As with the original, the first thing that will strike you about Drake's 2 are its amazing visuals. Not only can you survey over a remarkably vast amount of scenery, the environments are also amazingly rich; featuring intricately constructed structures and diverse types of wildlife and vegetation. In this sense, the game definitely outdoes the first, as likewise it does in regards to the controls. The retarded tilt-based grenade system has been dropped in favour of a much simpler quick throw button, making grenade throwing a whole lot simpler. Likewise, you're given a much better indication of what actually constitutes a safe ledge, meaning you won't be needlessly dying nearly as much as you would had in the first.
Unfortunately, tweaks aside, the game doesn't bring much else to the table. The gameplay is still very linear and while I'm not adverse to that style of gameplay, having a bit more freedom could have helped to make a few of the navigation moments feel a little less contrived. Likewise, the gameplay elements themselves are mostly just a rehash from the first. They're still enjoyable, but there's only so many times you can ascend a decrepit facade and still find it entertaining (spruced up graphics and all). The game also isn't without it's other foibles. For instance, it can have a nasty habit of restarting you quite far back after dying, which in the case of the great train sequence, does somewhat mar the action.
Criticisms aside though, there's still a lot to love about this game, especially if you're new to the series (and even if you aren't, you'll still enjoy seeing many of your favourite characters making a reappearance). Unfortunately, the game just doesn't distinguish itself enough from the first, making it difficult to award it anything higher than 4 stars.
