On the topic of XCX, I still don't think I've ever played a game that matches the progression you get from the way skells are handled and how that completely opens up the world twice in the middle of the game. I know there are some people who really want the game to just give you the mech suits at the beginning, but I think part of what makes XCX so special is how the game changes when you finally get the suits, and that will be lost if you just have them from the start.
The one thing I'm worried about is whether that experience can be recreated a 2nd time, even if I'm playing it 8 years after my first playthrough.