

Drakengard 2 (PlayStation 2)

100 point score based on reviews from various critics.
5 point score based on user ratings.

User Reviews

There are no reviews for this game.

Our Users Say

Category Description MobyScore
AI How smart (or dumb) you perceive the game's artificial intelligence to be 2.7
Story / Presentation The main creative ideas in the game and how well they're executed 2.3
Overall MobyScore (3 votes) 3.1

The Press Says

This game is better than the first, overall. If you want to buy one, or want to buy an action game in general, do this one. Unless you want multiplayer.
Game Over Online
If you can look past the iffy graphics, Drakengard 2 has a lot to enjoy. The fighting is fun and has enough variety to avoid monotony, so give it at least a cursory look. You might find something you enjoy.
I know Drakengard 2 won't be for everyone; hell, I'm a bit of a sucker for Japanese craziness, but those of you reading this in the hope that the sequel lives up to the original know who you are. This game does live up to the original and expands on the universe in a way that won't disappoint. It's more of the same plus one - you've just got to stick with it for a while until the action really picks up. For those of you looking for a new action RPG to get your teeth into, this is a great game, but if you want to get into the series, then play the original first, as it will disappoint you if you play the sequel and then go back. For those of you who are lost and are looking for the Halo 3 review, I'm afraid you're far too early and in entirely the wrong section, but not long now, eh.
Worth Playing
Drakengard 2 deserves quite a bit of kudos, actually, but there are plenty of valid complaints about it as well. It's repetitive and technically deficient, but the fact that they managed to squeeze this concept onto a console woefully inadequate for it and still come out with a fun game at all is surprising, and provides hope for the future. Drakengard 2 is a good game, but with more attention to detail and the next generation of hardware, this series could really start to sing.
Moins original que son prédécesseur, et surtout moins surprenant dans les thèmes abordés, Drakengard 2 parvient tout de même à passionner tout au long de l'aventure sans aucune baisse de rythme. Evidemment, ceux qui ont détesté le premier ne changeront pas d'avis avec celui-ci, mais les progrès effectués sont tels qu'il serait dommage de passer à côté de ce titre à l'ambiance éminemment puissante. Sorte de beauté inabordable, le soft de Cavia énerve par son arrogance et ses grands airs mais plonge irrémédiablement dans une admiration ludique particulièrement intense. La diva de l'A-RPG est de retour.
Drakengard 2 is just what fans of the original would expect - more dragon based ariel combat mixed with fierce ground based hack and slash action. It is certainly nowhere near as polished as it should be with dull graphics, poor backgrounds, and some stiff character animation. Drakengard 2 is still a fun game with a deep plot-line and some truly impressive production values. If anything I feel the Drakengard series is a victim of this current generations hardware limitations and it's own engine. Pehaps in the future Cavia and Square-Enix can live up to all the promise that the series has. For now, at least, Drakengard 2 is a pretty solid action game with a story that you can actually care about.
Il faut reconnaître que pas mal de défauts ont été améliorés depuis le premier épisode, notamment sa réalisation et une bande son hors du commun. Avec du bon et encore un peu de moins bon, Drakengard 2 est en résumé un jeu plus intense que son prédécesseur, qui vaut vraiment le coup d’être acheté désormais.
I can't imagine anyone purchasing this game without having played the original. And, sadly, it is the opinion of this reviewer that most fans of the original would be better off without this sequel. However, if you just can't get enough of the one-vs-all hack-and-slash goodness, and you need something new to sink your teeth into, the sequel gets the job done. I award Drakengard 2 a 74%, and I hope Cavia either starts fresh with a new series, or brings drastic improvements on all fronts if they try to make another sequel. Currently, Cavia is working with Sakaguchi and Mistwalker on "Cry On," so we can hope for better things to come there.
Game Informer Magazine
Little touches like being able to switch between characters without limitation (during ground battles) is nice and wheel-based inventory system is restrictive enough to require some player strategy, which counteracts the really easy lock-on-heavy dragon controls.
Yahoo! Games
While Drakengard 2 certainly has its flaws, it's hard to dislike the game. There's still a guilty -- but very real -- pleasure in hacking your way through its hordes of opponents. If you like the gameplay of the Dynasty Warriors series, but are turned off by the impenetrable setting, it might just be the game for you. If storyline's more your thing, Drakengard's action is backed up with a plot that's significantly deeper than your run-of-the-mill action game, and the button-mashing gameplay is hearty and sincere. It's no instant classic, but if the setting appeals, it's well worth trying out.
While Drakengard didn't do anything specifically new, it managed to offer an interesting blend of different action and role-playing elements, as well as a crazy storyline. Drakengard 2 sticks closely to that formula, although the story has been toned back a bit. Still, there are plenty of interesting plot twists and great evil characters to battle here. The game offers two difficulty levels, but the normal level is pretty easy. There are some fun and challenging boss battles, but some of the later missions get fairly lengthy, making them more a matter of endurance than skill. The problem is that when you die, you have to start the entire mission over again, since there are no checkpoints. This is extremely frustrating when you die right at the end of a 20-minute mission and have to repeat everything you just did. When you do finish the game, you'll unlock a mode that lets you start a new game with your characters and items from the previous save.
Drakengard 2 es un juego que ofrece lo mismo que ya vimos en su precuela, con alguna que otra novedad, un apartado gráfico algo más depurado (no mucho, pero bueno) y más personajes con los que jugar. Pero sigue adoleciendo de un desarrollo monótono y repetitivo que no gustará a todo el mundo. En Playstation 2 hay muchos más juegos de este estilo mas estratégicos y con más posibilidades (la saga Dynasty Warriors sin ir más lejos), así que sólo se nos ocurre recomendar este Drakengard 2 a todos aquellos que terminaron el primero, quedaron satisfechos, y quieren más aventuras basadas en este universo. Eso si, que sepan que deben dominar notablemente el inglés, el francés o el alemán, ya que son los únicos idiomas disponibles para los subtítulos que posee esta entrega.
Gamers' Temple, The
The game does have some good voicework and the story is a bit interesting, but who plays action games just for the story? It’s hard to recommend this game for purchase unless you loved the original Drakengard and couldn’t get enough of it. If you’re curious about it, give the game a rental and see if it can hold your interest until it’s due back in the store.
Drakengard 2 improves in every area of the original except where it needed it most: the repetitive gameplay. The massive amount of filler here is pretty apparent and it could've been easily dropped in favor of more interesting battles against more creatures. While the action can be fun in places and there's plenty to dig into with multiple levels of difficulty, the game still reaches too far in the wrong directions and loses track of creating a game that has a feeling of adventure in the levels that matches the fireworks that happen between the characters in the storyline.
For all the work that's gone into Drakengard 2, it really isn't a great leap over its predecessor which is perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the game. Disregarding that, while it encompasses everything that is distinctively average about a videogaming experience, there is a great deal of it - 30 hours or so in fact, which is enough to push up its final score a little. If you like your mysticism, your monsters, a well thought storyline and most importantly a lot of button-bashing combat, then Drakengard 2 may just be worth your time. For everyone else though, this beast of a game is one with a few too many imperfections to seriously recommend.
UOL Jogos
Entre melhorias e alguns retrocessos, "Drakengard 2" ainda não conseguiu ser o jogo que se poderia esperar da mistura de combates contra exércitos e batalhas aéreas, fórmulas que deram certo em grandes clássicos. E você gosta de jogos de ação e um pouquinho de RPG, talvez vislumbre um bom jogo, apesar de os combates serem um tanto repetitivos.
Video Game Talk
Drakengard 2 is a hard game to judge. The concept is phenomenal, the story is great, and at times the action is remarkable. Unfortunately, as is the case with most games of this nature, the gameplay gets so repetitive to the point that it detracts from the experience. Breaking things up with multiple characters and a dragon is a nice touch, but it doesn't mask the underlying issue. More attention needs to be paid to the combat engine and the game needs more variety in most every department. Unless you really got into the first game I'd say this one would better serve you as a rental.
PAL Gaming Network (PALGN)
Two gameplay styles, both under-implemented. Only fun for those who don't mind repetition.
GamePro (US)
Drakengard 2 is almost a mirror image of the first game, which is both good and bad. While it has a great story, it also suffers from some of the cardinal sins of action gaming. You'd think that by adding a kick-ass dragon in to the mix that you'd be dealing with a winning formula. It's just too bad, however, that this doesn't end up being the case.
60 (UK)
Most of all you can't begrudge its pluckiness. We all love an underdog and, for a game so relatively unrefined and immaturely realised as this to be attempting the things it attempts, is heart-warmingly commendable. That said Drakengard 2 just doesn't have the style or grace or education or expertise or power, to pull it off. Like The Flaming Lips trying their hands at Bohemian Rhapsody you really want the homage to work but, to be honest, it just doesn't. Seeing as Square-Enix chose to call this Drakengard 2 and not Dynasty Warriors Panzer Dragoon edition, it's hard not to knock what essentially comes down to some pretty weak imitation and implementation.

משחקי פעולה מהסוג הזה זקוקים למערכת לחימה מאתגרת, או פיתוח דמויות עמוק כדי לשמור על רמת עניין גבוהה, דבר שלא נראה לעין בכותר הנוכחי. קטעי הרכיבה על הדרקון לא מצליחים להפיג את השעמום הכללי. כנראה שיש סיבה טובה בגללה העבירה המפתחת סקוור את הפצת המשחק באירופה וארה'ב לחברת יוביסופט, ולא עשתה זאת בעצמה. אולי אפילו מפתחי המשחק השתעממו מהתוצאה אליה הגיעו, שאין בה שום שיפור או תוספת משמעותית לכותר הראשון בסדרה.

Games Radar
Drakengard 2 is flawed, even within the typical limitations of slash 'em ups. It's playable, but the ongoing storyline and dragon flight gimmick are about the only things that set it apart from its more mature, well-rounded peers like the latest Dynasty Warriors. If you want to kill lots of bad guys and must have a fantasy setting, it may just do the trick. Otherwise, you'd be better off keeping your wanton video game massacres firmly planted in feudal China.
Ultimately it just feels like you've played it before (and if you completed the first game, then I guess you have), and that feeling permeates every part of the lenghty campaign. Nothing feels fresh, nor is there any depth to any aspect. And that is a shame, because it isn't a bad game, just a merely average one, and yet because we have moved on it feels slightly worse than the original. True, on paper the story is quite interesting, the thought of slaying enemies with man and beast is enticing, it has multiple endings and weapons to collect to draw in the completists, and yet it just doesn't pull it off, like Drakengard back in 2004. Maybe the next time Mr Ideas Man speaks up, Mr Big-Time Publisher will demand a little bit more evidence that it can work before opening that chequebook. Here's hoping.
Drakengard war schon kein Überflieger, aber der Nachfolger stürzt trotz zahlreicher Detailverbesserungen sang- und klanglos ins untere Action-Mittelmaß ab. Angefangen von der schwachen Dramaturgie, über die bis auf kurze Renderfilmchen vorsintflutliche Präsentation bis hin zum hoffnungslos monotonen Spielablauf schmeckt einfach alles nach fadem Einheitsbrei aus dem Fantasyaction-Schnellkochtopf. Da kann der Preis noch so günstig, der Umfang noch so üppig und das Waffenarsenal noch so gewaltig sein - es schmeckt einfach nicht. Schade um die angenehmen RPG-Elemente wie immer stärker werdende Helden, Waffen, Zauber und Kombos. Doch was hilft es, wenn jede aufkeimende Jagd- und Sammelmotivation von grenzdebilen Widersachern, hakeliger Steuerung und einer geradezu haarsträubenden Kameraführung erstickt wird?
Sadly Drakengard 2 is a crushing disappointment, even to those that managed to tolerate the first instalment. Fans will not find much solace in the little details that relate to the previous tale. What we have here is a rushed product, pieced together from what went before with little enhancement, arguably to extract some financial gain for the series.
If there's any reason to recommend seeing this wholly lackluster sequel through to the end, it's that there's a clear undercurrent of "maybe the good guys are the bad guys," and if you've already put down the money to play the game, you might as well get what you came for. But if there's anyone we can still save from the curse of Drakengard 2, please consider a rental before buying. If this were a Simple 2000 game, we'd probably say, "It's decent for a $20 game, but you can see the budget quality in every corner." But since we know better, besides some nice CG work in the occasional cinematic, this is just a tepid return to mediocre series filled with potential never realized.
Games TM
Everything works as it should - there are no game-breaking glitches Driv3er style - but it is such an exercise in drear that only a masochist would get any pleasure out of it, and even then they would have to ignore the hacknayed sub-Uwe Boll narrative. Are games not supposed to entertain?
Game Critics
Drakengard 2 might have been passably acceptable as a first-generation effort, but it's totally unworthy today as the PlayStation 2 enters its golden years. I see no reason to purchase and play a mediocre amalgamation with no exceptional qualities to recommend it, though I guess I shouldn't be surprised because nearly every game employing dragons as anything but enemies ends up stinking. With the sole exception of Sega's Panzer Dragoon series, I can't think of any real winners. Drakan, Reign of Fire, Dragon Rage, Dragonseeds, and don't even get me started on that pastel marshmallow Spyro. Drakengard 2? Add it to the list.