Bro, I love hearing about Resident Evil

I would play this VN.

All resident evil < R.E. Code veronica.

I wouldn't look impressed but I would sit there dreamily smiling. Then if asked "Wait, why are you looking at me like that?"
I'd say "Because you are adorable."

Which one is his favorite anyways? I've never dipped too hard into Resident Evil and I'd like good pointers that don't send me to 4

really really really really depends.

The OG trilogy of games on PS1 are really good. But I usually tell people to avoid RE96 (The first version of 1) as an introduction because it's really jank even compared to RE2.

I divide it into two answers. If you have NO experience with the series- but want to explore the survival-horror ones? Start with Resident Evil 2 remake. It's a thoroughly modern game in terms of movement, combat, and UI. Though the design is very much in line with the gameplay of a classic resident evil.

It's the best example of the classic games' design utilized in a modern package.

If you're not as sensitive to older design and think you'd already want to approach the older ones on their own terms- then Resident Evil Remake 2002 is the way to go. It's the peak of the classic games design with tank controls and fixed-cameras intact. Other than RE4, REmake is considered by fans one of, if not thee, best game in the series.

Resident Evil 7, which has a different energy- being an FPS survival horror game with a slower pace, keeps the fundamentals of the classic games, just in a different format with a different vibe. It takes after 70s and 80s slasher and exploitation horror, and it does a good job of it. It's a new experience to the series for sure. It also starts its own storyline disconnected from the rest of the series except for a few references here and there as a bone thrown for dorks like me.

It is also a storyline to be continued in RE8, which comes out next month, as it stars the same protagonist of 7- who is a newcomer to the series.

If you like 2 remake, and parlay that into remake 1, and wind up enjoying both:

Then i'd say go for the classics. But still avoid RE96 unless you found yourself REALLY liking the tank control games. RE2OG still holds up for the most part. RE3 enjoys less prestige, but the people who like it, REALLY like it. (I really like it.)

The spinoff games can be safely ignored- Survivor, Dead aim, Gaiden (lol), Operation Raccoon City, Darkside and Umbrella Chronicles-

A few of them have their pros and cons (except Survivor) but they're also fundamentally different experiences and don't really factor into the equation unless you find yourself adoring the games, and their world, and are just jonesing for more RE in any form you can get it in.

RE5 and RE6, Revelations 1 and 2 have their defenders- but they're best enjoyed in a context somewhat separate from the purely survival horror games. RE5 is a hoot with a friend in co-op, and I've heard mixed opinions about 6. But they can be ignored. If you have to try one of the early HD era RE games, go for either Revelations 1 or RE5. Be warned though, they're tonally very off.

As for 4...

4 is one of the best games ever made. Bar none. It is a truly excellent game- a legit masterpiece. It stands alone in the series- and can't really be compared to the other ones in either direction. It is a mutant. But a super-powered one.

Code Veronica....

Code Veronica catches a lot of heat, and some of it for good reason. There's only 2 problematic games in the series- and those are clumsy racial themes in 5, and transphobic elements in CV. I don't sense malice in either, but CV is extremely questionable for a lot of reasons. It's my least favorite of the classic tank control games, but regardless of that- I still come back to it every so often when I'm really in the mood for a tank control game but i've worn out the other ones. It's a little frustratingly clunky in its design and has a wonky balance curve.

RE0 I also didn't quite enjoy enough to finish but- again, it's one of those games where the people who like it REALLY like it. But it's a very strange take on the classic RE design. It's -different-. Try CV or 0 if you really LOVE the tank control games.

Since he is me, and I am him, my favorite resident evil game is---- nnggh

I try to answer the question and my brain just bluescreens.

Somehow I didn't figure I'd get an elaborate answer lmao

Still, I do value the input! I've tried some of the games before and I do think the one I've enjoyed the most is RE2make. That one just hits the notes.
Thanks ! I have a better idea of what to get into and what to avoid safely, which in a series with so many games its a pretty good thing, I'd say.

If you need any pointers on how to approach the older ones lemme know I'm game to offer guidance on the level of how to conserve resources and explore effectively.

You've got egg on you

two, actually. I wouldn't call them "on" as much as "attached and dangling from"

I'm impressed by those teeth, he can talk about anything.

the ol' spine snappers.

They're fake, but they still work :D

literally what my good dates have looked like