Has a game series ever gone through a golden age as good as the one Resident Evil is in?

Looking at the OpenCritic averages for each of these I don't think it's exactly an unparalleled era of success:

Resident Evil 7 - 2017 - 86
Resident Evil 2 Remake - 2019 - 92
Resident Evil 3 Remake - 2020 - 80
Resident Evil 8 - 2021 - 84
Average: 85.5

Resi 2 seems to be the one standout that's universally accepted to be excellent, the others are tracking a way behind.

For comparison the 4 Xenoblade titles get the same average:

2017 - Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - 83
2018 - Xenoblade Chronices: Torna - 81
2020 - Xenoblade Chronicles DE - 89
2022 - Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - 89
Average 85.5

1998 - Half-Life
2004 - Half-Life 2
2006 - Half-Life 2: Episode 1
2007 - Half-Life 2: Episode 2
2020 - Half-Life: Alyx

22 years of solid gold

Honourable mention to Assassins Creed. I know they get some hate these days (and F-Ubisoft obvs!), but it is impressive they release such big games basically every year and they are quality to be fair. I've only completed 3, 4 and Syndicate - but played a bit of the Egyptian / Greek ones, they are quite a feat. The viking one looks very technically impressive and I will get round to trying it one day.

Winckle wrote:
How about Super Mario Bros? 1,3, and World in the space of about 5 years is some going!

Good point! In the earlier generation platformer franchises used to crush it. I appreciate as games get more complex it much harder to churn out games quite so frequently; but all the Sonic 1-Knuckles on the Mega Drive (plus completely different Master System games), Mario Bros, Donkey Country all releasing a quality new game roughly every year in the 8-16bit era.

Jenuall wrote:Looking at the OpenCritic averages for each of these I don't think it's exactly an unparalleled era of success:

Resident Evil 7 - 2017 - 86
Resident Evil 2 Remake - 2019 - 92
Resident Evil 3 Remake - 2020 - 80
Resident Evil 8 - 2021 - 84
Average: 85.5

Resi 2 seems to be the one standout that's universally accepted to be excellent, the others are tracking a way behind.

For comparison the 4 Xenoblade titles get the same average:

2017 - Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - 83
2018 - Xenoblade Chronices: Torna - 81
2020 - Xenoblade Chronicles DE - 89
2022 - Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - 89
Average 85.5

Including a re-release (it's clearly not the same level as the remakes) is pretty generous. Also when you think what RE4 is likely to score closer to RE 2R than RE3 then I think anyone with any sense would give it to RE.

Also deep down everyone knows Xenoblade is dump.

Captain Kinopio wrote:

Jenuall wrote:Looking at the OpenCritic averages for each of these I don't think it's exactly an unparalleled era of success:

Resident Evil 7 - 2017 - 86
Resident Evil 2 Remake - 2019 - 92
Resident Evil 3 Remake - 2020 - 80
Resident Evil 8 - 2021 - 84
Average: 85.5

Resi 2 seems to be the one standout that's universally accepted to be excellent, the others are tracking a way behind.

For comparison the 4 Xenoblade titles get the same average:

2017 - Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - 83
2018 - Xenoblade Chronices: Torna - 81
2020 - Xenoblade Chronicles DE - 89
2022 - Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - 89
Average 85.5

Including a re-release (it's clearly not the same level as the remakes) is pretty generous. Also when you think what RE4 is likely to score closer to RE 2R than RE3 then I think anyone with any sense would give it to RE.

Also deep down everyone knows Xenoblade is dump.

I just worked from the list Milner posted earlier.

Swapping the re-release out for the original (92 score) and including X (84) actually gives Xenoblade the edge over Resi with an average of 85.8!

I did wonder why X wasn't included. Though I know little about Xenoblade in general. Reading more now I see Torna is DLC.

Winckle wrote:...I want more Arkham! I would be genuinely happy with a new Arkham game every 3 years, even if it was broadly similar...

If yet to really try those Batman titles; they're definitely games I want to get around to. I recall seeing Cheeky Devlin stream some of them and they did look to be so cool.

You should Jawa. The first one especially is a tightly designed game.

Weirdly, I turned off from Resident Evil at 6 and I've never got back in to the series properly since. I've completed the remake of 2 (a good remake of one of my favourite games of all time, but am yet to pick up 3 or 8.

Undoubtably the series has found some form again, but I'd like to see the series come back with another solid third person entry.

God of War of War from 2005-2010. You had God of War, God of War 2, Chains of Olympus, God of War 3 and Ghost of Sparta which were all bangers for my money.

EDIT: There was a game for Java phones in that time frame too which reviewed very well but I’ve not played that one.

Sprouty wrote:Weirdly, I turned off from Resident Evil at 6 and I've never got back in to the series properly since. I've completed the remake of 2 (a good remake of one of my favourite games of all time, but am yet to pick up 3 or 8.

Undoubtably the series has found some form again, but I'd like to see the series come back with another solid third person entry.

New third person entry I take it?

DLC is coming out for 8 in October to make it third person so you have your wish.

Some people having a pop at the RE games I can’t tell if they’re being serious or now, calling 2 a remaster and it not being hard to do is a very odd stance.


I definitely didn’t appreciate how many great runs were out there, Burnout, GOW, Batman etc. Xenoblade I guess I didn’t realise just how highly rated they are.

The Yakuza and Souls series of games.

Captain Kinopio wrote:Some people having a pop at the RE games I can’t tell if they’re being serious or now, calling 2 a remaster and it not being hard to do is a very odd stance.

It's still an old game. I don't get the excitement at all, the game can be as pretty or as modern as anything but it's still the same story and experience. I appreciate that they've changed a lot, obviously the perspective has changed and the control system is up to date. But it's not as exciting as a new release.

I wouldn't say it's easy to update a game as radically as they have, but they haven't had to write new characters, script, story, locations, puzzles, mechanics. And yes, I'm sure there is some new content in there, but starting a new game from scratch is a whole different ball game.

Captain Kinopio wrote:Some people having a pop at the RE games I can’t tell if they’re being serious or now, calling 2 a remaster and it not being hard to do is a very odd stance.

It's not odd; it's simply easier to remake an already good game. I appreciate they changed the perspective but it's not comparable to creating a brand new game starting from scratch.

Edit: yeah what mhtl said.

To add, I'm not saying what they accomplished with the remakes of 2 & 3 was easy. They obviously have to create the assets, art, sounds etc, but they don't have to think or consider how to bring it all together because it's already done.

I can’t believe I didn’t think of Souls. Given how quickly they cranked those out prior to Elden Ring I think that would have RE beat. Depending on whether you want to call them all a singular game series of course.

more heat than light wrote:

Captain Kinopio wrote:Some people having a pop at the RE games I can’t tell if they’re being serious or now, calling 2 a remaster and it not being hard to do is a very odd stance.

It's still an old game. I don't get the excitement at all, the game can be as pretty or as modern as anything but it's still the same story and experience. I appreciate that they've changed a lot, obviously the perspective has changed and the control system is up to date. But it's not as exciting as a new release.

I wouldn't say it's easy to update a game as radically as they have, but they haven't had to write new characters, script, story, locations, puzzles, mechanics. And yes, I'm sure there is some new content in there, but starting a new game from scratch is a whole different ball game.

Perhaps I’m clouded by my bias for RE2, but I’m honestly not sure if this is trolling.

The only thing that isn’t new is the scenario and the core story beats and thats basically just the idea. It’s the pitch in the board meeting to get the thing made before you actually do the 5 years of work to make it. It’s like you’re suggesting they just lifted work from the original, tinkered with it, then slapped it on Current Gen consoles.

Not having to think about how they bring the game together because a 20 year old version on completely different hardware in an entirely different format exists! What am I even reading.

Yakuza. 2015-2018 banged out the western releases of rest of kiryu's story from a bombastic prequel to the final part (:cry:) then remade the first two games and as an encore did a hd collection of 3-5 on top.

Captain Kinopio wrote:Perhaps I’m clouded by my bias for RE2, but I’m honestly not sure if this is trolling.

Well I'm not the only person who has this opinion, so maybe you are a bit clouded by bias yeah.

I agree with the general point that calling a remake-led period a “golden era” is a bit of a weird take, but equally it is definitely worth noting that all three Resident Evil remakes significantly change the story and locations from their PS1 counterparts. Mostly this is adding areas, taking them out, rebuilding sections from the ground up and changing the locale almost completely throughout the game. New characters are introduced and added to throughout the REMake series as well, especially in 3.

It’s kind of like comparing John Carpenter’s The Thing to the 1951 original. Same basic premise, completely different approach. IMO, of course.

more heat than light wrote:

Captain Kinopio wrote:Some people having a pop at the RE games I can’t tell if they’re being serious or now, calling 2 a remaster and it not being hard to do is a very odd stance.

It's still an old game. I don't get the excitement at all, the game can be as pretty or as modern as anything but it's still the same story and experience. I appreciate that they've changed a lot, obviously the perspective has changed and the control system is up to date. But it's not as exciting as a new release.

I wouldn't say it's easy to update a game as radically as they have, but they haven't had to write new characters, script, story, locations, puzzles, mechanics. And yes, I'm sure there is some new content in there, but starting a new game from scratch is a whole different ball game.

You’ve clearly not played it, because not to be rude but you’re objectively incorrect about most of that.