The 5 best Resident Evil games of all-time

As a self-proclaimed Queen of Resident Evil, starting down the arrival of Resident Evil Requiem, I thought I'd list my top five from Capcom's fantastic horror series Resident Evil, which first saw the light of day in 1996. With the ninth instalment set to be released on February 27, are you ready?

5. Resident Evil 3 Nemesis Remake

The third instalment in Capcom's series about the insidious pharmaceutical company Umbrella took us back to Raccoon City two months after Resident Evil 1 and the day before the disaster in Resident Evil 2. It was in this game that we loyal fans got to experience what it was like to really shit ourselves in a game when we sat down in what we thought was safety and Nemesis appeared through the wall like Jack Nicholson in The Shining and showed us that safety was now non-existent.

No place was safe to catch our breath anymore, and it was with a racing heart, constantly being pursued by the man with too much gum and too few teeth, that we made our way through the game all too quickly to the sound of his growling S.T.A.R.S. Despite its slimmed-down format compared to the original, Resident Evil 3 Remake a really fun adventure, even though it was a bit short for my taste. A Resident Evil can never be long enough.

4. Resident Evil Code Veronica

The game, which took place between RE2 and RE3, took us from Raccoon City across the sea to the small land of Rockford Island, which served as a prison for those who needed to be hidden away by Umbrella for all eternity, and this is where we find ourselves in the role of Claire Redfield in her search for her missing brother Chris. The game is definitely one of the Resident Evil games that I think didn't get enough credit for how damn good it actually was, and it's often forgotten when people talk about the series. But for me, it was the game that made me almost spend a fortune on a Dreamcast because I didn't want to miss out on the game.

It was also one of the Resident Evil games that really surprised me with its insanely cool graphics and felt a bit ahead of its time. The story with the two crazy twins, Alfred and Alexia Ashford, was incredibly entertaining, and I remember the joy I felt when I thought the game was coming to an end, only for it to continue and a whole new part of the game to open up. Code Veronica still had that sweet old-school Resident Evil spirit with puzzles and scares before it took a different direction, which was appreciated.

3. Resident Evil 1 Remake

It was with this first game that Capcom made history, when they managed to dust off enemies we last saw in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead and turn zombies into something that would terrify us all for many years to come.

Here, however, they were a little duller and slower in their hunt for human flesh, but why rush? After all, they had their companions, the Hunters and Crimson Heads, who were quicker on their feet after the prey that decided to run for their lives. And that's what we did. We ran for our lives from the occasional Hunter, and all too often it ended the same way, in a violent death. Crimson Heads were also insanely awesome enemies that kept us old foxes on our toes when zombies we had already killed suddenly came back to life, and now we're talking zombies on crack until we realised that they had to be burned to finally die.

I loved every minute of the game, the wonderful atmosphere that kept me on the edge of my seat, the puzzles that kept my brain alert, and the enemies that made my pulse race as if I had run a marathon. Most memorable? The snake boss, definitely. I'll never forget that.

2. Resident Evil 4

I didn't really want to like Resident Evil 4 when it came out. After all, it was a big change from the games I loved so much, and I'm always sceptical about change when something is good. My beloved zombies had been replaced by angry Spaniards with pitchforks, and the whole thing was most reminiscent of a failed charter trip to Mallorca in 1997 when we happened to cut across an olive grove and were met by angry men with spades...

But the game grew on me, and the further I got into the story, the more I saw the remnants of my beloved Resident Evil. Sure, there was more action than horror, and it demanded a little more of you as a player when it came to being alert, but the fourth instalment was like a runaway train, a punch in the face of action, and I wanted more. This was also where Resident Evil's first chainsaw man appeared with a burlap sack over his head, and that damn enemy always made mincemeat of my oh-so-small courage. As soon as I heard the sound of the engine, I wanted to cry for my mummy, and Doctor Salvatore is one of the most unforgettable bosses I've ever fought.

1. Resident Evil 2 Remake

For me, this is the king of all Resident Evil games. Maybe I'm biased because it was the first one I played, and it was also here that I got the feeling of being hit over the head with a frying pan and woke up in love with a game (the original). It's the game that took me by the hand when I was sitting contentedly playing Spyro the Dragon and collecting diamonds, and instead showed me how much more fun it was to take down enemies with a shotgun than with fire, and it's the game that made me appreciate a whole new genre overnight. And wow, what a game it was.

And so cleverly done that you got to experience it from two different angles, which made the replay value so obvious. Mr. X made me sit and hide like a real coward in the spare room countless times, and Lickers made me run hysterically through the corridors without any plan or tactics whatsoever. This is where I met my favourite character, Leon. S Kennedy, and he's been around for a while now, and if I may say so myself, he's ageing with style. For me, Resident Evil 2 Remake is the clear favourite on my Resident Evil list and will always be close to my heart. A perfect blend of scares, action, story, awesome characters and a completely unique range of enemies that never ceases to surprise.

I would also like to give a small consolation prize to a Resident Evil game that did not receive the attention I think it deserves, namely Resident Evil 5. The game that took us out into the sunlight and still managed to get our pulses racing. I personally loved that you could play co-op, and even today I still think this is one of the most fun co-op games I've played with my gaming partner back in the day. More Resident Evil games should offer the opportunity to share the experience with someone else from the comfort of your sofa. It gives even the most timid among us a little more courage.

As you can see, the newer titles are conspicuous by their absence, and I know that many of you hold the seventh game in high regard. I, on the other hand, have never really classified those games as Resident Evil. For me, those games could have been called anything and could have been standalone horror games. But for me, Capcom lost sight of what Resident Evil was all about. Not just the plot and story, but also the feeling. Before, it didn't take much to create the right atmosphere. A corridor bathed in blood and a lamp flickering in the dark. Shuffling footsteps and screams that fade away. You knew something was out there, but you didn't know where or what.

You simply had to move forward and face what scared the hell out of you, one step at a time. And that was part of the beauty of the games, never knowing what to expect. All that disappeared with the seventh instalment for me when it all just became too weird and the pace too frantic. Thank goodness for evil pharmaceutical companies that secretly create monsters. Thank goodness for puzzles that let you catch your breath for a moment so your nerves don't fray. Thank goodness for well-developed characters that you've followed and rooted for. So if you were wondering why Ethan Winters, the Baker family, vampires, or werewolves weren't on my list, now you know.

What would your list look like?