Skip to content
The graphics use 2D pixel sprites on a 3D plane on both the overworld – where you move your characters to engage in battle – and changes when the game moves to a 2D Fighting Screen plane when attacking your opponents. The sprites are very enjoyable to look at as they are a fresh perspective to the characters you are familiar with. The graphics are colourful with added anime full-motion video sprites thrown in when performing special attacks which makes the attacks look more dynamic. The backgrounds, however, are a bit dull at times: a bare looking city, the outside of a hospital, a barren, demonic world, a shopping arcade!? Again taking overused tropes from anime, I’m sure some won’t mind this but others may find it a bit lacklustre.
The music is very energetic and exciting when playing but unfortunately sounds very generic which makes it forgettable (I confess that I can’t remember what the music sounds like at all after putting the game down!) It does do the job for background when fighting, though, and even has the odd nod to some of your favourite titles with tracks you will remember from games, such as Street Fighter and Mega-man, as well as other games featured in the mix.
The attacking noises sound like they came directly out of an anime which is enjoyable especially if you are an anime fan. The game also has plenty of original Japanese voice over, which is great to hear as Japanese voice actors generally seem a lot more passionate than their western counterparts when it comes to game dialog.
Final Thoughts:
Project X Zone 2 was no improvement over the first game, unfortunately, as I ended up having the same experiences playing. The blind hope of seeing more interactions with my favourite characters is what kept me going, but I still got bored pretty quickly. It was great seeing characters like Axel from Streets of Rage, X from the Mega-man X Series and Chris and Jill from Resident Evil, to name a few, but it did not add any longevity to the game for me.
Graphics: 8/10: Awesome colourful sprites with enjoyable anime style cut scenes, but boring dull backgrounds.
Sound: 5/10: Lively but forgettable; does the job in game but nothing stands out that I can remember after turning the game off.
Gameplay: 7/10: Starts off fun with great ways to join up attacks and specials, but eventually gets samey and dull with the same animations and few button combinations.
Story: 1/10: Too basic with little drive thrown in to give incentive to beating the game. There is also little to no story to speak of; the dialogue between characters is as far as story goes in this game for the most part.
Final Verdict: 6/10: enjoyable and fun to begin with, but very little keeps the game flowing outside of seeing enjoyable animations and nostalgic characters.
Thanks to the channels featured for the gaming footage.
Project X Zone 2 is out now on Nintendo 3DS. Click on the packshot for the full-size version.
Important info:
- Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Players: single player
|
GRAPHICS SOUND GAMEPLAY ENJOYMENT/STORY |
8 5 7 1 |
| OVERALL | 6 |
Retro game fan, comic book reader, board game lover and film fanatic. I have loved videogames since I was 5 years old after visiting my first arcade, I have grown up with gaming since having my Atari 2600 then Commodore 64. I ended up building my own career crafting pixelised characters and have had the pleasure of meeting many of my retro gaming heroes who developed some of my absolute favourite games.