Well, this is fucking embarrassing.
I ended up getting the game again after finding it for really cheap. I finished up Ada's story as well as the last level of Leon's on veteran last night, and I have to admit, I'm really starting to warm up to it.
Now, I'm not going to kid myself-- there's a lot of things about this game I don't like, and I don't think I'm ever going to downright think this is a good game, but if you treat it like a big, over the top monster show that has resulted from the events of the earlier games and starring most of the central cast... fuck... it's not so bad. The new camera is definitely an improvement, and the game has a lot of content. I feel like I've barely scratched the surface and the higher difficulties scare the shit out of me. Basically, I'm finding that, despite there being some really dumb things like the bad vehicle sections that I absolutely hate, and the general vibe of Jake's story through the music and how "cool" he is, for a lot of the things I dislike, there are some things that I really do like.
Crazy what magic little time and some hype cool down can work. This is a C- game at best, but while it doesn't necessarily scratch a Resident Evil itch, it does have the whole huge global outbreak and crazy fucking monsters thing going for it, which is what I suppose the story was inevitably leading to. I think the gameplay is amazing, I just really, really, really reaaaallllyyyy want them to bring back the puzzles and environmental layout of the earlier games, where you can get lost in environments and have to not only fight but find your way through the game. If they could work puzzles back in and give it a better horror atmosphere and vibe, I think they could get the series back on track.
Or maybe I've just convinced myself that the game isn't bad because as an RE fanboy I really can't stand the idea of being so disappointed in it. Whatever the case, I'm legitimately having fun with the game and I don't regret picking it up again. It's okay if no one takes my opinions seriously anymore, I get it. Backpedaling doesn't do one favors when it comes to future debate. Like I said there are still a lot of things I greatly dislike and I still don't think it's an acceptable Resident Evil game, but it does have some elements that I liked about the earlier installments.
Story is still refried dog shit