Name the elements present in the combat of Resident Evil 5 not duplicated by other titles. What, inventory management?
I don't expect you to agree with any of this, obviously, but...
The hit response system and the way it affects the other enemies has always been a high point for me along with the context sensitive close range combat. Being able to stagger an enemy, executing a melee, and having the entire crowd fly back feels great. I think Dead Space demonstrates why a dedicated melee button doesn't always work well as it rarely connected and had minimal effect. The melee combat in RE5 plays a significant role in crowd control. Of course, Left 4 Dead has many of these same features but, as noted above, it feels very flimsy in comparison to RE5. Furthermore, I think there is a more tangible relationship between enemy attacks and the player. When an enemy swings a small axe, for instance, you can side step just enough to avoid it and then counter attack. I've always felt that there was no physical connection between the enemies and the player in L4D. If an enemy was within range and using attacks, you were going to be hit.
There's a much greater focus on each individual enemy and the techniques used to take them down. Depending on the numbers, it may not always be in your best interest to aim for the head (again, going for the knees and knocking an enemy back can thin out a crowd enough to allow you to escape the situation). Furthermore, the laser pointer adds actual depth to the act of targeting. That is, the pointer exists within the game world (unlike a 2D reticle) which changes the way you handle distance play.
Basically, RE5 has a greater physical relation between the player and the enemies that influences the way you must play the game.
I'm surprised you take issue with the sense of damage, though. Most other shooters do a significantly WORSE job in handling this. Games like Gears of War and L4D basically present bullet sponges with a single weak point (their head). How you hit them has no real impact on their animation.
In general, I would agree that moving and shooting is more enjoyable, but in a game such as this, I actually do think their decision to avoid using it works well. The game manages to avoid the Dead Space issues of walking backwards while unloading into an enemy until it's dead. Due to the limitations of movement, the laser sight aiming system, and the reload time of your weapons you must remain more aware of your surroundings and plan accordingly.
