Is this game better than the original?
That's hard to say. It's certainly an excellent game. The graphics remain beautiful, the shooting is great, and the melee combat is an improvement. Is the plot better? For this, I would say no. I'm not saying that the plot is bad, far from it, but as good as it is it simply cannot match up to the plot of the first game.
Also, the villain (Dr Sophia Lamb) is less compelling or menacing than Andrew Ryan. She is still a compelling character, but less so. Dr Lamb represents the polar opposite of Ryan, espousing the view that all should work together and sacrifice for the common good, to the degree where they lose all autonomy and become little more than drones in a hive.
Overall, i would say that this game isn't quite as good as the original, but still manages to be a brilliant game and a sure classic in a trilogy of classics.

Is this game better than the original? That's hard to say. It's certainly an excellent game. The graphics remain beautiful, the shooting is great, and the melee combat is an improvement. Is the plot better? For this, I would say no. I'm not saying that the plot is bad, far from it, but as good as it is it simply cannot match up to the plot of the first game. Also, the villain (Dr Sophia Lamb) is less compelling or menacing than Andrew Ryan. She is still a compelling character, but less so. Dr Lamb represents the polar opposite of Ryan, espousing the view that all should work together and sacrifice for the common good, to the degree where they lose all autonomy and become little more than drones in a hive. Overall, i would say that this game isn't quite as good as the original, but still manages to be a brilliant game and a sure classic in a trilogy of classics.