That's how I've always seen it too. Plus the Cross and Holy Water still function well within the confines of 8-way.
Sometimes there's just something the whip cannot achieve, esepcially regarding "strength". Maybe have it where even at it's strongest, an overhead or upper diagonal whip strike just isn't as STRONG as, say, using an axe. And there's also those occassions where, maybe, an enemy's coming at you from above AND ahead, so you wanna get the two for one hit by tossing an axe above WHILE you are whipping ahead of you. Now, I don't know if there will be any more case like that in the series again, but DAMMIT, there SHOULD BE!

As for missed opportunies, I still would've loved to know the reason behind the Anti-Soul Mysteries Lab. Is it what I think it is? Anti-Soul the same as "Anti-Life", like Walter had some undead alchemists toiling in those labs trying to dicipher the Anti-Life Equation? Also, what REALLY were the Undead Parasites, where did they come from and why do they resemble the final form of Chaos in AoS? Damn, I might be against the whole datalog thing in FFXIII, but something like in LoS, but for LoI or CoD which not only went in depth about enemies/bosses(not JUST the brief descrpition), but also the areas and history would've been kick ass! I mean, "House of the Sacred Remains"? Whose remains? The Bernhard family(Walter's parents and ancestors)? Who did the Undead Parasite creep up into there? Did Walter create the Forgotten One? Where were all the inhabitants of Cordova and Grant? What is the REAL significance of the Abandoned Castle, it's warp to the Infinite Corridor and the Belmont's? I mean, I still find it hilarious that the BELMONTS, to seal Dracula's Castle, had to go through this elaborate means of extra-dimensional shit, and even place Dullahan as a guardian(the BELMONTS placing DULLAHAN as a guardian, the same Dullahan that is a regular ENEMY of theirs).