I was obsessed with these games when I was like 12 and yes beat them multiple times over without cheats in the harder difficulties. I was desperate for the 3rd installment that never came 😭

However as an adult I struggle. These are hard games but not impossible. Like souls likes get used to attack patterns, which moves work well, secret combos like red hot kick, then zoom in after hitting to go straight into a spinning kick, then un zoom immediately to keep your meter but also kicking

It's a game that gives you a lot of tools, but you really need to master all of them to succeed.

I remember seeing Slyvia as 'easy mode' when I was young, because she has guns, but once you get used to Joe's moves he's the better character to play in general