I got this game and it started out great. But now it is CRAZY HARD! I haven't really done any shopping. My life bar is still exceedingly short. I'm not sure how many Sonic Rings I have (I think the game calls them Halos). What should I buy? I assume that is where I went wrong, by avoiding the store. Also, the Joe Pesci character was there in the beginning, but I haven't heard hide nor hair from him in a long time.
If I can complete it, it's definately not hard! Unless you are playing in hard mode, which I find impossible.
The first things you should buy are the Air Dodge and Breakdance moves - all the others are not that important. Spamming breakdance is very useful for certain enemies.
Make sure you go into the shop after collecting records as you get new weapons - equip guns in your first set and the sword in the second set. You won't get to buy much of the expensive stuff until your second playthrough, so concentrate on buying green lollies to help you out.
Oh, and make sure you destroy all the witch coffins as they give you bits to increase your magic and health bar.