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Top Ten Best Resident Evil Monsters
Immersion in gaming is an aspect that many developers miss, but not the developers of Resident Evil. Throughout each instalment in the zombie shoot ‘em up whether in dimly lit hallways, in luscious outside environments or in gritty industrial plants the cast of enemies the games pit you against are about as morbid as it gets. Perhaps not as creepy as ones found in Silent Hill, but certainly more disgusting and just as nightmarish; these creatures are truly the greatest part of immersion in the franchise, which partly claims its fame due to claustrophobic level design and awkward controls, bringing in fans time and time again only for them to stutter in shock of scares that are always waiting around each corner. Yes, they’re that good, so why not have a top ten?
Resident Evil has no limit in great enemies in terms of design, difficulty and effect, so we’re just classifying this as the ultimate or “best” list. We’ve avoided clichι spots such as the generic zombies, hounds or crows; this is the crθme de la crθme of monsters. Let’s get right into it, then.
HUNTER
 These enemies appeared in the first game near the penultimate side of the story, being extremely mobile and able to kill you in only a couple of hits. They were also very frightening, boasting razor-sharp fangs and claws, along with a rather morbid collection of lizard features. Indeed, this chimera of sorts is just mystifying. What keeps it from being truly threatening at least in the original was the humorous cutscene where it makes its first appearance, where the thing opens doors with its hands: really, Capcom?
In the remake of the first game on the Gamecube, the Hunter was spared that embarrassing opener and made to look a lot more ferocious using that system’s far superior graphics engine. Along with the stronger atmosphere and darker backgrounds, this zombie became a far more effective predator, while being equally as deadly. The feeling of dread when facing it became a common feeling when playing through Resident Evil’s latter parts, and that’s why it’s number ten on our list.
IRON MAIDEN
 Resident Evil 4 is seen by some fans as the black sheep in the main series, partly because of its lack of grotesque or disgusting designs for enemies. However, one enemy that truly scares the bujesus out of all who played was the Regenerator. This creature not only took a hell of a lot of ammo to down, but it was impossible to kill without a certain combination of weapons, making facing it rather frantic. This along with its coined, eerie music that played every time you encountered it makes it a sure winner on this list.
The Iron Maiden its bigger brother of sorts makes it in its place, though, for being even more frightening. An odd meme of Resident Evil 4 was in its obsession with pointy weapons for enemies, whether it was pick axes, claws or spears or being covered in spikes like the Iron Maiden. Being able to staple you to it with those things whilst passing it was awfully scary and just plain awesome, a true highlight of the entire experience.
CRIMSON HEADS
 We re-visit the first game again, this time solely in its remake on the Gamecube. In this version of the game, much was changed. Layouts of entire areas were altered; the game was bolstered in terms of graphics, enemies were changed… not all as much as the regular zombie, though. The idea of conservation in this game was heightened with the introduction of crimson heads. What are crimson heads, you ask? Well, imagine you shoot a zombie in the chest enough times to kill it, downing it… yet it gets back up… not only does it get back up, however, it chases you. Only by removing the head or burning zombie corpses could you avoid this new-and-improved zombie.
Much like how Iron Maidens improved on the already great idea of Regenerators, crimson heads revolutionised what zombies were in the series and added a whole new sense of horror. Later games would implement entirely faster casts of zombies like the Ganado, but none would be nearly as scary as the crimson heads. Never invited, never welcome yet always knocking at your door, crimson heads are truly horrific abominations of mankind that are kind enough to be on our list.
NOSFERATU
 Ah, yes, one of the creepiest designs in any survival horror games is seen in Nosferatu, which is saying a lot. This abhorrence of humanity appears in Resident Evil: Code Veronica and the “X” port, sporting some of the most horrific mutations one could ever hope to see in a video game. With twisted and out-of-shape proportions, a monstrous reach and an all-out terrifying demeanour, this zombie is one who you wouldn’t want to see twice. And you don’t, thankfully.
What’s worse is this zombie’s back-story, though. The main villains in this game two young twins by the names of Alfred and Alexia are revealed to be, spoiler here, biogenetically engineered by their supposed father and scientist. It is apparent, however, that his children share the same flair of experimenting killing ole dada and turning him into the terrible Nosferatu that you fight later in the game. Never before has fatherly love been so misconstrued.
TYRANT
 By now, Tyrant’s design and entire idea is somewhat tired. His pulsating heart, light blue colour and bland giant claw appendage are seen all over the scene, but he is an icon of the series as much as anyone else. Why is this? Mainly, it’s because of the way it is destroyed and how climactic it is in the plot of the first Resident Evil. Depending on your decisions in the game, Tyrant can either just kill the villain then be ‘defeated,’ or if you chose correctly he’ll follow you to your impending escape.
This sequence is just so epic and cheesy it is unforgettable. Not only does Tyrant now vault at Olympic speeds toward you in battle, but it’s a battle fought on a helipad! It really is right at the end of the game, but seeing that Tyrant skewer its way through the concrete roof and land next to you, oh boy, is that a downer. Luckily the helicopter pilot throws you wait for it a rocket launcher! The following explosion scene in which the Tyrant’s innards are spread all over the helipad is, again, unforgettable. Few have left as much an impression with such little screen time and he was a precursor to Mr. X and by relation Nemesis, so he deserves his #6 spot on this list.
LICKERS
 That introductory scene alone, where the creature is hanging above you having beheaded a police officer, who’s soaking in a pool of blood below which you discover, already secures the lickers’ placement. There are many, many sequences that solidify the horrifying persona of this monster, every time you encounter it, its extreme speed, freakishly long jumping skills and overall repulsive appearance will leave an impression. The premise is silly, but the execution perfect.
The best shock scare scene in Resident Evil 2 and perhaps the entire series involves the licker. The one-way mirror and any who have played the game will know of what I speak already has two rooms, see. One room you enter first, coincidentally, it is empty and you see the other room is as well through the window / mirror. Those cruel, sick designers at Capcom decided that you’d have to go into that other room where the mirror is reflective to collect an important item; when you pick up that item, though, in come two lickers crashing through the mirror and making all who played it at that time simultaneous crap their pants. Unabashedly terrifying and distinguished, lickers did well.
LISA TREVOR
 Once again, we visit the confides of the Resident Evil remake on Gamecube it is the best game in the franchise, after all. One thing the first game missed in relation to the second and third instalments was a ‘chaser.’ By this term, I mean an enemy who was a constant deterrence to your progression, but being that the first game is set in a lone mansion, it would be difficult to really express the same kind of fearful intention, or at least imitate it without seeming forced. The Capcom designers did it, however, and the result is Lisa Trevor.
This monster is indeed not like the other similar zombies in the two succeeding titled games; Mr. X and Nemesis. It doesn’t follow you, it actually is sympathetic and yet it is highly characterised and appears constantly. The stick with this thing is that it was once actually a girl, who was experimented on by those nasties Umbrella, so far that she became a mindless rogue with superhuman powers. The key to killing her is a sad reveal of her dead mother’s corpse, which fortunately is placed in a casket, which is placed in the battleground where you fight Lisa Trevor. Ah, her jumping into the abyss as her final act of suicide is still fresh in my mind and still produces mixed feelings, Lisa Trevor is one of few successful real characters the series has to offer who are also monsters.
From here, we really get into the nitty gritty.
MR. X
 This guy is widely unknown by the large audience of Resident Evil fans. Those who were dedicated to the second game, Resident Evil 2, and progressed through to the second disc at least once will know this guy well enough. He is first witnessed being thrown out of an Umbrella plane in a metal cylinder, appearing as a sort of bionic soldier. From here out, he becomes an utter thorn in your side.
From time to time, he will appear to the player, being shot down, but revived once you leave the room in which he was defeated. He can bust through walls, he feels no knockback from weapons [if my memory is correct] and he, in the end, is a creature of nightmares. In the end, it turns out he’s after the other little girl of Resident Evil (sorry #4 on this list), Sherry Birkin, for the chemical vial that is in her possession through a keepsake. Poor girl has enough problems as it is with the virus injected in her as well as her dead parents…
By the end of your second playthrough [either as Claire and Leon], you’ll be tired of seeing this zombie. Every time you shoot him down be it with machine guns, crossbows or shotguns, he just gets up again and chases you further. Thankfully, he stupidly falls into some badly-placed lava or magma or welding material in a factory sort of place, so you think you’re done of him… oh ho ho, not quite. In a last ditch attempt to kill you, Mr. X bursts through a wall in another epic sequence, his trench coat burned off, revealing him to be… *drumroll* … a Tyrant! This was a massive surprise to players at the time and his fight afterward is memorable as one of the hardest in the series, only ended by a rocket launcher being tossed to you from afar, like in the first game. Mr. X sometimes forgotten, but never forgets.
NEMESIS
 Aw, he’s not number one? Well, he still is one hell of a great enemy and a perfection of what Mr. X hoped to accomplish chasing down the player with unbreakable resolve. Nemesis is more than that, though. He is truly… indestructible. As the main enemy of the game, Nemesis’ one goal… is to destroy the STARS, the team of officers who infiltrated the mansion in the first game. Umbrella would hope to put to bed those accusations put forward by Chris and company, but to no avail.
Playing as Jill in Resident Evil 3, one of your first encounters is with Brad the chicken coward pilot in the first game, who forewarns you of the monster. Within moments, though, Nemesis appears, piercing Brad’s skull with a tentacle, claw sort of thing before approaching you with his ever-stated “staaaars” mantra. From here, he only becomes more and clingier to Jill.
Whether using a rocket launcher, any assortment of guns, any kind of combination of any weapons you can think of, Nemesis always turns up again. Unlike Mr. X who was almost subtle at times and who used many of the same slow tactics whenever he appeared, Nemesis was at times armed with guns or eventually transformed into a disgusting mutation with claws and such. He never leaves you alone and is pivotal to the plot of the game.
Eventually, he becomes a pretty horrible mixture of gore and repulsion on the steel floor, being subjected to a ridiculous amount of punishment before being extinguished in yet more over-the-top fashion, and even then, one has to wonder whether Nemesis will return… of course, he won’t, but it’s a nice thought. I suppose, what with him being on the cover and all, it was inevitable that Nemesis would be memorable, but he goes the extra mile in distinguishing himself in this franchise of zombie killing and that definitely counts. So who dethroned probably the most well-known stalker in Resident Evil (besides Wesker)? Well, it’s…
BIRKIN / G
Yes, this guy. This guy indeed… If you ever played Resident Evil 2, most likely you’ll know this one… Oh boy, where to start…
From the beginning, Birkin was pretty screwed. Working for Umbrella ooh, not a good career choice this budding scientist felt positively underappreciated for his efforts compared to the prodigy child Alexia Ashford, until he made G. You see, the virus that turns normal people into zombies in the first game is the T virus, but the G virus is a whole new ball game mutating its host upon death so that they regenerate constantly, never falling, and creating the prospect of an immortal army.
Okay, so from the very start, this guy has no real chance of survival. He is, of course, betrayed by Umbrella, who feel he is pushing too much for money and power. A team of SWAT-like soldiers infiltrate his laboratory and gun him down, take his precious G virus and leave him to die. Unfortunately for them, he has a vial of G and he is just desperate enough to use it. From this point on, William Birkin ceases to exist, with a monster known only as G or Birkin to some fans replacing him.
The story of Resident Evil 2 is entirely dependant on G’s existence. Due to the succeeding attack on the soldiers who killed him and the spread of G through the sewer rats of Raccoon City, the suburbs become infected and the city eventually is nuked, so the whole story of RE2 and RE3 would not exist if not for Birkin. Not only this, though, the infamous regenerative qualities of the G virus takes its toll on Birkin like nothing has on any other monsters in gaming, transforming him further and further into more grotesque models.
Abridging it a lot, every time you ‘kill’ Birkin, he simply mutates even further or escapes, then mutates. At first he simply has a transformed claw arm, but then his head submerges into his body and that claw becomes bigger. From here, he becomes a demon-like, scary-as-hell monster that can kill you quite quickly in a few hits, then to a… demonic leech-like dog of kinds that travels on four legs… yeah, this guy is insane. It’s just so scary and all so well-paced and designed, how could he not be number one?
Birkin’s last scenes spell out the end of Resident Evil 2 in quite the climactic fashion. He transforms to the point of being a mindless blob that elevates to the size of the train in which the protagonists are using to escape the madness of Raccoon City. This monster devours the entire train, only to be destroyed by the self-destruct sequence [because it had to be in there somewhere]. Through all this transforming, though, Birkin never quite lost all his intelligence as the train’s timer expires, a cut of the monster’s reaction of sorts is shown, it’s hard to explain, but it clues in the player to just how powerful the G virus is. After about five fights, an entire game and a massive explosion, Birkin is finally dead, but he’ll live on forever in those who played the game.
And there you have it the top ten best Resident Evil monsters. I’m sure not everyone will agree and some may question the absence of Wesker or Alexia who are fans of the series, but remember that this is both our opinionated list at Baxy-z and that we are also just counting monsters. Wesker and Alexia are both prime villains, but are always coherent and, above all, have human qualities, so it would be unfair to compare them to everyone else, we feel.
Anyway, we hope you enjoyed the list and that you’ll be back next weekend for another top ten best villains! Yes, it’s going to be quite difficult to decide on tops for that one, but for now, sayonara and keep playing Resident Evil games.
Thanks to the Resident Evil wiki for the source images.
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