Surprisingly good
The Negative:
the new leveling system is clumsy and was not necessary to do anything with. The AI is not always as good on the console to follow orders and might die often because they don't heal themselves. Therefore you need to control your party members during boss fights and larger battles. The story is also a little shorter than the first game.
The Good:
The game has an excellent pacing when it comes to the story. The characters are well written and aren't black and white when it comes for your decisions. The gameplay has not changed much from the earlier games except for the ability system. The bosses can be very tricky, and required more than just standing still and using the abilities and attacking. It required you to avoid and place your party members and yourself through the battle. All of the main stories are very well written and makes for a deep game, with all decisions making serious impact through out the game. Despite the negativity around it, fans of the series should try it.