Feature: Congratulations to Resident Evil, 30 Years Old Today and Better Than Ever

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Born in 1988, I was just a kid when the original Resident Evil came out for PlayStation on March 22nd, 1996.

I don’t remember the very first time I saw a Resident Evil game, but I believe Resident Evil 2 was the first one our family owned. I clearly recall being scared by the initial computer-generated cutscene, and I was even more unnerved by how difficult the game was to control.

Back in the early 2000s, I was a huge Dreamcast enthusiast, and Resident Evil: Code Veronica was the first game in the series that truly grabbed my attention.

I was getting into my teens and felt ready for a challenging game like this, and everyone was talking about it because it was only available on Dreamcast for a limited time.

I didn’t get to play Code Veronica until it came to the PS3, about ten years after its original release, but I remember watching the intro cutscene a lot. Since YouTube didn’t exist back then, I relied on demo discs to see trailers for games I was excited about.

I first truly experienced the Resident Evil series with the GameCube’s REmake, and it’s amazing to consider that remake only came six years after the original PlayStation version. It makes you wonder if Sony might announce a remake of The Last of Us: Part 2 later this year – that would also be a six-year gap.

Technology was advancing rapidly back then, and the remake really showed how much games had changed. I vividly remember printing a complete strategy guide from GameFAQs – I really hope all those hundreds of pages ended up being recycled!

That’s when I really became a fan of Resident Evil. I went on to love Resident Evil 0, and I consider the original Resident Evil 4 one of my all-time favorite games. (It’s funny, though – I haven’t had a chance to play the PS5 remake yet because life keeps getting in the way.)

I actually got to review the original Resident Evil 4 when it came out on the Wii for Nintendo Life. Honestly, I’m not even sure why that old review is still up on the site – I bet Ant Dickens, who runs things now, would say we were all just doing it as a hobby back then, and things weren’t as polished as they are today.

I was a student with plenty of free time when Resident Evil 5 was released in 2009. I distinctly remember rushing to a local game store – those were the days! – to get my copy and spending the entire day playing it.

I remember when that game came out, people had pretty mixed feelings about it. However, it felt like a key moment for the PS3. While exclusives like Uncharted 2 were what truly brought the console back into the spotlight, third-party games also started to improve a lot in the later years of that console generation.

I was really looking forward to Resident Evil 6 when it was released, and I pre-ordered it. However, after seeing the mixed reviews, I lost some of my enthusiasm and never even opened the game case.

I tried playing it again a few years after its release, but I just couldn’t enjoy it. Even though it attempts to offer a wide range of features, I believe it’s easily the weakest main installment in the series.

Which brings me to the modern day and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.

If you remember, Sony was promoting the first PSVR headset with a demo called Kitchen. It wasn’t known at the time, but that demo was actually a sneak peek at Resident Evil. I was incredibly excited about virtual reality then, and I was really impressed with it. Simon Fitzgerald probably knows all the details and can tell you the complete story.

I believe Resident Evil 7: Biohazard was a turning point for the series, successfully revitalizing it and leading to the strong games we’ve seen since. I especially enjoyed the change to a first-person viewpoint and found the Baker family’s house to be a fantastic and memorable setting.

I had a good time playing Resident Evil: Village, although it didn’t feel as fresh as the last game. Despite that, Capcom consistently creates excellent storylines, which has helped the series become incredibly popular – Resident Evil Requiem is selling faster than any previous installment.

I’ve mainly discussed the core Resident Evil games in this piece, but I’ve had a lot of fun with other titles in the series over the years as well.

I’m a fan of the Milla Jovovich movies, even though they don’t always follow the original stories closely. I’ve seen most of the animated films, too. Recently, I picked up the Infinite Darkness comic, and I also have some of the older S.D. Perry novels.

It’s amazing to remember that Alyssa Ashcroft first appeared in that earlier game – now she’s a central character in the new one! I’m curious to see if her story will be expanded upon in future installments.

No matter what happens next, it’s obvious we’ll be seeing much more of Resident Evil. Remarkably, after 30 years, the series is currently more popular and successful than ever before. This is thanks to the excellent work of its creator, Capcom, even with a few bumps along the way.

Happy 30th, Resident Evil!

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2026-03-22 17:37