Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 is an improvement on the original that offers some fun gameplay elements unique to this sequel. While those new to the series might pass it over, it's still a fun game that is both charming and enjoyable. It is not necessary to be familiar with the original game as mk2 will quickly bring you up to speed on the unfolding events. Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 is highly recommended for fans of the original and for RPG fans looking for an engaging, humorous and one-of-a-kind experience.
Ultimately, Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 is a much, much better game than its predecessor. While the script isn't as funny as the first and tends to cross the line of good taste a few times too often, the improvements to the gameplay, the more diverse cast, and the better developed world all solidify it as an actually enjoyable game. It's much shorter than the original Hyperdimension Neptunia, clocking in at a little over twenty hours, but in many ways that's a good thing, not a bad thing. I couldn't be more pleasantly surprised.
In comparison to the first game, I really can't tell where this game stands.
The game play is improved, but some of the story and setting things were retconned a bit, it's not a bad change but in my opinion it's not the most intelligent changes, I didn't like that they scrapped the whole goddess worship thing, having that made the character seem more like goddesses, but that may be entirely personal opinion.
Either way it's a decent sequel and if you didn't enjoy the first game because of the dungeons or combat i'd say give this a try. (the remake Rebirth 2 doesn't nearly have as many upgrades as Rebirth 1 has over the first game but it's still gonna be out sometime for Vita if you can wait)
This game is just awesome in every way!
The Story, the Gameplay, the characters.
I was even lucky to get one of the last limited Editions, just incredible =)
It would be easy to not recommend Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 since it's so repetitive and not very pretty, and players spend a lot of time reading scripted events. That said, I love the women-one of the villains included-and these weaknesses are part of the game's charm for me.
What's frustrating about Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 is that it's a game with a good concept and a battle system that has the potential to be fantastic if refined. What it ends up being, though, is a game with the smallest bit of quality at its core, surrounded by a suite of atrociously subpar elements.
Fun story and a great new combat system. A really big improvement over first part. The only reason to not buy is having an allergy on anything anime-like.
The first Hyperdimension Neptunia game left me rather disappointed. Some clever ideas and humor were critically undermined by clunky and annoying combat and ugly graphics outside of the anime styled scenes, not to mention a little too frequent use of creepy sexual innuendos and imagery.
However, I obviously thought it had SOME potential otherwise I wouldn't have bothered giving the second game a chance and I was pleasantly surprised. Mk2 makes major improvements in it's combat and healing mechanics. The combat no longer felt clunky and unresponsive, combos flowed much more smoothly without unnecessary pauses in-between strikes and the ability to actually move your characters around the battlefield adds a layer of strategy concerning where to position your party members to avoid damage or flank an enemy. The old healing system that copped so much flak in the first game has been completely scrapped in favor of a more traditional system that removes the frustration of the last game, returning control of healing their party to the player.
The graphics are much improved although still not great compared to the original however the dungeon design is still underwhelming.
Overall Mk2 is a much improved experience when compared to the first game although the sexual elements will still be too much for some to look past despite the improved overall product.
If you're a fan of anime or JRPG's and can look past the overactive sexualisation of the young cast of characters and the sometimes cringe worthy sexual innuendo they often come out with then Mk2 is definitely worth a shot for it's much improved combat mechanics and smoother game play overall.
+ Clever game industry parody humor
+ Much improved combat mechanics and smoother combat animations
+ Traditional healing system replaces the percentage based auto-healing of the first game
+ Improved graphics outside of cut scenes
- Still has rather uninspired dungeon design
- The sexualisation of the characters and dialogue of the first game is still here and will alone be enough to put some players off despite the other improvements
Hyperdimension Neptunia isn't a particularly good game by any standards. Within the first few moments of playing you'll begin questioning the developers design choices. It's hard to describe, but everything about the UI just feels off. It feels clunky and unintuitive, actively denying you the information you so desperately want.
The graphics aren't very pretty in themselves. The 2D sprites look okay, but the 3D models are lifeless and awkward to look at. The soundtrack might be one of the few redeeming features about the game, but you'll find it grating on you as you repeat the same areas again and again.
The main issue is the gameplay, however. Information about it is poorly conveyed through slides that don't really tell you much of anything, leaving you to flounder around as you try to figure out what you're doing wrong. You'd better get on your knees and pray to RNGesus, because half your attacks will just flat out miss if you don't. Which is another thing: the difficulty is all over the place. Chances are you'll be spending a significant amount of time grinding. On most encounters you'll strike first and the battle will be a breeze. In other cases you'll be wiped before you can even question what happened. (So you can reload your save and do more grinding again. Yay.) So, in summary, combat is something you'll want to actively avoid, but you'll have to spend all of your time in if you want to do anything.
The story...barely exists. I've yet to see any of purported wit and satire this game has. So far it's been a bevy of typical anime tropes. And, no, commenting that something exists and replicating it isn't satire.
I entered Hyperdimension Neptunia curious, and left it confused. In my brief time, I saw nothing of merit - rather a substandard game that could only be enjoyed by the most hardcore of fans. You'll have to try really hard to find any fun here, all you'll find is a clunky, boring experience that leaves you worse off than when you began playing.
One of the worst RPGs ever made, The combat is broken, the quest system makes grinding wow seem entertaining, the voice acting is absolute **** This game could be used to teach a class on how NOT to make a JRPG. Its only sole redeeming feature is it is indeed not as bad as is predecessor, which is in my opinion one of the worst games ever made. If thats all IF wanted to do, they succeeded. I guess this is what should be expected from the company that created the monumentally terrible X-Edge.