A couple of hours into
Dead Space 2 and despite the noticeable change in tone it's great. I think it's a great middle ground between the horror and action aspects - things like the Tormentor for example, which had me stunned at what was going on.
(If you plan on playing Dead Space soon and haven't been spoiled yet then I recommend you don't look that up - it's a great surprise.
)
No big fan of the series but most of the changes so far have been for the better. Faster player speed, less-clunkier menu, a load of new weapons'n'suits and a general easy flow on combat.
On the downside the Ripper has been seemingly nerfed as f**k and there's a "limited number of activation" type of ordeal along with an EA account which thankfully doesn't require Origin and can be done in-game - which grants you enough goodies to be worth it although it can be skipped entirely I think.
Overall it's mostly better than the original.