I played the original for about two years or so, loved it (still do, but rarely play it anymore). I bought NS2 barely two weeks ago but unfortunately haven't had the spare time to really see all the features, play all the maps and try all the play styles (I.E. alien classes and Marine roles). From what I've played so far, however, I can say that it is definitely a good nod to the original and it plays almost exactly the same way. The differences can be noticed mostly on the Alien sides in my own experience so far, mostly in terms of how they control (and respond to controls), how fast they move, and their somewhat slightly bigger overall scale/size within the environment compared to how they were in NS1 (and when compared to Marines, especially the Skulk, that one seems to be "bulkier" and a bit less "agile" due to its size and perhaps a slower movement animation).
To be frank though and to reiterate my lack of real "testing" most of the changes and differences I've seen (compared to NS1) were mostly related to aesthetics (graphics, animations, movement speed, some map designs and level layouts, etc). I have yet to really "get into" the actual game-play mechanics and play all classes and roles to a good extent to get a feel of all the features (at least the ones unique to NS2). The only Alien class I've played with is the Skulk, I haven't touched the others (but saw them around a lot, I just don't have a clue of what they're doing). As for Marines... pretty straightforward and very similar to NS1's Marines from my few glances of that side so far. The first "obvious" new feature I've noticed is that certain map areas need to be powered by a power node (at predetermined locations) before anything can be built in said area, which wasn't the case in NS1 (well of course a Command chair could be considered as such). Similarly for the Aliens, "cysts" (or whatever the name is) are dropped on the ground so that the "infestation" (itself a new feature in NS2) can spread which allows building of alien structures, and another feature for the Alien is that they now have a commander (who enters the Hive), and Aliens did not have a commander back in NS1, so now both sides need to have one before the match can start.
But anyway yeah, if you're not sure I'd recommend watching some footage on YouTube (or maybe you did already), and if you do look for the tutorial ones which I've done a bit before buying it (but once you get in the game it's easy to forget and become a bit confused for the first few tries). The only thing I'll have to get used to is that Aliens don't have a mini-map (I.E. a map that is permanently showing on-screen), so to know where you're going you have two options: 1) press the full map key (which of course shows the map, but that's not a mini-map, you have to press a key for it to show) or 2) memorize it (plain and "simple"). In NS1 I did memorize all of the official maps (along with many community-made ones) so it wasn't a problem. But now in NS2 it's a problem again since I just don't remember most of them anymore, and since they're now more detailed and have more clutter and objects around along with new vents and bigger environment models it's pretty much a completely new experience (well for me anyway, maybe some ex-NS1 players went in NS2 without any problems, if that's the case then I'm jealous).
I was good at NS1, especially with Aliens (especially with the Fade, had some crazy reflexes). Now I feel like a total noob again (and I am). But, ultimately, it is definitely fun and I do not regret the purchase. I'm just going to say (mostly to new NS players around here) that NS2 (as was the case with NS1) isn't the type of FPS you can jump in and expect to frag left and right, there's team-oriented strategy involved and you need to prioritize targets and use proper counters (but once you do that and you memorize the maps you can be a real threat even on your own).
I'd definitely recommend it (to everyone, not just ex-NS1 players).
Facebook
Twitter