A fun, albeit generic, platformer. One of the best in the series.
In comparison to the other titles in the series adjacent to it, it should be noted that A.I. 2 shares the same sprites, environments, sounds, music, pretty much everything with A.I. 3. They are seriously the same game; A.I. 3 had a couple different stage types and the bosses were of course different. Thats it. You will notice that the "floaty" controls of A.I. 1 have been remedied with this release, and you have commendable control of Master Higgins, and you'll need it. Plenty of platforming is the order of the day, with some of the later levels really testing your limits to a frightening degree. This is coupled with the infamously low stamina of Higgins; one hit and you're dead, common of many NES games. Of course if you're on one of your trusted dinosaur buddies you can stave off two hits total, but thats it. Gameplay is kept at a steady pace because of the inclusion of a "time bar" that runs out over the course of a stage. Collecting fruit that is littered throughout the landscape is the only means of keeping it up, and this always keeps you moving forward.
Enemy AI is typical at best of games of this era. Most baddies just blindly charge at you and will fall into pits and/or water making a bee-line to your location. Others repeat the same movement pattern until killed, although some shellcrabs will take defensive measures if you try to hit them with your throwing axes, which bring me to the weapon set. Your primary weapon is the axe, you have an unlimited supply and its arcing pattern makes it most versatile for taking out enemies perched in hard-to-reach places. The rarer boomering has a longer horizontal range but leaves you vulnerable until it returns to you. Most of the dinosaur companions have a trademark attack that overrides your currently equipped weapon. The ability to "save" weapons and dinosaurs for harder stages and equip them at the start of each stage was a great idea by the developers, because as I said earlier, the later stages are really, really rough. The later bosses prove difficult as well; playing the original NES cart will put true hardcore gamers to the test. (No emulator saving!)
The game consists of 8 islands, each with its own overall theme. Regardless, each level consists of a number of stages that follow certain themes such as: "Forest, Coast, Desert, Snow, Volcano, and Cave" As you progress through the game these stages simply become much harder, to the point that only the most determined gamers will be able to advance past the 7th island without multiple tries. Countless secrets persist throughout the game in the form of hidden eggs, unearthed by jumping on their location. These contain shortcuts and access to hidden stages and items. The music is simple yet enjoyable, the Forest Theme will be stuck in your head for days. Graphics are typical of the era; cartoony yet colorful and effective in bringing the environments to life.
A.I. 2 is a commendable platformer that should be checked out by fans of the genre. those who have experienced A.I. 3 and enjoyed would be pleased to know this is basically a precursor of the same exact concept, hail Higgins!