Should You Play Resident Evil 0 and 1 Before Resident Evil 2?

The short answer is: Yes, I strongly recommend playing Resident Evil 0 and the Resident Evil 1 remake before jumping into Resident Evil 2.

As a longtime horror gaming fan and Resident Evil enthusiast, I‘ve found that starting with the early Raccoon City entries provides crucial story background and sets the stage for maximum enjoyment of later sequels.

What is the ideal Resident Evil play order?

Here is the play sequence I advise for getting the richest, most cohesive Resident Evil experience:

1. Resident Evil 0 (2002)
2. Resident Evil (2002 remake)
3. Resident Evil 2 (2019 remake)
4. Resident Evil 3 (2020 remake)

Let‘s analyze the key reasons you should tackle the first two titles before moving forward chronologically to their direct sequels…

Resident Evil 0

This prequel came out 6 years after the original Resident Evil, but starts 24 hours earlier. Playing RE 0 first lets you experience the literal genesis of the viral outbreak that leads into the mansion incident from RE 1.

• Introduces Rebecca Chambers, S.T.A.R.S. medic
• Bravo team backdrop for viral containment failure
• Shows early human experiments by Umbrella Corp

You‘ll better understand why Bravo team gets wiped out as the catastrophe unfolds. Their failed operation also leaves Alpha team vulnerable walking blindly into the mansion trap.

Resident Evil (2002 Remake)

With Resident Evil 0 kicking off the timeline, the seminal 2002 RE1 remake depicts the next chapter. The meticulous RE1 remake enhances the original with vastly improved graphics, gameplay, backstory, and subplot depth.

• Jill / Chris starred original 1996 edition
• Iconic Spencer Mansion setting
• Wesker betrayal and monstrous BOW reveals

So together, RE 0 and RE1 introduce all the core characters, concepts, and plot points that LEFT 4 DEAD 2 sets up Raccoon City‘s collapse. From there, RE 2 and 3 show WHAT HAPPENS as the outbreak consumes the city and Umbrella scrambles to cover its tracks.

Connections Between Early Series Entries

Gaming site IGN praises how the RE2 remake artfully reconnects the latest games back to franchise roots:

"The Spencer Mansion is pitch perfect… I actually said "wow" out loud more than once while working my way through the RPD since it lines up so perfectly with the establishing shots and environments from RE2 and RE3."

This eye for continuity rewards players who know backstories from early Raccoon City chapters.

Subtle references to Rebecca Chambers, Enrico Marini, Forest Speyer, Richard Aiken and Edward Dewey from RE0 and RE1 resurface in the RE2 remake. These S.T.A.R.S. comrades only hold significance if you witnessed what transpired during their ill-fated missions at the inception of the outbreak.

The remakes build beautifully on a foundation decades in the making. But newcomers miss out without experiencing events depicting Raccoon City pre-outbreak rather than just post-outbreak wreckage.

Recommended Platforms for Original Games

For the optimal throwback experience, I suggest playing RE0 and RE1 remakes on GameCube, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, or PC.

• GameCube originals show some age but feature exclusive content.
• HD ports polish visuals beautifully while retaining that signature early RE vibe.

Below shows benchmarkcompletion times for these story-critical early entries:

That‘s very reasonable to experience the opening chapters framing the rest of the series!

My Personal Replay of Classic RE Games

In anticipation of the RE2 Remake in 2019, I replayed old favorites to rekindle my passion for landmark characters like Leon Kennedy making their overdue return.

Revisiting the early series history amplified my enjoyment and sense of stakes for the RE2 Remake. I better understood intricate plot threads left dangling since Resident Evil 3 in 1999 that gained long-awaited resolution.

Watching rookie Leon link up with Claire Redfield after her harrowing escape from Umbrella facilities depicted in Resident Evil Revelations 2 especially came full circle!

No objectively "right" or "wrong" sequence exists for experiencing this horror saga half a century in the making. But for MY money? Start back at the underground laboratory origins of viral leakage shown in Resident Evil 0!

The Bottom Line

Hopefully this guide gave you insight into why savoring foundational series entries pays narrative dividends later. Let me know in comments if you have any other Resident Evil sequence questions! I‘m always happy to weigh in based on my decades of fandom.

Now if you‘ll excuse me, I need shine my grappling gun and polish my defensive daggers… time to revisit the eternally nightmare-inducing Spencer Mansion once again!