When you say 3rd person, do you mean not being 1st?
Anyway, if you mean the camera angles vs the over-the-shoulder, it is the angles. It is also the only game with duel-wielding...shame we didn't get to do this with Battle Suit Jill in RE5.
Also, I agree, a "true" RE fan isn't someone who has played each and every game, otherwise there would probably only be 2 or 3 people.
Besides, most of the RE fanbase it divided into 3 major categories anyway, 1 is the fans who only play games earlier in the series and refuse to play anything new(or they gripe about them constantly), 2 is the fans that only play stuff post RE4, and refuse to play anything before(usually griping about the controls or camera), and 3 is the on I think is "true", or at least the "ideal" RE fan, the ones who play any and every RE game.