Hey folks,  
 
A buddy and I are doing a run-through of the Resident Evil series from start to finish. We'll probably end up skipping the offshoot games like Code Veronica and Survivor and stick primarily to the numbered entries of the franchise. I have some experience with the old school, tank control games. I played a lot of Resident Evil 2 back in the day, but never played Resident Evil 1 or 3 before really enjoying Resident Evil 4 and 5.  
 
We're starting from (nearly) the very beginning, thanks to the glory of PSN and the ability to shore up my catalogue of Playstation games. I purchased Resident Evil: Director's Cut (Dual Shock Edition) and we've already waded a little bit into a playthrough we've started with Jill. It seems like ammo is an issue already and that there isn't a reliable way to avoid getting attacked by enemies that doesn't involve burning through all your ammunition.  
 
To fill you in on where we're at--I don't have a clear gauge of "how far" we are into the playthrough. We've probably put about three or four hours into it. We just encountered a room covered in plants. We have the Chemical in an item box somewhere, so I'm assuming we'll likely use the Chemical on the plants in that room. But apart from that I'm not entirely sure where we are headed next or what our current primary objective is.  
 
Anywho. Without major spoilers, I'd like to see if there are any savvy Resident Evil veterans who were willing to reveal some secrets of the trade, perhaps some helpful hints about general combat strategies or what to stockpile for a rainy day.  
 
Appreciate it, duders. Excited to see what's to be said. 

Don't skip Code: Veronica. It's technically the real Resident Evil 3 and is actually directly relevant to the overall plot.

EDIT: It wasn't numbered because, at the time, they wanted to keep all the numbered releases on the PlayStation for some reason.

Code Veronica is part of the regular series, it's not an "offshoot" game. RE0, RE, RE2, RE3, Code Veronica, RE4, RE5, Revelations, and RE6 are all the main series.

@HistoryInRust: No I didn't. It's the first one I mentioned.

@HistoryInRust said:

We'll probably end up skipping the offshoot games like Code Veronica and Survivor

That's probably the best decision you could make with the series :P.

@HistoryInRust: No I didn't. It's the first one I mentioned.

@HistoryInRust: Well how can you forget it if you never even planned on playing it?

@HistoryInRust: Without getting too spoilery, it has a lot to do with Wesker and Umbrella. It's definitely connected to the overall story. More than 3 is, I'd say (which is really just a story occurring alongside 2).

If you want a real treat, try playing the REmakes. I thought that if I could swallow my fear ~7 years ago when RE4 came out, I could play REmake. I thought that if I had the guts to at least make some progress in Resident Evil 3 as a 10 year old, I could take on REmake no problem. I was wrong. So very wrong. Someone hold me.

Also, if you want a "tip" I think the easiest way to play the old-styled Resident Evil games is to not bother wasting ammo on standard zombies. They're super slow and probably won't catch you, especially if it's a fairly wide hall or they're facing a different direction. I'm not a serious RE fan though so don't quote me on it =P.

If you want a real treat, try playing the REmakes. I thought that if I could swallow my fear ~7 years ago when RE4 came out, I could play REmake. I thought that if I had the guts to at least make some progress in Resident Evil 3 as a 10 year old, I could take on REmake no problem. I was wrong. So very wrong. Someone hold me.

Also, if you want a "tip" I think the easiest way to play the old-styled Resident Evil games is to not bother wasting ammo on standard zombies. They're super slow and probably won't catch you, especially if it's a fairly wide hall or they're facing a different direction. I'm not a serious RE fan though so don't quote me on it =P.

Look inside the Doom Books. You'll get them and expect to use them somewhere; you won't. You have to look inside them.

For Resident Evil 2 if your going to try to unlock Hunk and Tofu I find it easier to S Rank with playing as Leon in Game A  and leaving the Utility belt for Claire in Game B.   If you don't pick up any items, even the shotgun(don't worry you get another one),  on your way to the Police Station in Game A there will be a zombie under this bridge area that has a wardrobe key that gives you an alternative outfit and let's Leon shoot his hand gun "Gangsta Style".   I also think using Health Sprays and saving more then three times will prevent you from getting an "S" Rank. 

You should definitely play Code Veronica. And if you have a Gamecube, give the REmake a look.

As a fan of Resident Evil I think you are going about this all wrong.

For Resident Evil 2 if your going to try to unlock Hunk and Tofu I find it easier to S Rank with playing as Leon in Game A  and leaving the Utility belt for Claire in Game B.   If you don't pick up any items, even the shotgun(don't worry you get another one),  on your way to the Police Station in Game A there will be a zombie under this bridge area that has a wardrobe key that gives you an alternative outfit and let's Leon shoot his hand gun "Gangsta Style".   I also think using Health Sprays and saving more then three times will prevent you from getting an "S" Rank. 

As a fan of Resident Evil I think you are going about this all wrong.

Code Veronica is kind of bad. Sure, it's "plot important" or whatever, because they brought Wesker back to life in that one, but that makes the poor, poor assumption that the plot of Resident Evil isn't a horrible mess, and the plot of Code Veronica in particular isn't a laughable mess. It's still overly long, super backtrack heavy and if you screw up and use too much ammo that Tyrant boss fight on the plane is practically impossible. I blame it coming out on the Dreamcast for being as revered as it is.

That being said... just figure it out yourself. The puzzles in most Resident Evil games are pretty straightforward and you'll usually know if you have the item you need or not. Also you should get really good at dodging zombies. Most of them aren't worth the time or the ammo.

In my opinion the best of the classic style games by far are the REmake and then Code Veronica. I don't get why people don't like Code Veronica. It is much better than 3.