It started in 1998... on a more serious note, I always wanted to try the series on the original PlayStation but never bought the games. Every time I wanted to buy one something else came up. With the news that Nintendo secured a deal with Capcom making the series Gamecube exclusive for a while just when I was considering a Cube... well, that made it easier; the jump between the original ('96) and the REmake was mindblowing back then. So in 2003 when the Cube hit 99, my Resident Evil adventure started. And it was one of the best decisions I've made.
Having REmake as your first Resident Evil game is a brilliant introduction to the series. Searching for the answer in the Spencer Estate around midnight is pretty nerve wrecking at times. I mean, that Wesker guy seems shady (and I'm not tallking about his sunglasses) but the things I encountered. You might think it's itchy or tasty if you're the creepy type. Puzzles. Disturbing diary entries. Even undead team mates! Or even murderous lizard like assassins. And the level of detail for everything else... oh my! I was hooked and after completing REmake I decided to get the entire collection on the Cube.
Resident Evil 2 and 3 were amazing. While it was strange to play older games on a new system like the Cube, but the experience and atmosphere in both games weren't lost on me. RE 2 with the green-ish Leon and Claire trapped in a zombie infested town quickly grew on me. The RCPD area and the sewers are truly masterfully designed areas and the many classic encounters with zombies, Lickers and several bosses are fantastic. Leon B man. Mr. X! Resident Evil 3 isn't that different at first, but when Nemesis starts to terrorize Jill around every corner, you're pretty cautious about the next few steps. I understand why people with a PlayStation praised the series like they did.
So afterwards it was time for Code Veronica X. This is the first RE I didn't really love. I had my fun with it, but it was so weird. Sure the Ashfords are delightfully strange (and I'm being nice here), but fuck Steve Burnside man. One of the worst characters in RE history. And hey, Wesker's alive! But even with him boasting about his new abillities I found it hilarious to see him bitchslapped around by Alexia. I dunno, I found the game slightly disappointing because the controls felt like a step backwards compared to Nemesis. Still fun though. Then I got to play Zero; while not the most remarkable game in the traditional series it had a great opening hour or so with Rebecca entering the train. But in the end... Zero didn't do much in providing answers; better yet, it raised more questions. Still a great game, but it did show the small cracks in the franchise.
Than everything changed; Resident Evil 4 was released and while I do love the traditional gameplay, the new approach really gave the series the boost it needed. Playing as Leon again felt good, but his adventure couldn't be more exciting. Crazy villagers, a mysterious parasite, ballistics, crazy midgets, amazing reload animations, Regenirators, Verdugo, El Gigante, Stealth killer bugs... IT! RE 4 has this amazing pacing that makes the game so damn good, it's unreal. It truly is Shinji Mikami's masterpiece.
Oh man, I have to go, wanted to post something about RE 5/6 and Revelations (2), but alas;
For me Resident Evil is like this crazy get together with people you've grown to known over the past twenty years. You love to hear their stories about crazy biological weapons endangering the world, but every time they'll be there to stop it. It uses horror tropes, but sometimes they can really nail the moment.