Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2

Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 is a 2011 role-playing game developed by Idea Factory in association with Compile Heart and published by Compile Heart for the PlayStation 3 only in Japan and Asia. In 2012 the game was published by NIS America in Europe, North America, and Australia, and Cyberfront Korea Corp in South Korea. It is the sequel to the first Hyperdimension Neptunia and is the second installment in the Hyperdimension Neptunia franchise, and is followed by Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory.

Good Qualities

 * 1) The combat is greatly improved and faster. You can walk up to enemies and use powerful combo attacks and SP skills and they have faster animations than the first. This type of combat was used in the rest of the series.
 * 2) Unlike in the first you can regain shares which means you don't have to worry about reloading your game.
 * 3) This game marks the debut of Nepgear. She is more likable than her sister Neptune since she is more active and more caring to protect and help others.
 * 4) You can now sell items unlike in the first game.
 * 5) Most of the characters have improved. Such as IF being more caring and nicer unlike in the first game.
 * 6) The transformations of CPU characters are much faster and smoother which in the first they were very slow and boring.
 * 7) Improved side-quest system which you can regain and get shares by completing them.
 * 8) Shares have a better role as they can give you an ending depending on how much you and other countries have.
 * 9) The true ending is improved as the protagonists defeated the villains and are still goddesses and this time they're still alive.
 * 10) The story also improved as it actually focuses on the villains and their plans unlike in the first game which mostly cared about regaining Neptune's memories.
 * 11) The paid DLC in whole is much smaller than the first game's paid DLC in whole which is almost $100. mk2 's is $52.
 * 12) Random encounters are removed from the first which makes the long maps easier to explore.
 * 13) Improved music and more soundtracks than the first game.
 * 14) Better pacing than the first as there aren't too many events, unlike the first game.
 * 15) Like the first game. The opening and ending themes are well done especially the ending theme in this game.
 * 16) Fewer dungeons. The first was infamous for having way too many dungeons and since the first game's combat was tedious. They had to lower the number of dungeons in the second game.
 * 17) Unlike the first game which the only way to use skills is to use them in combos and items to have the bar go up in high percentage. You can use skills and items regularly as you would in a normal turn-based RPG.
 * 18) A lot of humorous and funny moments like in most of the series.
 * 19) Eight endings (nine in the remake) compared to the first.
 * 20) Instead of the HDD transform being used as a combo skill. It's now a battle menu option and can be used as long if you have enough SP.
 * 21) Uni gets a lot of character development and starts to trust Nepgear later on in the game as well as Rom and Ram.
 * 22) The lily rank system is used for both story and abilities which is a nice concept.
 * 23) Earning levels is much faster and more improved since the combat is improved and you get better EXP unlike in the first which you had to grind a lot.
 * 24) More challenging and harder than the first game in a good way mostly.
 * 25) The Colosseum is a good place to earn shares and money and is challenging as well (you won't get a game over though if you lose in the Colosseum).
 * 26) New Game Plus is very useful since you'll be at a higher level makes the cheap bosses less cheap and fairer to fight.
 * 27) If a CPU dies or if the player exits a dungeon. They won't lose shares and will still have progress from the current quest.
 * 28) You can now escape without having to use an item and the "restart button" is used for exiting a dungeon.
 * 29) The true ending is easier to get than the first since the combat system is better and the shares system being a lot less clunky.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The Conquest ending (non-canon) can be too traumatizing for some and it ruins Nepgear's character.
 * 2) The graphics and framerate are still the same as in the first.
 * 3) Some tedious backtracking but not always.
 * 4) Like most Neptunia games. Some of the same bosses are overused.
 * 5) Your SP resets to 0 if you exit out of a dungeon.
 * 6) If you win in a battle and your SP exceeds 100. It will be reset to 100 which means for boss fights it's a good idea to buy and use a lot of SP recovering items.
 * 7) If you're using a CPU in battle and you're using the square combos while mashing the square button. You could cause an accidental transformation which ruins the amount of SP you're grinding for.
 * 8) CFW Trick can be disturbing to some players since he seems to be a lolicon due to licking loli-like characters and his English dialogue being very raunchy to Rom and Ram (who are loli-like characters).
 * 9) Some parts of the English dialogue can be a bit too raunchy even for Neptunia standards.
 * 10) Uni, Rom, and Ram are a bit unlikable in the early parts of the game but get good character development later on (see WIR#21).
 * 11) While the lily rank system is a good concept. The bad part of it is that grinding for them can be tedious and chirpers are the only way to max them faster (you can earn them for winning battles but it will take longer).
 * 12) Some bosses are cheap such as the first CFW Brave fight (the cheapest fight in the game).
 * 13) The share system is a bit clunky but much better than the first since you can regain them instead of permanently losing them.
 * 14) Some mini-boss and boss battles will restrict you to one or two party members.

Reception
Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 got larger improvement from the first and was better received as well. It also debuted Nepgear who is well-liked by fans due to her kind personality and is less lazy than Neptune.

Trivia

 * This is the only Neptunia game so far to get a Mature rating (remake is rated Teen). There are two possible reasons why they gave it an M rating:
 * NIS America probably told the ESRB to give it an M rating due to the conquest ending which might traumatize some younger players.
 * Trick's English dialogue being raunchy even for Neptunia standards.