My honest take on TW2
Graphics: Nice, not best in class but a strong art direction and huge variety help make exploring Antaloor very fun. They have a sort of realistic feel to them. I also must mention the dungeons are much better then in Oblivion (which is like the over achiever father this game looms in the shadow of). Pulling out your torch and watching shadows dance on dank dungeon walls is a treat.
Sound- Quite good when it comes to the back ground music. I enjoyed how different regions have different theme songs and enjoyed them better then most games in the genre. Overall a very solid score. I don't notice sound effects much to be honest but they don't get in the way or anything.
Story- I still have not finished this huge game so I can't really say much yet. The main quest line is decent enough but the side quests are what will grab your attention. The quests make sense and will usually help you learn more about the world around you. Its also a great way to explore the vast and dense world that has been created. Its not great but its also not bad enough to really hurt the game. On the other hand some dialogue and the body movements that go along with it are quite unrealistic. With the main character raising his right hand every time he opens his mouth. He also says "fair enough" a little too often.
Gameplay- Here it is the meat and potatoes. The gameplay in TW2 is greater then the sum of its parts. The combat on its own is a bit wonky and not the most fluid system you have ever seen. It does help to make some fights intense though and adds a layer of realism to the game. I think the gameplay is best described as the love child of "Oblivion" and "Sacred 2". It has the atmosphere and realistic graphics of Oblivion with the insane detail and loot driven gameplay of many European RPG's. Killing Varns, Spiders and Bandits are not the only thing to do in TW2. As you mow down foes you will be given skill points that can be put into any skills you want as long as you have the attribute points. As your character grows in power he will also find tons of loot that he can either keep, sell or break down to upgrade equipped gear. You can slot runes into gear as well and even fuse them together. Very nice loot and upgrade system. Along with gear some foes will also drop body parts that can be used the Alchemy system. Its a nice little extra incentive to kill as much as you can. Its not the deepest but it serves its purpose and is a nice addition. Last but not least you can create and tweak your own spells. Using different cards you can buy or loot along your journey. This is a very deep system and one of the best spell crafting I have ever seen in a game. If all that is not enough you can also win money playing dice, pick locks, steal, sail and even make your own music and if your good you can earn tips.
Overall this is a deep and dense open world rpg that has an emphasis on exploration, loot and giving you a sense that you do more in this world then kill Varn after Varn. I think its probably the best fix for this type of game until Skyrim comes out. Its also very cheap now and there will be an expansion coming out in the future. All of this and I have not even mentioned the multi player because I have not even had a chance to scratch the surface.