u/Exact_Requirement274

Over the last, week? I've made 2 posts about this game.

The first was complaining about the seeming mischaracterization of the cast in the prologue, and the second was gushing about ||Solo||.

I have now beaten the game. Those first 2 hours really do not do this game any favours, because it's phenomenal.

As a lurker, I kinda understood that this game is considered pretty weak when taking the entire trilogy into account. So going into this I was expecting the "Mixtape" of the SF series, and that prologue was really trying it's best to confirm those fears.

As soon as we got to the Museum arc, this game turned right around.

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From a gameplay and presentation standpoint SF2 clears the first game across the board. Still the same gameplay you know and love, but the expansions have really done an amazing job of putting some more meat on that somewhat bare bone.

The giant variation of enemies actually having a use now because of the Star Card Mechanic is amazing... Being able to power up your weaker 1 and 2 versions of individual cards is something I didn't know I needed to be honest.

In both the BN series and SF1 I kinda just had the habit of removing those for the stronger V3 variants you get late game, unless I was building a quirky deck to take advantage of certain properties.

With the Star Card System, I got a ton more mileage out of those weaker alternatives. To the point where certain scenarios came up, where the better option was to use the level 2 version with a Star card bonus because it simply dealt more damage than it's 3 variant, this was usually with cards that dealt multiple hits at once.

The Blankcards are a great way of filling your deck with strong battle cards without the heavy need of grinding for multiple copies. A great QOL mechanic across the board.

I love the fact the Wave World has now been expanded to allow you to traverse the entire overworld, and it's a much better system now for it... SF1 for as good as it was, couldn't really shake away from that BN framework as much as I would have liked, with the Wave Roads appearing above the map to mirror the Internet Roads of the prior series.

This new change opens up a bunch more exploration potential, and made searching every nook and cranny as both Geo and Megaman worth the time investment.

On my first trip to Wilshire Hills I found the fortune teller and for the rest of the game I was wondering when or if she would come into play, which led to an immense payoff when she finally did become important towards the end. Stuff like that just sticks with you.

The Star Carrier Hud actually showing you who has side quests for you to tackle with a red icon is a much needed change from the previous games handling of it, I just wish you were able to take on multiple side jobs at once.

As for the Tribe Forms, I like them. I played Zerker and had Saurian as my Auto Brother so I got a good feel for them both.

I think overall they're a step up from the Admin forms from the previous game. Being able to equip them to the Ability tab to start a battle in the form is a great change, and the special attack you can get from countering at the right time really increases the damage output potential you're capable of dealing out.

With that said, I'm not the biggest fan of the ability of being able to use all your battle cards at once upon charging them for a set period of time. At least for me, I found the time investment not worth the payoff, especially if I fluffed the opening shot and proceeded to waste the combo.

I'm sure it would be useful for those that are far better than I am at this game.

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Storywise my first impressions weren't great... I was keen to see how they would follow up the character progression of Geo and the others following the conclusion of the FM conflict, so I was incredibly confused when every single character that appeared in that prologue just seemed out of character to differing degrees.

Geo went from a steadfast resolve of protecting those he cared about, to a coward, and well a child... Which would make sense if this was the first game in the series, but it's a sequel. I did like seeing him happy for once though.

Omegaxis was always pretty fiesty and impulsive, but who gave this man tren? He was bloodthirsty for a time. He was waiting for someone to make his day.

Bud and Zack were on brand, I don't remember anything off colour for either of them.

Luna was pretty bossy in the first game, she dialed that shit up considerably in the first 2 scenarios, I was floored at how much of a bitch she was being.

Post the confrontation with Solo, the writers snapped out of the genjutsu they were under because everyone not only reverted back to their SF1 writing, it was expanded upon like a sequel should.

Luna went from that bossy little shit to a genuine leader at times. She kept Geo on the straight and narrow in the dark moments of the story where he just wanted to give up and isolate himself again.

She engineered plans and solutions when nobody else would.

She's more comfortable with being open with her friends, going as far as to outwardly express that to them. This is all amazing stuff and naturally expands upon her journey from the first game.

Zack's story arc harkens back to the post game optional brother band from the previous game. Where he feels useless compared to those around him, and if he could accomplish the goal he sets out to do in his scenario, maybe he will have the confidence he currently lacks.

He even has the backbone to shut down the Prez's demands here. Compared to the previous game where he was terrified and conducted a plan with Bud to ditch her in order to see Sonia's concert.

I won't go into Bud and Sonia, but make no mistake. Across the board there is genuine improvement in their dynamics as individuals and how they all interact with one another in a group.

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The concept of the Link Power in the story is something I don't think works well at all.

The message the story tries to spread. With Link Power and bonds being so important, because abandoning those bonds and fighting each other leads to the precursor of ruin is something I can get behind.

Humans are genuinely stronger when we work together, when we hold each other dear, when we come as a collective... I like how this transcends into gameplay by allowing you to equip more/stronger abillities as you gain more Link Power.

Solo works so well as a rival because his ideology and means of becoming stronger are the antithesis of Geo's, but I can't help but feel that the story as a whole is by nature hypocritical, due to the very fact they made Link Power in universe, a currency.

A bond that is forged to make us stronger, is now the force that segregates us. Those that have a higher Link Power are treated far better than those that don't. Being able to use the worlds publics services for a cheaper price, or even free in a lot of cases.

Able to enjoy luxuries as free gifts, and free hotel suites, there are even people who refuse to talk to you because your link power is simply too low.

It just makes the entire idea of this power, fake. It's not a belief system or a bond to keep the world together, it's a hierarchy. One that, if you happen to be on the bottom of it? You will be segregated, discriminated, even attacked in the case of Solo.

The idea that the way more advanced tribes of Mu destroyed themselves because they lost trust in one another, reducing their link power is a cautionary tale... But I can't help but feel, that what we see in SF2's narrative, is simply the precursor, of the precursor to ruin.

Yeah, they're enjoying the power of bonds now. But what if this divide furthers? What if those with lower link power continue to be treated harsher and harsher? What if those that have high link power right now end up losing it and feel the reality of this social credit system?

The story of Star Force 2 more than anything to me, is a narrative of not allowing history to repeat. To take the lessons that destroyed the Mu Tribe, and learn from those to not repeat that error again. And by the end of the story I can't say that lesson has been learned.

I think we're just at the beginning stage of the next Precursor to Ruin. That's just what I took away from the story at least, I might just be reading into something that isn't there. But that's just how I feel.

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To round this off, Muu is my favourite final boss in the series and BN.

I was expecting a challenge, and he did not disappoint. The first attempt he destroyed me, the further 13 attempts, the same thing.

He hits hard, he spams the field with so many attacks at rapid pace. You can't even damage him until you take out his middle plate, only to be greeted with a juicy 2000hp bar. Bro had me shooketh.

My deck in this playthrough was a Grass Field, fire strategy. I didn't make use of these elemental fields in the previous game because I didn't understand the combo potential with the elements.

I just assumed the grass field powered up wood cards, and since I didn't use any last time I didn't bother. But the big wave dude sent me an email early in the game explaining the different properties, such as fire dealing double damage on grass panels, or enemies being frozen in ice if you hit them with an aqua attack on the ice field.

The difficulty of the game itself was rather easier as I always had a means of dealing 2-400 damage per attack relatively early on. I'm explaining this because Muu forced me to change my strategy, it forced me to get creative with my folder building since it didn't play by the same rules as every other encounter.

In the end I settled for a survival strategy, stacking my deck with HP recoveries, Super Barriers and Invisible cards. Aside from my Giga and Mega cards, I prioritized attacks that could hit the backrow without aiming, or cards that straight up autoaimed onto the boss like Moai Falls.

Taking off Zerker form in the ability menu, allowed me to prioritize my Link Points for HP buffs, I had a lot of fun figuring this out.

I am confident in saying I've used bomb cards in this one story alone, more times I ever had in any of the BN games or the Previous SF game.

The shaky start aside SF2 is genuinely a step up from SF1 in my eyes, and I can't say I understand why this game get's such a bad wrap? I was expecting a turd with SF2, what I got was a garbage prologue, and a truly great middle and end game, one that surpasses the original.

Until I play SF3, this is now my favourite game in the series. Currently doing the post game and find the Alternate Future intriguing from a lore perspective.

Great game, Great Music, Interesting Story with a hypocritical message, a solid time across the board.

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EDIT: I couldn't include this in the original post because I was strapped for time so I'll include it here.

I think Vega is a far better antagonist than the FMian King as a whole. Her going to such drastic means to alter the world because those around her sent the ones she loved to die, whilst overboard is still relatable.

People greive in different ways, and ultimately loss changes the soul. She has way more depth to her as a villain, than a schizo King who was getting rage baited by Gemini.

I ended up feeling way more sympathy for her personally, as I went through a similar change myself when I lost a friend to a car accident 11 years back.

That anger, that yearning for retribution, to hear their voices one final time... Coping by trying to fill the void to no avail. She just has more potential for redemption than the King who catastrophized himself into committing literal genocide.

My biggest problem with the execution for as much as I did enjoy it, is that you don't get any insight to this until the final 5 minutes of the game. If they built up her relationship with Hollow earlier on, and more than Sonia telling Geo that he's her only Brother-Band, that final moment where she does get the thing she desires albeit breifly would have been way more satisfying.

Hollow slayed though. Vega didn't realize what she had until it slipped through her fingers.

What are your overall thoughts and rules for the wave command system?

The first 2 hours DO NOT do this game justice. SF2 Retrospective