God Eater 2

God Eater 2
Developer(s)	Shift
Publisher(s)	Bandai Namco Entertainment
Director(s)	Kou Yoshimura
Producer(s)	Yosuke Tomizawa
Composer(s)	Go Shiina
Series	God Eater
Platform(s)	God Eater 2 PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita God Eater 2: Rage Burst PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)	God Eater 2 JP November 14, 2013 God Eater 2: Rage Burst JP February 19, 2015 TW February 26, 2015 NA Summer 2016[1] EU Summer 2016
Genre(s)	Action role-playing game

God Eater 2 (ゴッドイーター2, Goddo Ītā 2) is a video game developed by Shift and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment on November 14, 2013 in Japan for PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita. It is a sequel to Gods Eater Burst. It features a new setting, as well as new protagonists, new monsters, and new weapons.^[2] An expansion titled God Eater 2: Rage Burst was released in Japan on the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4. A western release of Rage Burst is set to summer of 2016 and will be published by the North American and European divisions of Bandai Namco Entertainment.

Gameplay

The sample screenshot of the game for the PS Vita version

In comparison to Gods Eater Burst there are new features and additions such as the three new weapons, the Boost Hammer, Charge Spear, and the Shotgun, each has its own function and abilities for the player to use. The Boost Hammer is large hammer fitted with a rocket booster, which can be used to inflict heavy damages onto the enemy. The Charge Spear is a large spear that can be "charged" to form an sharpened organic blade that can be used to stab foes. The Shotgun is a large cannon that can spray bullets, allowing increased damage the closer the players were to the opponent. Most of the existing weapons also have additional features and skills, such as the Short Blade's new skill that allows players to use an upward slash that instantly send them in mid-air, and the Long Blade's new skill that can cancel attacks, thus allowing combos.

Blood Arts

The Blood Arts are one of the new additions in the game. Blood Arts are "attack add-on" that can augment normal attacks of all manner into an even stronger attack, thus making it either unlock new Blood Arts, or convert existing one into a much stronger variant. Raising a Blood Art's proficiency requires going on newer missions and completing it, thus finishing a mission with a higher rank gives more experience points to the currently equipped Blood Art, as well as the other Blood Arts of the same variant.

Character Episodes

Character Episodes are one of the newest features in the game. Throughout the game, players can interact with various characters and NPCs, though they asked you to accept their invitation to a mission. Completing it will give players additional gameplay bonuses, such as materials, items, and even additional Blood Arts for some of the main characters.

Link Support Device

Unlocked through Character Episodes, this gameplay feature allow players to gain status effects in battle under a certain parameter, such as gaining 10% additional attack power to all attacks when the player's health reaches 25% of its remaining health. This is done so by equipping a "Link Device" of one of your allies' God Arc (Jinki in the Japanese release), as well as your own. However, there's a limit of points that you can use to equip one, since the total limit is at 100 cap points, equipping a Link Device consumes 50-60 cap points.

Setting

The game takes place 3 years after Gods Eater Burst. A new pandemic caused by "Red Rain" has struck the Far East Branch. Members of Special Forces "Blood", an affiliate of Fenrir who reside in a mobile base, known as "Friar", are sent to investigate.^[3]

Characters

The story of God Eater 2 focuses on the two factions of God Eaters: the special task force unit called "Blood", and the Fenrir Far East Branch. Although each members of both branches has different ranking and positions, as well as their experties in battles, they each hold an important role in the events of the game.

Blood Unit

A special division of God Eaters, working for Fenrir to handle even classified cases of Aragami attacks that even seasoned God Eaters cannot accomplished. Under the command of Dr. Leah Claude, each members of the unit were selected based on their hidden powers called "Power of Blood".

• Julius Visconti (ジュリアス ヴィスコンティ, Juriasu Visukonti): The captain of the Blood Unit, and one of its founders. A young man with a knowledge in both strategy and combat. Despite being seen as a serious God Eater, he is pretty concern about his teammates. His equipment set is an Assault type. He is voiced by Daisuke Namikawa.
• Ciel Alencon (シエル アランソン, Shieru Aranson): Julius' bodyguard, and sub-captain of the Blood Unit. A calm demeanor who can hold a gun in times of crisis, she cares deeply for her teammates. She is voiced by Mamiko Noto.

Development

The game was first announced on September 15, 2011 during the annual gaming convention Tokyo Game Show.^[4] In September 2011, during a Famitsu interview, Yusuke Tomizawa, producer of God Eater, said "God Eater 2 was to pinpoint what users found fun about the game; we're taking it apart and reassembling it from scratch."^[2]

A video trailer on God Eater 2's Japanese website shows that the game gives the option for PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita owners to play on a cooperative, multi-player mode with each other between platforms. A playable demo for the PlayStation Vita was released 25 July 2013 on the Japan-region PlayStation Network.

The version 1.20 update released on 21 January 2014 introduces a new story arc to the game.^[5] The new episode will feature Lindow Amamiya, a returning character. There is also the addition of "Enhance" missions with additional optional requirements that activate certain effects when fulfilled. The update also introduces new support skills, items, costumes and weapon crafts.^[6]

The 1.40 patch released on 26 May 2014 introduced an online multiplayer mode supporting infrastructure play; prior, only ad hoc wireless multiplayer was supported.^[7]

Downloadable content

An additional DLC episode pack titled God Eater 2: Another Episode: Return of the Defense Unit was released on 5 June 2014 and priced at 1,000 yen. The expansion added a new storyline featuring characters from the original God Eater game. It also introduced new original NPC characters, who could be used within the main game after finishing the DLC episode.^[8]

God Eater 2: Rage Burst

God Eater 2: Rage Burst (ゴッドイーター2 レイジバースト, Goddo Ītā 2 Reiji Bāsuto) is an enhanced version of the original game for the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4. It was announced at Tokyo Game Show 2014.^[9] A new chapter titled "Rage Burst" is added to the story, featuring content separated into six difficulty levels within the main quests.^[10] Rage Burst introduces a new game mechanism known as "Blood Rage", which involves filling an Awakening Gauge by attacking enemies, and then making a pledge to the God Arc once it activates, granting various buffs to the player.^[11] Temporary invincibility can be toggled during the pledge selection process, at the expense of draining the Awakening gauge.^[12] The game also introduces new characters, enemies and weapon types.^[11]

The PlayStation 4 version supports 5.1 surround sound with positional sound effects, and NPC communication messages will be directed from the speaker located on the DualShock 4 controller.^[13]

In December 2015, Bandai Namco's US branch announced the western release of God Eater: Resurrection and God Eater 2: Rage Burst following a teaser website countdown.

Reception

Famitsu gave the Vita version of the game a review score of 38/40, whilst the PSP version attained a score of 35/40.^[14] God Eater 2 was awarded during the Japan Game Awards 2013 by the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association during the Tokyo Game Show, as one of eleven titles within the Future Division winners.^[15]

The PlayStation Vita version of God Eater 2 topped the sales charts in Japan during its first week of release, selling 266,326 physical retail copies, ahead of Call of Duty: Ghosts and Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 which both also debuted the same week. In addition, the PSP version sold 112,024 copies, placing it in fourth place. The same week, PlayStation Vita console sales jumped up to 46,350 units, doubling over the previous week, while the PlayStation Vita TV, which made its Japan debut the same day as God Eater 2, sold 42,172 units.^[16] Prior to release, God Eater 2 was heavily marketed alongside the PlayStation Vita TV game system.^[17]

Among the Famitsu 2013 Top 100, a listing of the top 100 Japanese retail software sales for the year of 2013 from data collected by Famitsu's parent company Enterbrain, the PlayStation Vita version of God Eater 2 ranked number 20, with 354,498 physical retail sales, whilst the PlayStation Portable version ranked at number 53, with 180,781 retail sales.^[18] As of 31 March 2014, the game shipped 700,000 copies within Japan on both the PSP and Vita platforms according to a Namco Bandai financial report for the fiscal year ending March 2014.^[19]

God Eater 2 placed fourth place amongst all digital copy games sold on the Japanese PlayStation Network overall in 2013, and the second most-sold digital Vita game behind Dragon's Crown.^[20]

God Eater 2: Rage Burst sold 234,180 physical copies on Vita and 37,824 on PS4 within its debut week, placing first and third place respectively for the weekly sales charts.^[21]

References

External links

• Official Japanese Site
• Official Japanese Blog
• Official English Site