OP never responded to my question so I saw the game on sale during Black Friday and begrudgingly picked it up.
I thought the first one was terrible, but it had a lot of solid ideas that could serve as a springboard for a great game.
I'm only in Act 3 of The Evil Within 2 and I'm already more impressed with it than I was the first one. It starts off very linear, and maybe borrows a few too many beats from the first game's introduction, but once you get into Union and aren't being interrupted by cutscenes and three second events and just have the freedom to move around, gather resources and avoid direct conflict, it's very engrossing.
I still don't know how I feel about Sebastian learning his daughter is still alive, thereby establishing the narrative as a rescue tale. I'm really quite done with this kind of story unless it's presented in an unusual or unique light (like The Last of Us, but I think the story is tighter, I'm less confused about what's going on and the game's level composition and progression don't feel like they've been improvised based on whatever Mikami was feeling at the moment of conception.
Resident Evil 7 was a great game, but unlike many I don't feel it's a 'return' to the series' roots. The Evil Within 2 is the closest to a RE experience I've had since, what, Resident Evli 4? This game has great atmosphere and tension and just the right amount of exploration, puzzle solving and backtracking to create a sense of familiarity without sacrificing any of the dread.
So far, so good.