While it's disappointing that the Resident Evil series has gone more for action than horror, this is still a good game.
The problem with having a series that goes on for as long as the RE series has is do you continue doing what you have already done? Or do you try out new things in an attempt to keep things fresh? Well with RE4, Capcom decided to ditch the whole 'zombie' & horror storyline and go with something more action & tension filled. They also FINALLY introduced new gameplay elements that fans of the genre had long been asking for. Improved controls, camera, and inventory management were nice changes. My only problem was they left something behind that was important to the series in the past: the game didn't scare me.
I gave RE4 a great review and consider it to be one of the best games of the past generation. But apparently Capcom decided it wanted to take the action gameplay a step further and here we are with 'Resident Evil 5'.
While many people don't seem to like RE5 as much because of the lack of scares, I still think it's a great game. It just isn't what you might be expecting going into a RE game. It feels much more like a version of RE4 with heavily upgraded visuals. It has lots of tense moments, but it will rarely scare you. And the emphasis on CO-OP gameplay has clearly been inspired by the 'Gears Of War' franchise.
Is this such a bad thing? Well if you are looking for a horror-filled game, then yes it is. If you are looking for a great & intense action game, then RE5 could be for you. The problem is sometimes the game is too stuck in the past in terms of design flaws to be a competent action game.
The game will throw many enemies at you and, contrary to games of the past, you will not have much problem finding ammo. The enemies in this game are very similar to the ones found in RE4. It does make it easier to have full control of the camera now, but the system still doesn't lend itself perfectly to an action game. It may work great for 'survival horror', but this isn't 'survival horror'.
And there is the main problem with this game. It feels like it can't make up it's mind whether it wants to a be a 'survival horror' or all-out action game. I can see that's why it's getting some mixed reviews and I can understand that opinion. I still think it's a great game that any fan of the series should play. It has a lot of familiar faces and it has a pretty good story. I think RE5 tends to get a bad rap, but I can see why many people are frustrated by the road this series seems to be taking. Hopefully, with RE6, Capcom will go back to delivering an actual 'survival horror' experience and let the action fans go back to playing 'Halo' or 'Gears Or War'.