A vastly improved sequel over The Surge. The combat is more fluid, enemy animations are much more readable, bosses are better, respecc-ing is easy and you can change any of your your implants at any moment - no more running back to the save point to try new builds or getting stuck with a bad loadout because you can't be arsed to go back now.

The greatest improvement, however, probably lies in the level design. The new maps are much more aesthetically pleasing, less claustrophobic and much less repetitive. It still features quite a few of the worst thing in any game ever - insta-death abysms -, but the cheap enemy placement, like a flamethrower goon on a shoulders-wide corridor, is gone.

The implant system remained largely the same but was streamlined a bit, including the easier respeccing, but this also means it has become less flexible. There are less types of implants and less slots, so customization took a hit, however there are also less useless implants and it's harder to create trash builds, while broken builds are still plenty - easy, fast and unlimited life replenishment is just a few implants away, specially towards the end of the game.

The dismember-to-acquire/upgrade equipment system remained largely the same from the previous game, which is a plus, since it might be one of the best upgrade systems in any Souls-like.

The story is serviceable at best and a bit stupid at times, but eh, I wasn't expecting a Nebula Award for this game. The graphics also seem a bit sharper, specially the texture work, but it's not a huge leap. It's a good looking game, but nothing that will burst your eyes with amazing visual candy.

All in all, unlike its miserable predecessor, I enjoyed The Surge 2 from start to end, and even after finishing I still wanted to play a bit more of it. Perhaps it's time I start that new game plus...