With out a doubt one of my most favorite games on the Sega genesis and one that I spent hours playing.
The game starts off with the same set of characters that you had in SF1 but the story line diverges and is different from the original. And this is part of the beauty becuase the story is a lot more fun and intriguing to follow this time around.
The gameplay is still pretty much the same with the battles take place in a typical chess type board with movement affecting different characters depending on the terrain they are on and certain areas that are impassable unless the character flies. experience is all earned in battle and dolled out depending on the character level compared to the opponent they are facing. If the opponents level is higher then you gain more experience. If the characters level is higher or equal then you earn less experience. You are also awarded experience when it is not your turn if you are attacked and successfully counter-attack.
The characters you acquire in the game are a fun make shift bunch with everything from the tanks, healers, magicians, cavalry and ranged units and some that are a mixture. They each have different weapon types that they can use and when progressing the character you can actually change what character they turn into if you use a special item to transform them when they level up past a certain level.
The musical score was actually more upbeat and supported the more tense moments in the game. It also followed along the story line well and was actually quite pleasent to listen too.
The graphics were definitely a step up from SF1. the characters were better designed, the background was prettier, the maps were better drawn and the over all animation effects flowed better.
So while I enjoyed SF1 there is no doubt that SF2 is by far superior in all respects. Definitely a must own of any strategy/RPG fan.