This is a great sequel. The combat feels way better than in the first game for a few major reasons. The controls are tighter, autoaim is much more forgiving, checkpoints are more frequent, it's challenging but way more fair than the original, everything. Going into this series, I knew that the weapons were a major element. The first game didn't really impress with it's weaponry, whereas this game has a stellar lineup of weapons that are powerful and fun. This game has a much more satisfying sense of progression as well. Killing enemies leads to level ups to increase max hp, there's armor upgrades as well, and best of all... weapons can upgrade. Because of this, even the starter weapons can have utility late into the game. Asides from the unfocused plot and a terribly tedious boss battle, this is a great game that I can easily recommend. I'm excited about eventually playing Ratchet Deadlocked, since I really enjoyed the arena challenges here.