Dark Cloud 2

Dark Cloud 2, (released as Dark Chronicle in Europe) is an action role-playing game developed by Level-5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It was released in Japan in November 2002, in North America in February 2003, and in Europe in September 2003.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Move through procedurally-generated dungeons, battling monsters and collecting items.
 * 2) Play as two characters and switch them at any time.
 * 3) Combat is composed entirely of real time hack and slash.
 * 4) Fight with both a melee weapon and a gun as a ranged weapon.
 * 5) Customize and upgrade weapons by using "Synthesis Points".
 * 6) You can also level up characters by using certain items, which can increase health points and defense.
 * 7) The game features a "Georama mode," a gameplay mode similar to city-building games, in which the player can arrange the pieces onto the landscape. The buildings can then be populated with villagers recruited from other levels throughout the game.
 * 8) The player can also recruit NPCs onto their team at various points in the game by performing specific tasks.
 * 9) The game also features an invention system, whereby the player takes photographs of various items and then combines the photos to generate ideas for inventions. If the player has the required materials, the invention can then be created.
 * 10) A fishing minigame.
 * 11) Transform into various monsters by collecting badges.
 * 12) The player can also build a customizable robot called "Ridepod" that can be used in battle.
 * 13) Play "Spheda" (a sport similar to golf) in completed dungeons.
 * 14) Up to 50 to 70 hours of gameplay in the main storyline, while the sidequests and other extras may add up to 100 hours in total.
 * 15) Beautiful and detailed cel-shaded graphics.

Reception
The game was met with positive reviews from critics, who praised the improvements over the first game, particularly the graphics and variety of gameplay types available. The game went on to win several gaming awards, and sold almost a quarter of a million copies in Japan in its first four weeks of release.