The Birth of Survival Horror

During the year of 1996 the Playstation was on its way to becoming the ultimate console of its era but while the Playstation was still very young at that point the year also saw the release of what some will argue as one of the defining moments of gaming history.

Resident Evil burst into our living rooms and with it we were entertained with an action adventure title that puts you in control of a member from the special tactics and rescue squad or S.T.A.R.S for short. With zombies the least of your troubles you traverse the deadly mansion armed with your trusty shotgun blowing away anything that sort of lets out even the slightest groan.

With the release of Resident Evil not only did we witness the birth of one of the great gaming franchises to date but also the birth of the Survival Horror genre. Some may argue Resident Evil started it all, and since then it’s laid the way for other games in the Survival Horror genre such as the highly acclaimed Silent Hill series.

Despite other games dabbling in the genre that is Survival Horror, none really do come close to taking the crown off the Resident Evil series, simply put it is the daddy.

What also is worth mentioning is that Resident Evil also made watching computer games fun. Many people while not fancying themselves as a Resident Evil fan can quite happily sit and watch someone else play through the game.

Many sequels have followed since the original, across many formats and even a few remakes. While some do not quite live up to the name and in some cases don’t deserve the title Resident Evil on its cover art, over all the majority of games have been worthwhile.

With thirty two titles out there branding the name Resident Evil, all be it a few of them are of the same game but for different formats there is a big enough variety of Resident Evil to go around.

The last of the series, Resident Evil 4 for the GameCube is without a doubt one of the best titles in the series and despite it being a good few years waiting for the players it has once again strengthened the brands claim as one of the best franchises around. The game has now also been released for the PS2 and it’s just as good as the GameCube version, be sure to give it a go.

While it looks like that Resident Evil 4 will be the last of the series to make its way onto this generation of consoles, with a Resident Evil 5 already announced for the Xbox 360 it is looking like the Survival Horror giant will continue where it left off.

It is not just refined to the console scene though as a remake of the original game released back in 1996 has been announced for the Nintendo DS and with versions tipped for the Sony PSP as well, it seems there is no stopping the series with the games more

It is worth mentioning that while the series is best known for its games there have so far to date been two films released branding the title Resident Evil. Despite having mixed reactions from fans the films are viewable, just don’t expect an exact replica of the games storyline, if you are a fan of the films then you’ll be pleased to know, a third is in the pre production stage at the moment.

Resident Evil is the first entrance into my gaming legends hall of fame.