No one should really be surprised by this. It's just Capcom admitting what we already knew.

I have to say that I thought it would be more like a shooter, so the demo surprised me positively. If you like RE4 you will probably like RE5 too.

:(

RE has always been a good series but RE4 made it a great series.  Took it to the next level.  Gave it the action of what a real horror would be like and made it more epic.  I think it's the best thing to ever happen to it.  Sure because it was more focused on action rather than investigation you lost some of the scary parts, but I think it made the series a hell of a lot better.  Gave it the depth it needed.  It expanded on what a survival horror could be and that's a good thing.

Given that the game features Chris Redfield, you are character is going to "feel like an action hero." Part of the eeriness of Resident Evil was derived from the protagonist being freaked out themselves. As the series has gone on the protagonist have gotten experience with the weird happenings of the games universe and are frankly trained to deal with the situation. Even the new character, Sheva is part of this international organization trained to deal with these bio terror threats.

The only way I can see them having a legitimate reason for making the protagonist a clumsily controlled mess is if they are laymans. A guy that works at the local depart store, gas station, fast restaurant, etc. Having protagonist with extensive combat and tactical training along with prior experience with such threat precludes them being terrified or controlling so poorly.

@zucas

as franchise the sales decline was SHARP though

in Japan it went from a peak of 2.28 Million (JAPAN ALONE -- RE 2

to less than 1 Million ALL VERSIONS of RE4 combined!

Well that's the Japanese loss then.  This was the best game in the franchise and I doubt evne RE5 could take away from that.  Just added something new not only to the series but to the industry in general.  Just because it wasn't creeping around a mansion the entire time didn't mean it wasn't as good.

RE4 expanded the userbase. Don't get me wrong, Resident Evil 4 was an excellent game. But it when I played Resident Evil Remake, I realized that true survival horror was. The lack of ammo, horrible camera angles, terrible controls, etc. That made REmake an amazing game. The setting was amazing aswell. When I went to the laboratoy outside the Mansion, I was so scared.

Resident Evil 4 didn't scare me one bit. It made the zombies more of an obstacle, not a challenge. One shot in the leg and one shot in the head, bam, they're dead. In REmake, You'd either have to run or waste many bullets on them.

@tehsage

how did RE4 expand the userbase when before the re-releases it was the lowest selling RE game

after the re-releases its the 3rd highest selling RE game

considering there have been 4 its still not expanded anything

Just split the franchise in half, Capcom; classic horror Resi for Wii, shooting manifest for HD owners. Of course I'll be having both

*yawn* in that case I don't need that game - I played RE games for their awesomely intense horror atmosphere

imho they should have given 4+5 a new name instead of using the Resident Evil/Biohazard name