Fans of the first SOE are in for a big surprise when they play SOE2. Whether that surprise is good or bad is debatable.
SOE2 does look similar to the original; you're playing from a 3rd person perspective, and the characters are somewhat cartoonish in appearance. That's mostly where the similarities end. First of all, the aiming system has been totaly revamped; you're now using a Resident Evil 4 type system where the character is moved with the left analog and aiming is done with the right analog. This worked well for RE4, but in SOE2 when you're frantically running around with dozens of innocent citizens everywhere trying to shoot moving targets in the crowd, it can be more than a bit frustrating. This is compounded by the game's uneven pacing. Basically you're thrown right into the fire, with heavy emphasis on sniping and accuracy with the pistol early in the game. Also, the controls are a bit splashy, as you'll find your character is unable to stop on a dime or do a quick 180 degree turn. In a game that requires a high amount of precision, this is definately a negative. A slower introduction to the gameplay would surely have been welcome, and without it you're left to replay the first few chapters probably more that you would like to. Also, you'll most likely immediately notice the glaring omission of any kind of hand to hand combat. Four hours into the story mode and I have yet to even see a melee weapon, and at this point I highly doubt I will come across one. The total lack of any hand to hand combat in a game focused on action in crowded scenarios is absolutely mind boggling, and in my opinion the low point of the game.
The story in SOE2, although certainly not genre-defining, is definately a huge upgrade from the original SOE, which had virtually no story to speak of. You do get a sense of personality with most of the main characters you come across, and the game does a fairly good job of bringing new protagonists into the plot as they band together to fight The Corporation. The missions, now called chapters, are also much improved, and most are story driven. This is a much needed and welcome change from the "get this, guard that, kill him" missions found on the first SOE. In short, the story is good enough to make you want to keep playing the game, and that was something that was clearly lacking form the orginal.
There are many new features in SOE2, and most of them work quite well. You can now operate vehicles such as tanks, helicopter, and boats, and all of these are incorporated into the story missions and add a welcome change of pace to the gameplay. The sniper rifle is also a nice addition, although I was somewhat disappointed that headshots don't physically remove the victims head in a spout of blood a la Grand Theft Auto. If you're wondering why in God's name you would need a sniper rifle in a SOE game, DC Studios has also incorporated a fair amount of stealth into the gameplay. Definately not what I expected, but it works to a certain degree nonetheless.
Besides the story mode, SOE2 also features an arcade mode, most of which must be unlocked. These are basically timed missions in which you must kill a certain amount of soldiers using various vehicles and weapons. High scores are awarded with gold, silver, and bronze medals, and earning medals unlocks more content in the game. The arcade missions in my opinion are a nice addition, and add some depth and replayability to the game.
The other mode in SOE2 is the multiplayer mode. You can play with up to four people using a multitap, which is mostly a worthless feature, and play a variety of different modes, including capture the flag and deathmatch. You can also play with up to 7 "bots" in these modes, which is a good thing, because the levels are obnoxiously huge. You would expect to see this size of level in, say, Unreal Tournament, where you can play with 16 people and flip off of walls at breakneck speeds. When you have 8 players slowly jogging around, the levels are rediculous. After one 15 minute match even with the max amount of bots, you'll most likely have had your fill of the multiplayer. I have yet to play with another human, but with the garganuan levels I highly doubt it would be any fun at all. Multiplayer was a good idea in principle, certainly one I wanted to see in the sequel, but it is poorly executed and in my opinion adds nothing to the game outside of 15 minutes of jogging around vacant corridors hoping to run into someone.
The many additions in SOE2 do improve the overall game over the original in my opinion, though some of them are pretty much worthless. In the end it all boiled down to the story mode, the meat and potatoes of any console game, and it is here that SOE2 made the biggest improvements. The story is what made SOE a rental at best, and it is also what makes SOE2 a worthy purchase if you're looking for some over the top 3rd person action. The $30 price point certainly doesn't hurt either, as honestly I don't think I could recommend this game at $50. GTA it is not, but SOE2 delivers enough solid action to make it a worthwhile sequel to in my opinion one of the most disappointing PS2 games of all time.