Ending B

First, let me just point out that if you've actually taken a look at the cover and instruction manual of this game, not only do you know that Travis gets a dual wielding weapon, but that there are three characters that you control throughout the course of the game, and you know exactly who they are. Come, and join me in the Garden of Madness as I regale you with my thoughts on Travis' second short tale.

Let me just point out that I may end up spoiling a few things, luckily for anyone that has played the first game, and anyone that has read the cover of the game, these things should already be pretty well known. So unlike my typical spoiling, it probably will not amount to much grief in the end.

The game starts off with Travis fighting and killing some dude, just like the last game. Of course, in this game his reasons are purely for revenge, not merely for sex. This becomes apparent through Mr. Touchdown's speech, as he is clearly angry and out for blood. While the previous seemed more whimsical with Travis having fun, he borders on psychotic in this game.

There is grind in this game, but it is not as apparent as the first. Apparently the assassin's association is so powerful at this point that entry fees are waived, or perhaps they are a little more sympathetic towards their former #1, who's to say? The minigames are a welcome change, as they are more like old arcade games, with all the wonderful bleeps and bloops that I've grown up hearing. You only really need money for two katanas, you gym upgrades, and cat food. Everything else can be wasted at the clothing store. Oh, by the way, Travis let his cat get fat, so he has to exercise it. Enjoy doing that after every match if you want a certain move.

Travis only has four beam katanas to choose from in this game, two of which are given to you, and the other two you have to purchase. There are no upgrades this time around, and there are mostly stylistic changes between the weapons. I rarely used the Peony, that is the one you buy for 300,000, mainly because of it being large and unwieldy, and I prefer more agile attackers in action games. After all, the best way to survive is not to be damaged, so having fast attacks allows for fast dodging. A cool change is that Travis can switch between his beam katanas in the middle of battle, so if one is empty, you can move on to the next.

Story wise, everything is more over the top, battles are much more gruesome, and Travis swears in almost every sentence. So many F-bombs are dropped, that they're almost duds after a while. I found myself swearing more when I lost than I usually do. Perhaps the game has something like the Mario Kart effect?

Anyway, a quick recap:

Swords:
Bloodberry: Balanced.
Camellia Mk-III: Speed's my game
Peony: You're too slow!
Rose Nasty (aka "The Cover Sword"): Two-Fisted Monkey Style Attack!

Oh yeah, and the other two characters you control are awesome, but their awesomeness is short-lived, it's a shame. Anyhow, it's that time...

Verdict: BUY, but only if you enjoyed the first game. It's pretty much more of the same with tighter controls. Also it's short, so if you intend to replay it a lot, then that should factor more into your purchasing decision.