Yo, I just got a 1:28.3 on the first level like super easily, and it was all because of lag reduction.
When watching the world record vod, I had no idea you could move around holding r if you have no weapon equipped. So I messed around with it, and the biggest thing I noticed is it definitely reduces lag on laggy areas, and if you are up against a wall or something you have basically 0 lag.
So for the first level, after shooting the guy I immediately switched to fists, then cloned, and spent the rest of the level holding R. I also feel like I can make tighter, more precise turns, but that might be my superstition. Then, when it came time to deliver the note to the driver, I spent a second up against the wall so he could walk to the driver seat faster, then got into position still holding R. I was able to see the driver sit down in his seat, and press A before the red indicator even showed up, and still got the end cutscene!
- TL;DR - R strats. Lag reduction, tighter lines, easy visual cues. Def should test on more levels where you don’t need to shoot much!