I really enjoyed my time with prime 2, and I'd say it's a stronger game than the original for a few key reasons. The first big thing I really like about this game is it's structure. There are four main areas, that interconnect in some ways but are fairly self-contained. I like this approach, as it rewards exploration but makes it harder to get lost and offers a more clear path to progression. There was one standout instance of annoyance I had, where the next upgrade was in a spot that felt poorly telegraphed, but the game mostly goes along at a smooth pace. I didn't mind the final section of the game, where a bunch of hidden keys must be found. This process was substantially less annoying than the artifact hunting from the original. The Light/Dark versions of different areas led to some fun puzzle solving and exploration, and was used in a lot of fun ways. The spider ball gets a lot of usage here, and is pretty consistently great in it's implementation. The areas are all cool, and have good atmospheric tracks that match quite well. The visuals have aged really well, with an intricate level of detail that is just impressive.

This is a pretty great game, and a solid step up from the already impressive original.