For comparison and analysis, I will be playing Resident Evil 5 and Dead Space 2. They are both survival horror games, with RE5 focusing more on action than most traditional survival horror games. The first Dead Space was very much a horror game, but I think that with the development of DS2, the levels expanded greatly and a heavier emphasis on action and a faster pace was put into place. For this reason, I think that RE5 and DS2 are perfect for a side-by-side analysis.
In Resident Evil, the player can cause more damage by targeting different points on the enemy’s bodies, which in turn cause either higher damage or temporary incapacitation. Obviously, head shots are the credo in a Resident Evil game, but the point is kill the foe in whatever fashion available. In Dead Space, the player is strongly encouraged to “dismember” enemies by firing at their limbs. This causes more damage, and will save the player ammunition. While resource management and conservation is important in Resident Evil, it is more readily available as a result of the heavy action element present in the design. Because of this, targeting certain areas on an enemy's body is present, but doesn't carry as much importance as in Dead Space 2. More on resource management shortly. 
In the game, there are two main characters: Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar. The player controls Chris by default, while Sheva is controlled by the AI. There are situations where Chris must give Sheva a boost up to a higher ledge, where she runs about pulling switches to open a door so that the player(s) can progress, or she grabs a key, or acts as overwatch to Chris while he proceeds through a bottleneck. During this time, Chris must fend off attacks on himself, and also attacks on his partner. It’s important to note that if at any time Sheva dies, the game ends. In Dead Space, strictly speaking of the single player campaign, the main character Isaac Clarke plays through the game on his own. While he meets several other characters that interact with and occasionally hinder his progress, there is no use of NPCs for puzzle solving or overall game progression. Dead Space 2 relies heavily on a sense of isolation, and a heightened sense of horror and player tension throughout. The NPCs are off-screen, "helping" with the story progression but not directly with Isaac's troubles. While Resident Evil is played with another character, and sometimes another player, the horror is more based on macabre imagery and suspenseful "peekaboo" frights. The player often feels like they are able to run-and-gun their way through certain levels, and this is certainly true.
The sense of isolation in Dead Space and the partner system of Resident Evil also plays into the subject of resource management. While being watchful over the space in your inventory is important in Dead Space, it doesn’t seem to play as much of a huge role as in the other game in question. The player can purchase upgrades to Isaac’s armor, which in turn offers better protection, added offensive/defensive perks, and more storage space for items and ammunition. In Resident Evil, resources must be divided up between Chris and Sheva’s extremely limited carrying space, and strategy must be employed in order to have what is needed for the current situation on hand and ready to use. More storage space cannot be acquired or bought. Unlike previous titles in the series, there aren’t “storage boxes” in which the player can store extra items when needed. Dead Space 2 does however feature storage spaces, which also help ease the need for stringent resource management.
As mentioned before, Dead Space 2 features an equipment upgrade system that allows the player to tweak not only Isaac’s equipped armor, but also his arsenal of futuristic weaponry. This is done at “Benches”, and instead of the game’s main currency being the resource needed to upgrade weapons, special items called “Power Nodes” must be obtained (which are fairly rare in comparison to currency) in order to activate nodes in the weapon or health meter’s load-out. New suits can be purchased with Credits, but more exact upgrading is done with Power Nodes. Resident Evil 5 also features a similar system, but a stronger emphasis is placed on customization in Dead Space. You are only able to upgrade weapons, albeit at a much higher capacity than in Dead Space, and there are on average more weapons to obtain in the game. Also, there is no special item needed other than Gold, Resident Evil’s currency. While there is enough to do in terms of upgrading weapons, it would’ve been interesting to see a higher level of customization with armor, or maybe even character abilities. Dead Space 2 has utilized the customization option in a slightly more engaging way overall. 
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