20 Moments That Made The Resident Evil Series Iconic

The game that practically invented survival horror – no, not Alone In The Dark – has just turned twenty, and there’s no better way to celebrate than looking back over the Resident Evil series and exploring the moments that made it so bloody iconic.

From the blocky, fixed camera graphics of the original to the overwhelming cinematic gloss of part six, the series has adapted and reinvented itself an impressive number of times over the last two decades. Aside from the addictive gameplay it’s also become famous for its memorable characters, cheesy dialogue and moments of tension and suspense that easily rival any horror film.

Any fan of the series will be able to tell you their own favourite moments, be it exploring the dank, claustrophobic setting of the Spencer Mansion or the quick time knife fight of Resident Evil 4. It’s no accident the series has survived this long, and whatever the faults of the games, they still know how to tap into the deepest fears of the player. That's precisely why they endure.

With so many classic moments to choose from, it’s hard to whittle them down to just twenty, but it’s a testament to the franchise that that’s even an issue.

Resident Evil is a series with an abundance of really cool monsters, from the Hunters, the Giant Spiders and all the way to the Lickers. They’ve provided fans with lots of nightmare fuel for the last twenty years, but one of the most underrated has to be the Regenerators from Resi 4.

These albino monstrosities first appear in the second half of the game, where they lumber towards the player with their unsettling raspy breathing and creepy smiles. The most disconcerting thing is that when you shoot them or blow off a limb, they just heal instantly and keep coming, grinning all the way. Only when you’re equipped with an infrared scope does the tide turn a little. 

They may not be the most famous enemy in the franchise, but they definitely linger in the mind long after the game is finished.