I got the game yesterday as well, and have been enjoying it very much for the last 10 missons. True, not many new things are included except bigger levels, weapons, moves, etc.; but is still a pretty good title. My only problem with it so far is that some of the cutscenes aren't actually clear of where the hell you are or even how you got there.
Example:
First your on the damn island for a few missions, and somehow you end up in an oil rig with hardly any explanation of how you got there at all.
Either that, or I have been misunderstanding them the whole time.
And yes, the game feels quite "empty" without Dante's taunts.