From what I've heard, this game is less liked than the first. I can't really tell why though.

I've yet to beat the game because it feels more challenging than the first game, but a friend of mine once gave a theory: "It's supposed to be harder because it's a sequel to the first in both story and gameplay, of course the starting point can't be on the same (difficulty) level as the first. It should only get more and more intense"