I think most will agree that the second game is inferior to the first and probably feels more like an expansion pack just like the third installment. But I can understand that he went with what worked but for the story first and foremost, there's a lot to be left as ire considering the progression has been so lacking that it only exacerbates all the other flaws in the actual core of the gameplay.
I don't really have a hyperbolic statement like Jim but it certainly is a disappointment and I think even the most die-hard fans would agree with that mainly based on the lack of progression of the story.
Well, I am a fan and a backer, and I definitely don't think the second game is well below the first, much less an expansion pack. I can understand why some people love the first more intimate setting, but I don't think it's a given, much less that everyone agrees on that. I also find it quite interesting, because from what I played so far the first game seems more similar to the third in terms of story development and pace than the second one.
In any case,my question was what would you change in the gameplay department to make it more modern. I am genuinely curious as I've seen a few times this comment about outdated systems and so on, and I'm not quite sure what would people want in that case. It seems Death stranding is also quite slow and perhaps repetitive and yet many people are greatly enjoying it.