If they keep going on their current trend Resident Evil 7 should be a God-of-War-style hack and slash.

Well, you got me there. I haven't played the revelation games. The first one did look good and more like the old RE games. It's one I want to try some time, but I have my hands full atm. The 2nd one, I don't like the looks, but I'd have to try it out first before I pass it by.

Nah, that sounds too good; just look at Dead Rising. Judging with how they're doing right now, it's more likely it's gonna be a rail shooter QTE fest.

I actually feel the need out of curiosity to ask what it wasn't you didn't like the looks of in the 2nd one? It's easily one of the best games in the series and has a much better setting. Plus the characters are amazing and it's more survival horror based. It really brings back the classic feel to the series, you'll pick up ammo sometimes and only get +2 handgun bullets. The most you can pick up I think is a pack of 15, if I  recall correctly. Enemies don't drop ANY ammo so you need to be careful. You can however abuse the flashlight if you know what you're doing, making good use of both characters at once will really make things easier.  The enemies are actually finally creepy again, they are by far the most disturbing enemies in the series given the story behind them..... (something that was actually excluded from the English version of the game.... such BS!)

As for the plot, characters, and setting of the game. This one is definitely targeted to the long time fans of the series. Those who only played some of the games will be left confused. It has a story that runs almost parallel to RE1, it has massive connections to RE5, a very rude tie in to RE6 which results in a MASSIVE cliff-hanger for the series. The problem is.... most of the casual fans don't understand what the hell is going on in the game -_- It's not hard to figure out if you know the games, read all the documents, and PAY attention to events and dialogue that occurs in gameplay. You will find so many things in your second play through that you didn't see in your first. Kind of like a Metal Gear Solid game xD

Revelations 2 suffered from one major downside. The English version was mistranslated and caused huge confusions in the story that effected a lot... if not most players. A lot of dialogue was cut form the English version. Including a couple of lines that are debatable amongst the most important lines in the game to the core plot. The story will very likely continue in RE7 "and I'm just getting started" :p There are tons  of quotes that hint things to come. I know I probably over explained every thing here to you but.... It's Resident Evil and I am a HUGE Biohazard fan.

Well, my feelings of RER2 are mostly based on first impressions, since I have never played it. I guess I didn't like the look of it. It felt there were too many bright moments and color. That sort of turned me away from it. It gave me the impression it might not be that scary. Also, I wasn't fond of the idea of using Claire and Barry as main characters. I guess I didn't like the look of Claire. She looked like a different person. The idea of Barry's punk-like daughter being a character, and not being able to use guns didn't sit well with me. Also, Barry's partner seemed kind of weird as well. I dunno, all things mixed together to make something I didn't really like the look of. And it being episodic didn't help either. That's just me though  : /

All those complains of yours are played into the game's finale chapter.

I strongly suggest playing the game, if only for Barry one-liners, which are all kind of cheesy (in the good sense!).

I liked Darkside Chronicles.

I find your complaints to be.... very odd. For one I do not know where or how you came to the conclusion that the game has too many bright and colorful moments. The game is far darker than any of the past RE games in a decade, also if you are referring to visually.... it also uses darker over tones than other games. Barry's daughter Moira does wear a lot of make up and CGI cutscenes brings a lot of that out on some of the characters. But as for the atmosphere, setting, and yes visually.... it's one of the darkest games in the series. To be honest I didn't see any of the marketing material except for the live action trailer that was at the party because I didn't want to spoil anything. They really ramped it up to look like a side game rather than one of the most important chapters in the series imo. One that I thought was going to be "meh" turned out to be one of my all time favorites!

To bring back the feeling of survival horror they needed to limit the player more. So in addition to having less ammo and enemies not drooping any, two out of the four characters cannot use guns. At first this seems... ehhh... but then you realise that it improved the game. By simply hitting (Triangle or Y) you can switch between the partnered characters. Your partners can hold stuff for you as well with their own inventory, unfortunately you don't have much space either way since we now have the addition of crafting materials which is really cool.

The episodic thing REALLY turned me off as well. I just avoided the game until the retail release came out. I REALLY regretted this after I beat the game. I wished I was there week after week to play each chapter, and then I would buy the physical copy and play again. The episodic thing makes sense in the way they tell the story. Capcom did it as an experiment, but they also did it for plot reasons. They've been building something up for a long time and they wanted to dangle it in fans faces as long as possible and keep them guessing. This game is a must for any die-hard Resident Evil fan. It has debatably the biggest and greatest plot twist in the series. Of course there are A LOT of people that are butt hurt from the ending LOL @ THEM!  (seriously though.... the ending is amazing regardless what one you get, but it's also very tragic)

As for the choice in characters. We haven't played as Claire for a while so it was nice to have her back. They bring us up to date with her and give us a look into Terra-Save. It was fantastic to see Barry again, we learn a bit more about him and he's as bad ass as ever. History repeats itself and what happened to him in RE1 happens to him again. Only this time he is mentally prepared to tackle the challenges WITHOUT getting pissed off, oh he's pissed, but more.... disappointed. If you think he's too old to empty his magnum into the skull of the culprit.... your dead wrong! Barry's daughter Moira will grow on  you. She's definitely a punk rocker and yes... she swears a lot! One of her first lines is "What in the moist barrels of fucks is this?!" She's quite mouthy and always freaking out like a horror movie girl "Oh my god! Why are you doing this? What the fuck do you want with us?". Then there is the little girl, Natalia Korda. She might just be one of my favorite characters now. She is so fucking cute and adorable! Her best friend is a teddy bear and she's a very loving and trusting little girl who is practically "pure, innocent, and incapable of acts of evil".  She has a few very special traits about her and in many ways she's actually the MAIN  protagonist of this game. She also will undoubtedly return in the future and has been rumored in RE7. Actually the original RE7 concept art had her which can be seen here. http://i.imgur.com/cP9nc66.jpg There's no way she's a one time character, she'll be key in defeating a BIG baddie in the future. She's a birdy who needs to bite her way out of a cage! *wink wink*
As for who are the villains in this game? Nice try, play it and find out xD The MAIN antagonist is not a new villain ;P

In the end, it appears that most of your complaints are actually moot. They either aren't really related to the game OR they are a key part of the story in ways that will likely blow your mind away. Revelations 2 has the deepest and most technical story in the series to date. It may be hard to follow if you are not well versed in the Biohazard series ;P

Chris literally punched a boulder. Leon has never done anything that over the top.

Chris doesn't have nearly the mental nor physical ability that Leon has. He may be stronger but he is a soldier, not an agent. I don't think Chris would be able to dodge a room filled with impossible combination of lasers coming his way. He'd be ready to be rolled into sushi after that.

Leon would just push the boulder, if it doesn't budge (which it probably wouldn't) he'd shoot it with a weapon or find an alternative. Chris also gets his ass kicked in a majority of his fights. Leon kept up with Krauser in a knife fight and portrayed high levels of dexterity.

Chris would be able to be thrown in a horror environment if he was left powerless. He'd remain strong and brave, dedicated to the cause. Leon on the other hand would look at problem after problem and find solutions. He'd pull off some witty smart ass bullshit and get out.