Solid gameplay and Spectrobe-raising system is ruined by horrible story and gimmicky mini-games.
I will start with graphics. They are solid, frame rates are smooth, character models are average, and effects aren't as good as they could be, but the detail they put into the monsters really brings it up a notch. The Spectrobes are really cool looking, and you'll instantly make it an objective to collect every part and color just to see all the variations.
The audio is okay, but it the songs aren't exactly awe inspiring. That's not to say that it's bad though. Don't worry, you won't even be bothered by it (unless you are extremely opposed to techno).
Now we get into gameplay. Spectrobes offers a solid battle system, one where Rallen (the main character) fights "Krawl Dust" using a sword, a glove, and a blaster, and two Spectrobes can enter the Black Tornados and fight full-sized crawl side-by-side. It's a solid system and it works really well... until the camera wants to kill you. You will soon find out that the camera just DOES NOT want to cooperate with you. Ever. The excavation system is back and it is just as easy and fun to use. They have reduced the number of drills to one all-purpose drill as well, making reaching for your drill much easier. One of the most depressing parts about this game is that they thought it was necessary to throw in gimmicky mini-games, such as a ship flying time trial and a puzzle where you flip tiles. These aren't BAD so to say, but they aren't very fun either. All these will be are a short reprieve from the regular gameplay, which you don't really need a reprieve from in the first place.
In this review I would like to talk about something very important to me: the storyline. Now, if you do not want to be spoiled I suggest not reading the spoiler section, just a suggestion.
[spoiler]
Now this game has just about some of the worst writing I have ever seen. It is chock full of bad jokes, uninspired plot, and all around bad story telling. A quick example, at one point you learn that you need to make seven Dynaliums out of extremely rare metals in order to reach the final planet. Your first thought would be "AWESOME! A BIG CHALLENGE!" and then they drop a bombshell when the museum curator says "I have all the rare metals already! They're at the museum! And we have just enough to make 7 Dynaliums!" What... the... ****.... Yeah, the game is chock full of those ones. It's pretty much the most depressing thing you could think of.[/spoiler]
Basically, worst story telling ever.
Finally, I'd like to touch on the Wi-Fi play. Now, normally you'd think that you'd be able to battle Spectrobes or have a Rallen-duel. But no. All you do is pair up your Spectrobes and use gimmicky actions to try to lower your opponent's health to zero and defeat their three pairs of Spectrobes before they defeat your three pairs. It really is worse than it sounds. Controls are unresponsive, and it has absolutely none of the satisfaction that a full on battle in the main story has. It is a totally uninspired gimmick, like the story telling and the mini-games. Go figure.
Final verdict: This game has terrific battles in its single player campaign and the same excavation system that we came to love in the first game, so gameplay-wise it is sufficient. But the amount of gimmicks, cliches, and plot ruiners is just depressing, and this game is only worth it if you totally ignore the storyline.