Does it suffer the same fate as the first?
No, "combat" in TToN actually managed to be worse than in PS:T.
Ouch.. if it's even more horrid than the first then I'm glad I skipped out.
The problem it has is that it's turn based. It's shallow and unengaging, but turn based part makes it really dull and clunky. Recent patch they released was to speed things it, but I didn't give it a shot. Luckily for the most part, you can avoid crisis system.
The combat gets better, when the party reaches Tier 3/level 12 and acquires some decent equipment. And opportunities to make use of this equipment arise more often by the 2nd area.
Haven't played TToN with the patch, but completed 3 playthroughs before that. It is fun, when you consciously pick fights.