I wanted to give //Infection the benefit of the doubt. It's a shorter game, and they didn't reveal much about the plot. It was rough around the edges, but it's a very early PS2 RPG, the sequel was sure to improve upon the original and the story could finally get going. I beat the optional boss of the previous game, got my save ready to import, took a small break, and threw this game in.

The first half of a hour of this game destroyed whatever goodwill that the first game built up. This wasn't a proper sequel. This wasn't even something like Shining Force III, where they used the same engine but provided a full narrative and enough changes to the formula to avoid burnout. They took what they had with //Infection, and cut the game in half. Zero visual improvements, most of the areas use the same tilesets. The combat, with its monotony, difficulty hitting enemies (due to movement and camera issues) and abundance of crowd control directed towards the player remains in tact. They sold this game as a sequel, and it should be looked at like a sequel.

The biggest addition to the game are Grunty Races. They're a mini-game that doesn't directly impact the plot, and rewards the player with permanent stat boosts. It's a welcome addition, even if it's half baked, but in no way justifies how padded and sparse this entry in the series is. There's so many "arcs" that are obviously not important to the overall story and are there to waste time. Even with a sizable break, playing more than one of these games starts to feel like eating flour.