I'm calling it after completing Leon's story and playing some of Ada's (I will likely finish soon and MAYBE try the other campaigns but Chris is just such a lame and boring character I have no motivation to even try).

After playing this game, it is abundantly clear to me that, 1) 6 is not a terrible game like everyone says, 2) it is leagues better than 5, and 3) it is an obvious follow up to 4, with similar mechanics and thematic and design elements, cementing the idea that 5 is some sort of body snatcher, it has no real connection to the series.

That being said, is this an awesome game? No. Does it fail as a follow up to 4, yes. Does it fail as a game? No. The idea is fine, it is clear that Capcom devs hate survival horror, evidenced by their continued efforts to trick people into thinking they want their RE games to be more run-and-gun or rail-shooter and less horror even in 2024, but at least here, unlike with 5, there is a concerted effort to retain the essence of Resident Evil. There are at least a few attempts to throw in some jump scares (since the survival element is taken out), and that's acceptable, even if I don't personally like it.

Bottom line: 0-4, 7-8 > 6 > all the side games and spinoffs > most everything else > 5 > Silent Hill: The Short Message.