2. Resident Evil 4
Capcom | Capcom | 2005

One of the best shooters ever made, this reinvented the classic horror franchise as a lightning-fast, high-tension thriller

What made it so great?
What didn't? Resident Evil 4 keeps the action and the scares coming at a rapid pace, mixing brutal firefights, buckets of gore and interactive cutscenes with the best visuals the last generation of consoles had to offer. Unlike previous Evils, this one loads players up with enough guns and ammo to stop an army of rhinos - and you'll need every last bullet to punch your way through the hundreds of maniacs standing between you and the President's daughter.

RE4 is tough, make no mistake, but its moody atmosphere and deep, cinematic action will keep you riveted even after the demoralizing gut-punch of watching hero Leon's head sheared off by a chainsaw-wielding freak for the first time. If you don't believe us, try playing it for 15 minutes. If you can walk away from the game after the adrenaline-surging sequence in which you barricade yourself into a house as an angry mob swarms outside, then you've got more willpower than we ever will.

Get ready to play
You'll really need to stay on your toes in this one. Keep moving, use the environment to your advantage and if you see anything that isn't a merchant or a President's daughter, shoot it in the face and don't stop shooting until said face explodes. On second thought, keep shooting after that, because something nasty's probably about to sprout out of the hole where the face used to be. Oh, and if you see one of those chainsaw guys? Run, man. Just run.

Been there, done that?
While Resident Evil 0's gameplay and style ares more akin to the Resident Evil remake (see #10), it still stands out for taking the series in a bold new direction, with players controlling two characters at once as they fight to escape a zombie horde. A beautiful last hurrah for old-style Resident Evil, this might be more your speed if you just want to creep around solving puzzles and capping zombies in the head.