I loved the references made to the unplayable encounter between Helter Skelter and Travis from the first game. If you've seen the eeeearly trailer for the original game (which I think is an unlockable in said game), you see it play out similarly to Skelter Helter's encounter with Travis with the decoy cloak and glasses. Also the fact you actually fought someone at the beginning was a plus too.

The game actually seemed easier to me, but I attribute that to two things: One, the fighting system has made awesome additions and improvements, and two, I REALLY got into it. I was swinging those remotes around so hard I thought I was gonna break em. I also have yet to experience the game on Bitter, which will likely make several of the boss fights a lot harder than I thought they were my first time through. Two particular ones that they hyped up that I thought were gonna be hard fights were those with Magaret and Alice, but I found Magaret to be surprisingly easy by swinging like a madman, and Alice's only serious danger to me was when she suspends herself up in the air.

I also liked how they handled cutting down the ranks of assassins. I knew right from the get-go that they wouldn't have 51 bosses, and the second I heard about a cheerleader SQUAD, I knew each one of them would be a ranked assassin. The same goes with the battle royale story, and I loved the fact that it introduced a chance to fight Dr. Letz Shake, as easy as he might have been. I actually got my Ecstasy all the way up and tore the crap out of him. I also liked the fact that someone below your rank challenges YOU, but I feel that was underutilized... I could have gone for at least ONE more assassin like that.

I think the hardest boss fight I had (aside from the final) was with Ryuji or whoever he was. Not the biking segment, he actually drove HIMSELF off the cliff, and I didn't even see it happen! However, I let my guard down way too many times, and because of his dragon I ended up dying three times. He's a badass, though, so it's okay.

I did like the segments where you play as Shinobu and Henry, but whereas Shinobu featured two rather complete levels to utilize her more unique play style (and I loved the Destroyman boss fight, I did not expect that reveal AT ALL from the footage they showed us of him in trailers), Henry on the other hand was nerfed with only one boss fight. Granted, I thought it was hilarious seeing the girl with giant robot arms skipping his way and pointing at him simultaneously with both hands, but seriously, one boss? No thugs? Total jipp. Maybe there's some crazy unlockable Henry Mode I might have missed, but I won't hold my breath.

I didn't know what to expect at the Rank 1 fight, but I certainly did not expect midget man, nor super midget man, nor godzilla-balloon midget man. Seriously though, I thought it was hilarious that the president of Pizza Batt was the final boss, because in the first game, there are three missions in the assassin missions where you kill the president of said company (but for some reason I think it was called Pizza Butt in NMH1, correct me if I'm wrong). I do believe that was his father and brothers that he referred to, and I find this hilarious because those missions are the best for earning quick cash in NMH1, so it's almost guarenteed that you played those at least once unless you're a masochist. I expected a second form, but not a third, and to be honest, as crazy and over-the-top as all forms of the boss may be, it's a crazy and over-the-top game. The final form sure pissed me off whenever I missed blocking his red beam back at him... I could never avoid the breath move he does when he succeeds with the red beam.

I read a couple of threads on GameFAQs while looking for tidbits on potential unlockables, and I read a couple of people really bashing the ending. They said that the first game had a much more conclusive ending that answered more questions. I call bullshit, they didn't answer ANY questions that didn't get brought up in the ending itself, and it raised a hell of a lot more. Besides, it is the nature of the game, and personally, I thought the ending was a perfect conclusion to Travis' story. He goes through hell and finally gets his happy ending. But what really creeps me out is that he's the guy who's been watching Sylvia through all those cutscenes where she's talking through the window on the phone, and at one point there's a pile of tissues stacking up... uugh.

THERE'S A BOSS RUSH MODE!!! You unlock Deathmatch after beating the game, a mode where you can select and fight any of the bosses!!!! YES YES YES YES YES!