8. Resident Evil 7 (Xbox One – 2017)
Yes, I enjoy this one even more than the classic Resident Evil 4! Resident Evil 7 is probably the scariest game I have ever played, and I did not even try it in VR. It is mainly the first half of the game that is scary, while the second half is more adventurous and goofier (and a somewhat weaker, but still good experience). The designs of the mansions are outstanding, with some stellar puzzles. The characters are really good and you start to get connected to them throughout the experience, though the protagonist is kind of boring. The atmosphere is top notch throughout and I really dig the inspiration from horror movie classics (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and SAW being the most obvious). The game really took the series back to its survival horror roots, though with a first person perspective (which some people like to complain about, for no convincing reason). The game also introduced the RE engine, which has delivered some of the best looking games in recent years, and without which I doubt Capcom would have seen so much success over the past half decade. I have still not tried Resident Evil Village, it is somewhere on my list of shame, but given that it has a larger scale and a bit more focus on action, I doubt I will enjoy it as much as RE7.
