Welp, Wrath of the Lamb is out and basically amazing.
(Wait, didn't I say I wouldn't play this game? Well yeah I did, and then I changed my mind and got all the items and all the achievements. Figured my friend would probably laugh at me for depriving myself on his account.)
I'm kind of annoyed at how much of the new stuff I have no idea what it does (especially with trinkets in general) but experience will remedy to that I suppose. And there are tons of immediately satisfying new wrinkles. In terms of difficulty I did die on the first floor on my first attempt, and on the third on my second attempt, but I beat the (first?) alternate final boss on my third attempt. The game doesn't feel that much meaner, it's just a question of learning the new stuff. That said, it's not meaner, but in many ways it's more cruel; it seems like there are several new ways to make difficult decisions and take costly risks (like with the [spoiler]biting doors[/spoiler], the [spoiler]sacrifice spike rooms[/spoiler], and the [spoiler]boss arenas[/spoiler]. However, given that this sort of thing has pretty much always been at the core of the game's strategy, this is an excellent and very welcome change. Favorite new items so far? The [spoiler]3 dollar bill that randomizes your tears in every new room.[/spoiler] I'm pretty sure I had a goofy smile stuck to my face the whole time I had it.