+I get that the open world of the original is meant partially as parody, but honestly I'm glad they removed it from this one. cuts down on the fluff and filler for sure
+I personally think ignoring much of the latter half of the first game's plot works to the sequel's benefit. then again, I'm not sure how they would've even rationalized a sequel otherwise...
+on that note, this game is much easier to follow than the first. the narrative trickery is kept to a minimum, and the fourth-wall breaks are much more tasteful in this game as well. I think this series is better off as just stupid fun without the thematic trappings of the original
+dual-wielding beam katanas... entirely a game-changer. like actually so fun to use
+I really like the NES-style side jobs and gym minigames, they overall have more depth than the brainless minigames from the original (though the scorpion job came back for some reason)
+overall I prefer the bosses in this game over the first, and there's more of them too. many of the bosses remind me more of shinobu from the first one, with many ways to approach the battle and new moves as the fight goes on, except without the OHKOs and other frustrating gimmicks from the first. I actually felt like I was having a proper swordfight in a few of them!
+in fact, most of the frustration from the first one overall is gone. there's no long hallways of gunmen anymore, no damage sponge boss encounters (or rather, the peony alleviates that)
+in terms of progression it feels like the fat has been trimmed tremendously. there's no need to continue playing the side jobs once you've gotten both weapons and all the gym upgrades, so you can blast through combat sequences after that
+the tiger transformation in this game rules, and also speeds up many of the long endgame levels
+the run of bosses from ryuji to alice is so good. it really makes you wish the first game had something similar
-combat still retains many of the issues of the first game, specifically how poorly the camera behaves with lock-on. I may be wrong but I think there were many more destructable environment objects in this one, and you can easily get caught
-some of the bosses feel very underdesigned, especially in the first half. letz shake, cloe walsh, and million gunmen especially felt like unfinished pushovers
-how did they fuck up a motorcycle battle, like it's really not fun (boss battle afterwards is quite good though)
-getting to play as shinobu is very cool, too bad her platforming is stiff and frustrating
-getting to play as henry is very cool, too bad your first time using him is in a boss battle with no time to learn his combos or get a feel for his dash
-no gardens of madness call... the boss battles in general are given very little lead-up, which is a big drop down from the first game. I'm neutral on the peep show sequences as well
-the level pacing is a little funky, with the first half of the game having very short pre-boss levels and the second half of the game having very long ones. I don't mind the length though, I'm happy to slice-and-dice, and I put up with the same thing in the yakuza games
this game does a solid job trimming the fat from the first, improving the main draw of the game (the interesting bosses), and giving fanservice to those who loved the original. it's still very rough around the edges, but I'm just glad the first one got a worthy follow-up that capitalized on the unique world and designs to make something that is a joy to play. I can't say I enjoyed every minute of it (god no) but I had a fun time blowing through this one in a weekend
+I personally think ignoring much of the latter half of the first game's plot works to the sequel's benefit. then again, I'm not sure how they would've even rationalized a sequel otherwise...
+on that note, this game is much easier to follow than the first. the narrative trickery is kept to a minimum, and the fourth-wall breaks are much more tasteful in this game as well. I think this series is better off as just stupid fun without the thematic trappings of the original
+dual-wielding beam katanas... entirely a game-changer. like actually so fun to use
+I really like the NES-style side jobs and gym minigames, they overall have more depth than the brainless minigames from the original (though the scorpion job came back for some reason)
+overall I prefer the bosses in this game over the first, and there's more of them too. many of the bosses remind me more of shinobu from the first one, with many ways to approach the battle and new moves as the fight goes on, except without the OHKOs and other frustrating gimmicks from the first. I actually felt like I was having a proper swordfight in a few of them!
+in fact, most of the frustration from the first one overall is gone. there's no long hallways of gunmen anymore, no damage sponge boss encounters (or rather, the peony alleviates that)
+in terms of progression it feels like the fat has been trimmed tremendously. there's no need to continue playing the side jobs once you've gotten both weapons and all the gym upgrades, so you can blast through combat sequences after that
+the tiger transformation in this game rules, and also speeds up many of the long endgame levels
+the run of bosses from ryuji to alice is so good. it really makes you wish the first game had something similar
-combat still retains many of the issues of the first game, specifically how poorly the camera behaves with lock-on. I may be wrong but I think there were many more destructable environment objects in this one, and you can easily get caught
-some of the bosses feel very underdesigned, especially in the first half. letz shake, cloe walsh, and million gunmen especially felt like unfinished pushovers
-how did they fuck up a motorcycle battle, like it's really not fun (boss battle afterwards is quite good though)
-getting to play as shinobu is very cool, too bad her platforming is stiff and frustrating
-getting to play as henry is very cool, too bad your first time using him is in a boss battle with no time to learn his combos or get a feel for his dash
-no gardens of madness call... the boss battles in general are given very little lead-up, which is a big drop down from the first game. I'm neutral on the peep show sequences as well
-the level pacing is a little funky, with the first half of the game having very short pre-boss levels and the second half of the game having very long ones. I don't mind the length though, I'm happy to slice-and-dice, and I put up with the same thing in the yakuza games
this game does a solid job trimming the fat from the first, improving the main draw of the game (the interesting bosses), and giving fanservice to those who loved the original. it's still very rough around the edges, but I'm just glad the first one got a worthy follow-up that capitalized on the unique world and designs to make something that is a joy to play. I can't say I enjoyed every minute of it (god no) but I had a fun time blowing through this one in a weekend