Everything's the same, though it has better translation this time.....
Although the story has not much connection with the other part, the characters from ToV and White Witch are actually fighting side by side with the story's characters in the second half. You will have to play the first 2 games for it to make sense, although in the Japanese version, this is the second part of the trilogy (ToV, SoO then White Witch). It is still ok to play it according to it's release date in the US. It will make more sense for new players as the story goes even if you follow the US sequence.
I still prefer ToV to this, because in ToV, the story will touch anyone who's playing it. The characterisation of the characters are not as deep as compared to ToV, but this is due to the fact that it was rather badly translated. Nonetheless, it is still a very good game. The Japanese version is very different and this what makes the trilogy so appealling to the Japanese and it was such a rage in Japan. Nevertheless it is a good game and I am rather sad that I beat the final boss as it is an indication that I had completed one of the best RPG for PSP .
I would recommend this game for those who love a good story line, nice melodies and good graphics. Enjoy the story, it grows on you. It's a long game and I promise it will entertain you for a long long time. I am going to miss playing this game (s).