CS2 builds on CS1 but reworks stat progression and abilities. The biggest change is the addition of class specific abilities, which cost points to upgrade. CS1 allowed you to be a jack of all trades, but you'll need to plan your builds a bit more here. The story is also quite different. You play as a different sleeper, just in the same world space. This time around, you've got around 10 distinct locations to visit instead of one. Many of these changes are for the better. The gameplay seems to flow better and you can also unlock some non-character related upgrades. My problem, however, is the story moves away from the human aspect that made CS1 so special. Don't get me wrong, it's still distinctly human but I didn't connect with this iteration of the world or its characters. CS1 makes you feel like you're building something. It also shows the ways humanity can be messy, despite good intentions. The game doesn't present easy solutions but it gives you an idea of what community building in a world experiencing late stage capitalism might look like. In CS2, all that takes a back seat to the main quest and themes of confronting death. You help out several communities and characters but don't get to learn much, if anything, about them. Several CS1 characters also make appearances but only minor ones. It's very hard to feel invested in this world because there seems to be very little, if any progression over CS1. The main story doesn't help with this, as it's very same-y after playing CS1. In terms of gameplay, this is better than CS1. In terms of story and character writing? CS1 has it beat. I might revise this later on after a replay, but this did not gel with me the way CS1 did. Sorry. :(
