This is total speculation on my part, but I imagine Monster Hunter Portable must have affected the design of Resident Evil Portable in someway. The game was a mega hit for Capcom in Japan and spawned tons of other ad-hoc social games like Sengoku Basara Heroes. Perhaps, Resident Evil Portable is going to be less like Resident Evil and a networked game like Resident Evil Outbreak.
http://www.siliconera.com/2009/06/08...ent-evil-game/...