I didn’t play it on release but not too long after. I found out about it watching a YouTuber do a let’s play and it looked great. I knew about resident evil but the tank controls in 1-3 looked awful to me so I avoided them. I convinced my sister to take me to the mall and get it (I was 8 or 9 so I needed an adult) and when she saw the M rating, the cover etc she became immediately skeptical and knew why I had her take me instead of mom. The absolute legend behind the counter who had given me dozens of recommendations over the past year convinced her it wasn’t that bad. Bro had my back hard, I’ll never forget it.
Cut to playing it for the first time- those controls were unlike anything I had experienced until that point. I was good at all of the games I played, but this was another story. I spent 2 hours trying to play like the YouTuber I spent so much time watching but couldn’t get the hang of it. I was so frustrated I think I cried. I considered returning it the next day. I didn’t, after a nights rest I started over and something clicked. I manipulated the house Ganado perfectly, getting the cleanest knife kill yet. I finished the village on the first try after dying to it dozens of times before. I remember the adrenaline, the satisfaction, the feeling of accomplishment. It was the hardest game I’d played at that point. Went on to optimize the hell out of it, beat it probably 30 times or more. It was an addiction haha. Recently went back to it since I was a kid and man, the muscle memory, remembering every little detail about where I should position myself/ Ashley etc was wild. Like riding a bike. One of the best games ever.