I remember reading that a lot of work was put into making the game visuals feel more like a comic with the colours and lighting, and keeping MC1 to the fore with the architecture and backdrops, and of course the citizens and myriad nods to the setting. Rebellion certainly did an okay job of all that.
The demo was ultimately a big disappointment, though. The actual gameplay was bland and forgettable, and nonsense like the product placement baked into the levels and opening cutscene put me off.
Co-op is the only thing which could tempt me. IIRC, the whole storyline can be played that way, so if anyone would care to report back on that (and whether it makes that game significantly better), I'd be interested to hear.