(Games are listed in chronological order)†
Alone in the Dark (PC, 3D0, PSOne; 1993)*:
Alone in the Dark Developed by Infogrames for the PC in 1993, "Alone in the Dark" is the game which almost allmodern survival horror games are derived from. Playing as either the detective Edward Carnby orthe niece of the recently deceased Jeremy Hartwood (also the owner of Derceto mansion - thelocale in which the game takes place), Emily Hartwood. "Alone in the Dark" introduced numerouselements that Capcom would later borrow for its own Resident Evil series. An ominous mansion,2d backgrounds (then necessary to allow for 3d character models), weapons like the shotgun, evildogs, and even the element of creatures breaking through windows were introduced with Infogrames'original work.
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Alone in the Dark 2 (PC; 1994):
Alone in the Dark 2 Inspired by the success of "Alone in the Dark", Infogrames churned out a sequel to theirclassic. Unfortunately, minimal improvements, a plot involving a "Zombie Witch Queen", and a new,poor decision to put an emphasis on arcade-like combat over the puzzle/action mix all detractfrom what is instead a forgettable sequel.†
Alone in the Dark 3 (PC; 1995):
Alone in the Dark 3 With a graphics engine growing dated by 1995, Infogrames cast the player in the role of detectiveEdward Carnby for the third time in a row. Here, you investigate the disappearance of a film crewin the Californian ghost town of Slaughter Gulch. While the town is filled with enemies bothhuman and supernatural, the villain himself - an evil cowboy going by the name Jed Stone - wasa mere mortal, a departure for the series. Addressing the criticisms that faced AitD 2,AitD 3 offers a superior difference to the second title, with a boasted 70 hours** of gameplay.†
Resident Evil (PSOne, Saturn); Jan 01, 1996):
Resident Evil Three years after the release of "Alone in the Dark", Capcom's own "Resident Evil" (released inJapan under the original name "Biohazard") was to "Alone in the Dark" what "Doom" was to"Wolfenstein 3d", in that it took the basic concept, added a few features (improved graphics, forone), and struck a chord with the public that overtook the former; certainly, the massiveimprovement in graphics made the experience more convincing - and more terrifying.In the tradition of "Alone in the Dark", two characters - Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine - are selectable, with slightly different weaknesses and strengths and plot. Intrestingly enough, the plot itself took a turn from "Alone in the Dark", taking place in modern day, and as RE fansknow, following a far more contemporary plotline.
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Overblood (PSOne; August 02, 1997):
Overblood Arguably the first survival horror title to include fully 3d environments (the idea that SilentHill was the first being somewhat of a misconception), Overblood was a Resident Evil clonenotable only for its clever storyline, involving an amnesiac infected with a mysterious virus,placed inside an enormous complex sometime in the undisclosed future. Taking a meager 6 hours tobeat, and mediocre reviews, Overblood quickly faded to obscurity. Oddly named developerRiverHillSoft has not been heard from since.
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Resident Evil: Director's Cut (PSOne; September 30, 1997):
Resident Evil: Director's Cut Resident Evil: Director's Cut" was released primarily to capitalize on the imminent release of "Resident Evil 2", giving people who hadn't played already a chance to play again. Included were both the original "Resident Evil" and the new "arrange mode", which offered what could be considered a remix of the original game - new camera angles, and a few new items were present,while most of the game remained unchanged.
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Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 2 Dual Shock (PSOne, N64, DC, PC; Jan 21, 1998):
Resident Evil 2 With "Resident Evil 2", Capcom took the zombie-blasting, key hunting gameplay up and out of theArclay mansion and transported it to the Raccoon City Police Station and it surrounding streets and alleyways. Capcom improved almost everything for the sequel, with far more attention given to the plot and puzzles somewhat more plausible than before. Players could choose beteween LeonKennedy - a rookie cop - and Claire Redfield, sister of Chris Redfield of the first game, whosearches now for her missing brother.
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Parasite Eve (PSOne; September 09, 1998):
Parasite Eve Perhaps the first and only attempt to create a survival horror game in a real city (asopposed to the many fake locations), "Parasite Eve" also marked the first attempt to create akind of hybrid of RPG and survival horror. Square's venture into unchartered territory was met withequal praise and complaint - some complained about the ultimately meager length of the game,and others complimented the combat system, one which Square would later use as the basis forVagrant Story's.
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Silent Hill (PSOne; Febuary 24, 1999):
Silent Hill The first in Konami's answer to Resident Evil, "Silent Hill" both a wildly different approach tostory and storytelling than the Capcom giant, as well as a slight shift away from combat. Playerstook control of one Harry Mason in his search for his little girl, a character noteable for, ofall things, his everyman qualities. As a mere author, Harry is not a good shot, runs out ofbreath, and gives the impression of being the opposite of the highly trained policemen andpolicewomen of Resident Evil. Furthermore, Silent Hill offered something more akin to a highlycontemporary Lovecraftian work - a wildly surreal, disorienting kind of horror compared to the B-movie horror in Resident Evil.
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Blue Stinger (DC; September 9, 1999):
Blue Stinger Developed by Climax and published by Activision in the U.S., Blue Stinger - a DC launch title- was also its first title in the vein of survival horror. Good graphics (impressive for theirtime), poor voice acting, a clever presentation, and camera problems all contributed to whatended up as a mixed bag of a game - something that could have been, but wasn't.
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Dino Crisis (PSOne, PC, DC; September 16 1999):
Dino Crisis Created by Shinji Mikami - famous for his work on Capcom's "Resident Evil" series - "Dino Crisis"replaced the laboring monstrosities of Umbrella and replaced them with the faster, deadlierdinosaurs, and RE's own 2d environments will full on 3d. The end result was a traditionalexercise in survival horror with a number of tweaks (the ability to move while shooting, a newsecurity system, and multiple paths), with its own memorable moments (the T-Rex, for one).
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Nocturne (PC; October 31, 1999):
Nocturne Marking the PC's first major attempt at Survival horror in six years, Nocturne offered a uniquepremise of an alternate 1920's and 30's in which vampires, werewolves, undead, and other aspectsof the supernatural exist. Naturally, the government creates an X-Files-esque branch - herecalled the "Spookhouse" - to deal with such creatures. Brilliant tricks with real-time lightingand cloth created an unparallelled atmosphere, but this upped the system requirements and ledmany to complain that the game was impossible to run as a result. This would have been forgiveableif the game had not also been marred by a camera that favored the dramatic rather than theplayable, and quickly lead to the game's downfall.
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Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PSOne, DC, PC; November 16, 1999):
Resident Evil 3 "Resident Evil 3" marked several turning points in the evolution of "Resident Evil", as well asa departure from some of the elements of "Resident Evil 2". Now playing as Jill Valentine in astory that follows both the events immediately prior to and immediately following those of "ResidentEvil 2", RE 3 manages to both convolute and add to RE's already complex mythos. No longer confining the player to a singular building, the game instead had Jill making her way throughout Racoon City in an attempt to escape while being pursued by the mysterious Nemesis. The sheeragression with which Nemesis pursues the player means that the third title in the Resident Evilseries took a slightly more aciton oriented tone, but was still recognizable as a Resident Evilgame.
†Vampire Hunter D (PSOne; January 1, 2000):
Vampire Hunter D Based on the animé of the same name, "Vampire Hunter D" does its title work a disservice by beingwhat is generally considered to be a mediocre entry. Camera problems, key-fetching, and slowcombat plague a title whose sole innovation involves the use of D's talking hand.
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Fear Effect (PSOne; Febuary 18, 2000):
Fear Effect Kronos' Fear Effect took the survival horror genre in a number of new, and exciting, directions.In addition to a number of gameplay tweaks (faster combat, no health, and some sequences inspiredby "Dragon's Lair") and a unique style (pre-rendered backgrounds with animation, and cel-shaded,animé-styled character models), the plot was a refreshing change. Set in what could best bedescribed as an 'alternate future', the game followed three mercenaries who find themselves on anincreasingly strange mission that turns out to involve horrific supernatural forces drawn fromChinese mythology. With its comic book pace and jaded characters, Fear Effect has a style like noother.
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Carrier (DC; Febuary 29, 2000):
Carrier Inspired more by movies like "Alien" and "Virus", Carrier suffered inevitably from frequentcomparisons to Code Veronica. Developer/Publisher Jaleco was wise to release the game before,rather than after, the release of Capcom's almost dominating adventure, opting to attract playersneeding something to tide them over. Carrier threw in a few twists of its own - an engrossingstory, a combat system arguably better than RE's - even a device that let you check for the virusboth in the environment as well as in individuals. This wasn't enough to save the game, however, andit will probably go down being noticed by people only because it has a character with the unlikelyname of "Jessifer".
†Gallerians (DC; March 30, 2000):
Gallerians Just as Capcom's "Dino Crisis" was a survival horror game inspired by "Jurassic Park", Asciientertainment's own Gallerians was inspired by Akira, and possibly the American Sci-Fi noir"Dark City". Using gameplay driven by psychic powers and drugs, Gallerians takes pleasure in delivering not just terror in the vein of most survival horror, but instead creates an incrediblydystopian atmosphere. While there are moments that fit the things-jumping-in-windows genre, theworld around the hero Rion is haunting for the disturbed people that inhabit it. In other words,its terrible future holds nothing back - and quite a few surprises.
†Covert Ops: Nuclear Dawn (PSOne; June 14, 2000)
Covert Ops: Nuclear Dawn Principally Resident Evil on a train with terrorists instead of zombies, "Covert Ops: NuclearDawn" takes its inspiration more from movies like "Under Siege 2" than "Night of the Living Dead".A few neat twists - such as times when the player takes control of turrets - and a train named"The Blue Harvest" (no doubt a nod to George Lucas and crew) are the only things that make thisobscure game of much note.
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D2 (DC; August 23, 2000):
D2 Unlike the original "D" - a haunting adventure game in the Myst vein - the sequel is an odd hybridof survival horror, Tomb Raider, and some RPG elements, almost making it a stretch for this list.Though developer Warp tells an intelligent, adult tale (some scenes of which were heavily editedfor the U.S. release), the game suffers from extremely slow, methodical gameplay that upset mostplayers and turned them off. Poor lip-synching and excessive cut scenes make this anotherpromising but failed title, a la "Blue Stinger".
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Resident Evil: Code Veronica, Resident Evil: Code Veronica X (DC, PS2; Febuary 29, 2000):
Resident Evil: Code Veronica Continuing her search for her brother, Claire Redfield is imprisoned by one of Umbrella's European branches. It doesn't take long before explosions occur, and all hell breaks loose inthe first and only 3d Resident Evil to date. Continuing on the innovations of "RE 3", RE: CVoffered improvements such as Claire's ability to use two guns at once, a mix of CG and real-timecinemas blending far better than earlier incarnations, and a more sophisticated plot that shedslight on some of the mysteries earlier in the series. The one major complaint leveled againstthe game is the fact that "Veronica" now incorporates respawning creatures - in a game that placesan emphasis on conserving ammo.
†The Ring: Terror's Realm (DC; September 06, 2000):
The Ring: Terror's Realm One of the most widely panned survival horror games to date, "The Ring: Terror's Realm" issupposedly based on a popular Japanese movie series of the same name. Plotwise, however, Terror'sRealm seems only loosely connected, using only references to the series to tie in to itsfranchise, much like the movie-games of yore. The end result is a trite mess of poor voice actingand glitchy gameplay, bad graphics and a rushed plot. Infogrames and Asmik Ace Entertainment havenot worked together since.
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Parasite Eve 2 (PSOne; September 12, 2000):
Parasite Eve 2 No doubt aimed at complaints that "Parasite Eve" didn't meet the level of fear "Resident Evil"achieved, "Parasite Eve 2" threw out most of the RPG elements of its prequel and emulated itssurvival horror brethren. An even shorter length and the cheap trick of using a plot trick tomake its female lead Aya Brea actually become younger than the original meant that PE2 was notliked by its critics, although the game has earned a small, but guarded following.
†Dino Crisis 2 (PSOne; September 30, 2000):
Dino Crisis 2 A larger emphasis on action with fewer puzzles and gameplay verging on being arcade-like mark thesequel to the critically acclaimed "Dino Crisis". The end result has been subject to a series ofmixed responses, some praising the game for its pace and others for its lack of character.
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Blair Witch Volume 1: Rustin Parr (PC; October 04, 2000):
Blair Witch 1 In a move that could be deemed either clever or egotistical, and treading where they don'tbelong, Terminal Reality not only set the precedent for the rest of the Blair Witch trilogyby using the Nocturne engine and making it a budget game, but also chose to set this piece ofthe trilogy in the 1930's - and then assimilated the Blair Witch into its Nocturne mythos. Asa result, players experience the first volume of the Blair Witch trilogy as Doc Holiday, andwhile the emphasis has changed to more of a puzzle-driven basis, all the problems of Nocturne -including combat - remain in place, putting it on the same level as Nocturne for quality.
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Evil Dead: Hail to the King (PSOne/PC/DC; October 30, 2000):
Evil Dead: Hail to the King "Evil Dead: Hail to the King" is merely a case of game concept running with the the wrong engineand control scheme - Developer Heavy Iron studios merged the typical character relative controlof "Resident Evil" with a game engine and enemies that demand heavy use of melee combat. Whencombined with poor collision detection and a rather misplaced plot, it made a game that was consideredsuccessful on few, if any, levels.
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Blair Witch Volume 2: The Legend of Coffin Rock (PC; October 31, 2000):
Blair Witch 2 Developed by Human Head, the second volume in the budget Blair Witch trilogy fails to improve onthe first and instead takes a step back. Poor voice acting, linear gameplay, and the fact that abudget graphics engine is used in place of the Nocturne engine all come together to tell a CivilWar tale of a soldier with no memory and a lost girl.
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Blair Witch Volume 3: The Elly Kedward Tale (PC; November 20, 2000):
Blair Witch 3 Ironically, the title to explain more of the Blair Witch mythos than any other game is also theone with the least conversation. Here, Ritual Enterainment created a title even more actionoriented than the second Blair Witch game, and while managing to solve many of the problems ofthe previous titles, the action is still repetitive and camera problems are still present.Arguably the best of the series, the third volume is still a budget title at heart.
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Countdown: Vampires (PSOne; December 31, 2000):
Countdown: Vampires Opinion on Countdown: Vampires is what many consider to be a poor man's "Resident Evil" - something with many of the problems that plague, or have plagued, the "Resident Evil" series in the past, while failing to redeem itself in the way that "Resident Evil" does. As a quirkilydressed security guard in "Casino City", players wander through a gothic-themed Casino eerilyinfested with innocents mysteriously turned into vampires. The game's major - and underlooked -innovation is the ability to turn the victims back into humans after a few shots from theanaesthetic gun and a dash of white water. Had this been made easier than blowing away thevampire with one or two lethal shotgun blows, or had some practical value, this featuremight have recieved some more attention.
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Illbleed (DC; April 16, 2001):
Illbleed "Illbleed" is considered by many to be a title rife with original ideas but poor in itsexecution. The premise revolves around a multi-millionaire named Michael Reynolds who creates atheme park filled with monsters and traps, only to offer whoever makes it through alive some $100million dollars. Requiring players simply to survive - monitoring their heartbeat, using all fivesimulated senses to check for traps, and fighting monsters - Illbleed offered a decidedlydifferent take on the typical survival horror gameplay. Unfortunately, even the bizarre sense ofhumor that Illbleed presents - including the occasional look 'behind the scenes', as the staffwork to set up the next area - isn't enough for most to overcome the camera and control problems,most of which make themselves present in the quirky combat mode.
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Martian Gothic: Unification (PSOne/PC; May 04, 2001):
Martian Gothic: Unification. What kind of title is that? Taking place in the year 2017, the plot of Martian Gothic replaces the typical survival horrorsetting with a ravaged base on Mars and a few clever twists - the biggest one being that becauseof an alien virus that mutates any humans who come in contact with one another, the player mustjuggle three characters on a rescue mission while avoiding each other and fighting off zombies.Especially for its budget price of $19.99, Martian Gothic recieved a surprising amount of praise.
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Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix (PSOne; Febuary 20, 2001):
Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix Offering more of the style, nudity, and violence of the original, Fear Effect 2 is also perhapsmore controversial than the original. While Eidos used the implied lesbian relationship betweenRain and newcomer Hana as a blatant marketing ploy, the use of this in the game is heavilydebated as being either intelligent and clever or simply obnoxious and disgusting. Fans ofthe first game should enjoy this mix of intelligent plot, violence, and offscreen sex and/ornudity.
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Onimusha Warlords, Genma Onimusha (PS2, Xbox; March 04 2001):
Onimusha As defunct magazine Next Generation once headlined about "Onimusha Warlords", "Wait a minute.These aren't zombies - they're demons!". This sums up one of Capcom's earliest PS2 excursions,transplanting the gameplay of "Resident Evil" to a feudal Japanese setting with magic and swords.Unfortunately, its Xbox brethren (entitled "Genma Onimusha"), has been said to worsen the combatproblems present with the original.
†Extermination (PS2; July 25, 2001):
Extermination With a premise derivative of the Dreamcast's "Carrier" (in turn derivative of other sources),"Extermination" places the player in the shoes of US Marine Dennis Riley. Riley is summoned tocombat an alien virus in the Antarctic. While much of the game is a commonplace blend of survivalhorror and adventure with a tinge of action, the game does offer one major innovation - the factthat for once, the virus can actually spread to the player and infect them in a manner of stages.As a result, the player must not only monitor their health and use the proper remedies, but mustbe wary of environmental effects that can accelerate the virus and lead to the player's death.
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Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams (PS2, Xbox; September 25, 2001):
Silent Hill 2 Although plot ties between this and the original - they both take place in the same town, but thecharacters are different - "Silent Hill 2" delivers much of the same terror as the original, thistime with better graphics and better acting, with lighting effects all but parallelled by othergames. The game's only major problem is the fact that enemies are slow and offer little in theway of challenge, a strong contrast to the fierce enemies of the original. The atmosphere, story,and puzzles, however, outweigh this problem in the eyes of many fans and critics alike. Konami iscurrently developing a third game in the series, in which they say these combat problems will beaddressed. The Xbox version offers a scant 20 minutes more of gameplay than the PS2 version.
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Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare (PSOne/PC/DC; September 27, 2001):
Alone in the Dark: Let's Try a Come-back Developer Darkworks, working with publisher Infogrames, saw the blossoming survival horror marketand felt the need to make a fourth title in the "Alone in the Dark" series, in hopes that theinventor of modern survival horror could top its contemporaries. Borrowing Silent Hill's use of3d light - this time on 2d, pre-rendered backgrounds instead of Silent Hill's 3d world - andusing it as a gameplay device (certain enemies are sensitive to light) as opposed to a visual one wasn't enough to save what most considered highly derivative of the original "Resident Evil", an impression no doubt reinforced by the use of a weapons selection and setting itself being highlyderivative of the original "Alone in the Dark".
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Fatal Frame (PS2; May 05, 2002):
Fatal Frame Offering a psychological experience more akin to "Silent Hill" than "Resident Evil", "Fatal Frame"- reportedly based on a true story - follows the exploits of a young Japanese girl in an aging,abandoned mansion filled with ghosts. Aside from surprisingly accurate architecture, "Fatal Frame"was noted for basing both its puzzles and its combat around the use of the lead's personalcamera. Different film types are required both to survive and to advance, with ghosts and recordings that advance the story (a la "System Shock 2"). While slower than most survival horrortitles, there's a lot to like in "Fatal Frame".
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Resident Evil (GCN; April 30, 2002):
Resident Evil GC Following the stunning anouncement from Capcom that all future Resident Evil titles would bereleased on GameCube, a remake of the original "Resident Evil" was anounced. Although some wereskeptical of such a product, believing that it would only be a rehash, Capcom's word that 70% ofthe title would be new holds true as far as anyone can tell. While reverting to 2d backgroundsunlike the 3d Code Veronica, characters and enemies blend with their background far betterthan their predecessors. In addition to a massive graphical overhaul (making RE: GCN one of the best looking games to date) Capcom updated and added features like the quick-turn and defensive weapons, re-wrote much of the dialogue, recorded new voices, added new areas, new enemies, and changed most puzzles and scripted events entirely. The end result means that while the plot and layout of the mansion stay mostly the same, nearly nothing else does.
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Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GCN; June 24, 2002):
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem The latest title in the increasingly crowded survival horror market, Silicon Knight's EternalDarkness is quickly gaining popularity as a decidedly diffrent take on the basic rules of thegenre.
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Thanks to:
The Adventure Collective (http://www.adventurecollective.com)
Game Informer (http://www.gameinformer.com)
GamersUnderground.net (http://gamersunderground.net)
GameRankings (http://www.gamerankings.com)
Hotgames (http://www.hotgames.com)
IGN (http://www.ign.com)
NeoSeeker (http://www.neoseeker.com)
Next Generation (Magazine - http://www.imaginemedia.com)
Planet Dreamcast (http://www.planetdreamcast.com)
Videogames.com's "A History of Resident Evil" (http://videogames.gamespot.com/features/universal/res_evil/)* Date corresponds to first sytem mentioned; game is also currently available on following systems as well
** As boasted by I-Motion, the American publisherreprinted from: http://www.playphoria.com/features/history/historyofsurvhorror/
Original article © Gamingredients
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