Review Slantindicular 4/5 · May 24, 2018
This is the game that never ends. It just goes on and on my friends...
Considering the first game was released for the PS3 the transition to PSP went surprisingly well. Here is how it broke down for me:
--The Good--
Much of the gameplay I liked in the first big release still felt functionally the same and enjoyable in this small screen release, and they even added some features (such as the ability to …
Considering the first game was released for the PS3 the transition to PSP went surprisingly well. Here is how it broke down for me:
--The Good--
Much of the gameplay I liked in the first big release still felt functionally the same and enjoyable in this small screen release, and they even added some features (such as the ability to load characters onto an APC). Overall the whole thing felt polished and comfortable in the palm of my hand. Changing the context to a school setting also allowed them to create quite a cast of misfit characters and hold them all together, which is something else I enjoyed about the first game. But somehow the high school setting also made the story feel less intense. There was not as much energy and desperation driving the story, which was a disappointment for me but something others might be okay with.
--The Bad--
My biggest problem with this game is how bloated it is. It just goes on and on. Part of that has to do with the story. It doesn't feel like the story even really gets started until well past the halfway point of the game, instead keeping the player occupied with stuff that will ultimately prove to be meaningless. The game's bloat was also due to the game design itself, which focuses much more heavily on grinding this time around. It almost felt as if the game designers were trying to make up for the limitations of the PSP by adding more repetition, so that ultimately the sequel takes longer to finish than the original even though you are actually doing less meaningful stuff overall.
This game could have been half as long and I would probably have enjoyed it twice as much.
--The Verdict--
On its own this game is fun to play and has some good gameplay moments. This is especially true when considering the hardware downgrade moving from a PS3 to a PSP. When judged in light of its predecessor though this game feels less focused. While the original game was very interested in creating a sense of camaraderie and heroic desperation (two of my favorite video game themes) this second game lacked that thematic cohesion. Sure there was more to do, but there was less reason to do it.
