While not the first game in the series, this one started the "open world" type of gameplay these games are best known for.
The enemy AI is super aggressive in this one and it has been toned down a lot in the later installments. Bosses also cheat like crazy, but I think this is not a real flaw in the game design, rather just an obstacle to overcome.
Still holds up quite well in my opinion.
Cut out some time waiting for the opponents and losses to the bosses to streamline the video.