Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker x Ninja

"A great game for Megaman veterans and people who are new to Megaman-A great game."

I enjoyed the Megaman Battle Network series, and Megaman Starforce 1. I enjoyed those games very much, but I have never posted anything about them besides a few cheats. This game, Megaman Starforce 2:Zerker x Ninja was so good that I had to post a review. Now, on to the review!

Gameplay: 9/10
The Starforce series uses a similar battle formula as the BN series, but instead of having a full 3x3 field, you get one row. This might seem like a setback, but you can use the lock on feature, which enables you to teleport to another panel on the field for the duration of an attack. This game is easy sometimes, like when you are fighting a Mettenna(a basic enemy that you fight) and can be extremely hard , like when you are fighting a DX boss. (DX is a form)The controls for this game are simple, and easy to get used to. (like, A is to use a special attack, and B for a gun) You also collect battle data called "Battle Cards," which is required in battle, ranging from shooting cannons, to calling others for help, to recovering your own HP. You can also change your form to enable yourself to use new powers, change how you look and give you stat boosts. These new forms are called tribes, and you can only get all of them by Brother banding with someone from every version except your own. This game, like Starforce 1, includes the Brother Band System, which let's you get a link with a person over the Internet, or with the Nintendo DS wireless connection. This lets you use their favorite attacks, see their personal profile page (in-game of course) and use their forms. This game also includes a double tribe and even a triple tribe feature, which lets you fuse the three tribes. This game also supports a dark form called the Burai (or Rogue) form, which can only be obtained by having no brothers and inserting dark data into Megaman, called the Indie Fragments.

Story:8/10
This game has a good story that move along smoothly, and at the end, everything makes sense. True to the Megaman series, you must go through a "dungeon" to fight each boss and these "dungeons" each include a mini game, or puzzle that you must solve to get through. These puzzles can be from laughably easy (like dodging ghosts) to mind numbingly hard. (like the Bermuda maze) These dungeons are in many locations and here are a few examples: First, you fight Phantom Black on the top of a tower, then you fight Yeti Blizzard in a resort that is on a snowy mountain, and so on. As the story goes on, there are mini cut scenes in an unknown base, where you can catch a glimpse of the the the evil mastermind, and her accomplices. (who are below her) In the end you fight Le Mu on an ancient continent, and you get the mastermind to realize her evil. Beating the game puts you back to where you last saved, buts turns your file in a cleared file, which gives you a star. You must obtain 6 stars by completing various tasks to fight Le Mu in it's final form and beat the game completely. You also have a "rival" named Rogue, who hates relationships, and tries to kill Megaman many times. In the end, he ends up saving Megaman.

Graphics/Sound-9/10
The Starforce series, unlike the BN series, is 3-D. The 3-D graphics aren't anything to be surprised about when compared to console games, but has excellent graphics compared to other DS games. The battlefield is 3-D, and looks crisp, while the overworld screen (where you do your adventuring) gives a 2-D birds eye view, and brings a sense of nostalgia for BN players. Both screens have crisp and smooth graphics, and never lags. The music is also good, but can get repetitive, but really describes the setting. The music also has a wide variety of personalities. When there is something bad going on, there is "Crisis" music that plays the same way everywhere.

Play Time/Re-playability-10/10
This game has a good amount of playtime even when you're just finishing the main storyline. I am a casual gamer, and I just do the tasks that I must complete, and look for extras after completing the main story. When I was doing this, the main story gave me a good 33 hours. To finish the post story, get all the stars, and to give more benefits to brothers, you need to collect all the battle cards, which totals up to more than 170 cards. You can also beat bosses after beating them in the storyline by finding them on EM Waves. Beat these stronger versions, and you will be able to battle their SP versions randomly in that area. You also have an option of changing SP bosses to DX bosses who are, as mentioned before, extremely hard. There are other boss forms such as SX, IF, and Xalpha. There is also on-line battling, which increases the re-playability even more.

On-line-7.5/10
This game's weakest point. There is much lag on-line, and there are many people who cheat on WiFi. But don't be to worried. This will not affect your game at all. Beating cheaters will also show them that skill is required even when you cheat. It may also stop them from cheating.

Final Recommendation
Buy this game. It's not hard to find, and it's a great game. This is a great game for any RPG lover. If you are new to the Megaman Starforce series, and not sure of buying this game, rent it. You will love it. You will be able to do the things I mentioned before, and much, much more. Buy it today! You won't regret it!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/09/08

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