He was always a bit sadistic in his design goals, but that was what made NG1/Black so awesome I thought. It was a genuine challenge, there wasn't any bullshit for the most part.
NGII was just a clusterfuck. When the game is more about patience/trial-and-error rather than skill and hard work, it's hard to enjoy it.
It's my favorite genre though, so I'll definitely play this and even DmC.