This game is not better than the first!
Secondly, there is combat in this game. Seriously? In Endless Ocean? This must be the result of many players requiring some sort of direction and handholding in their gameplaying experience. Combat is unnecessary in a game like this, and again, goes against the essence. If you can't play a game without shooting something, go play an FPS. Sickening.
Other upsetting additions/revisions include:
The inability to zoom in on the marine life. This is a real bummer. In the original, one of the great abilities was to highlight any animal in the sea and zoom in to view its details. The zoom function is gone in the sequel, and the immersion suffers.
The sound effects. Who approved them? Seriously, the sound effects made when walking on the beach are absurd, and the 'back' sound effect is super annoying. It's hard to try to relax on the beach when your footsteps sound like bigfoot walking on snapbombs.
Anyone who requires handholding in their games may enjoy Endless Ocean Blue World better than the first. Me? Not necessary, and I'm very dissapointed with this sequel.
Not nearly as Zen as the first. Not even close.