Summary
For a franchise that practically defined survival horror,Resident Evilhas constantly reinvented itself — sometimes in brilliant ways, and sometimes in ways that had fans wondering if Umbrella had started producing game design documents. Over the years, Capcom’s obsession withthird-person perspectiveshas morphed from fixed camera angles in tight hallways to over-the-shoulder tactical gunplay and even full-blown action blockbusters.
These third-personResident Evilgames are the ones where players see their characters nervously shuffle through corridors, awkwardly reload pistols while backing away from something unspeakable, and dive headfirst into biological nightmares with nothing but a grenade and a prayer. Some embraced the series’ survival horror roots, others strayed way too far from the formula, but each one has its own undead fingerprint in the franchise’s history.
There are curveballs, and then there’sUmbrella Corps, which felt like Capcom threw theResident Evilbrand at a wall just to see what stuck. Released in 2016, this multiplayer-only spin-off was a tactical, squad-based shooter where players faced off in tight maps filled with enemy teams and AI-controlled zombies — and yes, it had a third-person perspective, but it might be the only time inResident Evilhistory where players could use zombies as meat shields.
Set vaguely afterResident Evil 6,Umbrella Corpstried to build lore around scavenging secrets from virus-ravaged hotspots, but what it really built was confusion. The controls were clunky, the movement was janky, and the infamous “Brainer” melee weapon just made everything worse. It lacked the atmosphere, tension, and even the jank charm that older RE titles leaned on. Most fans have mentally filed this one next toResident Evil Survivor— in the “we don’t talk about that” category.
On paper, a squad-based shooter set during the Raccoon City outbreak sounds like a goldmine. ButOperation Raccoon Cityturned out to be more like someone accidentally detonated a Licker inside the design document. Developed by Slant Six Games in 2012, this third-person shooter put players in the boots of Umbrella Security Service agents tasked with covering up the outbreak, which mostly meant shooting everything that moved, including belovedREprotagonistslike Leon and Claire.
The camera perspective was standard third-person fare, but it lacked precision. Gunplay felt floaty, enemy AI bordered on non-existent, and the story barely held together. Yet, there were sparks of potential buried under the wreckage. Playing through iconic Raccoon City locations during the outbreak had promise, and some fans still remember it fondly as a mindless co-op shooter. But in the grand hierarchy of third-person RE titles, this one never quite escaped the blast radius of its own ambitions.
Less a full game and more a souped-up bonus mode,The Mercenaries 3DwasResident Evilboiled down to itsmost arcade-like form.It launched on the 3DS in 2011 as a standalone experience, built entirely around the series’ long-running Mercenaries mode, where players had to rack up points by killing enemies within a time limit. It included stages and characters pulled fromResident Evil 4and5, but stripped away narrative, exploration, or any kind of campaign structure.
Its third-person camera worked surprisingly well for a handheld system, offering full control over aiming and movement in a way that was rare on 3DS. Being able to move and shoot at the same time was a first for RE at the time, and it felt great, but without a story or real progression, the novelty wore off fast. The controversial decision to make save data permanent (effectively killing second-hand resale) didn’t help its reputation either.
Dead Aimis weird in the best possible way. Released for the PlayStation 2 in 2003, this entrymixed third-person explorationwith first-person shooting, and somehow ended up being better than it had any right to be. Players controlled Bruce McGivern, a U.S. government agent fighting off a bioterrorist outbreak on a massive luxury ship — thinkResident EvilmeetsDie Hardon the water.
Third-person movement let players navigate the ship’s corridors, while switching to first-person for shooting gave a surprising amount of precision. It was one of the better light-gun-compatible RE titles and had a spooky, isolated vibe thanks to its confined setting. Sure, the voice acting was rough, and the plot was as cheesy as a grocery store pizza, butDead Aimhad atmosphere — and in retrospect, more charm than anyone expected from an experimental spin-off.
This was the game that tried to be everything.Resident Evil 6had multiple overlapping campaigns, each with its own tone, from Leon’s zombie-laden throwback horror to Jake’s high-octane bioweapon brawls. It featured co-op, QTEs galore, vehicular chases, and explosions that would make Michael Bay blush. Released in 2012, it was technically impressive and visually stunning, but as aResident Evilentry, it left fans split down the middle like a perfectly sliced Crimson Head.
The over-the-shoulder third-person camera returned with expanded melee options and fluid movement, but tension took a backseat to spectacle. There were moments of brilliance — the cathedral in Leon’s campaign still stands out — but they were buried under bloated pacing and a script that couldn’t decide if it was horror or action schlock. It’s a fascinating mess that some players defend to this day, if only because it triedsohard to dosomuch.
WhenResident Evil 3 Remakelaunched in 2020, it had the impossible task of followingRE2 Remake— and it showed. Built in the RE Engine, the game looked and played beautifully, with a responsive third-person camera, cinematic visuals, and explosive action beats. Jill Valentine’s reimagined escape from Raccoon City was tighter and punchier than ever, but also way shorter. And missing huge chunks from the original.
Iconic locations like the Clock Tower were gone, the branching paths were scrapped, and Nemesis was reworked into a scripted antagonist that lacked the terror of his 1999 counterpart. Still, the dodging mechanic was sharp, the pacing (what was there) flew by, and Jill’s redesign made her one of the most compelling RE leads yet. IfRE2 Remakewas the perfect remix,RE3 Remakefelt more like a highlight reel — thrilling, but incomplete.
Forget horror —Resident Evil 5was whereCapcom leaned fully into action. Following up onRE4’s mechanics, this 2009 entry added co-op as a core feature, putting Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar in the middle of a bioterrorist crisis in Africa. The over-the-shoulder third-person camera returned, but this time players could bring a friend, and together, they’d punch zombies, manage shared inventory, and yes, eventually square off with Wesker in a volcano.
Criticized for its tone-deaf setting and shift away from horror,RE5still delivered tight gameplay. The third-person perspective gave a full view of the chaotic battles, and enemy design — including axe-wielding Majini and terrifying Reapers — kept the tension alive. Co-op made it a unique outlier in the franchise, and while it might not scare anyone, it’s still one of the smoothest third-person shooters Capcom ever made.
The 2019 remake ofResident Evil 2didn’t just modernize a classic — it redefined how remakes should be done. Raccoon City Police Department became a labyrinth of death rendered in photorealistic horror thanks to the RE Engine, and the new third-person camera offered a fresh but still terrifying way to experience the nightmare. Leon and Claire’s campaigns were rebuilt from the ground up, with expanded puzzles, new areas, and a Mr. X who stalked through hallways like a trench-coated apocalypse.
It captured the spirit of the original but carved its own identity through its presentation, gameplay, and attention to detail. The lighting was oppressive, the gore was next-level, and the sound design made every creak of floorboards a warning. For many players, this wasn’t just a great third-personResident Evilgame — it was the bestResident Evilgame in decades.
In any other timeline,Resident Evil 4 Remakewould’ve topped the list. Released in 2023, it took one of themost influential third-person shootersof all time and gave it a full overhaul. The village, the castle, and the island were rebuilt with brutal attention to detail. Leon’s hair was too good. The knife parry became a mechanic that could save or break a run. And Ashley, for once, didn’t need babysitting every five seconds.
The third-person combat was heavier, more reactive, and far more dynamic than the original’s tank controls allowed. Enemies swarmed, flanked, and adapted. The game respected the source material while trimming the camp just enough to ground the story, and then sprinkled in new surprises for longtime fans. It was a masterclass in balancing nostalgia and innovation, even if a few fans missed some of the sillier aspects from 2005.
There’s beforeResident Evil 4, and then there’s everything that came after. Released in 2005, this was the game that reinvented not onlyResident Evilbutthe third-person shootergenre itself. The over-the-shoulder camera was revolutionary, allowing players to aim with precision while feeling locked into every panicked moment. The village ambush in the opening minutes? Legendary. The pacing? Relentless in the best way.
Leon’s journey to save the president’s daughter was full of grotesque enemies, creepy cultists, and unforgettable boss fights — all of it layered with just enough camp to be iconic. Whether it was suplexing Ganados or getting hunted by Regeneradors, the mechanics never stopped evolving. And while some fans missed the horror of older entries,RE4struck a new balance — one that reshaped gaming for years to come.
