I always play through on sweet first, then mild, that's just my way.
I can see that point of view about the cut scenes, but I don't think it lessens the design of the characters or the quality of the fights themselves. Losing the overworld was a bit jarring at first, but I like the fact that the camera zooms in to the exteriors and there's still some small interaction with figures in the game world to set things up.
The only thing I found really annoying was the Shinobu platforming bits (thankfully limited to one fight) and the Stamina training game which had incomplete instructions.
I can see that point of view about the cut scenes, but I don't think it lessens the design of the characters or the quality of the fights themselves. Losing the overworld was a bit jarring at first, but I like the fact that the camera zooms in to the exteriors and there's still some small interaction with figures in the game world to set things up.
The only thing I found really annoying was the Shinobu platforming bits (thankfully limited to one fight) and the Stamina training game which had incomplete instructions.
