Good Resident Evil clones?

[Shapur]

I've been playing through the Resident Evil games(just finished 4 and Code Veronica this month) and am interested in more games like the classic series? After 4, I realized how much I prefer the somewhat more puzze-ly cerebral gameplay of the original. I've got a couple on my radar already.

Deep Fear(Saturn) - Looks like a lot of fun from the videos but is VERY pricey on ebay.
Alone in the Dark: New Nightmare(Dreamcast) - bought it already but haven't got to play it yet.
Countdown Vampires(PS1) - Anyone tried this? Is it any good?
SIlent Hill - I know. How is it I never played this yet. I always thought this was more straight up horror

Are there anymore obscure Resident Evil-like games? It doesn't have t be horror related, I enjoy the blend of exploration, combat and puzzles. Not too focused on anyone of the three.

EDIT: And duh forgot about Dino Crisis. Got that one on my list already.

[Retro STrife]

The Clock Tower series comes to mind. I played the first Clock Tower (Playstation) a few years back and liked it. The D series should be along the same lines too, although I've never played them. For X-Files fans, there's the X-Files: Resist or Serve (Playstation 2), but it's not worth playing for non-fans. Maybe Eternal Darkness (Gamecube) too, but that's more action oriented. Of course, Silent Hill (PS1) is the best of the RE clones.

Your best place to start is probably the VGC's Halloween Review Special: http://videogamecritic.com/extras/themes/halloween.htm

[ptdebate]

Silent Hill 1 and 2 (especially 2) are going to be the closest to what you're looking for. I too enjoy the gameplay of the original Resident Evil with its balance of puzzles and combat. Have you played the Resident Evil Remake, whether the Gamecube original or the HD remaster? That's probably the best horror game ever right there. Silent Hill games are more interesting from a story/lore perspective but the puzzles are a little harder to grasp sometimes, especially on the harder difficulty level. That's okay though since you clearly like difficult puzzles.

[Rev]

Clock Tower aren't really RE clones though. They are both survival horror but at least the first two Clock Tower games (Super Famicom and PS1) are more like Point and Click Adventure games. However, if you like Survival Horror I definitely recommend them.If you are wanting to play Deep Fear the Japanese version is actually a lot cheaper than the PAL version and from what I've heard it is just as playable. The only difference is that either the text or voices are in Japanese (it's one or the other, I can't remember which) however the people I've talked with said it was very playable to English audiences.

[Luigi & Peach]

Obviously the Silent Hill games are all good/excellent games with the exception of the last one that was made for the PS2 (Shattered Memories). The 4th one (The Room) was kind of unique, but still pretty good.

Clock Tower 3 for the PS2 was more like a traditional RE game. It was unique from RE in that you couldn't attack your enemies. Only stun them and run away and hide until they left.

There was an obscure series for the PS2 called Obscure (ironic, I know). I highly recommend them to any fan of the horror survival genre. The second one wasn't quite as good as the first but if you like the first it's still worth playing. The second one is definitely dark (first time I've ever seen a graphic suicide in a cut scene) which wouldn't have been problematic if the gameplay hadn't been as linear. First game in the series was great though.

[Shapur]

Great suggestions.

I especially like Obscure. Never even heard of the game before but it does look interesting. Unfortunately the cheapest copy is about $50 on ebay right now, but I'll keep an eye out for an auction. Strangely, the sequel seems widely available.

Seems pretty much universal that I should try out the Silent Hill series, so I'll try and snag the original soon.

Rev - Yeah Deep Fear's voices are all English so you can understand the story but all the text is in Japanese. I almost bit the bullet and bought a Japanese copy but I feel like I'll wind up playing the whole thing with a FAQ if I can't read what the items are.

ptdebate -I've pretty much got everything RE related bought or on my list. I got the Wii version of the remake and am gonna pick it up next time I head home. I'm still holding out hope that the HD remasters will be released as a compilation disc someday because I've stopped buying digital games for the most part.