I really enjoyed the first game and this was my most anticipated game in awhile. I can't say I'm exactly disappointed, it's extremely fun. But there are certain changes that they made that just...didn't need to be made. Like fixing a problem that didn't exist.
Examples:
-The weapon system has become extremely convoluted. Whereas in the first game, each weapon had its own specofic set of ammo types that were fairly consistent even when you got better equipment throughout the game (sharpshot always had tear, warrior bow always had hardpoint and fire, elemental bows had shock and ice, and tripcasters and blastslings usually had explosive/shock/ice), here things are different. There are still different kinds of weapons and ammo types, but there is no consistency in what weapon has which ammo type, and with each weapon having typically 3 ammo types, I can guarantee you you'll end up with overlapping types at some point. I almost always end up with multiple weapons with acid ammo, but I require all those weapons for the other ammo types they have that DON'T overlap. Additionally, there is a standard, advanced, and elite version of every type, making it absolutely ridiculous later on in the game as you can even have more than one of the same type equipped to one weapon.
-Dodge rolling was a useful tool in the first game to avoid enemy attacks, especially if you had the long roll skill unlocked. There is no long roll here, and the short roll takes too much time to execute to cover such a short distance that it almost never provides any sort of protection from enemy attacks. You also get punished for rolling more than twice in a row, even if you are just rolling for traversal's sake, by getting trapped into a sort of "stumble" animation. In such a fast-paced game with lots of enemy attacks, and with enemies being far more deadly than in the first game, you need to have a way to avoid things, but they basically took that away from players. You could try to sprint and slide, but I find that half the time Aloy ends up crouching instead of sliding, which puts the player in a dangerous (if not deadly) situation.
-If you had built up any sort of strategy in the first game, it's useless here. I actually find that there were more varied ways to play in the first game than there were in the second, because they took away some of the player options -- never a good thing. For example, if you wanted the ability to use traps and wires in the first game, you could go ahead and do so and never be seen. Here, they have locked you into a max amount of traps and wires at any given time, increased the length of time it takes to place traps, increased the amount of resources it takes to craft, and reduced the tripcaster's abilities greatly (most human and machine enemies can jump over them, and wires also just snap/disappear after a length of time). If you enjoyed the ropecaster in the first game, it also doesn't work the same way here since it can't attach to armour and every machine has extensive armour. By the time you remove said armour to use the ropecaster, you might as well just go with a different strategy.
-The game seems to really want you to use mounts, even adding in races with them, yet I find myself running everywhere instead because the mounts are just not great. Most are slower than running, get stuck very easily on objects Aloy does not, and just overall have massive jank when other people are around.
-Climbing was assigned to a set number of areas in the first game, and while I see what they were trying to do by expanding this system and make it easier to see where you could climb, it's just not as smooth as what it could be. Sometimes I can climb wherever I want to with no issue, other times Aloy struggles to climb to the point straight above her and I will have to climb to another point off to the side and then up.
-This is a petty complaint, but about half of the new machines come from the fact that there are like 20 different Burrower types. No I'm not joking. It's completely unnecessary to have so many.
-Lastly, one thing they really needed to fix but didn't was ally AI. It's still useless in the heat of battle. They don't do damage to anything, mostly just shoot and miss, and when you're in stealth, their dialogue can be extremely annoying (looking at you, Alva, with your nonstop shouting).
Sounds like a lot of complaints for an 8/10, but they did improve a lot. I enjoy the facial animations so much more, they are incredibly realistic. The story is great, the new machines are great, I love the improved melee and valor surges, and the map is HUGE. I've been playing about 80 hours and am only 60% complete, to give you an idea.
So yes, I definitely think they didn't need to change everything, but many things are great. I still recommend it wholeheartedly.
Examples:
-The weapon system has become extremely convoluted. Whereas in the first game, each weapon had its own specofic set of ammo types that were fairly consistent even when you got better equipment throughout the game (sharpshot always had tear, warrior bow always had hardpoint and fire, elemental bows had shock and ice, and tripcasters and blastslings usually had explosive/shock/ice), here things are different. There are still different kinds of weapons and ammo types, but there is no consistency in what weapon has which ammo type, and with each weapon having typically 3 ammo types, I can guarantee you you'll end up with overlapping types at some point. I almost always end up with multiple weapons with acid ammo, but I require all those weapons for the other ammo types they have that DON'T overlap. Additionally, there is a standard, advanced, and elite version of every type, making it absolutely ridiculous later on in the game as you can even have more than one of the same type equipped to one weapon.
-Dodge rolling was a useful tool in the first game to avoid enemy attacks, especially if you had the long roll skill unlocked. There is no long roll here, and the short roll takes too much time to execute to cover such a short distance that it almost never provides any sort of protection from enemy attacks. You also get punished for rolling more than twice in a row, even if you are just rolling for traversal's sake, by getting trapped into a sort of "stumble" animation. In such a fast-paced game with lots of enemy attacks, and with enemies being far more deadly than in the first game, you need to have a way to avoid things, but they basically took that away from players. You could try to sprint and slide, but I find that half the time Aloy ends up crouching instead of sliding, which puts the player in a dangerous (if not deadly) situation.
-If you had built up any sort of strategy in the first game, it's useless here. I actually find that there were more varied ways to play in the first game than there were in the second, because they took away some of the player options -- never a good thing. For example, if you wanted the ability to use traps and wires in the first game, you could go ahead and do so and never be seen. Here, they have locked you into a max amount of traps and wires at any given time, increased the length of time it takes to place traps, increased the amount of resources it takes to craft, and reduced the tripcaster's abilities greatly (most human and machine enemies can jump over them, and wires also just snap/disappear after a length of time). If you enjoyed the ropecaster in the first game, it also doesn't work the same way here since it can't attach to armour and every machine has extensive armour. By the time you remove said armour to use the ropecaster, you might as well just go with a different strategy.
-The game seems to really want you to use mounts, even adding in races with them, yet I find myself running everywhere instead because the mounts are just not great. Most are slower than running, get stuck very easily on objects Aloy does not, and just overall have massive jank when other people are around.
-Climbing was assigned to a set number of areas in the first game, and while I see what they were trying to do by expanding this system and make it easier to see where you could climb, it's just not as smooth as what it could be. Sometimes I can climb wherever I want to with no issue, other times Aloy struggles to climb to the point straight above her and I will have to climb to another point off to the side and then up.
-This is a petty complaint, but about half of the new machines come from the fact that there are like 20 different Burrower types. No I'm not joking. It's completely unnecessary to have so many.
-Lastly, one thing they really needed to fix but didn't was ally AI. It's still useless in the heat of battle. They don't do damage to anything, mostly just shoot and miss, and when you're in stealth, their dialogue can be extremely annoying (looking at you, Alva, with your nonstop shouting).
Sounds like a lot of complaints for an 8/10, but they did improve a lot. I enjoy the facial animations so much more, they are incredibly realistic. The story is great, the new machines are great, I love the improved melee and valor surges, and the map is HUGE. I've been playing about 80 hours and am only 60% complete, to give you an idea.
So yes, I definitely think they didn't need to change everything, but many things are great. I still recommend it wholeheartedly.