Quick Links
TheResident Evilfranchise is deep and complex, with a number of distinct entries both good and bad over the years. One of the most compelling elements ofResident Evil’s decades-long run is how it has experimented with a variety of different design philosophies, whether it’s leading the charge with ahead-of-its-time features or being swept up in the trends of a given era.
One suchfeature that manyResident Evilfans wish was more prevalent is cooperative multiplayer. Capcom seemingly doubled-down on co-op during the 2000s and 2010s, but pivoted away from it in recent years. Nevertheless, there has been an outpouring of support for such mechanics from theResident Evilfanbase, so it’s worth sifting through the series' history in search of the very bestResident Evilco-op experiences available.
S-Tier: Resident Evil’s Finest Co-Op Adventures
The best co-opResident Evilgames, interestingly enough, are rarely considered among thebestResident Evilgames, full-stop.Resident Evil 5, which takes players to Africa in search of Jill Valentine, is a strong continuation of the gameplay skeleton ofResident Evil 4, but it had the impossible task of topping a game that was almost universally declared a masterpiece. Meanwhile,Resident Evil 6was so poorly received that it prompted Capcom to give the franchise a soft reboot. And yet, these action-packed games, with just enough classicResident Evilexploration and puzzle-solving, are the perfect fit for co-op multiplayer. In a sense, cooperative gameplay actually hides these games' shortcomings, making them that much better.
A-Tier: Nearly-Perfect Resident Evil Cooperation
Resident Evil Revelations 2follows its 2012 predecessor, but it’s far more than a simple carbon copy: it centers on Claire Redfield and Moira Burton as they make their way through a remote Baltic island, but the kicker is that Moira despises guns and refuses to use them. This leaves all the combat to Claire, while Moira mans the flashlight and helps with various puzzles. This makesRevelations 2less of a crowd-pleaser than the co-op titles in the S-Tier, but arguably more interesting for its unique asymmetrical premise.
Similarly, theResident Evil Outbreakgames are incredibly unique and ahead of their time, offering four-person online multiplayer co-op.Outbreakhas received extra attention recently due to itsconnection toResident Evil Requiem, which will hopefully encourage players to check out the PS2 classic.
B-Tier: Solid Resident Evil Fun
Here are some interesting, middle-of-the-roadResident Evilco-op experiences.Operation Raccoon Cityis striking because of how well it represents the third-person cover-shooters of its era, whileThe Mercenaries 3D’s arcade-like gameplayand structure, coupled with the unique features of the Nintendo 3DS, offer a distillation ofResident Evil’s core qualities. They both feature good co-op gameplay, but don’t exactly leverage the strengths of theResident Evilformula as well as they could.
C-Tier: Mindless Resident Evil Action
Resident Evil’s on-rails shooters, signified by the “Chronicles” moniker, can be decent fun, but they certainly aren’t very deep. Like the above games, theChroniclesduology doesn’t incorporate the best parts ofResident Evilas a series, focusing entirely on combat, which makes its cooperative elements less enjoyable than in other entries.
D-Tier: Resident Evil’s Co-Op Dark Age
Finally, there are two of the mosthatedResident Evilgamesof the past several years.Resident Evil Resistanceis generally considered to have some good ideas, but far too many issues in the way of their shine; the fact that support for the game ceased so soon after its launch doesn’t help matters either. Then there’sUmbrella Corps, a game that is borderline unplayable in addition to being uninspired and bereft of personality. It also has some of the worst reviews of any game in history.
