NO SPOILERS
A truly great game. The story is not as brilliant as the first game, however it is well written enough to leave one emotionally invested, and possibly emotionally exhausted by the end (depending on how invested one becomes). Criticisms would be that pacing isn't perfect, and the ending could have been wrapped up a little more neatly perhaps. However these criticisms are not enough to warrant a poor review for the game, as has been seen from some since release - it is worth noting only 40% of players have (to date) earned the trophy for completing the game, so many of the poor reviews must come from those who have not finished the game or have not played it at all.
As for gameplay, graphics, attention to detail, and the soundtrack, they all deserve a perfect score. For the criticisms above (mainly due to being compared to the first game) I take away one star. A game very much recommended.