More fun and longevity than I expected.
Though I initially disliked both main characters, I found that they grew on me during the campaign to the point that I felt badly enough about the 'bad ending' (there are alternate endings) to want to play through again for the good one.
The combat is fun and satisfying, with a nice 'weighty' feel to it. Though there isn't a massive variety of enemy types, their different characteristics in combat do provide variety to the fights themselves. Similarly with weapons, though there isn't a massive variety, there are enough differences to make looting enjoyable (especially with the limited charges on enchanted weapons).
Personally feel that the GS score is way too low. Yes there are some odd design choices in the game, but tbh they didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the game at all. Agree there is no reason why gold shouldn't be automatically picked up (it is in Crucible mode), but it takes seconds to pick up gold after a fight so no big deal imo. The Gamespot review made me expect a truly frustrating experience in the boss fights, but really these weren't at all difficult once you've figured out the key to taking out each boss.
The new game plus is unusual in that though you don't keep your gear from the first playthrough (though you get unique starter weapons), you get enough crystals to power your favorite skills to the max early on. It also lets you add a variety of optional bonuses to your characters which range from the helpful (regenerating arrows, health and mana) to the crazily overpowered (one-hit kills and stoneskin).
For me the big surprise was the Crucible mode which is the main feature that will keep this game on my hard drive for a long time. The Crucible makes it really easy to create your own challenges, with the ability to choose enemy waves, arenas and advantages or disadvantages for the players - there is also the option to randomise everything. You can create anything from short challenges with only a few arenas to huge ones with up to 25 arenas. This is much more interesting for me than the regular 'horde' modes and gives you something you can just jump into when you just want some hack and slash fun. This is a really neat feature that imo adds a lot of longevity to the game - only wish more games had this.