You got to wonder what the plan for Resident Evil 5 was after RE4's grand success. The early drafts interest me, there was going to be not just a day/night cycle but you would have to hide in the shade during the day for example. The co-op ruined everything to be honest, the awful turret section across savanna would have taken place on foot and the temple section would have been a more puzzle heavy environment but both were cut due to co-op. It really shows the wasted potential in the game, there is nothing but shooting in the final game, along with babysitting your teammate if you're playing solo and that takes out all the nuance the game could have had without a partner. They really should have just focused on a single player campaign with an optional co-op one if they were that invested in it.
Speaking of which, I think the game drops off after the initial village section. Once you kill Irving and go to the caves, that's when the game takes a shit. The entire game should have just been Chris' and Sheva's wild African nigger safari, the atmosphere at the beginning of the game was top notch. Latter half? "Generic" is the only thing that comes to mind, at least Wesker is finally dealt with so the story can be concluded right here if you don't care about the other games.
I think this theme for the loadout screen/shop really summarizes what I think about this game: Really mixed feelings, a lot of "what could have beens" but ultimately the atmosphere and the gameplay keep you engaged even thru the bad parts.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=1Y-Z7D2_Iak
I haven't actually played the Merc mode yet, which I've seen a lot of people praising. I completed it in Resident Evil 4...mobile, yet to do it in the proper PC/Console release. I've also seen that Revelations(1/2) and RE6 have great Merc modes, so I guess I am saving those for a rainy day.