Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica

 PlayStation 2
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 62 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 51 out of 62
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 62
  3. Negative: 9 out of 62
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  1. Najirra
    Mar 20, 2013
    7
    I can appreciate a good old Gust game once in a while, perhaps not to the point where I can suffer through 2 of them back to back but these games have a certain charm to them that I just can't find in any other games. Be it the cheesy dialogue that can only come from the mind of a japanese developper, the use of adorable sprites wich Gust are known for in almost all of their PS2 titles,I can appreciate a good old Gust game once in a while, perhaps not to the point where I can suffer through 2 of them back to back but these games have a certain charm to them that I just can't find in any other games. Be it the cheesy dialogue that can only come from the mind of a japanese developper, the use of adorable sprites wich Gust are known for in almost all of their PS2 titles, the recurring sound effects and environments, all of these things contribute to a smile forming on my mug when I play these games, and Ar Tonelico II was no different. After having played and thoroughly enjoyed the first game in the series, I had very high hopes for this one, and it mostly did not disappoint. The soundtrack is typical Gust, beautiful and sweet, the hymns alone are worth buying the soundtrack for (or if you're lucky and got the collector's edition you already have it). The story, while cheesy is memorable and will keep you interested for the most part, overall there is nothing fundamentally wrong with this game, game play has been dumbed down, which saddened me somewhat and combat has been easy in any Gust game to date, no point in complaining about that now. I do however have one major complaint, the localization... oooh boy did NISA screw up with this game, I would go as far to say that if I were the translator for this game, I would be utterly ashamed of myself. I have seen typos in games before, it happens to the best, but some of the text in this game is littered with mistakes, ranging from typos to mixing up genders to even grammatical errors that would make a 12 year old cringe. Suffice to say that in a game relying mostly on text for dialogue, this becomes very annoying rather quickly, and while not game breaking whatsoever, I must say that the localization for this game feels incredibly unprofessional if not downright a complete mess, wich is strange for a game coming from a company wich has delivered amazing localizations so far. Overall I would recommend this game to die hard RPGamers, casual gamers might find this game just a tad too japanese for their tastes, but it is still worth a try at the very least. Though I will warn you, if you're someone who can't stand spelling errors, stay far away from this title, you will not live through it.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best PS2 Game of 2009
2
#2 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2009
4
#4 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 17
  3. Negative: 2 out of 17
  1. GameZone
    80
    A great continuation of a solid RPG franchise, Ar Tonelico 2 is worth the time and effort you'll put into its lengthy quest.
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  2. GamesRadar+
    90
    It’s a big time commitment and it’s really text heavy, but if you’re even remotely into JRPGs, Ar Tonelico 2 is easily worth it. Then again, if endearing, well-written characters and well-crafted turn-based battle systems aren’t your thing, well, it’s your loss.
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  3. IGN
    84
    It's become a cautious recommendation of a game that would've otherwise been a huge recommendation. As it stands, Ar Tonelico II is still a brilliant RPG -- albeit one with some borderline creepy bits and plenty of giggle-worthy dialogue -- but in this case, buyers most definitely should beware.
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