Support NeoGAF

[Tarazet]

I got the game disc for Drakengard 2 from Gamefly in the mail today. I've only put in about an hour, which means I'm not even through the tutorial missions yet, but I can already tell that the basic mechanics are much better than I thought from the reviews. The reviewers made it seem like there was little, if any, advancement from the first game, but there are definitely a number of major annoyances from Drakengard which have been exorcised. At the same time, though, there are some elements which I liked better in the first game. To put it in short:

- Draw distance is improved
- Controls are much quicker and more responsive
- Environments are more colorful and interesting
- Collision detection seems tighter all around, especially in aerial fights
- Hover ability makes air-to-ground combat easier
- Camera is more customizable than it was in the first game, which solves a lot of other problems
- There are multiple combos per weapon now, which adds variety
- You actually have a reason to use the auxiliary characters

but:

- Legna is really boring compared to the nasty, demonic dragoness that Caim rode
- Character models haven't improved
- Music isn't as interesting as the original's dissonant score, though it loops less often
- The game holds your hand way too much in the early stages
- The narrative is flat

It seems like a good $20 game (Gamefly has it for $30 used already).

 

[LittleTokyo]

Woops, edit.

 

[Tarazet]

*crickets*

...

I guess that tells me the interest level for this game here.

 

[Captain N]

I was actually a big fan of the first game. I am tempted to pick this game up again when it goes down in price. Thanks for the fast impressions on the game.

 

[MrDaravon]

I was actually a big fan of the first game. I am tempted to pick this game up again when it goes down in price. Thanks for the fast impressions on the game.

Ditto. I'll definetely pick it up at a price drop, just waiting for that, too many games in the backlog to justify full price for almost anything right now.

 

[Pharadigma]

What irks me is that the original had an age rating of 16+ while the sequel has a 12+ rating (I'm talking Europe here). That must mean that something has gotten sacrificed plotwise. The only reason the original was at least bearable was the pretty weird plot and if the sequel doesn't have that I'm out.

 

[ColdSun_Legacy]

I'm pretty close to the first ending.

The gameplay is definately better than the first. The is also improved. Like the first one, the story is told incoherently. However toward the third quarter of the first ending, the story drops off for me. Though I'm told theres a big twist remaining. So far I enjoyed the first game's story more, but that may change when I beat it tomorrow. Like the first game, the weapons have a history which expands as you level them. Leveling the character related weapons sometimes reveals tidbits about the backstory which more or less goes unsaid.

The music for this game is outstanding. Different from the first, but still awesome. I can listen to Symphonic Poem "Forbidden Prel" over and over.