I enjoyed the original fine enough, it's a good game where my only complaints involved movement and some annoying bosses.

This remake really elevates what was great from before and fixes those minor issues I had. It's so simple but I loved being able to reload while walking. Dodging and parrying makes the fights feel so fluid. There's no longer the transactional feeling of having 1 enemy come at you while the 5 others just kinda wait their turn; in here they go hog wild on your ass like you said the worst gaming take of all time. There's a layer of difficulty that I enjoy a lot that can be bested in combination with actual skill and better upgrades.

The areas were remixed in ways that felt fresh and engaging. Some bosses that I hated before were just straight up deleted. Luis is given a much better story arc, and the knife is no longer OP as all Hell. The pacing still has that fine mix of chaos with creative puzzles sprinkled in. The goofiness is still here but it's toned down in a way that makes more sense, while still going crazy over the top in the bonus mini-games.

It's a very solid remake, and I feel like I'd still enjoy the heck out of it without having played the OG beforehand.