It’s October and continuing on my series of “Spooky Games For October,” I’ve decided to pit the three most recent Resident Evil games against each other and see how they stack up!
The remake of Resident Evil 3 was released on April 3, 2020, making it the third Resident Evil game to be released in the last four years. Prior to its release, Resident Evil 2’s remake was released on Jan. 25, 2019, and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (RE7) released on Jan. 24, 2017.
While the first two are remakes of the originals, which were released in 1998 and 1996 respectively, Resident Evil 7 is an original game with its own cast of characters and plot line.
While there is a DLC featuring Chris Redfield – one of the characters from the original Resident Evil series – and he is even mentioned in RE7 towards the end, the game itself has very little ties to the original installments.
Unlike RE2 and 3, RE7 doesn’t use the third-person perspective and instead opts for a first-person point of view. In some ways, this makes the game more terrifying. When being attacked by one of the game’s big bads, they seem closer to you instead of at a distance like RE2 and 3.
Another mechanic that makes RE7 different is that although it takes several encounters to kill the bosses, they don’t stalk you around the map the entire time (ala Mr. X in RE2 and Nemesis in RE3.) However, there are a few short encounters where that does happen, such as in the main house of RE7 with Daddy.
Still, gameplay feels similar between the three in that you follow basic principles of shooting bad guys, fixing puzzles, and trying to survive.
Other examples of similar mechanics are a healing system that is unanimous across all three installments. In order to heal, you must create a health potion, which in RE2 and 3 is a powder made from red and green herbs, but in RE7 can be done with chem fluid and an herb.
Saving is done via a typewriter in the remakes and a tape player in RE7. You are limited on ammo but can craft more if you find the supplies. Inventory space is limited and can be expanded in the world by finding items.
Recently, I went back and played RE 2 and RE7 after the release of RE 3. The two games tie nicely together and 3 help place the timeline of the first game more accurately.
The story of Claire and Leon lines up with that of Jill and Carlos and we learn what happened just before and after Claire and Leon’s story completes. The chase sequence in both games is terrifying and the limited ammo makes you conscientious about who you shoot.
Alternatively, while playing RE7, I felt at times like I was armed to the teeth. I remember during one fight, my character had a grenade launcher that shot flame rounds, an SMG, two pistols and a shotgun.
I lacked ammo for each gun but with the combined amount of weapons, there were very few times I felt like I was at risk of running out entirely.
In my opinion, all three games hold their own merit, and all are equally playable. However, if you know nothing about the franchise and want a good scary game, I recommend Resident Evil 7. If you don’t know the franchise or want to learn about it while having a series to play through, I recommend the remakes.
Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 are available now on Xbox, PS4, and PC. Resident Evil 7 is on Xbox, PS4, PC and Switch.
Jeri Hensley
Creative Director/Reporter