Resident Evil 6 and Raccoon City

If it weren't for Resident Evil Revelations on the 3DS, the Resident Evil franchise might have been dead in the water by year's end.

Two disappointing titles soiled the series' reputation this year, leaving gamers wondering what went wrong. For starters, Resident Evil Raccoon City failed to entertain on any level. Its clunky gameplay and ugly design rendered it painful to play.

Resident Evil 6, a game that shares its name with some of history's best, went completely off the rails by abandoning a sizable portion of what RE veterans have come to know and love for nearly two decades.