So, now having played the game about 3 times over, I can say that this is a decent game, although a very flawed one.
The combat is where the game shines, though, it does have its shortcomings. It's an action game in the same style as the first, though, slower and a heavier emphasis on stunning power, insane damage builds, and customizing equipment/skills to make unique sets.
You will find your character get stunned alot, whether it be from a bunch of jumping midgets, or any lightning attack of any kind.
The story simply falls flat, in the end. I've described it as "Somebody drew a bunch of cool pictures, then stapled them together to try to make a book."
There are some decently cool scenes, and a few unique premises, but nothing truly novel about the world itself. The story falls flat because of the player character never really evolving into a real, or even coherent character of your own, and the NPCs in the world truly just being inanimate waymarkers you do errands for.
There's really less of a grand story than in DD1, and even less to do with a romanced character.
The map is very big, though, nothing truly impressive. You have about 4 or 5 biomes around the world, and it really only gets more interesting during the endgame, which changes the game drastically.
Give it a shot when you feel like, but don't go in expecting to be completely invested in the world, characters, lore, or romances.