God Eater 2

Somewhat import friendly, but definitely not a good game if you want something to help you learn Japanese.

The gameplay is fun, but some of the more advanced concepts will require Japanese proficiency or a wiki to use properly. People looking to import this without knowledge of the language should consider buying Freedom Wars instead.

If you enjoy the Monster Hunter/God Eater formula, then you will find God Eater 2 to be very enjoyable. This game builds upon Burst with more weapon diversity, as well as more maps and aragami.

The game also looks great. A triple A game in a pocket-sized package. It's nice to have a game that really utilizes the Vita's horsepower.

Unfortunately, with no English language version on the horizon, some knowledge of Japanese is required. I have rather proficient Japanese skills, and a lot of the finer points of the equipment are beyond me. The greater part of the story is also a mystery.

That said, provided you know Japanese, this game is worth it.

great game

This game is absolutely amazing, I can't remember the last time I was this drawn into a game.

The first God Eater Burst on the PSP was often criticized for being too similar to Monster Hunter with a story that was somewhat convoluted. As such, many gamers skipped on the game and it never really held much gravity with gamers in comparison to some other titles that were released for the PSP.

Sadly, when it comes to Vita titles, with the exception of Persona 4 Golden, JRPGs have been lacking when it comes to Western releases. The sad reality is that there are not many titles for the Vita that comes close to scope that Monster Hunter did for the PSP. God Eater 2 is one of those titles I hope to see localized because it really is fantastic. It fills the void of epic-scope JRPGs that Western gamers have been asking for, and perhaps one of the best reasons for gamers to own a Vita.

The story follows a few years after the first title. You're a part of a special forces group sent over to the Far Eastern Branch to investigate a new pandemic. You'll see some familiar faces (such as Alisa, Lindow, and Soma from the first game), and some new faces as well such as the cutesy Nana, serious Julius, and chill/laid back Romeo.

God Eater 2 is both an audio and visual treat. The game has great voicework (Japanese only, no English subtitles) and fantastic orchestrated music. The sound effects and vicious roars of the Arigami are particularly striking. The graphics are much improved from the first game, retaining (and improving) the overall anime-style and character designs, but with better lighting and shading effects. There's a plethora of options for your protagonist as well, although it seems somewhat out of place having over 50 options with different bunny/cat ears and hair clips in a post-apocalyptic world. Still I am grateful for the options, and if your so determined to make your protagonist look like Hatsune Miku or a female neko...more power to you!

If you don't understand Japanese, I strongly encourage gamers to at least play a bit through God Eater Burst before diving into this game. Not only are you missing a great PSP title, but you'll find the game mechanics and options somewhat overwhelming, especially when it comes to bullet creation, item upgrades, controls, etc.

If you do understand some Japanese, there's a lot of mixed Katakana and English and the story relativly easy to follow if you understand some of the basic Kanji/vocab.

The developers also plan on releasing free DLC and updates periodically, so if you have a Japanese PSN account, you're in for a treat. If not, I'm sure there will be a "Burst" version a year or two down the road, similar to the original God Eater.

Overall, a fantastic game and strongly recommended. Pick it up!