Project X Zone 2 Review (3DS)

Project X Zone 2, the latest collaboration between Bandai Namco, SEGA and Capcom, features some of the best crossover interaction I’ve seen, but has it improved upon the first game?
 
Chances are if you didn’t like Project X Zone, then you won’t like the sequel. Luckily for me, I really enjoyed the first game and so getting more of the same was all I wanted although it suffers from the same repetition that plagued the first installment. Heroes and villains are finding themselves in different worlds and time periods, and being pitted against enemies that have started seeping into other worlds. Fighting together to protect their own homeworlds as well as their friends, the heroes band together to rid the world of this new (to some, returning for others) threat.
 
The thing that really excels here is how the various characters interact with each other. If you’re not a fan of the hilarious, reference-filled dialogue of Project X Zone 2 then you might struggle to enjoy it as a whole, but if you’re already a fan of a few of the characters then you’ll likely find yourself encouraged to play just to experience more conversations. Admittedly, some of the characters I’m not familiar with and some are from games that weren’t even released in the West, but I can’t say that there was a single character I disliked.
 
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Gameplay-wise it’s very similar to its predecessor in that inputting a simple command can spur a fancy combo. The trick is to time the combos so that they land, as the enemy is sent bouncing around the screen, to maximise damage. You can call in solo units once per battle too for more damage, each performing a special attack, or other teams who are near you on the map. It’s clearly made to be easily accessible as to not exclude fans of the many series’ included and although it can sometimes become repetitive, it tends to be flashy fun with some of your dream teams. You move your units around a square grid with characters having varying range to attack enemies with, and again, this is all pretty simple. There’s little to say about it as it is repetitive and extremely simple to play, but it’s great fun regardless.
 
The sprites in this game are nothing short of excellent and I can’t imagine how much time it must’ve taken to make sprites for such an incredibly large cast of characters. Seeing so many different art styles come together as one is impressive, especially when these styles vary from the highly animated Ace Attorney, the serious and more realistic Resident Evil and the futuristic likes of Xenoblade Chronicles X and Space Channel 5. The cut-ins during special attacks are great to see too and although the attacks aren’t performed in this anime style, the brief sequence perfectly compliments the stronger and more bombastic attack that you’re about to pull off. Environments are a mix of ones you’ll be familiar with that have appeared in other titles, which again have been re-created to fit Project X Zone’s 2 detailed sprites look, whilst some are wholly original to the game.
 
What should come as a surprise to nobody, there’s no English voice-over in Project X Zone 2. Whilst it would’ve been nice due to the large amount of dialogue, some of the games have never come to English-speaking shores and can you imagine how long the credits would roll for?! On the bright side, the Japanese voice-over features returning voice-actors and actresses from their respective series’ where possible. Other than the original tracks, there are tracks from some of the games features as well as remixed tracks, providing a fantastic soundtrack that is hard to fault.
 
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Project X Zone 2 is a game that won’t appeal to those who disliked the first installment or are looking for an in-depth crossover JRPG, but the purely fun dialogue and the chance to see so many of my favourite characters come together is a chance that I can’t pass up. Sure, it’s repetitive and you’ll be hard done to find someone who’ll flat out deny that, but it’s fan-service through and through and as a fan, well, I feel serviced. It’s biggest strengths aren’t the gameplay, which you may find odd as it is a game, but it’s enjoyable enough that I was happy to play mission after mission. I certainly wouldn’t be against a third game!

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