Apparently, there is an alternate reality where Mega Man is a cross between a 10-year-old kid and an electronic wolf-looking thing. I dislike that reality.
When Mega Man 9 was announced, the reaction made it seem like Mega Man had been M.I.A. for the past couple years. Sadly, that is not the case. Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker x Saurian is one half of the latest in the Star Force series. The other half is subtitled Zerker x Ninja and the differences between the two are like the disparity between Pokémon games, if Pokémon were battle cards instead of cute creatures. If you don't know what the hell Zerker and Saurian mean, then join the club. It took me almost half the game to figure out what exactly they meant.
The Star Force series began last year with three different titles with Pokémonesque differences. That series is a spin-off of the Mega Man Battle Network series, which had had six titles for the Game Boy Advance and one for DS. Those six titles had ten different versions total. Finally, the Battle Network series is obviously a spin-off from the Mega Man series. There have been a lot of those games, too.
The main difference between the main Mega Man series and the Battle Network/Star Force series is that the latter are RPGs and, in the game world, network technology flourished instead of robots. So, the series is filled with internet references and computers. It is also filled with decent RPG gameplay and one of the worst stories in video game history this side of Bad Dudes.
The main character, as established in the previous game, is Geo Stelar, a fifth grader who just loves outer space. Apparently his dad went missing and, in his sadness, some weird Internet wolf-looking thing named Omega-Xis. Together, they form Mega Man. The game begins when a blimp advertising a movie crashes. Then, as Mega Man, you get the blimp up in the air. Geo Stelar takes the credit and scores free movie tickets for him and his three friends. Then, they go to the city and hang out before the movie. They see the movie, but then some cheesy villain kidnaps a girl and takes her to the top of a tall building like King Kong. Mega Man rescues her, and then the gang goes on a ski trip where Mega Man eventually has to fight a Yeti. I kid you not, this is what happens. Later on, you go on a date with some pop star to a museum. Geo Stelar is a fifth grade pimp.
The game's battle system is surprisingly fun at first but manages to get old very fast. The battle system uses cards, and the touch screen is used to select which of the six cards you were dealt to play. After you select your cards, the focus moves to the top screen where you execute your attacks by moving between three spots in a 3-by-6 grid and dodging enemy fire. You repeat this until the battle is finished. There is a little depth to the battle system, as some twists are thrown in, but it's never really explored to its fullest. The most notable twist happens about a third of the way through the game. At that point, you gain the ability to transform into a Thunder Zerker or Fire Saurian depending on your choices in the game. This could mix up the gameplay, but all it really does is change your standard attacks to an electric or fire version.
The other bright spot is the online connectivity. While the online aspect isn't entirely my bag, I acknowledge the fact that it is decently well done. The game, being based on the Internet, works the online connectivity into the story decently. In the single player game, you become "brothers" with different story characters as you progress. Outside of the single player game, you can become brothers with online friends (provided you exchange your friend codes). Becoming brothers with people increases your link power, which then allows you to equip more abilities. You can also reveal secrets to your brothers. It's kind of like a cult. The rest of the online play is rounded out by online battling for up to eight players and the ability to swap battle cards and abilities.
Overall, the game suffers from the fact that it is basically the eighth game in seven years for this series. There has only really been one roster update for this game! The story is awful, and the gameplay isn't solid enough to carry the weight of an entire RPG. The only people who would enjoy this game are those who have probably already purchased it. It is more of the same and nothing more.
