I have played around 1/4th of the game so far and it's every bit as good as I had hoped. What they have achieved in terms of graphics and physics is every bit as impressive as the predecessor, if not more. Story obviously can't beat the first game, but it definitely lives up to it so far and is doing the franchise justice. Gameplay is of the same formula as the first game, with some fresh new mechanics to explore, so if you liked that, you'll like this. I also love that the levels/places you explore are much more open now. It makes it feel more like you're finding your way around rather than following a pre-determined path.
Honestly I don't understand the review bombing that this game has been recieving. It seems to be mostly homophobic people complaining that Ellie is a lesbian or about the main driving force of the game's plot (which I won't spoil). I was worried about what they had to say before going into the game, but having played it for almost 7 hours, I can with confidence say that those people are absolutely delusional. Don't listen to them. If you're really unsure, there's lots of gameplay out now, so you can watch a couple hours of that before deciding who's speaking the truth.