Originally envisaged as a remake of 1989's Sweet Home, the first Resident Evil was released in 1996, and quickly became the best-selling PlayStation game at the time. Conceived in an era where horror games were the same as regular titles (endless hordes of monsters to kill) but with more scary trappings, Resident Evil was one of the first to actively try and scare players.

The game put you in the role of some badass police officers, but left you feeling weak with the inclusion of tank controls, limited inventory spaces, and finite supplies.

Despite not being the first game to try some of these things, Resident Evil has become synonymous with the survival horror genre over the years since. A whole generation has grown not knowing a world without Resident Evil in it.

There have been many pretenders to the throne over the years - some of them worthy (Outlast, Silent Hill), others entirely forgettable (Cold Fear) - but Resident Evil has endured them all, as well as its own worst entries to remain at the top of the heap.

Resident Evil is king of the survival horror genre, and here's why.