I had heard a lot of mixed opinions regarding this title. There is a strange sort of mysticism created by the shortage of the first, and its somewhat rare originality in a console library that by sheer volume ran into so many copy-cats.
So when a sequel comes out and things are CHANGED, people can get upset. First off, there really isnt that much character exposition compared to the original. The story centers around the princess thus far and throws you into the action immediately. The larger changes:
*The Combat System - Retains the same system at attack, even switches to a 2D field. HOWEVER, the overall battle is in 3D, which means the system in VP2 is more about movement within the field.
You are supplied with a mini-map in each battle that shows each enemy as well as their attack range and arc. If you stay out of these as much as possible, and attack the sides and backs of enemies, the battles in between boss fights are cake.
There ARE situations where you can start in a battle in a tough spot, which is a pickle, I admit. However the DASH move, the cornerstone of the new combat system (IMO) will get you out of this pickle if youre fast enough. Dash consumes AP, the same AP your attacks use. So in the event you spend all your AP attacking one enemy and another is behind you, there is a chance you wont have enough AP to dash out of the remaining enemies attack range/arc.
So it comes down to this odd sort of balance. Dash too much and you dont have enough AP to attack, attack too much on small enemies and larger groups might overwhelm you. Speaking of groups, each group has a LEADER, the leader generally drops the items if you do a really big attack. Additionally you can end a battle immediately by going straight for the leader, this is called a DIRECT ATTACK. A big time saver or a way out when you dont wanna flee.
There IS a way to charge AP in a battle, so if you plan things right, AP isnt a big problem.
VP2 also has a TEAM system, where you split your party of 4 into 2 teams that can roam the battle independently. First off, the camera while roaming in a battle is a little wonky, so the team thing, for this reason doesnt really pan out that often. As I understand it a few of the bosses can be cheesed with the team system but it is clear the TEAM system was created for the 2P experience. That's right, two people can operate in a battle.
I dont suspect its split screen because honestly the POINT of splitting up the team is to surround one enemy, not attack enemies one on one.
*You dont materialize items anymore, there is a shopkeeper in town that can MAKE items. You do get more 'items' during battles depending on your successful attacks on a leader. I havent had much of a chance to see if the shopkeeper can make anything valuable.
*No more Periods, thank god. That's right, FUCK ODIN! I love VP, but I hate time constraints.
*Again, no more character exposition. The characters in the game are stored within the princess, so they are already in her service. However, their souls have decayed which means they cant exist outside of the valkyrie. As you level them up they get stronger and eventually can exist outside the big V. I suspect once they are fully materialized their stories will be explained through cutscenes.
*OMG 3D graphics. Those aren't jaggies, thats shimmering, and there's a lot of it. Blame the ps2. That aside the game is visually stunning. It might actually be in a persons best interest to play it through composite tho, the shimmering is pretty bad I suspect with good video definition. I have it running on an LCD with a native res higher than a normal tv, so it adds a very subtle blur to all my PS2 games, which really cuts down on the obvious video flaws of the aging ps2 hardware.
*Voice work is MUCH improved. Leagues better.
*The big V can still create crystals, however along with jumping on top of them, trapping enemies, you can also use them to teleport. Hit it once it freezes, hit it twice you switch spots with it. This is the cornerstone of the first dungeon's 'puzzles'.
Thats it for now, I only got 2 hours in, had to go to bed.
