i'm still unsure which legends experience I ultimately prefer, especially with this game having rougher segments (water dungeon lol) than the first one, but the 100-question quiz minigame with questions such as "who wrote the communist manifesto" and "what inspired hinkley's assassination attempt of reagan" is the most unhinged ps1 era localization shit I've ever witnessed and I can't help but adore it, along with other charming additions and control improvements this game features.

the story, while admittedly cliched and confusing in some bits, left an impression to me especially given how the legends series is last in the mm timeline (yes I take it seriously shut up!!). aside from the fun hijinks facing against the bonnes and the other pirates in various areas, I'm very fond of this game's conclusion because of how hopeful it was in comparison to other mm spinoffs which usually have darker, less optimistic ends. the robots should be allowed to stop being slaves to an ecofascist system and live with peace in mind after a series worth of robots experiencing so much trauma because of a petty squabble between two goofy-ass scientists.

i'm so mad that we're living in the timeline where legends 3 for the 3ds got canceled. would've died for a comfy, portable legends experience with more gameplay improvements that followed modern control sensibilities the PS1 couldn't replicate. peak gaming was taken away from us.....