Let's Rank The Resident Evil Games

[SweetShark]

Let's see (I won't count the DLC):

1 - Resident Evil 4 10/10
2 - Resident Evil 7 9/10
3 - Resident Evil Revelations 9/10
4 - Resident Evil Revelations 2 9/10
5 - Resident Evil 2 (1998) 8/10
6 - Resident Evil HD Remake 8/10
7 - Resident Evil Code Veronica 8/10
8 - Resident Evil 5 7/10
9 - Resident Evil 6 5/10
10 - Resident Evil Dead Aim 4/10

 

[Hawki]

Why put Code Veronica above Zero?

Because Zero is ultimately an exercise in frustration.

On paper, Zero sounds good - control two characters, and remove item boxes, cracking up the survival aspect. In practice, the first part of that pitch still works, but the second doesn't. The lack of item boxes just means a lot of backtracking as I constantly have to go back and forth, taking items from one area to another. Also, despite being billed as a prequel, Zero feels pretty isolated from the rest of the series - Marcus is never brought up again in any meaningful form. Rebecca undergoes character reversion between Zero and RE1 (takes on a Tyrant in Zero and wins, cowers from a Hunter in RE1). Even for the T-virus itself, RE5 does a better job in showing us the site where Progenitor was first harvested. Also, the environments are, again, pretty uninteresting, and the training facility really overstays its welcome.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

Why put Code Veronica above Zero?

Because Zero is ultimately an exercise in frustration.

On paper, Zero sounds good - control two characters, and remove item boxes, cracking up the survival aspect. In practice, the first part of that pitch still works, but the second doesn't. The lack of item boxes just means a lot of backtracking as I constantly have to go back and forth, taking items from one area to another. Also, despite being billed as a prequel, Zero feels pretty isolated from the rest of the series - Marcus is never brought up again in any meaningful form. Rebecca undergoes character reversion between Zero and RE1 (takes on a Tyrant in Zero and wins, cowers from a Hunter in RE1). Even for the T-virus itself, RE5 does a better job in showing us the site where Progenitor was first harvested. Also, the environments are, again, pretty uninteresting, and the training facility really overstays its welcome.

You find Rockfert Island more memorable then the Training Facility?

As to leaving behind items on the ground causing backtracking, here's the trick, sometimes you have no choice but to sacrifice said items to continue forward. And I think there would be no complaints about the backtracking if there were no loading screens between doors.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

I'll also just rate the ones I've played for obvious reasons.

Special mentions to the Original Resident Evil not being on the list because of me playing the original RE2 first and going back to the original RE1 was too rough. And REmake couldn't work on my computer without massive patches, and I lost interest. It probably runs well now, but I just haven't touched it.

Original Resident Evil 2 10/10:
This game was like an awakening for me. I can't put it into words. But having a story where your actions in other segments of the game affected your other character really blew my mind. Seeing how the stories played out, giving an idea of alternative realities (in terms of who went first) really started a love for the idea.

The combat was what it needed to be. It's nothing special, but in reality YOU'RE nothing special. A rookie cop, the sister of a cop. You're not supposed to pull of sick styles on a fool, you're supposed to pick the correct gun for the problem ahead.

It was everything it needed to be. I love it still.

And yes, I still wonder how they got into the city if Umbrella gated it off.

Resident Evil 4 9/10: I love it the same reason people hated it. Growth. Hell No, Leon Scott "************" Kennedy wouldn't be the same. If you found out there was a virus out there in the world that can reanimate people and create monsters, would you go back to your normal life? Or would you train every day to put an action star to shame because you know what could actually happen. The consistency really stuck with me.

Is it a survival horror game? Well, there are times that you can run out of ammo when you first start... if you are having some troubles with the game. Your weapon hunt is mainly just find "Whadda ya Buying?!" man. There are puzzles. I feel the game rests on the edge of a knife, ready to fall over to the "Not Survival Horror Game. But I can not deny the elements.

But we're rating Resident Evil games. Not Survivor Horror games. And yes, there is a difference.

Resident Evil 5 8/10: Off the bat, Shiva destroys the "You're alone" element of survival horror. And I hated that idea. I would consider this less Survival Horror than RE4. But I managed to have a good time.

Resident Evil 2 Remake 7/10:

... Ok, put the knife down. You'll probably only get three more strikes of it when you're done with me and then where will you be?!

But no. seriously. I hate to say this, but this is an above average game at best SOLELY based on the name. If it was anything else, I could sneak it up to an 8.5. But this is the classic case of style over substance. RE 2 Remake DEFINITELY has the style. No one can argue that. But it ruins the quintessential part of what made RE 2 so beloved to this day.

Where's my Zapping System?

Not only is it a step behind the original, but it makes whole parts of the game not make sense. We've just played as Leon and had that talk with Claire at the gate. So we had to get the cutting tool to open the door. But Claire has to do the same? Who put it back?

Both Leon and Claire seen the Helicopter. How many times does Mr. X need to move it back? And how many times do we have to put it out? Who placed the TMP where the magnum is supposed to be after Leon gets it? Who put the Medals back after you place them in the statue? Why does Elliot suddenly have a different set of codes for the same statues? Why hasn't Umbrella pulled some strings to get the city quarantined off? The whole "I was supposed to start a week ago, but someone called me to tell me to stay away" raises so many questions. First and foremost.. WHO?! Why?! Why is Leon so special that he gets a special warning when he really has dick all to do with the town?! Was it Chief Irons? Why would he do that? Because only his commanding officer had any authority to postpone his assignment. If some random dude called you and told you to stay away from your gainful employment, would you listen... or would you get into your car because you have bills to pay?

I should not be left with these many questions after playing a game. And yet here we are.

It's a testament to how good most of the game is that it doesn't get a lower score for these obvious oversights.

Revelations 2 6/10: I... I like what they tried to do. I just couldn't get into the characters.

RE6 5/10: It is by far the worst. Yet I think I could have enjoyed this game more if they were separate games and weren't called Resident Evil. I got into Leon's campaign (He's my Man-Crush). Jake was... gah. And Chris Redfield felt so offbrand to me. I really don't think Capcom knows how to treat Chris.

Anyway, those are my rankings. Yay for lists!

 

[MrCalavera_v1legacy]

1. Resident Evil 4
2. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
3. Resident Evil 5

Those are the ones i actually beat. I do own a copy of "6", but... i feel cautious about playing it.

 

[Hawki]

You find Rockfert Island more memorable then the Training Facility?

I didn't say that, but...yeah, actually.

Rockfort isn't the most interesting environment in the world, but the training facility is basically a poor man's version of the mansion in the RE1 remake. You can tell it's trying to emulate the atmosphere, but for me, it just doesn't. Also, in-universe, it's explained why the mansion is as convoluted as it is, but the training facility? Not so much, except maybe the implication that the trainees are being tested in regards to puzzle solving. And if that's the case...well, I'm reminded of Steve Burnside in the CV novelization, who reflects "how the hell did Umbrella get anything done?" (in regards to all the puzzles their facilities keep having).

As to leaving behind items on the ground causing backtracking, here's the trick, sometimes you have no choice but to sacrifice said items to continue forward.

Except the game can be 'cheated' in that you can keep taking items. It takes time, but it's doable. And being survival horror, you know by now that leaving items behind is a bad idea.

And I think there would be no complaints about the backtracking if there were no loading screens between doors.

I'd still have them.

And yes, I still wonder how they got into the city if Umbrella gated it off.

Technically it's the Army/National Guard that blockades the city.

But yes, it's weird that in RE2, Claire and Leon somehow miss any news that the city is screwed. Like, the outbreak begins on Sep 24st. Army arrives on the morning of September 25th. By the 26th/27th, any sense of law and order has broken down completely. RE2 occurs across the 29th to 30th.

These are problems that effectively became made retroactively, but in the wider scope of the series, it's noticable.

would you go back to your normal life? Or would you train every day to put an action star to shame because you know what could actually happen.

I'd...probably go back to normal life actually. And Leon becomes the way he is because he's effectively drafted into the US secret service.

Before you call me a coward, I'd like to point out that of all the survivours in Outbreak, all but 1-2 lead normal lives in their endings post-city, so, um, there.

Yay for lists!

Yay!

 

[Nedoras]

Sure why not? Lets give it a shot.

1. Resident Evil 1 Remake: While not my personal favorite of the series, I think I'd have to place this one at the top as it was truly an impressive remake. I can't really think of anything wrong with it either. It's a massive improvement over the original in every single way, while also being completely faithful to it. They did change and add in a few things, but it was to it's benefit. Nothing that was changed made me think that it was done better in the original, or that it detracted from the experience. It solely added to it. It's one of the best remakes of any game period.

2. Resident Evil: Code Veronica/Code Veronica X: This is actually my personal favorite; my only problem with it being that Steve Burnside is one of the worst supporting characters in the series. It is the longest of the "classic" Resident Evil games, but I don't really have a problem with that. It never really felt like it was dragging or overstaying it's welcome to me. I just feel like this was the most fine tuned of the classic games, and I love it to bits.

3. Resident Evil 2/3: I'm putting these in the same place as I feel exactly the same about both of them. They're both great, classic RE games that mixed things up in some way. With RE2, it was the scenario system which changed how you went through the game. With RE3, it was giving you the ability to make choices that changed what would happen later in the game. Also RE3 introduced the gunpowder system, letting you choose which ammo to make instead of just dealing with whatever you could find. I don't really have a preference for either of them, but I do truly enjoy both them.

4. Resident Evil 2 Remake: This is exactly what I wanted and expected out of a modern Resident Evil game. The only reason it's not higher is because I genuinely enjoy the gameplay of the classic games more. My only real problem with it was the scenario system did not live up to the original's at all. There's more of a genuine difference based on who you play as in general, than who you play as in A or B. Other than that though, it was a good remake overall. The minigames were good too, and I like that they expanded on Tofu's game mode.

5. Resident Evil Revelations 2: Out of all of the modern Resident Evil games before the remake of 2, this one was the best. They tried and somewhat succeeded at recapturing some actual atmosphere. The episodic nature of the game was pointless and unneeded though. In fact I feel that it hurt the game as I'm pretty sure that's what forced the whole going back and forth between Claire and Barry every single chapter. Playing through the game as Claire fully, and then Barry fully makes more sense. It had it ups and downs, but overall I really enjoyed the game. Mechanically it was great, and I feel like this game perfected what 5 and 6 were trying to do when it comes to that. Also it has Raid Mode, which is the best "minigame" in the damn series. I just have one problem with the Raid Mode in this game which is that it doesn't have a proper "end game" like the original did.

5.5 Resident Evil Revelations 1 Raid Mode/Ghost Ship: I was gonna include this in the previous section, but it's good enough for this. Revelations 2's Raid Mode is better than the original version of it in every way except for one thing: Ghost Ship. Ghost Ship was the "endgame" of the Raid Mode in Revelations 1 and I liked the concept of it so much I'm including it on this list. You have the entire main area of the campaign as your map to play on in this mode. Your objective is to go through and explore it. As you clear out areas you'll get keys that can unlock other sections of the ship. These keys can open any of the locked doors, so you're not railroaded into taking one specific path. Your goal is to make it to the deck, which you can actually do fairly early on. However if you go there right away, it simply ends. If you make your way through the whole ship, clearing it out, when you go to leave you'll have a tough fight waiting for you on the deck ending with a final boss which is the "true" way of completing it. It's genuinely challenging and lengthy and I love it. The main game though is...meh at best. Revelations 1 is all over the place and was a bit of a mess. Ghost Ship is fantastic though.

6. Resident Evil 5 Mercenaries: The main game is, at best, an okay co-op game. At worst, it's a Resident Evil game that misses the point entirely. However, the Mercenaries minigame in this one is the best version of it in the series. I don't want to drone on about it, but I put a ridiculous amount of time in the Mercenaries mode in this game and loved every minute of it. I also did have fun with the main campaign. It wasn't good, but I did have fun with it and speedrunning this game co-op is a blast.

7. Resident Evil 0: They cut item boxes in a classic Resident Evil game....I feel like I shouldn't have to say more than that. Once you play through it a few times and understand where everything is, that stops being a problem, but it shouldn't have been a problem in the first place. The whole "you control two characters" thing was unneeded as well. I get they were experimenting, but I feel like they kind of fell flat on their face. Granted, I still enjoyed the game a fair bit and I personally didn't have too much of a problem with having no item boxes. But, I still think they messed up. The minigame in this one was pretty good too. I don't remember the name of it, but I do remember it was basically a scavenger hunt across the mansion looking for these "leech" items while dealing with enemies. Finding a good route to do so was pretty fun.

8. Resident Evil 4: I like 4, and it was the game that got me into doing challenge/speedruns of the Resident Evil games. However, I feel that in most ways this game has been surpassed at this point by other entries in the series. It's still a great game though, and one that genuinely left an impact on the industry. Also it's Mercenaries mode was pretty damn good.

9. Resident Evil Outbreak/Outbreak File 2: These games were way ahead of their time, and had some great ideas. However, I never felt like they were truly "complete" if that makes any sense. Like they were still working things out. I had fun with them online, which is ultimately where they shine, but solo they really aren't that great. Unfortunately, you're pretty much only going to be playing these solo at this point. They can still be fun solo, but it really isn't the same.

10. Resident Evil Survivor and Resident Evil Dead Aim: These goofy fucking games. They're not really "good", but I wouldn't completely write them off either. I don't really like them much, but I get always laugh out of playing them and that's worth something.

11. Resident Evil 6: It was a complete fucking mess in every single way. They tried to do so many different things at once, and failed at doing all of it. The cherry on top is that the story in this one is mind-numbingly stupid even for a Resident Evil game. Also as someone who really doesn't like Ada, a game that completely revolves around her didn't help it in my book. The Mercenaries mode wasn't even as good as it was in 5, which is something that baffled me. Shout out to Jake/Sherry's campaign for being particularly awful.


I've played all of the light-gun/rail shooter RE games, but I didn't really care for them as I don't really care for that genre in particular. I didn't include them on the list because I don't know where I'd place them. Probably still above 6 though. I didn't include the original RE1 or any of it's versions on the list because I have no idea where I'd place it either. The remake of it pretty much replaced that game for me and I haven't touched it in over a decade. Gaiden I've never played, although I would like to play it at least once.

Edit: I totally forgot about Operation: Raccoon City. It was trash, but the multiplayer was at least somewhat interesting. For that alone I'd place it above 6.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Resident evil 4 is the best.
I liked RE0 and Outbreak so put them somewhere in 2 and 3.

Put the other 30 RE somewhere else, preferably in a big hole in the ground.

It's quite surprising that you liked zero and didn't like RE1 Remake. Or any of the early original style of entries for that matter. They are all a very similar style. Or the new Re2 Remake or even Re7, really for that matter. Unless you've not played them yet?

I haven't played the new remake yet.
RE7 just didn't feel right to me. It felt too much like it was trying to be outlast. And I was never a fan of the grizzled experts becoming bumbling fool idiot plots.
Rebecca and I think Jake(?) aren't grizzled experts in anything. The original entries I didn't like because of the camera angle and tank controls. Controls do get better as the series goes on. RE6 for all its faults handled just fine, whereas RE1, even the remake, was stiff. Zero improved on that by having another character not bound by the tank controls for most of the game.

...Zero had tank controls and fixed camera angles... Unless there's a mode to change the tank controls I didn't use. The stiffness of control was kind of intentional for that style of gameplay tbh, which I get that you didn't like, but Zero felt pretty much the same to me tbh.

Edit: Protagonist was called Billy

It had tank controls yes, but the addition of the other character, Billy or Rebecca, helps mitigate that problem. They weren't bound by the controls and could react faster.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

1. Resident Evil 4.
2. Dead Space.
3. Every other Resident Evil.
4. Resident Evil 6.

Huh....neat.

1. REmake2
2. RE2
3. Evil Within 2
4. RE4
5. Remake
6. RE3
7. RE5
8. RE7
9. Original
10. RE6
11. Code Veronica
12. RE0

Most of the spin-offs I've never played. I played the Umbrella Chronicles and I don't know what the other guy is saying, but it's a good rail shooter. It's better than Darkside Chronicles which focused too much on a shaky cam. I was one of the unfortunate owners of Resident Evil Gaiden. I have no idea why I got that game. Not only do the game suck, but it killed off Leon. I'm so glad it is not canon. I never played any of the Revelation games, but I have seen playthroughs of them. Their gameplay is fine, but their stories are inconsequential. Especially the first Revelations. I highly doubt you won't be seeing any of these side characters return in future entries. Oh, and I rented Gun Survivor back in the day. Played it once and never looked back.

I thought Gaiden turned Leon into a superhuman or something, didn't actually kill him. And that he was going to basically evolve into Dante from Devil May Cry (both games by Kamiya), which is why they look so much alike, until Dante became his own character and DMC cut ties with RE.
Anyway how's Evil Within 2? I liked the first game (sluggy movement notwithstanding) and got 2 recently.

 

[Hawki]

I thought Gaiden turned Leon into a superhuman or something, didn't actually kill him. And that he was going to basically evolve into Dante from Devil May Cry (both games by Kamiya), which is why they look so much alike, until Dante became his own character and DMC cut ties with RE.

In the game, there's a Tyrant-like BOW that can mimic any human's appearance. However, it bleeds green blood, so it's a plot point at least once in the game that a character has to cut themselves to prove their identity.

At the end of the game, Leon, Barry, and Lucia escape the ship. However, in the final cutscene, Leon's shown to be bleeding green blood.

It's a plot point that's never been picked up. Even if you want to argue that Leon since then has just been the BOW, Leon's clearly bleeding red, so...yeah. Gaiden generally isn't seen as canon.

 

[Kyrian007]

When Resident Evil came out I thought, "oh, an Alone in the Dark ripoff... and not a good one." Then I saw RE 2 and thought, "oh, they made a sequel of that bad Alone in the Dark ripoff." Then I played it, and was blown away by how good it was. It has to be 1. But by the time 3 came out, I had already played Silent Hill... and 3 didn't hold up well at all. Then after Silent Hill 2 I thought, "Resident Evil has no chance, they would have to completely re-invent themselves to be even halfway good." And they did.

RE2
RE4
RE0
RE7
RE3
RE1
RE5
RE6

 

[dscross]

When Resident Evil came out I thought, "oh, an Alone in the Dark ripoff... and not a good one." Then I saw RE 2 and thought, "oh, they made a sequel of that bad Alone in the Dark ripoff." Then I played it, and was blown away by how good it was. It has to be 1. But by the time 3 came out, I had already played Silent Hill... and 3 didn't hold up well at all. Then after Silent Hill 2 I thought, "Resident Evil has no chance, they would have to completely re-invent themselves to be even halfway good." And they did.

RE2
RE4
RE0
RE7
RE3
RE1
RE5
RE6

I'm really surprised at how high some people are placing RE0. I mean, I really like it, but I thought it was not well liked among RE fans. Maybe it was an incorrect assumption. By the way, I think the original RE1 is loads better than the alone in the dark's of the time, even if it was partially based on it.

 

[Kyrian007]

I'm really surprised at how high some people are placing RE0. I mean, I really like it, but I thought it was not well liked among RE fans. Maybe it was an incorrect assumption. By the way, I think the original RE1 is loads better than the alone in the dark's of the time, even if it was partially based on it.

Resident Evil looked better than AitD 1 and 2, but it was just PS1 graphics... it wasn't much better. The more "abstract" look that AitD had made it more naturally unsettling by comparison, giving it the creepier atmosphere. Couple that with a much better and better told story (more classically "gothic horror" and less pulp "b" horror movie) and a lack of translation error dialogue soup... AitD was the much better game at the time. The RE1 remake and the train wreck that AitD became have tended to make folks forget that.

 

[dscross]

I'm really surprised at how high some people are placing RE0. I mean, I really like it, but I thought it was not well liked among RE fans. Maybe it was an incorrect assumption. By the way, I think the original RE1 is loads better than the alone in the dark's of the time, even if it was partially based on it.

Resident Evil looked better than AitD 1 and 2, but it was just PS1 graphics... it wasn't much better. The more "abstract" look that AitD had made it more naturally unsettling by comparison, giving it the creepier atmosphere. Couple that with a much better and better told story (more classically "gothic horror" and less pulp "b" horror movie) and a lack of translation error dialogue soup... AitD was the much better game at the time. The RE1 remake and the train wreck that AitD became have tended to make folks forget that.

Could you rank the alone of the dark games? I haven't played all of them.

 

[Kyrian007]

Could you rank the alone of the dark games? I haven't played all of them.

That's easy, the reverse order in which they came out. They got progressively worse and worse.

 

[BrawlMan]

I thought Gaiden turned Leon into a superhuman or something, didn't actually kill him. And that he was going to basically evolve into Dante from Devil May Cry (both games by Kamiya), which is why they look so much alike, until Dante became his own character and DMC cut ties with RE.

You're technically not wrong about Gaiden, but the ending was based off a version of RE4 that never came to fruition. And instead it's implied Leon was killed and replaced.

Anyway how's Evil Within 2? I liked the first game (sluggy movement notwithstanding) and got 2 recently.

EW2 was worth the full price and still is. I like the first game too, but it had issues 2 ironed out. Better controls (though Sebastian can still be sluggish sometimes), characters, story, and gameplay. EW2 is the RE2 of this series, which is why it's so high on the list. I give EW2 a high recommendation and play the game as soon as you can. Another thing Johnny, make sure to do all of the side quests; especially when it involves Sebastian's personal demons, and the ghost, Anima. You will get a special reward for doing so.

I thought Gaiden turned Leon into a superhuman or something, didn't actually kill him. And that he was going to basically evolve into Dante from Devil May Cry (both games by Kamiya), which is why they look so much alike, until Dante became his own character and DMC cut ties with RE.

In the game, there's a Tyrant-like BOW that can mimic any human's appearance. However, it bleeds green blood, so it's a plot point at least once in the game that a character has to cut themselves to prove their identity.

At the end of the game, Leon, Barry, and Lucia escape the ship. However, in the final cutscene, Leon's shown to be bleeding green blood.

It's a plot point that's never been picked up. Even if you want to argue that Leon since then has just been the BOW, Leon's clearly bleeding red, so...yeah. Gaiden generally isn't seen as canon.

I wasted two weeks for that piece of shit ending. Glad Gaiden is not canon.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I thought Gaiden turned Leon into a superhuman or something, didn't actually kill him. And that he was going to basically evolve into Dante from Devil May Cry (both games by Kamiya), which is why they look so much alike, until Dante became his own character and DMC cut ties with RE.

You're technically not wrong about Gaiden, but the ending was based off a version of RE4 that never came to fruition. And instead it's implied Leon was killed and replaced.

Anyway how's Evil Within 2? I liked the first game (sluggy movement notwithstanding) and got 2 recently.

EW2 was worth the full price and still is. I like the first game too, but it had issues 2 ironed out. Better controls (though Sebastian can still be sluggish sometimes), characters, story, and gameplay. EW2 is the RE2 of this series, which is why it's so high on the list. I give EW2 a high recommendation and play the game as soon as you can. Another thing Johnny, make sure to do all of the side quests; especially when it involves Sebastian's personal demons, and the ghost, Anima. You will get a special reward for doing so.

I'm always a bit paranoid about missing out stuff in a game so I'll definitely look out for that.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Could you rank the alone of the dark games? I haven't played all of them.

That's easy, the reverse order in which they came out. They got progressively worse and worse.

I haven't played 7 but do you honestly think 6 is better than the rest?

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I thought Gaiden turned Leon into a superhuman or something, didn't actually kill him. And that he was going to basically evolve into Dante from Devil May Cry (both games by Kamiya), which is why they look so much alike, until Dante became his own character and DMC cut ties with RE.

In the game, there's a Tyrant-like BOW that can mimic any human's appearance. However, it bleeds green blood, so it's a plot point at least once in the game that a character has to cut themselves to prove their identity.

At the end of the game, Leon, Barry, and Lucia escape the ship. However, in the final cutscene, Leon's shown to be bleeding green blood.

It's a plot point that's never been picked up. Even if you want to argue that Leon since then has just been the BOW, Leon's clearly bleeding red, so...yeah. Gaiden generally isn't seen as canon.

Ok, wasn't aware of that.
I think Capcom has always been iffy about killing off RE protagonists (the only exception I can think of is Chris's Robin from RE6, if you can call him a protagonist) so even if that ending were canon I'd hope Leon would've been swapped rather than killed off. Either way he's bleeding red as of RE4.

 

[Hawki]

I think Capcom has always been iffy about killing off RE protagonists (the only exception I can think of is Chris's Robin from RE6, if you can call him a protagonist) so even if that ending were canon I'd hope Leon would've been swapped rather than killed off. Either way he's bleeding red as of RE4.

You're not the only one who's noticed.

RE's had a kind of 'protagonist system' as of RE2. RE1 introduces Chris and Jill. RE2 introduces Claire and Leon. Of those characters, almost every mainstream game has had one of these characters as a playable one, the exceptions being Zero and RE7, and even that had Chris in DLC. Of those characters, none of them have bit the bullet yet. Honestly, I doubt they ever will, and given that they age over time, chances are that retirement will come before death. Tellingly, the CGI films have also kept to this rule.

I mean, I'm sure some shippers would love to see Chris/Jill Leon/Claire settle down together (and I'm totally not among them), but, well, y'know...