Its a decent game, but could have been better...
With the Gnosis temporarily incapacitated, the Federation concentrates its forces on the U-Tic organization, who are accused of being responsible for the Miltian Conflict as well as the appearance of Gnosis. Meanwhile, Shion and the gang end up on Second Miltia in hopes of examining the "Pandora's Box" hidden inside MOMO's memory. Little did they know, that there was another organization, who seems to be of a higher power, that are also after the data hidden in MOMO's memory and are lurking behind the U-TIC Organization.
Graphics:
Well there's really not much to say, except that the game got a graphic overhaul. Not only did Namco, improve on the visual presentation of the game and its cinematic scenes, but they have also redone the characters in general, giving them more "realistic" features.
Gameplay:
Not only were the graphics redone, but they also redid the gameplay as well. I would love to say "for the better," but to be honest, it's pretty much a double-edged sword, depending on how you look at it.
In Episode 1, you were able to buy equipment (for both party members and mechs), supplies and new and powerful mechs. This time around, money is no object...no really! The presence of money, and along with it, equipment/supply shops are pretty much non-existent. In fact, character equipment has been abolished altogether, along with tech points, and ether points (to learn ethers, not to cast them).All equipment has been replaced by things called "Equip Skills" and all supplies are found by pick-up only, meaning, you can only get supplies, by finding them in various treasure boxes, destroyed junk or in battles. Another thing you may notice is that the Anti Gnosis Weapon Systems (A.G.W.S.) have been replaced by a new form of mech called Assault Mobile Weapons System (A.M.W.S) or E.S. for Short.
The battle system has also been revamped. Like it's predecessor, you still get your magic (or in this case "Ether"), but the overall layout has been completely simplified. During certain areas in the game, you will have 2 types of battles: Mecha battles (or E.S. Battles), and character battles. Each type of battle is separate from the other, so no using mechs in a character battle and vice versa.
In character battles, "Ability Points" and have been taken out to make way for "Stocks." In addition, you're entire party as well as the enemy party each share 1 boost gauge. The overall battle layout works pretty much the same as in Episode 1: You get to view which characters will go next, as well as the various icons that give that character "bonuses" depending on when their turn is. Unlike the first game, this one revolves around ether/physical weaknesses and Co-op boost attacks. First off, each character have 3 different attacks: Low, High, and Special. The exceptions to this are Shion and MOMO, who only have the "Special" attack and are pretty much support characters only. Each enemy character (including bosses) has a distinct physical weakness pattern. You now have to use any combination of attacks to find and exploit enemy weaknesses. Hitting the enemy's entire pattern can do massive damage. While most enemies have a basic 2-hit pattern, the larger enemies and even bosses have a 3-4 hit pattern. This makes boosting extremely crucial, since party members usually deal 2 hits worth of damage. In this case, you have to time your boosts so that you have 2 or more party members attacking consecutively to perform boost combos. Along with that, is the presence of "Stocks." A stock can build up during an attack, or you can sacrafice a turn to fill up a stock. These stocks allow you to perform techs and do that extra damage. To make things a little spicier, some characters techs can either launch an enemy in the air, or knock them to the ground. Using boost combos can enable you to attack them while they're in mid-air or on the ground and do double damage. Lastly, once learned, you can perform double Full-Screen Techs (FST's), considering that you have enough stocks and can make efficient use of your boosting.
Mecha battles are a little similar to Character battles. Obviously, You battle your mechs gainst a party enemy mechs. Unlike in character battles, mechs can each only deal 1 hit to the opponent. Also, instead of 3 stocks you get stock points which can total up to 200 (or 300 with the right item) and charging your stock will fill up at least 100. You can basically, use those stock points to do special attacks. Eash ES has its own specific pilot, which cannot be changed. At the same time, each ES has room for a Co-Pilot which can be changed at will. Each co-pilot unlocks different attacks, which adds a little variety to how you combat the enemy. What you may also notice is that only 1 can cast Ether spells, while the other 2 are more for power-based combat. Other than that, theres not much difference. Unlike the previous installment, E.S.'s now collect their own set of experience and level up just as any character would.
At the end of the battle, you are given up to 3 types of points: The standard Experience points, Class Points and Skill points. Each set of skills are divided into classes A-D, Those classes are then divided into levels, and each level consists of 4 skills to learn. You use Class Points to unlock skill levels, and then use your skill points to learn the skills on that particular level. Each skill level contains one of 3 types of skills, "Ether Skills" (Or in other words, your Ether Spells), "Mastered Skills" (Stat bonuses that are immediatly in effect once learned), and "Equip Skills" (Skills that have to be Equipped to be used). Since Class points are scarce, you're given a "Class Bonus" every time to master a level. Another thing you may notice is that a little over half of the skills are hidden, and require special keys. Once you find these keys, you'll be able to unlock a skill to be learned. On the Plus side, The overall battle system flows really well, even with the absence of full-screen techs. Also, the game is loaded with up to 37 side quests, which combined with finding special keys, and learning skills will keep you busy for for roughly 45-50 hours. Thats a over half of what the original offered. Also, characters level up quicker than in the previous installment, which saves time on battling monsters over and over and with the lack of items, you're given a nice challenge early on in the game, which is nice for the more skilled RPer. What also nice is that you are given bonus stuff if you have clear data from Episode 1. While it may not be much, it'll help in the long run. Lastly, the game has a "Post-Game" quest after you beat it, which will add an additional 30-40 hours and will keep you playing even after you've cleared the game.
The downsides pretty much balance the upsides. First off, the game becomes too reliant on co-op boosting, which battle repetitive and boring. Secondly, the AI can be a royal pain in the ass, as they can also knock you into the air, or into the ground, and will make efficient use of their boosts to do that extra damage once you're immobilized. Some can boost even if you have one of your party members boosted, creating a "counter-boost," which can really screw up your plans of any and all attack chains you had in mind. Also, every character can pretty much learn the same skills, which really takes away from each character's individuality. Lastly, the game makes the same mistake as the first one with a large amount of cinematic scenes, while its not much compared to the first one, its still a lot.
And while this may not be a downside, its kind of a peeve of mine that they changed the majority of the voice cast. The new VA's do a decent job with their respected characters, but I can't help but miss the old voices that I've grown to enjoy.
Overall:
All in all, its still a pretty decent game (or movie as some would call it), once you overlook all it's quirks. If you're a fan of the first game, its recommended that you play this at least once, as the story is great and will leave you hanging with questions in the end. While it is somewhat decent, I could have been better...much better...