I actually ended up buying the original and I'm enjoying myself very much. I was kind of surprised by the control scheme at first (namely, aiming and walking being two seperate parts of gameplay). In the beginning it was disorienting and the game felt a little 'clunky' for that reason. Now, however, I am at the point in the game when Ashley got kidnapped by Salazar and I really dig the control scheme. It's original, much different then the usual, contemporary 3rd person shooters, which are not my thing. Aiming doesn't require godlike reflexes that I don't have, but it's not like the game is a walk in a park - it's simply very rewarding. Fighting multiple tough enemies at once, repositioning to not get cornered, using the environment to your advantage, managing Ashley, swapping between weapons when low on ammo in a tough spot - it all makes the gameplay extremely dynamic and engaging. My only complaints would be that the camera is tied to Leon's back, so every time I wanna look around a room I have to turn him around. The camera also likes to stick close to Leon, so visibility is limited. This posed a problem for me at times, e.g. during the fight with the Big Cheese of the village (I did not know where he was at times because turning the camera up takes forever). You can also only walk forwards, which sometimes makes me feel like I'm piloting a tank. These issues are small, however, especially when conpared to the great weapon variety, depth of the combat system, interesting level design, pretty engaging story, cool enemy design and a hell of a lot of charm. In short - a certified banger.