Not what you may have been expecting, but still an excellent time nonetheless.
Does RE5 essentially turn its back on its legacy and history? YES.
Is RE5 much of the same as you got in RE4? YES.
Is it still a very good game? YES, absolutely.
By now, obviously, you know about how it is no longer "survival horror", and more something that should be called "survival action".
This game can pretty much be seemed up by calling it a poor-man's, co-op RE4.
The fighting, the look of the scenes, the enemies, the bosses, all look and feel a lot like RE4, but with a twist, of course.
Changes from RE4:
- "co-op" system has you fighting with a partner. Sheva is fairly intelligent. you won't friendly-fire often, and she can be quite helpful without being much of a bother, but give her the handgun, and she will waste a lot of ammo.
- game is broken up into chapters, that can be re-played. takes away from the cohesiveness of the game. i guess it makes for some fun if you want to beat previos scores. but you can't save more than one game...
- reward system at the end of each level, ranks you on your efficiency, skill, and speed. good addition, but makes the game seem a little more artificial
- inventory is overhauled. no menu. you access inventory in-game. between levels, you can organize inventory and buy/sell supplies (also whenever you die and re-start a level)
Bottom line: If you like INTENSE ACTION, this game should be at or near the top of your list. I also saw the trailers and thought, "What have they done to this franchise!?". Perhaps I'm not excited about the future of this franchise, but for now, it's still in pretty good hands. I would like to see a return to the basics of Resident Evil, but when you get games like this, can you really complain?