Real score: 8.5
This game isn't without its flaws, but it does so much so well that it's still a great experience.
Pros
*Puzzles that actually make you think: Some of the puzzles are very straightforward, but as you progress, the challenge ramps up nicely. *Control options: Every action is mapped to a button or stick, but there are also touch controls for a lot of them. For most things, I go with the button or stick control, but for manipulating objects with the wizard, I really enjoyed having the touch controls available. I also enjoyed having the option to switch weapons using either a button or the touch icon (I used both, depending on the situation). You don't have to select which you want to use in a menu anywhere; both controls are available at all times, which is how it should be.
*Off-TV play: I didn't think I would, but I played through the game almost entirely using the gamepad screen. Using the touch screen wouldn't have worked nearly as well without it.
*Good mix of combat, puzzles, and platforming: In the beginning, the combat feels like filler, but by the end of the game, it becomes much more strategic and satisfying.
*Difficulty options: You can change the time delay for hints, or turn them off all together. You can also choose whether to allow mid-level saving.
*Replayability: There are so many orbs in hard to reach places. I normally like to get everything the first time through, but they were challenging enough that I had to skip them. I look forward to going back at some point to get them.
*Choices on how to upgrade: You can choose to go with balance, or you can choose to max out one character. As far as I could tell, there is only one upgrade (maybe 2) that you have to have to get through the game. The rest are purely preference.
*Graphics: As mentioned by everyone else, the artwork and the animations are amazing. I don't think I convince anyone of this, so I'll just leave it at that.
Cons:
*Some puzzles felt repetitive: There were several points (mostly in the middle of the game) where it felt like puzzles were just there to have a puzzle there. They weren't challenging to execute, and they were solved the same way as previous ones.
*Some touch controls were finicky: Overall the touch controls work really well, but they weren't always perfect. Sometimes the wizard's conjuring/manipulation controls seemed to be overly sensitive. I much preferred them to using the stick controls, but I conjured/destroyed when I was trying to move something (and vis versa) enough for it to be annoying at times. The room for error when touching the circle icons on the screen seemed to be a little small, too.
*Voice actors lines are spoken too slowly: This was mostly annoying in the introductions that are read each time you load the game. The game always loads about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way into the actor's lines, so I don't know why they didn't have him read them faster to have him finish just as the game finishes loading.
*One really annoying glitch: There was a glitch halfway through the second to last chapter that caused me to have to restart the chapter.
Overall, the pros far outweigh the cons. This game is really satisfying, and you don't have to have played the first one (I haven't) to enjoy it.
Note: I played the game entirely in single-player mode, so I can't comment on the multiplayer aspects of the game.