We've arrived at Part 4 of 5 in my countdown of my 50 Favourite Resident Evil Moments. If you missed #30 to to #21 click here, for #40 to #31 then click here, and to view #50 to #41 click here. It's time to reveal half of my Top 20. Let's do this!
#20 - The First Las Plagas - Resident Evil 4
Playing Resi 4 for the first time and seeing that zombies didn't exist but these crazy villagers replaced them was one thing. I remember back when I first played Resi 4 and being a little disappointed that zombies didn't exist anymore actually. But then you get to Chapter 2. It's night time, and you see two villagers, no big deal. But then one of their heads pop off and then... wait what?? WHAT?? The first time you see the horrific tentacles and growth coming out of the head of the villager is such an iconic moment in Resi 4. Sure, we've seen zombies, we've seen villagers, we've even seen Crimson Heads in the Resi 1 Remake. But Las Plagas changed EVERYTHING. There are three variations in Resi 4, and then even more in Resi 5 and Resi 6. But the first one will forever remain in the memory of every old school Resi fan playing this back in 2005.
#19 - The Garage - Resident Evil 7
Goddamn. What a brutal moment. Resi 7 really upped the ante when it comes to gore and grotesque moments in the game. You could make an argument that this is the peak. If you ask me, it's probably when you put your hand up this poor guy's throat later in the game, a moment that nearly made my Top 50, but hey ho. You knew as soon as you saw this police officer that he wasn't going to make it to the end. As we mentioned it in #26 in my list, Resi 7 pays fantastic homage to the classic horror movies, especially The Evil Dead. You just know these poor suckers aren't going to last, it's just a question of what their fate will be and when. And this poor cop lasts probably 10 more minutes? And it comes out of nowhere! This is just the beginning of what is an amazing part of the game in The Garage. Jack Baker stalks you throughout the garage and eventually either Ethan decides to go into the car to shelter against him, or he decides to use the car to try and run you over, before "killing himself" by driving the car into the side of the garage, impaling himself. But Jack isn't dead, and he, again, "kills himself", by blowing his brains out with Ethan's gun. And even then he isn't dead! The whole scene is incredible, memorable, and simply twisted. I love the whole of the Garage part of Resi 7.
#18 - Double Mirror Licker - Resident Evil 2
Sure, it may not be a big deal today, and some may have seen it coming when they played the original back in 1998, but I wasn't one of them. You enter a room in the police station, and quickly realise it's an interrogation room with a double mirror. You see your reflection in the mirror and wonder if anything will come through it. There's a key item on the other side of the room. Nothing has come through the mirror at this point and you retrieve the item. Job done. Now it's time to leave the room and OH SHIT IT'S A LICKER!! A simple, effective, and iconic jump scare. Enough said.
#17 - Scientist Attack in the Lab - Resident Evil Code Veronica
What attacks the scientist? Is it a Baby Albinoid? Or a Bandersnatch? All my life I've always thought it was a Baby Albinoid that attacks this scientist. But when I uploaded the video on to YouTube I had a couple of comments saying that it was a Bandersnatch. I'm not so sure, but either way, this moment was excellent. Perhaps because it's not clear what attacks the scientist is the reason why it's so good. At this point in the game you haven't really seen the Albinoids or the Bandersnatches. And all the blood that splatters on to the mirror is great. The fear of the unknown isn't used too often in Resident Evil, but it's in great effect here.
#16 - Cerberus Smashing Through the Window - Resident Evil
So if you're on track with this list you'll remember that #22 was this EXACT scene but in the Remake of the game. But you can't beat the original. If you played this game back in the mid to late 90s then you'll always remember this part of Resident Evil. It's an incredible moment, the first real jump scare of the series. Sure, the dogs, otherwise known as Cerberus, might not be that scary when it comes to all of the other monsters throughout the series, but this moment lives well in the memory of us old school fans.
#15 - Dinner with The Baker Family - Resident Evil 7
"Welcome to the family, son." What a moment. What an introduction to the most dysfunctional family in Resident Evil history. Dinner with the Bakers is a really hard watch. It makes your skin crawl, and you can't really control Ethan through any of it. All of the Baker family members are batshit crazy for very different reasons, and your introduction to them in this scene is simply iconic. Looking at all that lovely food on the table, to Jack cutting his son's arm off, to Jack force feeding you the food by slicing your mouth open, the whole scene is uncomfortable and awful. But I love it.
#14 - Meeting Nemesis - Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Nemesis. Total bastard. As I said earlier there is a lack of RE3 in this list, not because it's a bad game but because by the time RE1 and RE2 came along there wasn't a lot of things they really added to make the game specifically memorable... apart from Nemesis of course. Nemesis dominates RE3 in so many ways, he himself makes the game memorable. And I could list other times you encounter Nemesis in this list but really, the encounters aren't that great... apart from his introduction. His introduction is absolutely brutal. Using his tentacles to kill Brad is just awful. I can't wait to see how he does it in the Remake. Fighting Nemesis is also part of the reason why he's so memorable, he's such a formidable foe. He's tough as nails. Not long to go now guys!
#13 - Lickers Everywhere - Resident Evil 5
Resi 5 again was a game that, as a whole, didn't have that many memorable moments, but this lives long in my memory. Lickers, ever since RE2, have been one of my least favourite enemies. They're horrible. And while RE5 did a lot of things wrong, the introduction to lickers was fantastic. Lickers aren't as deadly in RE5 comparatively with RE2 and RE2 Remake, but just going through that corridor, seeing them absolutely EVERYWHERE, sent shivers down my spine. Thankfully you don't have to deal with all the Lickers, unless you want to! There's plenty of time to escape from them!
#12 - Jill Sandwich - Resident Evil
Some people prefer "The Master of Unlocking", which got to #47 in my list, but for me, it's all about the Jill Sandwich, baby. This scene's acting is just special, so special, that it got a reference in both the Remake AND in the original Dead Rising game, when they named one of the shops "Jill's Sandwiches". I love this scene so much. Sure, the acting is cringey, but hey, it gets you easy access to a shotgun, which is incredibly useful. It's also an optional scene, you have to pretty much go down this corridor straight away in the game. And the Remake was a lot more serious in tone, yet they still rework this line into the game, it's great!
#11 - Chainsaw Death Match - Resident Evil 7
"That is not groovy." The Evil Dead references aren't more obvious than that line during the time you finally are able to take Jack down. Jack is fought many times during RE7, but this is the first time that you finally get to take him down on YOUR terms. He challenges you to a chainsaw fight in the Dissection Room and it's absolutely mental. You have to outsmart him by kicking bodybags in his direction, slice him open, and when he has a true opening, you have to ram your chainsaw into his wound and it's just goresome. It's a really entertaining boss fight, one of the best in the whole series.
Welcome to Part 3 of 5 in what is my Top 50 Favourite Resident Evil Moments. We're halfway there. If you missed from #40 to #31 then click here, and to view #50 to #41 click here.
Let's go! #30 - Ada's Return - Resident Evil 4
Ada was seen at a glance much earlier in the game when she helps you out against "The Big Cheese" in Chapter 1-3, but this is actually an optional scene. Her official return is at the end of Chapter 3-2 in the Castle when she gets into a close enter with Leon. It's a great scene, considering that the last time that Ada and Leon really saw each other was towards the end of Resident Evil 2 when Ada seemingly dies, to Leon's distress. It's great seeing them back together, and throughout the whole game in fact, as Leon knows that Ada can't be trusted and Ada knows that Leon is a very commendable ally/foe. The tension between the two in this game is tremendous and it's a shame that it doesn't really go much further in Resident Evil 6.
#29 - Meeting Lisa Trevor - Resident Evil Remake
Aw crap. Lisa Trevor is terrifying. She was a very welcome addition to Resi 1 Remake, as she was never present in the original game. Hearing her ghastly moans before meeting her is a great moment too, but when she greets you by knocking her out with her chains and letting you rest at the side of her fireplace... it's an interesting and incredibly memorable introduction. What's even better is her backstory. It's so tragic, and I could go into detail about it but I'd rather not, there's plenty of analysis out there if you're interested! She's also invicible, you can never kill her no matter how hard you try. She's just a brilliant video game monster and a great addition to the Remake. She is also featured in my Top 50 Favourite Video Game Villains list, getting to #38.
#28 - Wesker vs Jill and Chris - Resident Evil 5
I'm not talking about the encounter in the actual game but rather the flashback sequence shown in Chapter 3-1, when Sheva asks Chris about Albert Wesker. At this point of the game you suspect that Jill has been killed, with her sacrificing herself to deal with Wesker. What I love about this whole scene is how badass Wesker is. He's one of my all time video game villains, if not my actual favourite. When he uses his superspeed and strength to take out both Chris and Jill, it's just an awesome watch. I also love the scene when he murders Oswell Spencer too. As much as Resi 5 overall is one of the weaker entries in the series, the majority of what they did with Wesker was tremendous.
#27 - The Return to the Police Station - Resident Evil 3 Nemesis
The funny thing about me doing this list at this time is that Resident Evil 3 Remake is literally around the corner... and this only one of two entries in this list from the original game. Why? It's not to say that Resi 3 was bad - far from it. I love Resi 3. But, Nemesis as an entity aside, they didn't really do a lot in Resi 3 that was done before with Resi 1 and 2. It's a very good game but I just don't find much of it memorable.
But one thing that was certainly memorable was going back to the police station. It's just so cool. Resident Evil 2's police station is simply one of the most iconic places in video game history, certainly in the Resident Evil game series. So when you get the opportunity to revisit the place in Resi 3 it immediately brought a smile to my face. And you use it as a safe haven to get away from Nemesis and it works... or does it? Of course not!
It'll be interesting to see how much of the police station we'll be able to access in Resi 3 Remake, comparatively with Resi 2 Remake, not long until we find out!
#26 - Reuniting with Mia - Resident Evil 7
Resident Evil 7 did so many things right, and was a true homage to the old school Resi games and horror in general. One of the best parts of the game are right at the beginning of the game. You're primary objective as Ethan is to find your wife, Mia Winters, and pretty much 20 minutes into the game you find her! Job done! Let's leave this horrible place and go home! End of game.
You just know that finding your wife so damn early into the game is NOT good news. It's gotta be bad. You expect her to turn into a monster or be a villain or something... but it doesn't happen... not straight away. It's fantastic tension building by Capcom because you just know it's gonna turn awry, and when it does it fucking DOES. The whole scene that follows is proper homage to The Evil Dead and it's great.
Well we're half way there. What are your thoughts so far? He's a recap from #50 to #26...
#50 - The Mysterious White Bag (Resident Evil 4)
#49 - Piers Nivans' Sacrifice (Resident Evil 6)
#48 - Lurker Frogs (Resident Evil 0)
#47 - The Master of Unlocking (Resident Evil)
#46 - Eveline's True Identity (Resident Evil 7)
#45 - Playground Fun (Resident Evil 6)
#44 - G-Adult (Resident Evil 2 Remake)
#43 - Wesker vs Chris (Resident Evil: Code Veronica)
#42 - The First Zombie (Resident Evil)
#41 - The Orphanage (Resident Evil 2 Remake)
#40 - Meeting El Gigante (Resident Evil 4)
#39 - Ada's Trap (Resident Evil 6)
#38 - Meeting Yawn (Resident Evil)
#37 - Crimson Heads (Resident Evil Remake)
#36 - Tyrant vs Birkin (Resident Evil 2 Remake)
#35 - The Gallery Room (Resident Evil)
#34 - The First Tape (Resident Evil 7)
#33 - Entering the Village (Resident Evil 4)
#32 - Meeting Mimicry Marcus (Resident Evil 0)
#31 - The First Zombie (Resident Evil 2 Remake)
#30 - Ada's Return (Resident Evil 4)
#29 - Meeting Lisa Trevor (Resident Evil Remake)
#28 - Wesker vs Jill and Chris (Resident Evil 5)
#27 - Return to the Police Station (Resident Evil 3: Nemesis)
#26 - Reuniting with Mia (Resident Evil 7)
All caught up? Good. Let's start the second half of this list!
#25 - "...SHIT." - Resident Evil 4
Otherwise known as the beginning of the game. I concentrate on Leon swearing because I believe this was the first time I had heard bad language in a Resident Evil game. Leon certainly uses the word a lot in Resi 4 and I love hearing it. But in seriousness, the beginning of Resi 4 is great. We'd NEVER seen anything like this before in the Resident Evil series, when we encounter our first of the Ganados. They can talk, they can carry weapons, they can run. It was an amazing moment and one of the most memorable parts in the series.
#24 - The Intro - Resident Evil
No matter what your opinion is on the Intro for the original Resident Evil game you can't deny how memorable it is. Time hasn't been kind to the original game and its original intro is certainly up there with the arguably cringiest parts of the game. But if you did play this back in 1996 or certainly in the late nineties, it wasn't that bad at all. I'd NEVER seen a horror game before Resident Evil, and parts of this intro did scare me. I love the hand being pulled from the ground, without the body, I love the full cut version of the intro too, with the dogs, it's very well done in parts. Sure the acting is awful, but I still love everything about this intro. And, if you haven't seen it before, watch this amazing parody done by Legendary Frog, it's amazing!
Nosferatu is a truly underrated Resi monster. It's a shame he wasn't used more because he's only in the game for, perhaps an hour at best, and you only face him once. He's actually quite important to the plot too, being the father of Alfred and Alexia Ashford. Facing him as a boss is incredibly memorable, because he's actually very difficult to defeat. You can only really attack him with either the knife or the rifle, and if you get too close he knocks you back, possibly off the platform, killing you instantly. But before you face him as a boss, you meet him earlier and this is the scene for me that's the more memorable moment. You go into a safe room, with safe room music, and everything is hunkydory, before all of a sudden the music goes dead when you see a hidden passage behind a locker. You go through and see this metal grated floor section, and underneath is Nosferatu, chained and gagged, making the most ungodly scream ever. It's just a moment that catches you WAY off guard, because safe rooms are supposed to be safe, dammit!
#22 - Cerberus Teasing to Smash Through the Window - Resident Evil Remake
When Capcom were working on the Resident Evil remake, they wanted to create a game that would be great for people who had played the original and for those who hadn't. One of the very memorable moments in the original game was the corridor east on the first floor, when the dogs, which are called Cerberus, smash through the window and attack the player. Capcom knew that this area was truly memorable, so what did they do for the remake? They teased the dog coming through the window, but it didn't break. It was a stroke of genius. Original fans were dreading going through this corridor, knowing how it all goes down in the first game, and when the dog teases to smash the window it's like, "oh, okay, well I wasn't expecting that!" And what's better? Is that there seems to be a random generator in terms of IF or HOW the dogs smash through the window in this area! You could go through this corridor three, four, five, six times, and the dogs will leave you alone, but they do spontaneously go through eventually! Capcom worked the original fans a treat with how they worked this section of the game, fair play!
#21 - Discovering the B Campaign - Resident Evil 2
Sometimes the best moments aren't necessarily in the actual game, but can be the game itself. Back in 1998, when Resident Evil 2 came out, it was quite a novel idea, seeing that you had two discs to play the game, one for each character. Disc 1 was the story of Leon Kennedy, where as Disc 2 was the story of Claire Redfield. Both campaigns and stories were different and equally great. But when you finish one of the campaigns and see the words "Scenario 2nd" come up, with the opposite character to who you beat the game with, no one was expecting that. And it opened up two whole new chapters of the game! If you're not familiar, Resi 2 has Leon and Claire's stories. Let's call them Leon A and Claire A. If you beat the game with Leon A, you unlock Claire B, and vice versa, you unlock Leon B when you beat the game on Claire A. There are differences between the four campaigns too!
