I actaully agree with the OP, the story of the first game was better but the overall gaming experience was better in the second. I happen to think that this is perfectly normal though that some willl prefer one story over the other, the franchise is very heavily story based to tie all elements together.
If I were to review both games the first would be a 8.5 and the second a 9.5 for the way it got the variety in to carry the title through its length better (this could have been the reason the story suffered a little in comparison though).
If you loved the story of Among Thieves then this thread will just seem stark raving bonkers crazy.