"Capcom has made a golden egg!"

Okay, this is my first review people. So don't expect much in the terms of expert opinion of which I am not. MegaMan Star Force 2 come in two versions, which respectively contain a exclusive version and shared version of the game, which is named Zerker. Depending on which one you get, your other choices are the Ninja and Saurian Versions, not a bad set-up considering differences between them are minimal at best, and that the lest game was split amongst three versions. A new story and some new characters, as well as a few throwbacks to the Battle Network series, Capcom tried their hardest with this one. Note that the next paragraph might contain spoilers for those of you who read this first before playing.

It is two months since the main protagonists, Geo Stelar and Mega, put an end to the FMian invasion and mass genocide of Earth, with technology improving, and many advancement being made, the Transers and the Sattelites that they were utilized with are a thing of the past. Geo gets a new device in this game called the Star Carrier, which like the last game has the acclaimed BrotherBand system, a system that allows you to register other people via friend codes in order to become Brothers. This system has many benefits, which will be explained later.Anyhow, a new villain arises and MegaMan must take action once more!

Now for the specific reviews.

The Game Play [9/10] :
The gameplay in Star Force 2 has been more refined since Star Force of yesteryear, which while was good, did not provide so good an experience. The games have three transformations between them, netting you two per cartridge (Zerker and Ninja,then Zerker and Saurian respectively). Which game you get will determine what transformations you utilize. Though the version of the game you choose to play will be the base form and the form you use for that game. You can't, unfortunately, you can't choose which for you battle with outside of the new Double and Triple Tribe, or Tribe King methods, meaning that if you choose the Zerker version, you can't switch to Saurian mid-game, and vice-versa.

The transformations for Double Tribe work like this, you start with a base form, or the Zerker, Saurian, or Ninja forms, depending which game and which version your playing. The one you choose for the second one will determine what element you will become, and I will not say anything beyond that, lest I give you more spoilers. The next transformation is the Triple Tribe, or Tribe King, which is like a super soldier, granting you a neutral element, and some amazing power, though it is not recommended to use, as it makes the game too easy, even if it only lasts for three turns. Tribe King can only gotten by getting Real Brothers. Which is my next subject.

The BrotherBand system has also been improved, seperating the In-Game Brothers from the ones you can make in real life, called Real Brothers. Real Brothers are gained by, as stated earlier, by friend codes, which are passwords that allow you to register other real-life players from long distances. The more brothers you have, the powerful you become. There is however, another power that requires that you have no Real Brothers. It is the power of loneliness, which is gained through items called Indie Fragments. Getting six of these bad boys will turn you into Rogue MegaMan, a transformation with benefits and consequences alike. You cannot Double or Triple Tribe with this form, and you cannot have any Real Brothers, because the Indie Fragments take up those spots. You will only become the Rogue form of the version you currently represent or use.

The benefits of this form however are more diverse than the other available transformations. Swords get a power boost from Rogue form, and you also get a one hp Indie Shield which regenerates every few seconds to defend against Non-Buster attacks with the exception of your enemy's charge shot (If your on Wi-Fi). Your LFB is used via Time Stop cards rather than Brother Force cards. The last benefit, although speedy fingered people can get around it, is breaking your opponent's MegaAttack lock-on in Wi-Fi battles. Like I said though, speedy people can use those speedy fingers to attack you with lock-on with the split second they have to attack after activation.

The Best Combo system has also been refined in this game, No longer being able to just string cards together in just a single turn. You must now not allow them to move from the panel they are on in, with what you plan to use in one turn or the combo will be broken. To give an example, Chip A, Chip B, and Chip C, All must hit in order to be a combo, with the exception being if they are cards ParalyzPlus and Attack+10, but they also count towards the 3 card requirement, they must also not move from the spot you hit them on AT ALL. The way you get Best Combos, like the games' predecessor, is facing an EX or SP level boss, you must use the combo, make sure they don't move, then finish them off. That simple.

The Navi-Customizer concept of old returns in Star Force 2 as a equip able group of items called Ability Waves. Ability Waves are items that can be gotten by doing Side-Quests, checking Mystery Waves, and saving Mr. Hertzes in battle without them getting hit. Equipping these items will give Mega Man new abilities in battle, such as increased HP, Buster effects, Bodily Effects, and being able to be Tribed On at the beginning of battle. There is a limit however to how many you can equip. That is your Link Power, your LP rises as you get Brothers from the In-Game Storyline, and from Real Brothers, who get you more LP depending on how much of the game they have completed. Using Ability Waves uses up LP by a number indicated next to it.

An example is...lets say you currently have 50 LP, and a Ability Wave you have, like HP+50/50, is used. The HP+50 will use up that 50, and you can't equip anymore unless you have unequipped it first. You also can't use Ability Waves if they go over your LP number, so you must keep it within the limit.

With the newer game play being refined, and how well it was done, I give this section of the game a 9 out of 10.

Graphics [7/10]:
The games graphics have received a bit of an upgrade compared to the last game, which looked like a remake of Battle Network. The character sprites have been made a bit bigger and the graphics In-Battle have also been refined to an extent. Overall, they are better than the last game, as the areas are bigger and a bit more detailed. For the upgrade in the graphics, I give this section a 7 out of 10.

Sound [8/10]:
Star Force 2 comes at us with a slew of newer tracks in techno style music, as well as using a few old ones form the last game. The tunes are pretty catchy and enjoyable, with a few that give senses of danger, humor, sadness, and happiness. My personal favorites are the Boss, Final Boss, and Boss Encounter tracks, which are all very good, though they don't really push the DS's sound capabilities to their absolute limit, so is the reason that score isn't a 10.

For good musical tracks, I give the game's soundtrack a 8 out of 10.

Wi-Fi and WFC [9/10]:
This is the area where the game truly shines. Instead of jut making Brothers and nothing else like the last game, you are now capable of battling people Worldwide with the Worldwide Faceoff option. You can also fight against your Real Brothers in Brother Faceoff if you and them are ON AIR at the same time, though unless you use things like AIM or if you haunt the forums like a phantom, then doing so becomes a slight bit tedious. You also can update your brother information by choosing the Data Update option. Friend Code Invt is an option where you can register a friend's Friend Code in order to become real brothers, but you must both be connecting at the same time in order to complete the BrotherBand, which is also tedious unless your using a forum. You can also send Email like the last game via Data Update.

As for DS Wireless Play, which is an option for playing with people nearby in places like Toys' R Us and Walmart. While not the prominently used option, it is still worth noting. You can select Match, which will allow you to either host a match or be a client for a match with a host. You can also Invite Brother, which allows you to be Brothers the person you battled, if they agree. Then there is of course Data Update and Card Trade, which are also self explanatory. The game also keeps track of your number of battles and wins, losses are not recorded, but it counts as a battle.

For this I give Wi-Fi and WFC play, a 9 out of 10.

Overall Conclusion [9/10]:
In closing, Mega Man Star Force 2 is a vast improvement over it's older brother, building upon what it had and making it better. The game is truly a golden egg in Capcom's plethora of Mega Man titles. I only hope that it will get better and better, instead of going down hill and becoming just cash-in games. That is all folks and thank you for reading this review. This is Beavisdude27, going OFF AIR!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/10/08

Game Release: Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker x Ninja (US, 06/24/08)