Compared to it's predecessor TW2 offers a relatively more
dumbed down streamlined experience.
From a narrative standpoint both are rather different. The first is an exploration of the White Wolf and what it means to slay monsters, Assassins of Kings is a desperate pursuit through a world on the cusp of change, and in some ways a far more personal story. Personally, I prefer the first game because of it's atmosphere, setting, soundtrack and "general" feel -- it offers a relatively more "immersive" experience. TW2 has a simpler and more focused story, and fewer characters, but it's more compartmentalized and feels less like you are part of a larger world. Inventory management, level progression, secondary gameplay elements (like potions) and dialog choices have also likewise succumbed to streamlining, as has the causality of the C&C which feels more limited. Also QTE galore!
From a combat-perspective, TW2 does not have the classic feel that its predecessor had. It feels more like a standard third person action game and it's combat is mostly about spamming the rolls until you isolate an enemy, getting in a few swings, and then spamming roll again until you find another opening. It's more button-mashing oriented and lacks the precise skill oriented timing and elegance that the first game had. For instance, In TW1, Hard mode, you had to balance your surroundings, number of enemies, type of enemies, stance per enemy, endurance levels and most importantly, timing. If you screw up a sword cycle, you could die. This, is challenging. In TW2 however, it's devolved to being more or less a kiting game. Just dodge in circles, keeping them clumped together, and killing the strays one at a time - then bombing the crowd.
I also thought there was a lot more interesting/memorable voice acting in TW1. For example, Triss' voice in TW1 was kind of hard, and I thought that fit with a powerful sorceress who was the king's adviser and a member of a secret society. In TW2, her voice sounded sweeter and more traditionally feminine to me, and I thought that fit her character less well than her TW1 voice.
All in all, with TW2, it definitely felt as if it the franchise was (inevitably) drifting towards mainstream casual-shit
, which doesn't exactly bode well for TW3.