River City Girls 2 is the kinda of sequal that really isn't innovative but what it does give is just more and more of what you liked about the first game and not really addressing any of the issues you may have had from the first game. It's really a 1.5 kinda upgrade but honestly that's kinda want I want from a RCG2. I just want some quality of life improvements and more of what the first game offered. There are two new characters to play as, more enemies and a much larger world to explore. If you liked the first game there is no reason why the second game would let you down. There are a lot of reused things from the first RCG game such as enemies, characters, music and backdrops but I didn't mind so much because we got just as much new stuff that the package just feels bigger.

Lots of improvments to combat and minor fixes make the game feel so much better. Enemies are easier to combo and combat feels just a bit more fluid. It's fun trying to create some crazy combos and link everything togather. The story is about on par of the first one. Although I think the ending of this one is rather dull compared to the first. A lot safer of an ending, but a minor nit pick.

One major note that I was hyped for was the OST. I think the first RCG's game had one amazing soundtrack and I can safely say that this game delivers majorly in that regard. A lot of songs from one pop up in this one but it doesn't feel as rehased as it sounds and there is quite a lot of new tracks, so there is definitly no skimping here. RCG2 might just have one of the best OST in gaming right now, it's that damn good. A definite top ten competitor IMO.

The game is semi open world as all the locations can be traveled from back and forth at will, but there is set paths one must go. Side quests and other things can be tackled in any order and there is a lot to collect if going for a 100% run. Also added in online co op for those who like that, but for me this feels like it works better solo or local just because the way it is designed, but I know people do love that option so it is there. Other than that there really isn't much more to say about the game. It really does feel like a super extention to one. I do like the option of picking which characters appear in the cutscene and voice the story lines. I just wish that they would cater more to the who was voicing the line. It's always from the perspective of the main characters even if they aren't the ones voicing the lines. Kinda hard to explain with out seeing it.

As for minor complaints as of this review the game runs at 30 FPS which is a step down from the first game and is immeaditly noticable coming from it. However I easily adapted to it and didn't bother me too much but I'd be lying if i said it wasn't a step down. Thankfully a patch is one the way to get it back up to 60 FPS but it really should have been there day one. No reason a game like this should run like that. Also my other minor gripe is just like the first game the game is way way too easy. Accessories and stat improving RPG mechanics make you way to powerful. I get that this franchise was born from RPG mechanics and that's cool but mid game I should not be so dominant. Especially adding two more difficulties is worthless when it barely changes anything. I would have loved to see a more hardcore no item, limited health items mode that made the beat um up elements stand out more. It really hurts replayability IMO. Plus it would be cool if the game would have given up more of an incentive to trying other characters but it really rewards just mastering one.

In the end though RIver City Girls 2 was one of my favorite games of the year and one I can surely see myself going back to thanks to it's colorful, fun story and dialog with a dose of feel good brawler mechanics. It's the sequal that I wanted and I crave more.

Platinum # 172