Capcom is bringing over several new Resident Evil games to the Nintendo Switch and if you’re wondering what you should know before you jump in for the first time, don’t worry –we have you covered.
Here are 5 things that you should know before jumping into the Resident Evil series for the first time.
Don’t Start With the Side Games
If you’re on the Switch, you won’t have access to all the games in the Resident Evil series but you’ll have enough. There’s both Revelations games, Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil, and Resident Evil 4.
While Revelations 1 and 2 are the most modern entries in the series on the Switch, they’re not the best ones to start with simply because the stories in those games aren’t all that great, and newcomers likely won’t enjoy it without having played the previous ones.
They’re also very focused on the action elements of the later Resi games, and not really a good indicator of what the series is all about.
That’s not to say they’re bad, of course, and they’re still worth playing later on down the line; just don’t start with them.
If You Do, Though, Play Raid Mode
I’m not the boss of you. You do what makes you happy. So if you do decide to start with the Revelations spin-off games, make sure you spend some time checking out the extra content those entries have to offer.
I’ve said it a bunch of times and I’ll say it again here: the Raid Mode introduced in Revelations 2 is probably the best thing that’s happened to the Resident Evil series in the past decade, not counting the release of the excellent Resident Evil 7 itself.
Raid Mode is an RPG-like mode where you basically mindlessly kill zombies in a series of levels, racking up gold points to unlock new weapons and other cool cosmetic items in the game.
It’s fun, there’s co-op, and it’s just a great way to pass time when you don’t want to stress out about the zombies in the actual game.
Resi 1 or 4 Are Good Entry Points
So if you’re not starting with Revelations, you’ll still need to decide which game you want to jump in with. On the Switch, I’d definitely recommend starting with either the classic Resident Evil or Resident Evil 4.
You might be wondering, “Why Resi 4 over 0? Doesn’t that one have all the classic elements like inventory management and fixed camera angles?”
Well, yes, but it’s also kind of not a very good ‘classic’ Resident Evil game.
The lack of inventory boxes makes the inventory management aspect more of a pain than a challenge, the characters and villains aren’t very compelling, and you’ll still need to have played a few other games to really appreciate its plot.
The Resident Evil remake, on the other hand, is considered by many fans to be possibly the best game in the series. At least, until Resident Evil 2 remake came along, but that’s a story for another day.
REmake is the perfect mix of scary and challenging, forcing players to really think carefully about every move they make, right down to which zombies you want to kill in the mansion.
It’s probably the most atmospheric game in the series as well, and you get to choose between classic tank controls and a more modern scheme.
Resident Evil 4 is a great entry point for entirely different reasons.
It’s a third-person shooter, and marked the turning point in the series where things started to get more action-oriented. The nice thing about Resi 4 is that its story is pretty standalone, and it’s plenty entertaining as well.
There are still some light inventory management aspects to the game, but it’s definitely not as unforgiving as the older entries. If you’re looking for something a bit more palatable and modern, Resi 4 is a great place to start.
Inventory Management Isn’t that Scary
Speaking of inventory management, this is probably one of the biggest aspects that’s most likely to turn away newcomers, but honestly, it’s not that bad.
The general rule of thumb is, don’t carry around puzzle pieces or keys unless you’re planning on using them right away.
Whenever you pick up a puzzle piece, if you don’t know immediately what it could possibly be used for, just dump it into one of the item boxes.
In addition to that, you’ll generally just want to carry one weapon, one ammo slot, and one healing item.
This way, you’ll have enough space to pick up any new stuff you find in unexplored areas. You’ll also want to dump all your ink ribbons into the item boxes.
See? Stick to these simple rules, and inventory management isn’t really a big deal anymore.
Give 5 and 6 a Chance
Once you’ve gotten a good idea of what the Resident Evil series is all about, definitely don’t write off Resident Evil 5 and 6.
There’s often a lot of vitriol surrounding these games because of how incredibly campy and Michael Bay action movie-esque they are. However, they’re also fantastic co-op games that are a blast to play with friends.
In addition to that, the stories in 5 and 6 are definitely important as they serve as closure to the long-running main story, even if Capcom keeps insisting on introducing new side characters you’ll only see for one game, then never again.
Plus, if you don’t play Resi 5 or 6, you’ll never get to hear some of the greatest lines in the series. COMPLETE. GLOBAL. SATURATION.
Published: May 21, 2019 09:00 am