Currently on my 2nd co-op playthrough of R3 on Superhuman to get the trophy.
Due to completing R3, replayed a lot of R2 and R1.
R1 > R2 > R3 for me.
R1 due to epic battles, more enemy variety, more gameplay variety with vehicles, pop up mines, environment, etc. Better story. From Manchester onwards R1 is great.
With R2, I hate the two weapon limit, the boss battles are weak. Normal is too easy, Hard is too hard and a grind to play. The Chimera homming in on you. The invisible enemies!
But R2 still has a better campaign than R3, once you put aside the bosses.
The Twin Falls Grim sequence is better than equivalent in R3. The two Chimera ship takedowns are better in R2. The Chicago bridge assualt and plaza is better than the New York Washington Square and Apartments snipe fest in R3.
R3 has the dull boat ride and then a dull train ride (what were they thinking!) R3 takes you to another Chimera ship for the final level (what again?) Too many shades of Half Life 2, with Prison, final ship level and you even meet an Reverend in the rip-off Ravenholm sequence.
There is an escort mission, a carry a bomb mission, sniper alley, this is all bad trite gameplay design.
R1 let you drive a Stalker, a tank and a jeep, and introduced the crazy weapon wheel, the gameplay has been going backwards ever since.
R3 is very on the rails, literally in too many sections. I was extremely disappointed.
