I liked this one better than original game. Granted, I can't say I remember much from that one, but what I do remember was improved.
In my memory original was essentially about killing zombies on a beach or kind of jungles. Sometimes in bungalows, but that was basically it. I also think there were quite a few times where locations were reused even in the main quest, although that's not inherently bad. Sequel definitely has smaller areas, or at least they can feel smaller, since you are in city areas most of the time (there are at least 2 beaches, too). But they feel more lived in, more detailed and generally have much better level design. The story also naturally progresses you through all the areas in a logical way with only a few cases of backtracking (which do make sense).
The story itself is still kind of "meh", it's a b-movie level at best. It is a bit less serious, though, which is a good thing, because it's now a bit more than "just a virus", and there is even some mysterious lore behind things, which adds to the atmosphere. Which is also good, because, boy, they can deliver pretty atmospheric scenarios. Especially Haus (one of the DLCs). I even regret that I started Haus early in the game before I completed the main quest, because it outshines the rest of the game, in my mind.
Haus is an even more concise experience. But it is also a more mind-bending one, which works well with how sequel became less serious. This allowed the devs to provide an atmosphere, which was really close to that haunted house (was it a hotel?) from the first Bloodlines. With amazing lighting, great soundtrack... And again, overall atmosphere of something creepy happening, something unexplained. It was just perfect. The main game also had a few areas which were able to deliver good atmosphere, but not this good. SoLA, another DLC, also tried at the the end of it, but it had different context, so felt a bit differently. I believe that if Bloodlines 2 flops (and there is a high chance of that), Dambuster Studios should be the ones to make Bloodlines 3. Or maybe get them in now so that they can help with at least some episodes in Bloodlines 2 similar to Haus.
Of course the main attraction here is killing zombies. I think there is more variety to how you can do that compared to original game (at least I do not remember original one having Curveballs or Fury), but even if variety was the same, somehow it just feels more satisfying. Probably just because of better engine, better visuals, and generally more "oomph". There are definitely various satisfying ways, but I think the best one for me were claws with caustic (chemical) mod: melting walkers with quick hits felt really good.
At some point it still becomes feeling a bit like a chore, though. I think for me at started happening around 30th hour, and I spent the rest of the 8 mainly trying to naturally get some of the achievements I can without "New Game+" mode and without coop (not a fan of these things). I was still enjoying the game, but not as much. But even 30 hours feel quite good, and since the game can be challenging at times, I'd say for a lot of people it can be more than that, so I'd say that it may even be worth the full price if you are into these kind of games. But if it's on discount - you can safely buy it, especially if you liked original game, because this one is more of the same, but better.
