SAO1 was really good, I binged it. My main gripe, as usual, was the corruption happened too quickly.
I guess that's why the progression in SAO2 feels kind of weird, with him needing to "reset" things. But that just retcons or leaves the events in SAO1 in flux, making you wonder what's actually canon and what should be discarded. Which is obviously not a good thing when it comes to writing. Every sentence should be meaningful, you don't want the readers to go headcanon-ing because they're unsure what's going on.
And yeah, “counter-cheating” always feels weird in netorare stories. You don’t get a “consolation prize” because the best got taken. No, you wallow in the deepest depths of despair and beat your ineffectual dick moping like a cuck, because that’s the only thing your hapless ass can do. No reprieve for useless men.