8 I need a break from that mechanic.
On a side note, I couldn't help but ponder the strong character design in the original games. Or games of the era for that matter. So for those like myself that aren't ashamed to admit they have a taste for teh pr0ns, my girl and I were noticing for some time now that many doujins, art, and animations continue to feature the mighty fine ladies of Resident Evil. It really is a testament to a quality character that they feature so heavily and recurring in minds the world over. Its profound. Sure there are plenty of modern waifus and husbandos but the majority seem to be from the early 2k's and prior. And with good reason I say. The character's not only have more unique personalities, they are developed better across games and we see them grow. Plus they are iconic, so easy to identify. Its crazy man, like how many people go out of their way to make shit for ladies of a different generation? Its far more rare. But for some reason fictional characters from 20+ years ago feature heavily over one's made recently. Its all Jill, Claire, Ada, Ashley, Rebecca, then Tifa, Aeris/th, Yuffie, Laura Croft and Ivy from Soul Caliber, and Samus. Like god damn! Sure there are a ton of others, League of Legends, Overwatch, MLP etc. But as the newer one's fade away the ol' gals stay steady and true. Its profound lol. My girl says its because they aren't just well designed aesthetically but also have more fleshed out personalities which people can build better bonds with and find favorites. I agree. And hey, couples that play together stay together hehe.
Sorry for the wall of text. I've just been thinking over the OP for a few days, and noticing others playing through the franchise lately as well. It really is an excellent series that has the gameplay chops to bring players back. After I make my way through the RE titles I plan on going through the Dead Rising games, only ever played the first. Looking forward to Fatal Frame later this year too. Also, has anyone here ever tries to implement the oldschool fundamentals into a tabletop rpg? I've been doing it lately for a few optional quests for my girl and she loved it. Opens up a level of intrigue and puzzle solving that can be really fun.