What happened here?
The problem with this game is a problem that exists in every SO game: voice acting. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the VA in the original was any better: they are both cheesy, and if one of my friends were in my room watching/listening to me play, I'd feel embarrassed. That's not a good feeling. I'm supposed to enjoy playing this game. Why wouldn't they just invest a bit more on the VA? The point of the new PA's were supposed to build on the story/characters. Having a bad VA cast just kills it.
Again, not that I'm a purist or anything, but I really liked the original character portraits better than the new ones. Rena looks... let's just say very unattractive. That's up to anyone to judge, but I really think that if they wanted to change character art, then they should have changed it for the better and not for worse. It's forgiveable, I guess, if this was done just to make their portraits fit and work with the cutscenes... but wouldn't that mean that they should have made the cutscene characters look better too?
I have no real complaints about the combat -- the new combos make the game easier, but at the same time, I think it's a bit more fun. Funner gameplay compensates over here, imo.
If you missed the original SO2, then I'd suggest you pick this one up. If you've played the original alot, then there really isn't much to gain here, unless if you're an ultrafan and want to see the new PA's. If you're a purist, then turn away--this one will hurt.