Resident Evil 1 and 2 were the games that I always went over to a friend's place to play, and when Resident Evil 3 came out I got my own copy, and it felt much more like "my game".

Those, plus the original Silent Hill games (1 and 2) really helped define my taste in games, and they've got something I feel even the more recent throwback Survival Horror games don't have, in that they, and the original Alone in the Dark, shared some DNA with the old Point and Click adventure games, like Monkey Island, and Myst. Puzzles based on collecting things, and combining or using things on or with other things, often in mind-bending, nonsensical ways.

The Spencer Mansion, RPD Station, Raccoon City, and Silent Hill were all big explorable areas that opened up as you progressed, and you really got to know them. Games these days feel like they're scared of being accused of "backtracking", so you never spend long enough in any one area to really get to know it.