This was definitely far better than I thought it would be. Oddly, though, the game develops a habit of shooting itself in the foot. For example, the graphics are JAW-DROPPING, but then about halfway through, the locales change to almost exclusively dark interiors, as if trying to negate the prettiness with black, brown and gray.The bosses are awesomely designed, but they all get defeated by shooting the glowing squishy parts. The final boss battle, however, is ridiculously hard to figure out, even on Easy mode. The story manages to include lots of back story without confusing a newcomer like myself at all, although its cheesiness can get a bit excessive sometimes (classic Japanese game trait).
Nonetheless, it's tons of fun to play, especially with a friend. The first half is absolutely top notch and some of the best gaming I've had in a while. The second half loses steam in underground tunnels and metal corridors, but this remains a must-play, especially at this time of the year.
