i got the first but haven't played it yet. I heard that the 1st was better as it was more unique, where as the 2nd I heard they turned it into more of a shooter mostly, not that that's bad, but just that it took away some of it's uniqueness. Is that true?
The "turning into a shooter" part is right, though its only near the end where it happens more often. & you only carry the ammo in your current gun so Ethan is not carrying boxes & magazines of ammo.
You do get bonuses for gold getting medals on each mission which let you carry an extra weapon (you only carry one by default & that stays in your hands until you drop it) along with a difficulty (if you want to call it that) called "FPS mode" that gives you infinite ammo for any carried firearms. Fun in its own way but its just an extra.
& I prefer the 1st since its more freaky & has a better surival-horror atmosphere but the 2nd is still great & worth buying.