Too bad that Dreamfall was just a pile of crap in a colorful package.
I played Dreamfall and I consider it a game with good graphics but ultimately very disappointing.
I'm 60-40 on giving the first game a try. Knowing of the terrible sequel just hurts.
Someone will have to assure me that there are no pointless dialogues where characters talk in riddles, fake dynamic conversations, terrible fighting controls, a ton of lose ends in the storyline that never get answered and especially no disappointing endings.
As it is for me right now, this game should be avoided just for the crappy sequel alone.

Dreamfall and TLJ are two very different games.
TLJ is a pretty straightforward point-and-click adventure game, similar to the first two Broken Sword games. There aren't any gimmicks or attempts at making it something more than it is. There are no fighting controls. Dreamfall tried to be a hybrid of many different genres and instead of being very good at one thing, ended up being kind of average at everything.
There also is no disappointing ending in TLJ. It is a complete story all on its own. If you want to play it and pretend Dreamfall never existed, that's certainly doable. ;)

That's a relief. Thanks macnbc.
TLJ seems like one experience not to be missed. If they're as different as you say I'll be able pretend Dreamfall is non-cannon.
Just one correction. Dreamfall was not average. Graphics and the music scores that weren't immature MTV pop were good, Yet the story, overall gameplay and all the rest was plain awful.
Just my opinion - I don't know if this is the right place to debate the thing anyway.

Procompleter: My own views after just having finished the game:
* no pointless dialogue where characters speak in riddles:
It rather depends on how you define "pointless dialogue" as this is after all an adventure game, but I can say with some certainty that none of the dialogue feels tacked-on. The good dialogue and the excellent voice acting is what makes every single character in the game (I'm not exaggerating) memorable in their own right and a testament to the writers' talent. Some characters do speak in riddles occasionally, but it's in a way that builds their character rather than aiming to confound the player.
* fake dynamic conversations:
The game certainly doesn't make such a claim and it shows in how the dialogue is presented. Most of the time you just exhaust all dialogue options available one after the other.
* terrible fighting controls:
No action sequences.
* a ton of loose ends in the storyline:
The ending is definitely open to interpretation and leaves you pondering about what could come next (barring knowledge of Dreamfall ofc). Not because the plot is full of holes or inconsistencies (it's excellent) but because of a conscious choice by the writers. That said, I did wonder about the fate of some characters by the time the ending rolled around.
* no disappointing endings:
It's definitely a very interesting ending if not exactly what the player is lead to expect. I felt disoriented at first but on reflection decided it really fit well with how I was identifying with the protagonist during the course of the game, a very clever piece of work. The epilogue on the other hand is much more enigmatic.