I don't agree. Live Free or Die Hard was quite bland, 'washed up' and "sOo fRiGgIn' CoOlZ". It almost felt like a comic book or sci-fi movie at times, especially the action scenes. And let's not talk about the cinematography and that exaggerated use of digital color correction. It barely felt like a Die Hard movie. Everything looked and felt so damn artificial. John Moore isn't a better director, but so far I like his take better (just from what I've seen, could be worse, who knows). And it seems like Marco Beltrami got his act together this time around, aswell.
With Die Hard 2 you're either in on the joke that the same **** happens to the same guy twice, or you're not. It's not at all on par with (especially) Die Hard and Die Hard with a Vengeance - Renny Harlin is no John McTiernan, and the script wasn't as tight - but it's still a fun thrillride.
Even its poster feels out of place with that horrible steely green-brown tint (and the lack of any red)... xD