I finished normal mode and was like "That was okay, I guess..." but I felt like I didn't really know how to play the game that well. Once I started hard mode, I realized that I'd just been on the verge of "getting it" and the extra difficulty made it click. If you buy this game I heartily recommend playing hard mode at some point.
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"God Hand is the ultimate expression of the joy of humanity, specifically the punching part of the joy of humanity."-Shigeru Miyamoto
Survival mode is cool too. And yes, you do need a controller for Shank 1. What console(s) do you own this gen? If you own a wired 360 controller you're good, and if you own a PS3 controller just look up Gamesaike's driver for it. If not, the wired 360 controller is probably the best thing to buy anyway unless you need the d-pad to be good.