Project X Zone 2

Overall I enjoyed my time with Project X Zone 2. As a first time player of the series, there was a lot I liked about the core combat mechanics and even some of the story elements. However, I felt as if the game relied too much on players’ previous knowledge of the series’ story, and often felt lost when references were made throughout.

No masterpiece, but captivating. [Issue#172, p.88]

A fun romp if you recognise enough of the characters, with enough surprises to keep you guessing who will show up next. Fighting mechanic is simple and stays that way throughout, and hasn't changed since its predecessors on the PlayStation 2. Writing is focused on gags and references rather than staying true to original sources, but will entertain so long as you can endure a boob joke once in a while.

It does represent an improvement over the first, and is something that should be purchased immediately if crazy localization risks are to be encouraged henceforth.

Project X Zone 2 is a videogame for videogame fans. It’s not likely to present you with a huge challenge, nor does it take an immense amount of skill to be any good at it, with the tactical gameplay a far cry from genre greats such as Fire Emblem or Shin Megami Tensei.

If you enjoyed the original Project X Zone then picking up the sequel is a no-brainer. It’s a bigger, better experience with a better cast of characters.

This strategy RPG is a clever way to let fans of the Sega, Capcom, and Bandai Namco library jump into their favorite worlds with ease since the events have little to no bearing in the canonical continuity. The cast is pure fun but is soon overwhelming, where normally standout characters can hardly get a word in on the already impenetrable narrative.

Project X Zone 2 still isn't the home run of a crossover one would hope for, but with a wittier script and improved gameplay mechanics, it's undeniably a step in the right direction.

A delicious helping of fan service and cracking character diversity and interactions between one another is the reason to own Project X Zone 2.

But as enjoyable as this can be one battle each sitting, it overstays its welcome. But I’m happy it exists, and takes the concept that established characters can be played with like the Play-Doh these devs may have snacks on as children.

Souffle-light strategy and near-peerless star gazing means this is solid fan service, but it could be much more. [Apr 2016, p.79]

If the developers went back to the drawing board and designed a strategy RPG from the ground up and implemented the systems present in PXZ2 they would be off to a great start. However an overly long introduction that becomes boring after a few hours distracts from what is otherwise a decent game. If this game had a tighter story, trimmed up the dialogue, and improved upon its technical performance by reducing slowdown, it would be something special.

Project X Zone 2 gets a lot of mileage out of its huge cast. Characters interactions stand out where storytelling falls apart; seeing everyone’s impressive animations keeps combat alive when things get tedious, but the total package isn’t consistently interesting.

Project X Zone 2 does a great job improving on almost every element from the previous game. The problem is that they also made the game easier; this removed any strategy needed, and so the experience has become rather dull. It is admirable that they made so many improvements, but with the total lack of challenge, it was all for naught.

Project X Zone 2 is based on a huge amount of fan-service, and this part of the game is particularly successful. However, the conversations are far too long and too boring to maintain a certain tempo in our journey. Furthermore, this second episode is not tactical enough to be a really good T-RPG.

For a certain niche crowd that has the patience (or plays the game in short bursts), this’ll be right up their street, but for the rest of us, it’s nothing special.

All flash with little substance, Project X Zone 2 will please die-hard fans of its source material but few others.

Project X-Zone 2 is a dream crossover on paper that falters in execution, failing to excel in any area beyond unabashed novelty. The quality of the cast and engaging juggling mechanic are the most you’ll likely get out of this crossover RPG.

In the end, it comes down to how well you can slug through the shallow and unchallenging tactics and the annoyingly drawn out battles to experience such fan-service love, its huge list of references, and its desire to bring a title for video game fans of things Japanese.

For fans of Namco Bandai, Capcom, and Sega, Project X Zone 2 is full of the characters you love, in-jokes you'll laugh at, and over the top attacks and pairings that would make a FanFiction.net author blush. However, if you're just looking for a turn-based RPG to sink your teeth into, there's better to be had on the Nintendo 3DS.

It's fun to see your favourite characters working and fighting together, but the gimmick wears off as you suffer through boring combat and fanfic-level storytelling.

Project X Zone 2 is at first promising, but not even its fan-service can save it from continually faltering in the face of its drudgery.