17. Resident Evil 2
Capcom definitely ordered their jump-scares with extra cheese back when the original Resi came out, but for the sequel everything was tightened up in a way that truly cemented the franchise's place in history. Now we had CG cutscenes instead of the hilariously bad live action ones, dual protagonists in the form of instant fan-favourites Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield, and a sweet branching narrative that saw both of their stories diverge and reconnect across a healthy runtime. The first Resi is a landmark in game design that every survival horror would crib from forevermore, but ironically, it's how the series would iterate on its own formula that produced the best of them all.