As said, these are some heavy-duty crows.  Hardcore to the beak.

Chapter 1-3
Pro-tip: Shoot any lanterns you may come across; they sometimes hide goodies you can't easily see.  Case in point: the tunnel just before meeting up with the merchant again.

The cemetery's such a creepy mood-setting scene.  If you were thorough enough to grab the Beerstein and Red Catseye treasure, you may as well go ahead and solve the pedestal puzzle for the Green Catseye. (The solution lies in the tombstones.)  The puzzle itself is located on the right-hand path on the side of the church.

I usually don't have a problem with the Swamp area, but I had a tough way this time around.  It can be hard keeping a bead on the guys knocked down in the water -- only to have 'em come back up where you least suspect.  There are plenty of snakes in this area, usually gliding around on top of the waters, so make sure you shoot them up for some chicken egg freebies.  There's also an Antique Pipe treasure up in a bird's nest worth acquiring, but other than that, you can actually avoid combat, and make a fairly clean break to the end of this part if you wanted.

The lake has a lot of juicy goodies to collect, so make sure you inspect the area thoroughly before hopping onto the boat. (Keep an eye out on in the trees - yet again there's a great treasure to be found in a bird's nest.)

Now we come to our first serious boss battle, El Lago.  Yes, of course you'll be facing that thing you saw in the cutscene. :)

Some things to remember during this fight: 1) Maneuvering around the debris El Lago attempts to slam you into can be tricky.  I've found that gently tilting the analog stick in the direction you perceive to avoid helps, and when you get a sense of the proper angling, you go full throttle on the stick.  2) The amount of health directly correlates to your chances of getting back onto the boat safely should you ever get knocked off.  The higher your health, the easier it will be to waggle/mash the button.  If you're down in the red next to zero, it's pretty much over; no amount of waggle or mashing is going to save you at that point.  It's for that reason if you're low on health, and you sense the boat's going to capsize, you'll want to regenerate at the last minute.

Hit Ratio: 90%
Enemies Killed: 48
Deaths: 0

Also, don't forget to fire a couple of rounds into the lake (I think it was about 10, maybe 15) for a nice Easter Egg!

You're evil, bro.

If you already took the time out to collect the treasures around the lake, save your game first.

I've never done this!  What happens!?

Also, I'd like to agree about the comments on the bear traps.  Those things always startled the heck out of me!  And I've always made space to sell the black bass and walked back with all the fish to get more money in that scene.  As far as the rifle goes, I always tend to get it and then upgrade it to the max and never upgrade to a better sniper rifle.  Sniping from a far is REALLY useful later, but even to the very end of the game I preferred to have something that took up less inventory space over something that didn't reload after every shot.

It really is more fun to try it and see for yourself.
But, like Angie said, save your game at the nearby cottage first

Yeah, I played 1-3 last night (write up to follow later this evening) and yes, I tried fishing for bass with my gun. Oh joy. Good thing I HAD saved, but I did continue without resetting just to see how many times I do die legitimately over the course of the game.

Well shoot.  I missed said treasures the first time, guess I should go back and try to find 'em.  The cemetary (1-3) was as far as I got last night.  Couldn't figure out how to open the door and figured it'd be some sort of treasure that I missed.  I'm scared to sell anything to the Merchant, as it might be a key of some sort later.  You know how RE is with their crazy ancient artifact keys. 

1-2 was a little bit easier than 1-1, mostly due to the fact that I kinda know what I"m doing now.  I've been practicing taking people down with a kick and then finishing the job with the knife to save ammo.  Somehow I missed the shotgun in 1-1, forcing me to use my pistol and ammo sparingly.  I can't tell you how many times I went to refill my bullets but there were no reserves! 

I took Angela's advice and bought the attache case.  That extra room really does make a difference! 

Stuff I picked up on last night that should help me (or anyone else who's playing it for the first time):
- Shoot those damned bear traps! 
- There's almost always treasure in the trees
- You can shoot the projectiles thrown at you from the villagers.  I can't tell you how satisfying it was to knock away a hatchet aimed at my head!

I only died once (I think) in 1-2.  It was the chainsaw guy!!  HOLY CRAP.  Thought I had him killed and went to dispatch the other villagers next to him, when I see him jump up and BEHEAD ME.  One of the few moments I jumped in my seat! 

The controls are getting better (Wii still.  I tried plugging in the Gamecube controller but nothing was happening.  Eh.).  I still mis-aim sometimes and the knife is going to take a bit more practice, but I am getting better.

Glad to hear someone else is getting enjoyment out of this game!

Nah.  The Green Catseye pedestal puzzle is completely optional.  You can continue on with the game without having to solve it by just taking the right-most path to the bridge.  The game is very good about item management; it would never allow you to sell a key item needed to progress in the game.

You can also deflect projectiles with the knife -- which is on a whole other level of satisfaction.  ^_^

Good to hear.  I think the GC controller compatibility problem can be solved by having the controller plugged in BEFORE turning on the Wii -- and the Nunchuck has to removed from the Wiimote first.  Only then will the game recognize it as the default controller.  (Common mistake, too: make sure the controller is actually plugged into Port 1 and not Port 4 -- I hate the way the controller ports are assigned on the Wii.)

You'll save ammo that way. I don't recommend doing it in a room full of Ganados, but along trails and when there are no or few enemies it's a good way to keep your handgun ammo up.

Wait, what?  When I tried the right-hand path, I had Hunnigan saying "Hurry up and get to the church!  We think Ashley's inside!".

Also, Hunnigan is hot.

I believe you have to try to enter before you are allowed to proceed to the right.

PRO-TIP:  Miss Hunnigan enjoys cunnigan. Keep this in mind near the end of the game when trying to unlock the second ending.

Wow! A whole bunch of posts while I was sleeping! This is definitely the thread to be right now...

I hope to do 1-3 tonight... but I won't be home until late because I'm going to see GI Joe (please be good, please be good...) and then hang out with a friend.

I don't own any consoles more recent than a Dreamcast and my PC (when it's working well) can't really deal with anything past 2004 or so, and I think it's fair to say that no game has done more to make me want to do something about this situation than Resident Evil 4.

Then they made that dumb little cellphone version and I was like why can't you just make a RE game like this for DS ;_;

Chapter 1-3

The first thing I said to myself when I heard the name of the organization was "Come on now." That's a bit too close to the Illuminati. Needs more originality. It was interesting going back through the door that ended the chapter. If you do so, you see the big scary fellow practically about to stomp you to death. If it weren't for the mysterious lady that comes to your rescue (Yes, I know who it is).

Random Comments:

-It was hilarious killing the guy in the bathroom, although that's a fate no one deserves, not even a Ganado.

-I wonder if the Ganado were trying to hatch that chicken egg in the oven...

-Lots of money thanks to flash grenading that murder of crows. (see what I did there!)

Playthrough:

So I go outside and the first words out of my mouth were "F***ing chainsaw guy." He seemed to have a bit more "meat" to him as it took way more shotgun blasts in the head than the earlier Village counterpart. He used up all my shotgun ammo (about 7 bullets), so I was pretty bare on those for most of the chapter. Dreaded going back to the Village, expecting another crazy ambush, but it was much easier. Especially blowing off their heads with the rifle! I did get overwhelmed at one point, but thankfully I had some black bass to heal me.

I didn't like the looks of the cemetery, but it turns out it wasn't that bad! Got the Green Catseye treasure (yay!) and put it in my Beerstein, which now contains two jewels (of 3). What jewels go in that headdress btw?

The bridge area wasn't too bad either. I liked stunning them and kicking them off the bridge, forgoing any items that may have dropped. I killed a snake in the crate and it had a golden egg! What luck!

I did not like that growling in the next area. Nothing happened during this chapter, but I suspect since I do eventually have to get back to the church that I'll have to face that creature.

The swamp area, initially, wasn't bad. C4 was very helpful here, but at one point, I didn't see any enemies but still heard the music. I scoped the water a bit, and then all of a sudden, I turn around and BAM, five Ganado just randomly appeared. I jumped and screamed at that point. I went back to the beginning of the swamp, so I could funnel them. Took care of them and five more came from the beginning of the area. That is NOT fair. No wonder they snuck up on me! I was expecting them further ahead!

That big ass thing in the lake looked pleasant. -_-. Bought some upgrades, saved the game, saw some black bass, shot at them (BAD BAD BAD), and got my only game over of the chapter. I didn't feel like resetting to nullify it. So, I said "Screw the bass" when the game loaded up again.

Boss Fight:

I didn't die, a few close calls though. Mashed the hell out of the button to get back in the boat. Used a few health items and such. I couldn't figure out how to stay in the boat when he charged at you from a short distance. Either way, I survived. Interesting battle for sure!

Chapter 1-3 Stats

Hit Ratio: 73%
Enemies Killed: 53
Deaths: 1

Cumulative Stats

Hit Ratio: 73%
Enemies Killed: 137
Deaths: 4

Onto the next chapter! From Angela's "warnings," it looks to be a fun ride.

What about a Gamecube?  Reckon a good enough deal could net you a used system and the game for under $50.

The Elegant Headdress actually has nothing to place into it, and so can immediately be sold for the 10,000p.  It's the Elegant Mask (which you hopefully grabbed back at the Stronghold/watery room filled with Black Bass location in chapter 1-2) that gets outfitted with Gems.  For that there are three: Green, Purple, and Red.  The Green is the first one to acquire, which you'll have the opportunity to do so in chapter 2-1.

Told ya, told ya!  As unnerving as the music is, it really does make for a good tracking device. 

Admittedly, my first time getting "the surprise" was probably brought upon myself.  I mean, who *doesn't* want to attempt to "provoke" the water?  Capcom was clearly in on the joke, but still...... who would think it'd actually happen??

Yeah, I meant the Mask. I did pick that up.

Hell, at the one game store out here a Cube is less expensive ($25) than a SNES ($30) which is really funny.

You want excitement? Exit the house and slowly walk down toward the path where the good Doc is - inch toward a bit at a time so he sees you but the Ganado don't. Then go back in the house and open the door (only press the Open once so Leon doesn't slam the door open and alert the other Ganados), and let Dr. Salvador follow you in. Then... KNIFE HIM. It's not too hard once you get the hang of it, but the excitement of instant death makes the fight well worth trying. And that Ruby is even more valuable (to me, at least) when you earn it by knifing a chainsaw wielding maniac to death. I just did this on Professional and it took about three minutes. So fun, though!

That's not excitement. That's insanity.

I concur.  And on Professional, no less?  I can't decide whether that's ridiculously hair-brained...... or ridiculously badass.

With Salvador, though, the "excitement of instant death" is always present, no matter what weapon you use.

Heh, well, it's ridiculously something. I saved a ton of ammo and felt damn good about beating him that way!

Actually dispite my earlier troubles with the controls, I'm getting damn good at head shots and I always go for them. I take it the exclusive is the broken butterfly? I've seen the gun in action and yeah, it's a scary ass weapon for its size. So I just max the handgun for it to be available?

Still, for the game in general, it is a lot harder than watching someone else play would make you believe, and in general I'm finding this is a good thing.

I always thought insanity was how it took 26 to 30 stabs to kill a Zombie in RE2. Those Japanese gamers w/RE1 really ruined the knife to the point they had to nerf the thing for the next game.

The Broken Butterfly is actually a magmum class weapon, completely separate from the handgun class.  A number of weapons in the game reward what's called an "Exclusive Upgrade" if you choose to max it out.  The standard Handgun (the one you start the game off with) is the one with the exclusive attribute that raises the chances of critical headshots by 4x, so yes, that would be the one you'd want to max out.

Now, before you go gung-ho on upgrading, I would strongly advise you to first check out the other guns in the game as they become available.  While the Handgun's exclusive is indeed a nice perk, you may find your preference lies in any one of the other class weapons.  The Punisher's exclusive, for instance, allows a single shot to go through five enemies in a row.

Also, keep in mind that maxing out any one weapon is a costly investment - sometimes you won't even be able to do it on the first playthrough.  You need to choose what you want to upgrade wisely.

Yeah, I haven't upgraded anything yet because I figured as such and experimenting with as many base guns as I can until I have a good idea as to what upgrades would help most would be an ideal way to tackle the situation.

Chapter 2-1
Here I'm reminded by how terrifically atmospheric this game is.  The gray, dreary skies overlooking Spain in the preceding chapters now open up to this nighttime downpour; the heavy thunder and lightening, the torrential pellets hitting the lake's surface, the eerie flickering of the lantern lights.... As impressive as some of the backgrounds in RE5 are, *none* of them compares to this.

There are a few non-linear paths that you can now take, which can result in confusion as to where to go next.  The blue-lit fires across the lake is of course the merchant -- if nothing else, give him a visit because there's that hidden Green Gem to collect for the Elegant Mask in his shop.  (Hopefully you did grab the Mask back in Chapter 1-2.)  Don't ride the boat back to the Swamp area; from your starting position where you woke up, take the iron-clad doors.  This is where the next leg of your adventure officially begins. 

There's definitely a curve-ball thrown at the way you've been playing the game up till now.  Specifically, the use of head-shots now give way to the occasional..... gruesome birth of Las Plagas.  These guys can seriously hurt you if their bladed forms lash out at you, so keeping your distance is preferable.  While Las Plagas is meant to discourage one from performing head-shots and instead target other areas of the body, I still find head-shots to be ideal in eliminating the enemy as quickly as possible.  If Las Plagas emerges, a few more well-placed Handgun shots from afar will take them out. (If you're gutsy, head in fast with a Shotgun blast - with any luck, you'll be able to pull off the shots before they lash out at you.)  Also, as mentioned in my previous thread, it's here where the Flash Grenade can come in handy.  These guys hate the light, so a single blast is enough to kill them -- really helpful should you find yourself trapped in an unfortunate cluster.

I'll leave the majority of the chapter for you to figure out, but:

-Shooting those leaping guys one by one off the crates is sadistic pleasure. 
-You'll be thankful for the shortcut the game gives you back to the church.

Here comes the next big (or should I say, GIGANTIC) boss battle.  ..... Did you save the dog from the bear trap in the beginning?  Great, then he'll buy you some time to check out the item-filled sheds -- assuming El Gigante hasn't broken them down already.  Again, Flash Grenades work wonders here.  Throw one of them to blind the big guy, and unload your full Handgun clip.  Take the opportunity when he bends down from Las Plagas to reload, and then do the QTE leap attack.  If you're fast enough on the waggle or button mashing, it should only take one more repeated cycle bring him down.

(Thought of the Day: The RE5 iteration of this boss was such a massively lame take.  The image of his goofy, bobbling head as you pump his face with the gattling gun is still, unfortunately, seared in my mind.)

The first time..... Colmillos, the mutated wolf dogs leapt on top of me, I was scared shitless.  And I couldn't believe how graphic the game is to show Leon's face completely gnawed off.  This game's got some seriously gruesome death scenes, adding to the results of your ill-conceived actions; something RE5 lacked as well.

Hit Ratio: 93%
Enemies Killed: 59
Deaths: 1  (The boss nailed me rather unsuspectingly with one of his QTE attack.)

This is a double take. I'll be away this weekend so I had to make some time up!

Chapter 2-1

Man, is this place really atmospheric or what? It's kinda creepy. The path to the church key was fun and as Angie mentioned, it is fun shooting them off the crates. I know that's what I did, even if I forewent some of the items they may have dropped.

As for the boss, he didn't kill me, but he does pack a punch! I managed to get all the items, thanks to the friend I helped back in 1-1. Knifing the boss is the way to go. Saves ammo!

MY GOD. THOSE DOGS ARE SO CREEPY!

Things I've noticed:

Ashley is annoying. I hate her voice and she looks like a mouse. I do not think I'll be enjoying the prospect of having to protect her ALL THE TIME. (See Chapter 2-2 for a good reason why she GETS IN MY WAY). Saddler seems interesting. Mysterious almost.

Chapter 2-1 Stats

Hit Ratio: 85% (my best yet!)
Enemies Killed: 14
Deaths: 0

Cumulative Stats

Hit Ratio: 74%
Enemies Killed: 151
Deaths: 4

Chapter 2-2

Wow, what a way to start. Slicing barrels and Ashley gets in my way. FAILURE. See, this is why it's going to suck. She was behind me, but SOMEHOW managed to get in the way of my knife...typical blonde...

Back in the village, that was creepy. So dark and foggy. So much so, that the bear traps are insane. (On a side note, HOW COME THE ENEMIES DON"T TRIGGER THEM. That's just mean...). Got surrounded and Ashley got taken. I didn't save her in time. FAILURE. (This is really going to cause my blood pressure to rise).

At this point, I almost turned the game off after screaming F' This!

Got to the cabin. F' the cabin. That's all I'll say about that. I managed it on my second try. One of the blades of the Las Plagas heads managed to hit me 3 times QUICK before I could heal. This is when I wish I had Sheva...at least she was fairly decent in this regard.

Thank god for shotgun ammo and flash grenades. Helped a ton!

Chapter 2-2 Stats

Hit Ratio: 79%
Enemies Killed: 68
Deaths: 3

Cumulative Stats

Hit Ratio: 74%
Enemies Killed: 219
Deaths: 7

Onto the next chapter! Ashley. You are treading on thin ice. You possibly have the ability to ruin the experience for me.

Just polished off Chapter 2-2 myself.

Chapter 2-2
And here comes the Ashley hate!  I am gonna have to side with Amazingu on this one, though; Ms. Graham is far less aggravating to have around than RE5's Sheva.  I never really minded Ashley in the first place; the ability to "command" her has always worked well, there's enough safe havens for her to hide in during the more hectic situations, and she's generally quick to rendezvous with you, even at full area screens away.  And, let's just say you won't be needing to protect her ALL THE TIME.

For those of you new to the game, I would say resist the temptation to maximize her health with yellow herbs.  She simply doesn't need it; if she gets hit even just a little, the damage is liable to be so high that you're better off resetting the game to the last checkpoint anyway.  And somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe her health boosts carries over to cleared games, do they?

Once you get back to the merchant in the tunnel area, you have the option to purchase the new handgun, the Red9 -- which is pretty much my mainstay choice weapon for the entire game.  It's the most powerful gun in its class, but not without some caveats; it's the largest of any handgun, and if you invest in the Stock add-on, that's even more space taken up in the ol' case.  The reloading is the slowest of all the handguns until you do the proper upgrades, and the capacity cap is fairly low.  BUT..... the ratio between excellent power and conservative ammo consumption is a wonderful trade-off, and I've personally found it to be more efficient than a completely maxed out Handgun, 4x critical Headshot attribute be damned.  Plus, I just love the reload animation and the powerful "bang" of the gunfire.   For those playing the Wii version, the new target reticule actually makes the Stock add-on obsolete; you won't even need it for the accurate shots you can already pull off.   

As Herrkotowski states, you bear trap fans are gonna love the revisit to Pueblo Village and Farm areas.  All I can say is, watch your footing -- and use the occasional illuminating flashes of lightening to your advantage.

And yes, the..... cabin confrontation.  Prepare yourselves, for this is like one of THE biggest skirmishes in the whole game.  Potentially on par to the first village confrontation in terms of challenge, this one promises to give anyone a rough time.  ....... I died thrice here, and I took my lumps because I know that it's extremely difficult to impossible to NOT get hit here.  You now have far more firepower on your side than the first village battle, but the close-quarters nature and onslaught of baddies gives you a lot less opportunities to evade.  Again, as Herrkotowski alludes, if you have a few Flash Grenades on hand, it's best to use them if you have two or more Las Plagas in the room; because you're in such close proximity with one another, it's easy for them to lash out at you.  (FYI, it's forty enemies you have to bring down this time around; you'll know victory is close at hand when Luis remarks, "This never ends!")  Good luck, folks.  This, to me, is one of the toughest hurdles in the entire game.

Hit Ratio: 94%
Enemies Killed: 68
Deaths: 3

Woof.  I had to take a break last night from RE4.  Good news is I finished up Retro Game Challenge (DS - great stuff!).  My wife is watching our girl tonight so I'm sure to get in a couple of hours.  Until then, I'm in spoiler-free mode.  I'll see you guys tonight.

After keeping up with this thread for a couple of days I decided to start another playthrough and will try to keep up with everyone. Note that this is my ninth playthrough of RE4, something I haven't done since back in the N64 days when I would play Goldeneye and Mario 64 for weeks straight. RE4 is just that kind of game, though - modern yet classic, familiar yet infinitely replayable. It's up there with the aforementioned two N64 games as one of favorite games of all time. Anyway, enough waxing on my part. I am playing the game much differently this time than I have before. Here's how I'm doing it:

- Professional Mode: Despite playing the game so many times, I've never had the sack to make it through on Pro. Because I would try to play it the same way I played Normal Mode, I'd get my ass handed to me and would be discouraged. Such is not the case this time, because...

- Ammo conservation: ... I am conserving a ton of ammo. I'm knifing as much as I can, and instead of funneling I am trying to pick people off from the pack one by one or am gradually making my way toward trigger points to only trigger one Ganado at a time instead of the whole mob. It is a long and somewhat tiresome process, but it is super intense and makes me feel like I am more defenseless against this huge pack of crazy Ganados. There's something special about clearing an area armed with a knife instead of an upgraded shotgun. It's like a whole new game! I am also avoiding a lot of enemies when possible and am not killing every single Ganado per usual.

- Death/damage prevention: I have been restarting from continue points a lot; if I take any damage at this point in the game I just restart. It has been frustrating a bit (especially in 1-2), but finding those perfect routes through the stages and keeping my health high has been an awesome challenge that makes me appreciate both the maps and enemy layouts even more than before. It's like I am deconstructing the game from a new angle instead of playing through it the way I normally do.

I have also done a few things different this game than I usually do: I sold my original Handgun (shock!), have neglected to pick up a Rifle (will do that in 3-1 once the Bolt-Action Rifle becomes available) and am going to pick up the Red9 for the first time. It's been an interesting ride so far, for sure. Not having the security of the Rifle at this point makes things WAY more intense! I also didn't pick up the Treasure Map since I pretty much know where everything is at this point.

Anyway, I won't be going through my experience play-by-play, but I will note where my approach has been either noteworthy or different than other people's. That said... here's my notes on 1-1 through 2-1!

1-1: Instead of fighting the first trio of Ganados outside, I lured them into the house so I could pick them off one-by-one fairly easily. I also chose not to fight the horde in the village, and instead ran around and made frequent trips to the watchtower so I could evade them until the bell rang. Then, once they were gone, I could loot without fear of taking a chainsaw to the face! After some experimentation, I found that the Ganado's dynamite near the end of the chapter could be used as friendly-fire, so I did some maneuvering and killed all five dudes without firing a single shot! Between the dynamite and the trip wires, this area was a piece of cake.

1-2: This... was intensely difficult. I restarted between 15-20 times trying to get a good run, but I eventually did it without taking a hit and by only firing about 6 or 7 bullets. After making a few runs I started to devise a system of exploiting the bridges (Knife to the face, then kick them off the bridge!), the explosive barrels (money shot!) and the dude near the exit throwing dynamite. I cleared out a bunch of dudes so I could get as many items as possible before exiting. The next part was righteous, though! I took out all four dudes in the beginning with ease and then got a lucky shot with the dynamite in the room with all the furnaces and the bear traps: I walked in, took a blind shot and watched as all four Ganados exploded in a bloody cloud of smoke.

1-3: This chapter was SUPER epic! As I mentioned in a previous post, I knifed Dr. Salvador to death (chainsaws are for pansies), and then made my way down toward the village and dispersed the crowd with a Flash Grenade instead of using my Shotgun. Nothing notable happened in the Cemetery, but I had an interesting experience in the swamp area. Basically, I ran in, shot the trip wire on the right, grabbed the Antique Pipe from the tree and booked it without firing any more shots. It's awesome how you can just book it right by dudes when they yell and point at you - saves a lot of ammo.

I ended up killing Del Lago without getting knocked off the boat (albeit I did restart a few times in the process of getting that perfect run), which was awesome. I paid attention to the actual mechanics of the battle, which had a lot to do with avoiding the wodden debris in the lake (duh) and anticipating which side of the boat Del Lago would appear on when he turns around. A great boss battle and truly, truly epic way to end the first chapter! That music still creeps me out - almost as much as that desolate silence when Del Lago hides on you and all you can hear is the boat. So creepy.

Chapter 2-1: Like Angela said, this chapter just oozes ambiance and atmosphere like you would not believe. This chapter, while having lots of awesome parts, was fairly uneventful for me, although it was pretty tense. During the scene where the head-popping Plaga makes its first appearance, I just ran by and made my way to the waterfall without fighting. The waterfall scene was badass, because I flipped the switch and then camped near the corner when the Ganados came through. I waited for a few to jump toward me (since they jump in groups) and then knifed one and kicked when prompted, which knocked at least two or three of them into the water saving me ammo (and the headache of gunning down about twelve dudes). I initially tried to just shoot them as they jumped over the crates, but this proved to be a waste of time and ammo.

El Gigante was amazing this time because I didn't have the Rifle, my usual weapon of choice for this fight. The Shotgun would me at too much danger because I'd have to get real close to hit him properly, so I ended up using the Punisher (w/1.1 from shooting all 15 medallions) and about 60-70 bullets to take him down. I did it on my first try, too! Not bad at all, thanks to my canine friend - woof! The road back to the church was uneventful, and I got lucky and ran around the dogs near the entrance. There's a path that wraps toward the front door of the church - so I just followed that and left the dogs nipping at my heels as I went into the building. I rescued Ashley, who is equipped "with ballistics", and saved my game.

I don't have my specific stats on me right now, but I ended with a total of about 2h 15m playtime, 96% accuracy and about 90-ish enemies killed. I am going to attempt 2-2 tonight and then will probably relax for a day or two after the ridiculous firefight in the cabin. I'm sure that's going to be a real difficult segment on Pro.

I agree, totally - save the Yellow Herbs for yourself! Angie, I'm fairly sure that Ashley's health does carry over. I remember maxing her out as part of my "complete" save file.

Ah, thanks for that clarification.  It was always a nagging inquiry, yet one I never wished to fulfill -- because damned if she was ever getting any of my yellow herbs. ;p

Good luck on Professional, Zane.  I myself went through the game as many times as you have, but have only ever successfully finished Pro once. The feeling has always been that the Normal difficulty level is already so perfectly fine-tuned and balanced, that any deviation to the challenge would completely skewer the game.  And it's true, in the sense that it skewers your normal way of playing.  As you say, it's all about deconstructing the game from new angles; you really need to rethink a lot of your strategy.  You pretty much HAVE to have a perfect-run mentality, and you need to be open to new gameplay ideas.  For instance, I've never been a magmum user, but I've found it to be an invaluable help against some of the more formidable bosses.  And it's almost crucial to rely on the shop's capacity upgrades to top off your ammo count; bullets can get scarily scarce in many situations.

Thanks, Angie! I completely agree with you about normal - it's perfectly paced and not once was there a time when I felt completely over(or under)whelmed. I'm going to use the free Broken Butterfly at some point, but I'm trying to plan that out. Maybe with the six armor knights when getting the King/Queen's grail? Or during my fight with U3?. I'll use the free Rocket Launcher on Verdugo, for sure, but that's all I have planned for the future. Either way, it's going to be an interesting and fresh playthrough.

Not much to add, other than that I made it to 2-2.

The lake monster went down a LOT faster than I had anticipated. I only got knocked out of the boat once, and he went down without much of a fuss soon after.

1-3 stats: Acc: 89%, 49 kills, 0 deaths.

2-1: El gigane posed no real threat. I never knew flash grenades were effective against him, so thanks for the tip. Stunning him and then blasting him full of lead with the shotgun proved easy enough. Two bouts of spastic Wiimote flailing did the job just fine.

It really helps if you know what's going to happen here. Those wolves near the church are a damn pain in the ass, so if you whip out your rifle on the bridge you can take out at least 1 of them with ease, which helps a lot. As it happened, I couldn't even see one from my position on the bridge, but the rifle still registered something so I just fired hoping for the best, and I actually took one out.
The remaining 2 still did their best to bite my face off though

So now I am joined by Ashley, YAY.
Gotta love how they programmed here to say "Ah! You pervert!" when you try to look up at her from below
This game was obviously made with Japanese gamers in mind

Acc: 86%, 18 kills, 0 deaths.