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Timeline: The Complete Resident Evil Story Explained

Get a crash course in the complete story for Capcom's Resident Evil franchise.

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Capcom's Resident Evil franchise spans numerous games across multiple generations of hardware, both console and portable. And, rather amazingly, the majority of these games feed into one, ongoing storyline. Sure, it might be a sprawling, messy, complex, and often confusing story, but it's also fascinating and fun.

Whether it's the seven mainline games, the multiple spin-offs, or the handful of DLC expansions, each game has something key to add to the rather dense Resident Evil universe. Of course, given the magnitude of it all, you couldn't be blamed for losing track of it all or even not quite understanding how the pieces fit together. Well, it just so happens we've put together a video to help you sort through it all.

In this episode of Timeline, we run through the entire story of the Resident Evil franchise, from its very start when Lord Oswell E. Spencer commissioned the creation of a certain mansion, to its most recent entry with Ethan Winters encountering a strange family in the Louisiana bayou.

Join Adam Mason as he walks you through every key narrative moment, explains the motivations of pivotal figures, and unravels who did what to who and why. By the time you're done watching you'll have a solid grasp of the story of Resident Evil, and we're going to bet that you may develop an affinity for rocket launchers too. Either that or an intense dislike of boulders.

We'll have more episode of Timeline soon, so make sure you're subscribed to GameSpot on YouTube to see them. If you have suggestions for what video game franchises, or even TV shows, movies, and anime, we should make story explains on, let us know in the comments.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

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Thelostscribe

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Thelostscribe

These videos man, wish they could transcribe them into actual articles.

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knifebeater

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knifebeater

Come on now, we all know that Claire A/Leon B is the canonical story for RE2, not the half-baked remake plot!

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Jimbowesker

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Jimbowesker

Wow, this is actually very informative and seems to be thoroughly accurate! As insane as the series plot twists & directions may seem, I absolutely love the RE series and it may very well be my number one favorite game franchise ever!! I loved this history lesson and can only hope and pray that Capcom may ride this current hot streak of awesome RE greatness in the near future!! (RE8, Re Code Veronica Remake, or RE4 Remake would make me very happy to hear about)! Great job, Gamespot on detailing the past of one of the best games series ever!

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USDevilDog

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USDevilDog

This is an amazing primer of a rather now-convoluted Resident Evil storyline! If you do one for Metal Gear / Metal Gear Solid and Warcraft / WoW series I will be thoroughly impressed. I love this direction GameSpot is taking with their video features.

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videogameninja

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videogameninja

Awesome trip down memory lane.

Resident evil is one of my favorite videogame franchises and definitely the tops when it comes to the survival horror genre for myself.

While Resident Evil 1 through Code Veronica were fairly light in terms of not delving in deep into the lore I felt they had just the right amount of story to propel gamers forward in what for all intensive purposes was something akin to Hell on Earth.

As much as I love RE4 I felt that it was not only the start of the zaniness in terms of the story but also where survival horror took more of a backseat for all out action. It also seemed to be the start of more cliché’ tropes in RE. C’mon, Leon is here to rescue the president’s daughter… really?

RE 5 and 6 followed a similar trajectory. I can see why Capcom made the move to go with a completely different story and characters for RE7; a bold move that while controversial was one I appreciated when all was said and done.

I feel that there is now so much baggage associated with the story that 4 through 6 gave us that focusing on a new set of characters is almost the only way to go. That of course is setting the remakes aside as they are not privy to those same shortcomings.

Personally, I think that RE8 should focus on the characters from 7 (or a new set of characters.) unless Capcom decides to radically change up with the story and existing characters from the past. I could see a more in depth storyline involving Ethan with perhaps glimpses of previous RE fan favorites.

In the mean time, RE3 Nemesis/Resistance remake (boy, that’s a mouthful.) will be more than enough to satisfy that survival horror itch.

-SURVIVAL HORROR HISTORY LESSON NINJA APPROVED-

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