Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker x Ninja

"Tribe on."

After months of anticipation, Mega Man Star Force 2 finally made it's way to the United States. Many things have changed since Omega-xis and Geo's last battle on the roads of the EM Wave World. For starters, humans no longer use the Transers that were widely used in the original Mega Man Star Force. The three satellite administrators of planet AM are no longer available for communication, and the FM planet seems to have ceased causing Earthlings grief. In Mega Man Star Force 2, Geo receives a new means of advanced technology called a Star Carrier, which looks somewhat similar to a Personal Terminal from the days of Mega Man Battle Network. This Star Carrier grants many new things, such as Matter Waves and the Wave Command Code system.

Game play: 8/10. Mega Man Star Force 2's game play becomes more of a challenge, compared to it's predecessor. The Best Combo system is no longer broken, thankfully. In order to create a Best Combo in this game, your target must be an EX or SP class enemy (as it was in Mega Man Star Force 1). They cannot move from the panel that they receive damage from, or the combo will be cut short. Mega Cards can be used for Best Combos, a nice new addition. New Battle Cards have been designed, as well.

Capcom also decided to recycle the NaviCust formula from Battle Network and create the Ability system, where you can add power-ups such as tools to increase your vitality, barriers and buster customizers to Mega Man.

A new quirk that Mega Man Star Force 2 brings is the Wave Command Code system. By utilizing a "Blank Card" or pressing the SELECT button on the Omega-xis screen, you will be taken to the Wave Command input menu. There are twenty spaces that require you to punch in a six character password. If you input the code correctly, you will receive Battle Cards, money and other items, based on the code you you used. These codes are only good for a one time use, to prevent mass duplication.

Mega Man Star Force 2 also has two playable save files, reviving an idea from Mega Man Battle Network 5: Double Team DS. And just like Double Team DS, the save files are two different versions. Both versions of Mega Man Star Force 2 have a file for Zerker, but there is also a version exclusive file for the two separate games. The version you play will determine what kinds of Giga Cards that will be available, as well as the type of Mega Man transformation you will receive later in the version.

Like Mega Man Star Force 1, there are three usable transformations in this game. But they aren't like the Star Force that the satellite administrators granted Geo in the first game. In fact, you get these transformations from... rocks. Geo and Omega-xis run into these mystical rocks called OOParts (which is short for out-of-place artifacts) at a certain point in the game's story, and the transformation becomes accessible to Mega Man even later. When you first learn to Tribe on, you will only be able to use the transformation your version grants you. But with Brother Bands, you can use the Double Tribe, which allows Mega Man to fuse the Tribe he is using with another, like morphing Wood Ninja with Electric Zerker to create Electric Ninja. And if you have Brothers for the two other versions of Mega Man Star Force 2, you can morph the three transformations into the Tribe King, a very beefed up solider. But there are darker sides to every good. Mega Man can also use a transformation similar to the Dark Unison in Mega Man Battle Network 5. These darker versions of the Tribes require you to have no brothers, and to find Indie Fragments throughout the EM Wave World.

Music And Sound: 7/10. The sound track for Mega Man Star Force 2 seems too childish in comparison to the first game's. While the majority of tracks are new, some of the sound tracks from Star Force 1 were pulled into Star Force 2's. Even worse - the voices were entirely removed from the game. The Japanese version had Mega Man talking during certain parts in a battle, but the English version simply nixed the idea, to the dismay of the majority of North American players.

Story line: 6/10. The story line for Mega Man Star Force 2 simply does not come close to the story for the first Mega Man Star Force. Despite the longer story line in this game, most of the plot is too eccentric and happens too quickly. The recycling of the "bad guy comes, Mega Man kills, more bad guys come, Mega Man gets weak but later receives a ripped amount of power and kills even harder" formula was too be expected. But it's not the FM planet trying to destroy the humans. In fact, this story line doesn't even involve global genocide. Some lady with an "I'm God" complex is using UMA (unidentified mysterious animals) EM wav bodies to terrorize and search for the OOPart. And of course, it's up to Mega Man to save the world. Again.

Wi-Fi: 7/10. The Wi-Fi online play has been GREATLY improved from Mega Man Star Force 1. Instead of mere Brother Bands, you can now battle online using the Worldwide option, or you can battle your Brothers through the Brother option. And there are a lot of fair players. If you see a star symbol near your opponents, highlighted choice in the battle men, you know you're in for a fight. And if you're too scared to fight someone with tons of victories, or too egotistic to fight someone with little to no wins, you can search for another opponent just before the fight begins.

While Mega Man Star Force 2 has many excellent new features, it simply does not come wrapped in the "fresh new series and brand new characters" taste that Mega Man Star Force 1 had when it came out late in August of 2007. But that's not to say that this game isn't worth your money if you've played Mega Man Star Force 1 and want to keep up with the story, or if you just want to try something new.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/07/08

Game Release: Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker x Ninja (US, 06/24/08)