A great survival game that doesn't break the formula. Highly recommended to fans of the genre!
The setting takes place in modern day LA where the main protagonist, Aya Brea has relocated and continues to hunt neo-mitochondria produced creatures from the original game. At the beginning of the game her quest seems to have come to an end but unfortunately things turn sour when the discovery of new species prompts an investigation into the middle of the deserts of Nevada in an attempt to find the source of this new threat.
Though there are still some light RPG elements in PE2 (hit-points/experience/elemental magic powers) the battle system is much different. As soon as you enter combat either by locking on to an enemy or being seen by one, a real time battle ensues. Gun combat is simplified by having a target lock-on system so that you don't much have to worry about accuracy. Another useful feature is armor attachments in which you can use various combat items such as flash bombs and healing items in a given battle. These items must be chosen carefully for some of the tougher battles due to the fact that you can't go to the inventory menu during combat. Furthermore you can use parasite energy (read: magic) at the cost of energy points. You start out with the basic fireball attack and through killing monsters you get experience point which you can spend on reviving other powers or improving ones you already have to a maximum of level 3. Some examples include healing, energy shot (improves bullet power) and combustion (a short range fire attack effective in killing large numbers of weaker enemies). The numerous enemy types aren't completely helpless though. Many are quite strong and some can be quite annoying as they inflict crippling statuses on your character that will cause limited functionality in various ways. The boss battles are both challenging and fun and it is very rewarding to find the most effective methods of damaging them after experimentation.
The sound quality is decent though there is practically no voice acting and I really enjoyed the battle music. The graphics are top notch for Playstation game and as is tradition, Squarsoft does not disappoint with the FMV sequences.
As an added bonus for us survival horror fans this game is also much more violent and gory than the original and I appreciated the risk that Square took in deviating from the original game's hybrid RPG/SH formula. I would recommend this game to any collectors looking for an old school survival horror game that sticks to its source material.