Also On: PS4
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: Bandai Namco
Medium: Digital/Disc
Players: 1-4
Online: Yes
ESRB: T
Itโs pretty easy to review God Eater 2: Rage Burst, as far as Iโm concerned: just think of it as a slightly improved version of God Eater Resurrection. As far as Iโm concerned, that means it merits a slightly better grade than God Eater Resurrection. Weโre not talking rocket science here.
I mean, looked at a certain way, you may think that this is a mark against God Eater 2. After all, GE Resurrection was itself a slightly upgraded version of a 2011 PSP game, which in turn was a somewhat stale Monster Hunter clone even when it first released. In other words, weโre talking about a game that essentially couldโve come out a decade ago without being substantially different from what weโre seeing today. If youโre looking for a game that revolutionizes the MonHun formula, I could see how that might be disappointing.
Conversely, if youโre a huge fan of the God Eater franchise, you may think that God Eater 2 takes its own formula to a new level. New monsters, new weapons, a new โattack add-onโ called Blood Arts, even the introduction of character-specific quests: in those terms, I suppose, GE2 does bring in some new bells and whistles that help elevate it to something more than it was the last time around.
As youโve probably already guessed, my opinion falls squarely in the middle. I donโt think God Eater 2 is a particularly innovative game, but at the same time, I think it improves on the seriesโ first game enough that thereโs no denying that itโs noticeably better. Take the graphics, for example: while this game still isnโt going to win any awards for its looks, itโs undeniably an improvement over what previous iterations looked like. The same, too, could be said for the combat, or the controls, or the plot, or any other aspect of the game. The improvements are small and incremental, but theyโre nonetheless obvious enough that theyโre undeniably present.
Of course, a big part of why itโs so apparent that theyโre present is because God Eater 2 has quite a bit in common with its predecessors. The tutorial is the same, most enemies are the same, even a lot of the environments are the same, albeit with minor differences here and there. If you want a dramatic departure, youโre not going to find it here. What you will find, however, is a pretty darn enjoyable monster-hunting game, thatโs well worth checking out if youโre a fan of the genre.
