Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2

 PlayStation 3
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 102 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 73 out of 102
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 102
  3. Negative: 20 out of 102
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  1. Zemeckis
    Jun 23, 2012
    8
    I think the worst thing about this game is the repetition. It's always the same way: you watch some scenes, go into a dungeon, defeat monsters and a boss. There's nothing different to break the routine. And it goes to the soundtrack too: always the same for events, even for different places. Scenes also don't step away from repetitive graphics and animation, and sometimes they simply don'tI think the worst thing about this game is the repetition. It's always the same way: you watch some scenes, go into a dungeon, defeat monsters and a boss. There's nothing different to break the routine. And it goes to the soundtrack too: always the same for events, even for different places. Scenes also don't step away from repetitive graphics and animation, and sometimes they simply don't show who is talking in the screen. Recycled dungeons and poor enemies design. I got the impression that the game was made with low resources and/or in a hurry. And in my case, I suffered from some freezing in the first minutes of every dungeon. But let's talk about the good things: variety of endings, many playable characters, great set of skills (including team skills), cool battle gameplay and many items to customize and synth. This game is far from perfect, but if you're a fan of JRPGs you should give it a try, specially to support NIS America to continue bringing japanese content to the west.… Expand
  2. ryuzaki57
    Feb 28, 2012
    8
    The first thing I did when I came back from Japan was to stuff the Blu-Ray of Hyperdimension Neptune Mk2 into the PS3. Given how much I loved the first Hyperdimension Neptune, I could hardly contain my excitement when I got my hands on its sequel. It so happens that the game is STILL in my PS3, because this sequel is just really brilliant.

    The story throws you again in the world of    The first thing I did when I came back from Japan was to stuff the Blu-Ray of Hyperdimension Neptune Mk2 into the PS3. Given how much I loved the first Hyperdimension Neptune, I could hardly contain my excitement when I got my hands on its sequel. It so happens that the game is STILL in my PS3, because this sequel is just really brilliant.

    The story throws you again in the world of Gameindustri, which is on verge of collapse after an all-out attack by the evil forces of Magiquone. Though less subtle than in the first one, the scenario still gives a entertaining and interesting look on the (real) game industry, the most striking part being the debate about piracy (Magiquone being a metaphor of piracy) between Brave the Hard and Yuni. No article or study could possibly get this better. The rest of the game keeps this very Japanese sense of humor that made the first iteration so awesome, making it once again a pure pleasure to watch.

    When Hyperdimension Neptune Mk2 take the best of Hyperdimension Neptune, it does also fix and improve nearly everything else. The graphics for example see a dramatic improvement, especially regarding character modelling, but backgrounds look somewhat prettier too. The only thing that bugged me is that they changed the 2D animated characters in conversations by 3D ones. While some of them look definitely good (Histoire, Nepgear, Yuni, 5pbâ    … Expand
  3. Remmie
    Feb 28, 2012
    9
    I have to admit, I didn't enjoy the first Hyperdimension Neptunia much. I liked the characters and the setting, but the game mechanics were just terrible. So it was with great trepidation that I bought Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2, hoping that it would just be a LITTLE better than the first game. My expectations were too low, Mk2 completely scraps the old mechanics of the first game andI have to admit, I didn't enjoy the first Hyperdimension Neptunia much. I liked the characters and the setting, but the game mechanics were just terrible. So it was with great trepidation that I bought Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2, hoping that it would just be a LITTLE better than the first game. My expectations were too low, Mk2 completely scraps the old mechanics of the first game and remakes them from the ground up, creating remarkably enjoyable gameplay to go along with the characters and setting we all love. Battles are much more dynamic; characters can roam the battlefield based on their movement stat and set up positional attacks, or block enemy movement. Everything feels much smoother, you won't be jamming L2 to skip attacks all the time like you probably did in the first game. Enemy encounters are also no longer random battles; enemies roam the map and you can choose whether to engage them or not. Random healing has also been done away with, items can be used at any time provided the character has enough AP.

    The new characters are all fairly likable, and there's plenty of time given to the old characters as well. The Lily System is a teasingly pseudo-lesbian meter of how much the other characters like the protagonist, Nepgear. It can be raised by fighting alongside characters as well as viewing events in towns. The system allows you to pair two characters together, with the back-row character providing passive bonuses to the character in front. Combo attacks are also available between certain paired characters if their Lily Rank is high enough. Lily Rank (along with character levels, items and money) carries over to New Game+, so if you don't want to worry about it too much in your first playthrough; you can always just see everything you missed in your second.

    There are a large number of possible endings, 7 in total, with 2 of them being significantly different from the others and one of them being a non-canon hidden ending that is surprisingly serious and dark in an otherwise cheerful game, no doubt one of the reasons this game received an 'M' rating (that, and a particularly perverse slimeball of a boss). Overall, my only complaint would be that the game is on the easy side overall, with the exception of the optional S-Rank Colosseum fights in New Game+. Those will really push your characters to their limits.

    If you liked the first game there's no way in hell that you won't like the sequel, it's an improvement in every way. If you didn't like the first game because of the gameplay but you enjoyed the characters, you may want to consider giving this one another chance.    … Expand
  4. fioyl
    Feb 28, 2012
    9
    I'm sure that like the previous entry in the series, this game will be reviled by critics. However, you shouldn't let their prejudices sway your opinion. Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2 is leaps above its predecessor. Many of the more annoying or cumbersome mechanics have been fixed, and the game is a joy to play. Is it perfect? No, but it's still immense fun. My only complaint is that theI'm sure that like the previous entry in the series, this game will be reviled by critics. However, you shouldn't let their prejudices sway your opinion. Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2 is leaps above its predecessor. Many of the more annoying or cumbersome mechanics have been fixed, and the game is a joy to play. Is it perfect? No, but it's still immense fun. My only complaint is that the battle system, while being quite excellent compared to the phlegmatically-paced bore that was the first game could still stand to be sped up a little.… Expand
  5. shdfgsdfh
    May 17, 2012
    10
    Fun story and a great new combat system. A really big improvement over first part. The only reason to not buy is having an allergy on anything anime-like.
  6. Vamp898
    Nov 26, 2012
    10
    This game is just awesome in every way!

    The Story, the Gameplay, the characters.

    I was even lucky to get one of the last limited Editions, just incredible =)
  7. Trepadora
    Jan 28, 2015
    4
    Hyperdimension Neptunia isn't a particularly good game by any standards. Within the first few moments of playing you'll begin questioning the developers design choices. It's hard to describe, but everything about the UI just feels off. It feels clunky and unintuitive, actively denying you the information you so desperately want.

    The graphics aren't very pretty in themselves. The 2D    Hyperdimension Neptunia isn't a particularly good game by any standards. Within the first few moments of playing you'll begin questioning the developers design choices. It's hard to describe, but everything about the UI just feels off. It feels clunky and unintuitive, actively denying you the information you so desperately want.

    The graphics aren't very pretty in themselves. The 2D sprites look okay, but the 3D models are lifeless and awkward to look at. The soundtrack might be one of the few redeeming features about the game, but you'll find it grating on you as you repeat the same areas again and again.

    The main issue is the gameplay, however. Information about it is poorly conveyed through slides that don't really tell you much of anything, leaving you to flounder around as you try to figure out what you're doing wrong. You'd better get on your knees and pray to RNGesus, because half your attacks will just flat out miss if you don't. Which is another thing: the difficulty is all over the place. Chances are you'll be spending a significant amount of time grinding. On most encounters you'll strike first and the battle will be a breeze. In other cases you'll be wiped before you can even question what happened. (So you can reload your save and do more grinding again. Yay.) So, in summary, combat is something you'll want to actively avoid, but you'll have to spend all of your time in if you want to do anything.

    The story...barely exists. I've yet to see any of purported wit and satire this game has. So far it's been a bevy of typical anime tropes. And, no, commenting that something exists and replicating it isn't satire.

    I entered Hyperdimension Neptunia curious, and left it confused. In my brief time, I saw nothing of merit - rather a substandard game that could only be enjoyed by the most hardcore of fans. You'll have to try really hard to find any fun here, all you'll find is a clunky, boring experience that leaves you worse off than when you began playing.    … Expand
  8. Jeerdemp
    May 17, 2012
    0
    really repetitive, awful writing and a gross fixation on little girls. I wish games like this would just stay in japan because this is clearly made for their creepy fans of anime.

    This game is for creeps.
  9. d4haxor
    Nov 30, 2012
    0
    One of the worst RPGs ever made, The combat is broken, the quest system makes grinding wow seem entertaining, the voice acting is absolute **** This game could be used to teach a class on how NOT to make a JRPG. Its only sole redeeming feature is it is indeed not as bad as is predecessor, which is in my opinion one of the worst games ever made. If thats all IF wanted to do, theyOne of the worst RPGs ever made, The combat is broken, the quest system makes grinding wow seem entertaining, the voice acting is absolute **** This game could be used to teach a class on how NOT to make a JRPG. Its only sole redeeming feature is it is indeed not as bad as is predecessor, which is in my opinion one of the worst games ever made. If thats all IF wanted to do, they succeeded. I guess this is what should be expected from the company that created the monumentally terrible X-Edge.… Expand
  10. crazydangerous
    Jun 25, 2012
    9
    I really wish I could read what I'm writing but metacritic blows so the text asking to spoiler endings and all that won't go away making what I've written in the first line entirely unreadable. Any ways hyperdimension neptunia mk2 is a good light hearted title. With interesting combat, tons of story content and a decent variety of maps I like it. Yes you should play this game in secret andI really wish I could read what I'm writing but metacritic blows so the text asking to spoiler endings and all that won't go away making what I've written in the first line entirely unreadable. Any ways hyperdimension neptunia mk2 is a good light hearted title. With interesting combat, tons of story content and a decent variety of maps I like it. Yes you should play this game in secret and never tell your friends, but I'd certainly give it a try if the opportunity arises… Expand
  11. Cramit
    Mar 31, 2012
    9
    I went in to Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 with low expectations because of my experience with the first title. What I found was a vastly superior sequel. It seems the developers took the customers input into suggestion and revamped many features in the game( such as a completely new combat system.) The story is little wacky but very enjoyable to follow with multiple ending giving you aI went in to Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 with low expectations because of my experience with the first title. What I found was a vastly superior sequel. It seems the developers took the customers input into suggestion and revamped many features in the game( such as a completely new combat system.) The story is little wacky but very enjoyable to follow with multiple ending giving you a reason to NG+. The characters each have their own little background ( idol star, nurse, hero etc.) and can each be expanded upon from chirper events. The combat is turned base with a feature of moving adding in, adding a fun twist to the old age jrpg formula. I've found some characters are better then others in combat but even those characters you don't use can be "partnered" up with one of your active members to give them different bonuses. Some of the side quests can be repetitive but you will complete a lot of them from just grinding or collecting item materials. Also I found the difficulty to be a bit low. Overall this is a huge improvement over the first and is definitely worth a shot for the niche Jrpg fan… Expand
  12. Daverost
    Nov 18, 2012
    9
    Gameplay - 10/10. Graphics - 9/10. Sound - 8/10. Overall - 9/10. This was a major improvement in just about every way over the first game. Even though I didn
  13. Dynel
    Dec 26, 2014
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. another game with the same plot as the previous game.

    isn't it ironic that the psp was used in a hack to own the ps3? because the story here is the exact opposite... the little sisters of the "big" consoles freed them. Yes, that's the story in a single line. Also... same graphics as the previous one... still sucks. Still bad.

    real score: -10 I will deny that this is called "RPG".    … Expand
  14. genericman
    Jul 8, 2014
    10
    In comparison to the first game, I really can't tell where this game stands.
    The game play is improved, but some of the story and setting things were retconned a bit, it's not a bad change but in my opinion it's not the most intelligent changes, I didn't like that they scrapped the whole goddess worship thing, having that made the character seem more like goddesses, but that may be    In comparison to the first game, I really can't tell where this game stands.
    The game play is improved, but some of the story and setting things were retconned a bit, it's not a bad change but in my opinion it's not the most intelligent changes, I didn't like that they scrapped the whole goddess worship thing, having that made the character seem more like goddesses, but that may be entirely personal opinion.

    Either way it's a decent sequel and if you didn't enjoy the first game because of the dungeons or combat i'd say give this a try. (the remake Rebirth 2 doesn't nearly have as many upgrades as Rebirth 1 has over the first game but it's still gonna be out sometime for Vita if you can wait)    … Expand
  15. vahn
    Aug 1, 2012
    8
    It's surprising the amount of improvements this game made...even though it wasn't really that hard considering the amount of flaws the original game had; everything that didn't work in the previous game it's now all better and fully functioning, with some drawbacks at the same time. One thing I want to clear out first is the DLC: the previous game was plagued by useless and veryIt's surprising the amount of improvements this game made...even though it wasn't really that hard considering the amount of flaws the original game had; everything that didn't work in the previous game it's now all better and fully functioning, with some drawbacks at the same time. One thing I want to clear out first is the DLC: the previous game was plagued by useless and very frustrating dlcs that, even though not costy, some of them could have been included from the beginning (the level caps, the guest characters and probably half of those costumes on the list): however, now dlcs are much more reasonable because yes, you can still buy useless stuff, but it's a lot less needed: the 2 extra characters are totally unnecessary because your normal roster (12) is bigger than the previous game (6, excluding the 2 guests character). In addition, no extra level caps, and many items are free: I'm glad to say that the dlcs are more of an addition, rather than a cheap trick to make you spend more...for the most part. With the dlc fact out of the way, I'll start with the first thing that got me impressed: the battle system. You can bring up to 4 characters in battle, plus 4 support characters that you can always switch in battle, and since the roster is bigger you can easily do this tactic earlier and pretty often too. The battle system resembles a tactical game, meaning that you'll have to move your characters on the battlefield and attack the enemies and so on; unlike the previous system, which was extremely slow even though it had some nice ideas, now it's extremely fast paced (and you can finally flee everytime!). The difficulty selection has been removed, which means that your enemies will be harder or easier depending all on yourself now...and some luck, since the biggest flaw here is that some battles can be hard if you don't use the right setup but that's about it. The game still uses the dungeon crawler formula: go to a guild->take quest->do quest->profit, and so on: now and then you'll have to go somewhere specific in order to continue the main plot, but you're basically free to do any quest, anytime and anywhere in the land... and speaking of land, the lands of the previous games now are basically all in one, killing the dead times between travels; they also reduced the dungeons but cured them a lot more. They also added "cities", even though they are basically lobbies for every action you'll do and the idea is basically the same as the previous game, minus the Synth shop (absent from the previous game), and the guild (quests were dungeon-specified). My biggest complain here however is that, even if cured and much, MUCH more detailed than the previous game, it still has some flaws and, strange to say, I prefered the other way! For example, since the dungeons are fewer now quests are more flexible, but there's no proper quest tracker: you have to pause and go to quest log in order to check your progress or check the targets, making it more clunky than before. Even if cities are cured now, I still wish we could visit on foot, and i doubt it's a problem of the console...I mean this is a ps3 console, but I'm pretty sure this game could easily stick in a ps2 or a psp, for how weak it is. And at last, my major complain of the game: the story. Yes this series is basically a parody of the gaming industry, but while the first game had a humour based on irony other games quotes and fourth wall jokes, this game....has not, and that's why I'm having more trouble following the story because they removed a lot of jokes and tried to make it more serious, losing the "soul" of the game, which was the parody; I enjoyed playing the first game, even with its huge flaws, but it gave me 40 hours of fun and laughs and the most stupid yet awesome story I've ever saw: this game is a lot better without a doubt, with better mechanics and much better gameplay, but lacks basically in comedy and story (which it's way shorter than the previous game...and the previous game wasn't that long to begin with). As a game, it's great and fun to play and has everything a game should have, thus the 8, but whenever they'll make a sequel, I just hope the jokes and the irony that made me love this series will come back, together with better gameplay and, maybe, some proper exploration.… Expand
  16. PsychoG
    Dec 29, 2014
    7
    The first Hyperdimension Neptunia game left me rather disappointed. Some clever ideas and humor were critically undermined by clunky and annoying combat and ugly graphics outside of the anime styled scenes, not to mention a little too frequent use of creepy sexual innuendos and imagery.

    However, I obviously thought it had SOME potential otherwise I wouldn't have bothered giving the    The first Hyperdimension Neptunia game left me rather disappointed. Some clever ideas and humor were critically undermined by clunky and annoying combat and ugly graphics outside of the anime styled scenes, not to mention a little too frequent use of creepy sexual innuendos and imagery.

    However, I obviously thought it had SOME potential otherwise I wouldn't have bothered giving the second game a chance and I was pleasantly surprised. Mk2 makes major improvements in it's combat and healing mechanics. The combat no longer felt clunky and unresponsive, combos flowed much more smoothly without unnecessary pauses in-between strikes and the ability to actually move your characters around the battlefield adds a layer of strategy concerning where to position your party members to avoid damage or flank an enemy. The old healing system that copped so much flak in the first game has been completely scrapped in favor of a more traditional system that removes the frustration of the last game, returning control of healing their party to the player.

    The graphics are much improved although still not great compared to the original however the dungeon design is still underwhelming.

    Overall Mk2 is a much improved experience when compared to the first game although the sexual elements will still be too much for some to look past despite the improved overall product.

    If you're a fan of anime or JRPG's and can look past the overactive sexualisation of the young cast of characters and the sometimes cringe worthy sexual innuendo they often come out with then Mk2 is definitely worth a shot for it's much improved combat mechanics and smoother game play overall.

    + Clever game industry parody humor
    + Much improved combat mechanics and smoother combat animations
    + Traditional healing system replaces the percentage based auto-healing of the first game
    + Improved graphics outside of cut scenes

    - Still has rather uninspired dungeon design
    - The sexualisation of the characters and dialogue of the first game is still here and will alone be enough to put some players off despite the other improvements    … Expand
  17. OneManCast
    Oct 13, 2019
    8
    The thing is, I wanted to give this game a 10/10. There are only two gamebreaking issues.

    A)The model resolution was crap and the usage of 3D models in my opinion are ill-advised. When they used 2D sprites in the same game, it was far better. Another question: Why bother having two separate styles here? Do you want to go with 2D or 3D? This whole issue does not add to anything.    The thing is, I wanted to give this game a 10/10. There are only two gamebreaking issues.

    A)The model resolution was crap and the usage of 3D models in my opinion are ill-advised. When they used 2D sprites in the same game, it was far better. Another question: Why bother having two separate styles here? Do you want to go with 2D or 3D? This whole issue does not add to anything.

    B)Tonal clash. This game has a hard time figuring out what it wants to be. Part of the time, it is this super grimdark story, with endings like the True and Conquest Endings. The latter being the best ending, don't @ me. Part of the time, it wants to be a generic, shoujo ai moe blob. The worst, is when it wants to preach to us "the ills of piracy" when no regular person CARES. The way it was handled was sloppy.

    That being said, it had a lot of wonderful things.

    Great soundtrack
    Great story
    The Conquest Ending and subsequently Nepgear's character growth
    Lots and lots of shoujo ai. More please.
    The AP/SP system

    In all honesty though, this was a downgrade in comparison for the original.    … Expand
  18. Razzee
    May 5, 2020
    8
    Story: I don't know how good or bad it was for someone to have a gloomy, brand new character like Nepgear as the protagonist when this game launched in 2012, but for me it was a good change of pace. She is more human and with wider margin for character development, compared to Neptune, who in contrast manages to keep her cool at all times no matter the circumstances. The guest charactersStory: I don't know how good or bad it was for someone to have a gloomy, brand new character like Nepgear as the protagonist when this game launched in 2012, but for me it was a good change of pace. She is more human and with wider margin for character development, compared to Neptune, who in contrast manages to keep her cool at all times no matter the circumstances. The guest characters this time, Gust and Nisa, are very well written and play important roles in the story; I just wish there were more events with them. One of the endings (Conquest) is unarguably one of the best alternate timelines in the whole series.

    Combat system: it scrapped altogether the combat, healing and combo systems of the original game, which were too unintuitive and complex. The characters are now able to freely roam the battle instance to position the characters, healing can be done at any time, and the combo system is more straightforward, with less customization required. Two things I truly dislike about it though is being unable to defend to reduce incoming damage and the SP system that makes turning on and keeping HDD form almost impossible given how much SP is required and how few is given through attacking enemies and using items. It's not the best battle system in the franchise, but ways better than the first game and paved a path for the developers.

    Envinroment/art: all dungeons in this game are fresh, with none being recycled from the first game or Trinity Universe. The graphics are not great and the performance is very poor in some areas. Instead of 2D sprites, 3D models are used during cutscenes, and I don't dislike this change at all, since it amplifies the characters expressions. Sometimes 2D sprites shows up, which adds to inconsistency. mk2 has way less CGs compared to the original and Trinity Universe, or they were poorly distributed.

    OST: not better than the original sound-track, but still solid. When playing with English dub, most of the events are voiceless, even the main ones.    … Expand
  19. 7upCatTime
    Jul 4, 2022
    8
    A another good neptunia title, the reviews are soo wrong. So wrong in fact one of the reviews says it takes place 2years after the original. Which is wrong the games arent even connected

Awards & Rankings

82
#82 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2012
73
#73 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
53

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 16
  3. Negative: 3 out of 16
  1. GameCritics
    May 24, 2012
    60
    It would be easy to not recommend Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 since it's so repetitive and not very pretty, and players spend a lot of time reading scripted events. That said, I love the women-one of the villains included-and these weaknesses are part of the game's charm for me.
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  2. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    May 7, 2012
    50
    A sequel nobody asked for, and it knows it. Hugely unnecessary. [May 2012, p78]
  3. Worth Playing
    Mar 31, 2012
    65
    Combined with technical aspects that feel like it doesn't use its resources well enough, and you have a title that'll only reach RPG fans who want a little fan service on the side. Still, for those people, it's at least worth a rental if you want something other than the big RPG releases from the last few months.
    Read full review
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