Been playing the first one, am playing on hard which is the second toughest level. Visuals are better than I thought they'd be and I find the game to be really open. The reporter who ends up being his partner. Good thing about her is that she actually kills people in the shoot outs rather than just shooting which happens in these games. Saying that, she does tend to get my fucking way at times during a shoot out. I like how when they throw a grenade, it isn't always accurate and doesn't always end up near you. They do have bad throws as well as good throws.
I think sometimes it can be hard finding where to climb now and then as it's older graphics, but that gets easier the more you play it. One annoying thing is the right analogue stick to show your surroundings. In a few cases it doesn't allow you to move so you're stuck with what's on your screen.
Just starting chapter 4 after the plane came down. I've read that this is the most difficult chapter in the game.