Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker X Saurian
Year: 2008
Rating: E
Time Played: 1,055 minutes / 17.58 hours
After playing through the first Mega Man Star Force game, the experience underwhelmed me. I absolutely loved the Mega Man Battle Network games, so I figured this “evolution” of the formula would still keep my interest. Unfortunately, after two games of this, they haven’t won me over. Sure, some mechanics that made the Battle Network games fun find a home here in the sequel, but the whole series just feels so far separated from the original series as to not even be related.
I think some of what attracted me to the Battle Network series was the link between it and the robot masters of the original series. In the Star Force series, the enemies have either been based on constellations (as in the first game) or mythical creatures (as in this game). Neat themes, sure, but they don’t link to my inherent Mega Man nostalgia. I actually stopped playing this game for quite a few months before forcing myself to pick it up again and finish the main story.
Ironically enough, it wasn’t until I “unlocked” most of the secret codes present in the game that it actually became fun to play. I loved the little transformations that Mega Man could do in this game, as it was a quick boost to the power levels and evoked the style-change mechanic from the Battle Network days. Sure, the second half of the game lacked much of the challenge that had caused me to put it down in the first place, but at least I was enjoying myself again. I’ll still probably be a completionist and play the next (and gladly, last) game in this series, but not until I forget about playing this one.
More of the same Star Force gameplay without many improvements, I give Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker X Saurian 2.5 stars out of 5.
1/2
