Resident Evil¹, is an extremely popular series of video games by Capcom. You'll find these games in the survival horror section of your games outlet but they are more action-orientated than some other games in the genre, for example Silent Hill by Konami.

Raccoon City is a small town in Midwestern USA. The townspeople are generally unaware of what is going on behind the scenes at Umbrella, the major pharmaceutical company based in the town. Behind its public front, people at Umbrella are working on genetic research and biological weapons for the government. Their latest invention, the T-virus, is capable of re-animating dead tissue. It is accidentally released into the biosphere² with terrible consequences for the inhabitants.

The games combine action, horror and puzzle-solving with a fairly strong plot and good spooky atmosphere. There is normally more than one difficulty level available.

The Games

Resident Evil (PlayStation, GameCube, Nintendo DS, PC, Sega Saturn)

After some strange disappearances and bizarre murders in the Raccoon City area, the police department's special forces teams, known as STARS³ are sent in to investigate. After Bravo team fail to return, Alpha team are sent in after them. They soon find themselves in a zombie-filled mansion and the fight to get out alive begins! You have a choice of two characters, Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield, each with different starting weapons. This game was later re-released for the GameCube and more recently for the Nintendo DS under the name Deadly Silence.

Resident Evil 2 (PlayStation, PC, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, GameCube, Game.Com)

As college student Claire Redfield arrives in Raccoon City in search of her missing brother Chris, Leon S Kennedy arrives for his first day with Raccoon City police department. The game comes with two discs; one is Leon's game and the other one is Claire's. The scenarios differ slightly as they each try to find out what went on in the town, and try to escape the nightmare.

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PlayStation, PC, GameCube, Dreamcast)

At around the same time as Claire and Leon are trying to escape the city in Resident Evil 2, elsewhere in Raccoon, Jill Valentine is also making her final escape. Aided by fellow survivor Carlos Riviera, she must face many new horrors, including the fearsome 'Nemesis' (created by Umbrella).

Resident Evil: Code Veronica X PlayStation 2, GameCube, Dreamcast)

After breaking into a French facility owned by Umbrella in her ongoing search for Chris, Claire Redfield is arrested and taken to a prison on a remote island. The game begins with her guard letting her out from her cell as the zombies begin to take over there too. How did the virus spread so far? What’s really going on here? Claire sets out to find out, exploring the island with its military base and the mysterious Ashfield mansion.

Resident Evil 4 (PlayStation 2, GameCube, PC)

Several years after the Raccoon City incident, Leon S Kennedy is now employed in private security, and working for the US President as his daughter Ashley's bodyguard. Shortly after his assignment begins, Ashley is kidnapped and Leon is sent to a remote part of Spain to find her. Strange locals, and what appears to be a religious cult, await him; as well as more than a few other surprises.

Resident Evil: Outbreak files 1 and 2 (PlayStation 2)

A group of survivors of the Raccoon City incident face different scenarios in their attempt to escape the town. You choose companion players to work alongside your character. These two games can also be played over the Internet with NetPlay.

Resident Evil: Survivor (PlayStation)

There has been as second incident similar to Raccoon City in nearby Sheena Island. You play as a man with complete amnesia. He needs to survive long enough to find out who he is and what connects him to the nightmare. The game is a first-person shooter; it's best played with a light gun.

Resident Evil: Survivor 2 - Code Veronica. (PlayStation 2)

Also for the light gun, this game is a variation of Code Veronica X.

Resident Evil: Dead Aim (PlayStation 2)

A first-person shooter, this game differs from the others in that it is set on a cruise liner. You are an undercover cop on the tail of a biological terrorist named Morpheus.

Resident Evil: Zero (GameCube)

A prequel game made for the Nintendo 64 but eventually released only for GameCube due to its 128-bit technology. The STARS' Bravo team discover an overturned Military Police transport truck in a forest in the Arklay Mountains region and new recruit Rebecca Chambers (who appears in the original Resident Evil game) finds an abandoned train in the forest, the Ecliptic Express, which is full of zombies and where she meets Billy Cohen, an ex-marine who was being transported for his execution by the Military Police. Together, they battle against a band of Cerberus-like multiple-headed dogs, swarms of strange leeches and a mysterious individual who is linked to what happens in the rest of the games series.

The Movies

Resident Evil:

Released in 2002 and starring Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez, this movie is intended as a prequel to the first game. Directed by Paul WS Anderson, it outlines how the virus came to escape 'The Hive', a top secret underground lab.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Released in 2004, the sequel to Resident Evil stars Milla Jovovich again as she and others must escape the now zombie-infested Raccoon City. Some nice touches for fans of the games and plenty of in-jokes are included as well as almost flawless continuity from the first film.

What Next?

Although little information is available at the time of writing, a third film, Resident Evil: Extinction is in production for 2007, and a fourth film and another game are planned. Resident Evil 5 will be available for the PlayStation 3 and X-box 360.