All I'll say is that RE6 is definitely a game for one who's already neck deep in the series as opposed to a relative newcomer who would get a better first impression with RE5 if they're looking for raw action.

I'm 100% with you--I would never want RE6 to be anyone's introduction to the series. My personal progression was RE4→RE5→RE6→RE8→RE7→RE2R→RE3R→(you are now here), so just release order starting with RE4 except RE7 and RE8 were transposed. Oh, and I also played the Oculus Quest 2 exclusive RE4VR, which is definitely not tuned difficulty-wise for the huge increase in mobility and precision afforded by VR but is an absolute blast (nothing quite like knifing a downed Ganado with one hand while fending off a horde with the pistol in your other hand). It's also really cool to be able to just walk around the areas you know from RE4--I mean, it's no Half-Life: Alyx, but even with the relatively primitive graphics of the RE4HD you still get a pretty great sense of presence. Really wish I had a PS5 and PSVR2 so I could experience RE8 and RE4R in VR, but I can't really justify the eye-watering cost for just those two games. Maybe we'll get it on PCVR when the PS6 rolls around...

Funny thing is that I actually prefer RE8 to 4 (though I played it first). I would consider close to perfect if it were a good bit longer and didn't kill off the entire villager cast in the first 30 minutes.

RE8 is some of the most fun I've ever had with a game, and I could hardly put it down until I'd gotten all the achievements. I don't think it's the kind of game you can really obsess over in the same way you can with RE4, but it executes on it's premise incredibly well. The only word of caution I'd have to anyone playing it for the first time is that there's a long scripted encounter near the beginning of the game that (unless they've since fixed it) is absolutely brutal if you start out on Hardcore because it's not clear what the game wants you to do and there are some invisible triggers you need to hit in order to progress. I think it took me an hour on my first attempt, and I know I wasn't alone there. With that notable exception, the game plays like a dream.

As for RE3R, I know a lot of people who played the original were disappointed due to cut content and Nemesis not being a true pursuer (apparently he was more like what Mr. X is in RE2R?). I didn't have that frame of reference, but I definitely preferred Mr. X as a constant presence in RE2R and I like the extensive backtracking present in RE2R compared to the linearity of RE3R. More of a case of really loving RE2R than not enjoying RE3R.

My petty complaint about RE2R and RE3R that could be easily addressed is not having infinite ammo unlocks for ALL weapons like RE5/6/8. Personally, I don't find the Infinite Rocket Launcher that fun, the weak unlimited handgun/automatic rifles are pretty lame (I just used the unlockable but limited Samurai Edge in RE2R and ignored the rifle), and while the RAI-DEN in RE3R at least offers a different playstyle, what I really want is to rampage through the game with unlimited ammo for my fully upgraded normal weapons. I'd even accept what you get in RE4, where the unlocks are different (but not completely absurd) weapons with unlimited options: the Handcannon and the Chicago Typewriter. I just want to blow away every single zombie with a magnum--is that so much to ask?

Also I have really got to check those CGI movies out--from what I've heard, they seem like they'd be right up my alley.