Dark Cloud 2, a masterpiece.
Gameplay : Ok the core gameplay takes part in dungeons. In these dungeons you battle monsters and collect materials needed to upgrade or build weapons or items. Most importantly, you collect orbs that contain parts of the village that you must rebuild. There are multiple dungeons all with different settings and plots. The fighting system is nothing fancy, but it gets the job done well. You have a main weapon and a range weapon that you must upgrade in order to defeat higher level monsters. The monsters and bosses you encounter are all very diverse depending on the chapter you are on. Once you complete some dungeon stages, you will probably have village parts and buildings that you must use to rebuild the specific area you are in. Once you refurnish and complete a building or 2 you can start moving in people you convince in Palm Brinks ( the main town ). Its really interesting to try and get people to come live in your village, some are more willing then others. Another great aspect is the upgrade and creation system. You use your camera to take pictures of usable parts and use the pictures to create recipes for building. The weapon upgrade system is also well done. However, all in all the gameplay is balanced and is extremely fun.
Graphics : The graphics in this game are beautiful. I love what they did. The graphics are a bit cartoony, but they are extremely vibrant and exciting. It really adds to the greatness of this game.
Sound : The songs are catchy and work well with the environments. However, I wish the voice acting was a tad better. ( not to say its horrible, its pretty decent ).
Story : Here is the basics...Max tries to find his mom/protect his red jewel that can save the world. You try to change the future events. The main villain destroyed almost all life outside palm brinks and you need to restore it. Nothing ground breaking, but it certainly works well enough to enjoy and immerse yourself in.
Overall: 9.5/10
This game is in my top 2 favorite ps2 games, and my top 5 all time. It really provides a different game that is fun and worthwhile. Fans of DC1 will enjoy this immensely. People that have never played this game will understand why this game is so great once they play it.