10 Video Games So Great They Ruined The Series
7. Resident Evil 4
It was clear after Resident Evil 3 that the series needed a bit of a shake-up. The PS2 didn't have the limitations that forced the first three games into fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds, so why not take advantage of that to take things in a new direction?
Resident Evil 4 did so with aplomb, introducing gamers to the over-the-shoulder third-person camera as you head out to rural Spain to take on the cultish Ganados.
It infused the series with more action, thanks to an increased number of on-screen enemies, some great set-pieces and sparingly-used Quick-time events, all the while maintaining a back-against-the-wall horror that subsequent games lost touch with.
Resident Evil 5 wasn't awful, but it lacked all that B-movie charm of 4 by being set in the shanty towns of West Africa. Subsequent entries went from bad to worse, destined to never strike the fine action/silliness/horror three-way balance of this pivotal game.