The Resident Evil franchise has had its ups and downs. The over-the-top action reached a lull with the sixth numbered entry, but some of its greatest games came after with fantastic remakes and absolutely stellar new entries. We’ve sadly seen an inverse when it comes to the spin-offs.
I’m here to tell you that awkward multiplayer games are not the bulk of this franchise’s side projects. Some are a little rough with redeeming qualities and some are games that still feel amazing today. Thus, here is my ranking of the best Resident Evil spin-offs.
5. Resident Evil: Dead Aim
First on the list is the fourth and final entry to Capcom’s Gun Survivor series. Resident Evil: Dead Aim mixes light gun first-person aiming with third-person movement. Add in grotesque monsters, a cruise ship setting, and campy fun, and you can overlook the short length and bad writing.
The crown jewel of the game has to be the villain Morpheus. An androgynous character obsessed with beauty, who transforms into a female-presenting Tyrant with electric powers and mutated high heels, is pretty cool. Cool enough that I can ignore how one-dimensional they are.
4. Resident Evil: Revelations
The idea of an outbreak on a cruise liner was explored again with Resident Evil: Revelations. Whether you’re playing the original on the Nintendo 3DS or the HD version that was ported to other platforms, you’re in for a fun survival horror adventure with fan favorites Chris and Jill.
Between the dreadful atmosphere, creepy enemies you’re sometimes encouraged to avoid, and the unique scanning mechanic, this game feels like a modernized take on the traditional horror the series began with. Raid Mode is another highlight over the typical Mercenaries mode.
3. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
One of the best side games is the on-rails shooter Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. This retells the events of RE0, RE1, and RE3, in addition to new content around these events and a new scenario that’s meant to depict the fall of Umbrella.
There is a ton of content to play through and the new stuff showing what Wesker and other characters were doing during certain times is really fun. It also controls pretty well, even if you play it with a Dualshock 3 controller as I did.
2. Resident Evil: Revelations 2
As fun as Chris and Jill’s cruise ship adventure is, Resident Evil: Revelations 2 is a fun sequel that shakes things up. The primary characters are Claire Redfield and Barry Burton, who are paired off with Moira Burton (Barry’s daughter) and Natalia Korda respectively.
Seeing the return of Claire and Barry’s canonical debut as a playable protagonist earns points alone. The stealthy co-op gameplay is moreover a unique experience, since Moira and Natalia are more defenseless. A fun story with a more robust Raid Mode is the cherry on top.
1. Resident Evil Outbreak: File 2
Most of these games are experienced through characters that pull off action hero feats. The Outbreak spin-off series is a fantastic contrast that follows eight normal people struggling to survive during the Raccoon City incident. Also, it was a PS2 game you could play online with friends!
Resident Evil Outbreak: File 2 builds upon the original with better scenarios, additional skills to differentiate characters, and an incredible amount of unlockable content. Trying out different character combinations and discovering unique dialogues/events, as well as the occasional alternate ending, makes for the best replay value in the franchise.
Seeing Resident Evil churn out mainline hits over the last decade has been awesome. The only downside as of late has been the spin-offs. No matter the genre, here’s hoping they can replicate some of that recent main game quality onto a side project. Or, god willing, they give me an Outbreak 3.
