Sequels rarely improve , but Phantasy Star Portable 2 was an exception.
Phantasy Star Portable II have improved greatly from it's first installment in the PSP , Phantasy Star Portable.
It had improved not really in terms of gameplay , for it is roughly about the same with several new systems , but the other various features found in it.
For example , the players no longer have to stare at a CG graphic and a menu on choosing where to go , but they can freely walk around in a lobby to choose where they want to visit. Small as it is , but impressive enough for a PSP game.
There are also loads of customization found in this game. Ranging from your character's ability , his or her costume or even their height , voice , eye shape , face shape as such. Though they come in the forms of preset , Phantasy Star Portable is one of the very few PSP games that allow such forms of customization and had greatly , but not perfectly , improved from the previous selections in 1 , which is filled with selections which no one would probably bother to take.
There are also loads of fan service in this game , but solely for those who have watched Anime or read Manga as such. For example , you can unlock a To-Love Ru , Evangelion , Fate/Stay Night and even Vocaloid costume and weapon set in this game,
There is also the fact that you have your own room , where it isn't really all too functional but you , too , can customize it to your heart's content , provided that your wallet is deep enough.
Moving to the actual gameplay , Phantasy Star Portable 2 is more of an action game rather than an actual RPG. It's something like a hybrid of Dungeon Crawler and the Action element , of which you can block and roll around and yet gain level as such.
The player can also equip various weapons , armor and medical items to their quick slot for their convenience as well , allowing the player to use the right weapons with the right elements at the right time.
For the graphics , it is actually really good. Perhaps some what remniscent for those who had played games like Persona where the characters are 3D but with Anime-like appearances. In fact , I daresay the graphics itself is almost at the state of PS2's borderline.
To sum it all up , the developers of the game had actually thought for the issues a player might face in this game , thus making it almost flawless in terms of gameplay , though with the occasional problem of team mates getting stuck in sharp corners for one reason or the other.
For one thing , they had intergrated an ACTUAL multiplayer system , which means you can play with other people online , not having to run all over the place to find someone to handle the multiplayer missions with you like in Phantasy Star Portable.
It is certainly a good game with lots of customization , excellent graphics though with a slightly repetetive gameplay , the variety of weapons keep it rolling. The Multiplayer part just made it better and the fan service have pretty much left the player little to say about this.
Though not without flaws , the AI does require some improvements and learn to listen to commands more effectively. Despite the new strategical side of the game , it is relatively still much more on the "brute force will win" side of things. Also , the special features found in the story mode , such as traps as such aren't very creative nor interesting but it is good to know that the player is exposed to old maps and characters found in the previous game.