Intravenous 2 is a huge improvement over the original with plenty QoL improvements all across the board making it play better than ever, tons of new features, tiny ones such as breaking locks and kicking doors, and larger ones such as gun customization and leveling. AI behavior seems hugely improved with newer reactions and deadly tactics, and I really like the new levels which seem much bigger overall, and largely more complex, it's already showing a huge replay potential. It's basically the first game but better, and even then the first game is excellent, and hugely replayable as well. The only downsides if I had to find some would be: -The story is bad, and the dialogues are longer than ever, but who cares really, it's all about the action. -Not a fan of these daylight missions, I think the mechanics and AI aren't adequate for that, but they can be played at night too so it remains optional. -The magazine management mutator of the original is gone, as there's now different ammo types for each gun and it couldn't work with it, but these new ammo types add a new challenge so I'm okay with that. Easily the best game I played this year, and one of the best stealth games out there.
Stealth is such a niche with high standards, I did not expect some small indie game to push stealth gameplay so hard and so well. A good stealth game requires two important components: good AI and good level design. AI is top notch, reactive, smart, aggressive yet careful, it really is the heart of a stealth game, because there's no fun hiding if the enemy won't seek you out. Levels are well designed in that regard, they offer many interesting situations, and options for violence, aggressive stealth, non-lethal stealth, and complete ghosting. As for extras, it has a nice selection of tools and weapons with quite believable characteristics making it somewhat "realistic", pretty good and highly readable graphics , reactive and well designed controls, extras options for hardcore players, like a realistic magazine system complete with reloading the mags bullet by bullet, and even the music is great. My major gripe though is doors. It's an issue in plenty games, especially stealth games, even in some AAA titles like Hitman, but here it literally gets in the way: they swing both ways and block corridors way too often, closing them requires being completely out of the way, and they close by magic after AI goes through which make no sense. Also AI can notice you closing a door even though they close on their own, but apparently they can tell the difference, and their alert level to a door is pretty much equal to finding dead body. It often leads to frustration, and this game has TONS of doors which makes this a common occurrence. It takes extra care to avoid getting in these situations, and it's just not very fun, Intravenous 2 could surely use some better door mechanics.
