I have such fond memories of this game, and returning to it twenty years later the gameplay still feels OH so good. That hack and slash formula is so effective here, and not in a, boring kinda way, there is a lot to spice things up and keep you engaged. It's fully 3D environments here in contrast to the pre-rendered background images, and it works really well. It loses some of the charm, but at the same time feels more authentic and as though you are able to walk around these locales. Story for me is a bit meh, but it is nice to come back to those iconic characters like Guildenstern who were left behind on the first game. It definitely gives early PS2 cheesy dialogue, something that plagued the industry at the time and does not hold up well. And overall, the game is great until the ending which felt like a huge cop-out. You don't really get to utilise those abilities and special weapons you had been saving up for, and the battle is just a bit bland with appearances. Even the ending cutscene is just disappointing. It feels like a budget issue, because it builds up to something so BIG, and then just falls flat. Though for a game released in 2004, it is pretty sick and I'm happy to have returned to it.