Something of a let down.
Cons: A lot.
Breakdown: Starting with what seemed like an excellent template, with XS1, XS2 could have really continued to take RPGs in an innovative, new direction. Simply put, the game seemed to fall short of many expectations.
****Aspect Summary****
Graphics:
This is one of the few areas of the game that I couldn’t find some sort of significant fault with. Backgrounds were generally well detailed and characters were designed effectively. The futuristic glean is very well established here.
Sound:
Many movie and cutscene themes were well done. Unfortunately that’s about all that can be positively said about the sound. Ambient themes took a huge step backward, to the point where I believe it actually detracted from gameplay. I understand XS2 employed one composer, Yuki Kajiura, for special scenes, and another for ambient themes. The ambient music was awful, whereas Yuki Kajiura’s themes (Opening theme, “Communication Breakdown”) seemed quite well done. Sadly, there is much more ambient music than otherwise. On a side note, some of the dialogue decisions and voice-acting is questionable and unconvincing. Shion’s new VA is a prime example of this.
Story:
Another positive area for this game, overall. While things are still, in my opinion, oft times overly cryptic and vague, the plot themes are definitely interesting, and continue to grow more so, as the game progresses. I didn’t really approve of the fact that most of the game felt like a huge ‘sidebar’ to the main plots established in Episode 1, but ultimately it was pretty fascinating to explore the URTV history thoroughly, and things are ultimately tied into the main story arc.. So, while the main themes could be overly cryptic, a little diversionary, and occasionally suffered from crippling dialogue, the story is still appreciated.
Gameplay:
Somewhere in here, there is an effective, engaging and innovative combat and customization system. It just needs to be streamlined. A great deal. Simply put, I found significant story battles to be generally enjoyable, tactical struggles. For battles that are supposed to be drawn-out, this system seems very intuitive, and works out well. However, for ordinary battles, the system feels like an absolute chore to work through. Add to that the fact that the ‘flash’ of episode 1 has been toned down significantly, and you’re left with a rather bland, often tedious system that is only really engaging roughly 10% of the time. Additionally, skill allocation feels like it has had fun removed by making everything accessible to everyone, hence reducing customization and specialization, and converting the skill allocation system to something of a chore. While not the severe weak point that the sound was, the gameplay does suffer.
Atmosphere:
Some elements support this area very well, such as graphics and plot. However, much of this is negated by the poorly conceived sound, often odd decisions on dialogue, and a gameplay that often annoyingly diverts you, rather than engage you. For better or worse, this is still one of the few games I can think of that conveys significantly futuristic sci-fi atmosphere effectively.
*Extra Thought
If episode 3 proves to be excellent, this will have been a somewhat acceptable valley between two plateaus.
****End Summary****