Around this time last year, we saw One Piece make its bashing entrance onto the Playstation 3. With the gameplay turning out to be similar to that of Dynasty Warriors, it seems to be a wonderful addition to the console. Now we get to see this anime make its way onto the Playstation 3 again with One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2. If you’re a fan, you’ll get to see your favorite characters with some interesting devil-fruit powers. Are you ready for some pirate action?
The events in One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 takes place after the first game obviously. Thus, you’ll notice how the characters have a new set of skills and improvements. You take control one member of the Straw Hat Pirates at a time. There are a set objectives that you’ll need to complete within a large map while you go around fighting against a bunch of armies. Controls are pretty basic as you move around with the left analogue stick and execute attacks with both the square and triangle buttons. Tap them in a certain pattern, and you’ll pull off a variety of combos. The result is satisfying with the amount of excitement being added. Additionally, you’ll have your crew members join in on the attacks and contribute towards the combo.
When you complete a stage, you will be rewarded points, which you can use to level up thereby increasing the stats, as well as be granted with new combos for each character. You also be given money which lets you purchase the stage’s music along with other additional bonuses. As you progress further in One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2, you’ll have the opportunity to play as character other than the Straw Hat Pirates. In fact, there are over 20 characters from the One Piece animation that you can play as. As a result, you get a lot of diversity while playing this game. The experience always feels fresh even though the gameplay can get kind of repetitive with the button-mashing.
While having such a wealth of customization options avai1able is splendid, they do tend to plateau when it comes to retaining your attention span. So even when you have plenty of upgrades to make on your characters, that won’t stop you from getting potentially losing your interest. For some reason, the amount of depth in the customization seems to be lacking. Luckily, the story behind One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 is extensive enough to demonstrate its longevity. A lot is going on in terms of the story. And if you’re a fan of One Piece, you’ll be more than content with the coverage this game has over the series. As well, there is a co-op multiplayer mode which you can engage in either the same console or via online. Therefore, you and your friends can help each other out and enhance on the fun.
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 is made up of 20 stages, each offering a unique and uplifting visual and audio presentation. You’ll enter into a diverse number of environments, including deserts, prisons and ships in the middle of the ocean. Everything is so colorful and lively that you’ll be drawn to its artwork. Just like its predecessor, the game is presented in a 3D cel-shading manner and it works effectively here. On top of that, the characters are designed with a high degree of detail and truly represent their manga counterpart. The sound effects are crazy all throughout the game with the Japanese voice acting remaining true to the original anime.
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 definitely leaves a huge foot print in terms of its influence in both the anime and gaming world. Because it follows exactly the same gameplay formula as the Dynasty Warrior series, it also falls in danger of players getting bored of the repetition and lack of depth in character customization. Nonetheless, there is some satisfaction associated with the mindless button mashing. In addition, the amount of content and the sense of humor behind One Piece will get you hooked to its antics.
