A spectacular downgrade compared to the first game. The first one wasn't a great game by any means, but it had its moments and charm, and wasn't boring to go through.
TEW 2 is just bad.
The story must be one of the dumbest stories ever in a piece of media. The main character is just plain stupid, and he is a police detective hahaha. He also just doesn't shut up. The game is riddled with neverending long a$$ cringy cinematics.
The villains are totally original though. An art student, an evil priest, and a corrupt evil secret government agency that wants to take over the world. Never seen them before.
Gameplay-wise, the stealth is fine. The guns are a step back from the original. They are peashooters and unsatisfying to use (except for the upgraded revolver, which packs a punch). All the shotguns are the most pathetic shotguns I've ever seen in a video game. Enemy AI is non-existent, you can just walk around a box and stealth kill them from behind. They lose sight of you as soon as you move just 2 meters away from them. They also added long animations for every move and interaction, making the game very sluggish.
The game is now open-world (of course), which completely annihilated any potential for thrilling moments. You go around a map and kill everyone. Two chapters later you are back in that map, but now it's on fire, with fiery enemies. What a thrill.
Do not recommend. Just play the first one, or don't and skip the franchise.

great game

Better than the 1st one.