Many gamers feel like Japanese video game development has lost its way. They say that the games developed in Japan don?t hold up to those made in the west. Well, I can certainly say that Hyperdimension?Neptunia mk2 won?t change the minds of those players. This is a game that was made for a very specific niche of gamers (a?niche I happen to belong to), and while not perfect, succeeds in giving us exactly what we want.?
Hyperdimension?Neptunia?mk2?takes place in a world called Gameindustri?where CPUs?(beautiful, often busty?girls) guard its various kingdoms from the forces of evil. While jumping into this game without having played the original may seem daunting, fear not. This game is more of a ?what if?? story based around what might have happened if the ending of the first game went terribly wrong. You take on the role of a young CPU in training, Nepgear, as she tries to round up?the mascot characters from the different kingdoms to help free the CPUs from their imprisonment. While the story is absolutely outlandish and by no means great, it does what it needs to do and is quite funny at times. It often falls back on anime clich?s, such as young Lolita girls, but that seems to be what fans want, and the game is happy to oblige.
While the story is very satisfying for people who enjoy this genre, the gameplay leaves a few things to be desired. The basic concepts all work well enough: you go into semi real-time combat situations and are given a circle around your characters from which you can attack within. If you can?t reach the enemy you have to move in closer before you can attack with various moves and combos. The combat works fine but the other areas of gameplay suffer from poor design. One instance of this is that all towns are only a menu. From there you can buy things, take on missions, and use a system to create better items from components. Though really, it just makes the game feel like you move from one battle area to the next without any relief in between.
Despite the flaws, there are some really fun and quirky moments to be had in the game. A lot of the enemies you fight are directly influenced by enemies from other video games, and it really adds to the fun of the world. Another crazy element is the inclusion of Mega Man?creator, Keiji?Inafune?in the game. He will appear as himself, give you advice, and can even be used as a special attack. It is hilarious and completely insane. This is the sort of thing that makes this game stand out from other generic JRPGs.?
In terms of visuals, the game is a bit of a mixed bag. The character models are all nice and look appropriately anime-like, with each of the young girls you get in your party looking distinct and interesting. The environments can be a bit boring in a lot of places, but the art style makes it work in most situations. This game won?t be winning any beauty contests, but it does its job.
The sound design of the game is around the same quality as the visuals. There is nothing here that you will be remembering for years to come, but it serves its purpose. A lot of it is mainly just the clich? j-pop fare so often heard in this type of game. At first you may find it to be annoying, but as the characters, story, and world grow on you, the peppy music will as well.
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In the end, I had a fairly good time with Hyperdimension?Neptunia?mk2. The characters and basic story are clich? and done to death, but they end up growing on you. I will say that this game is certainly not meant for everyone. The whole idea of this game is to give a sort of satire on anime and video game tropes. If you are into watching anime girls jump around in outfits that show off too much skin, JRPGs that are perfectly fine at what they do, or peppy stories about good topping evil, this game is for you. Hyperdimension?Neptunia?mk2 isn?t perfect, but it does deserve its score.
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Hyperdimension?Neptunia?mk2 was reviewed with a copy provided by NIS America.
VN:F [1.9.11_1134]
Source: http://trendygamers.com/2012/03/07/hyperdimension-neptunia-mk2-review/
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