MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies (PS Vita) Review

Continuing off of the hack and slash gameplay of Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed, the girls are back again in a new adventure.  MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies is the spiritual successor to the earlier spin-off, this time (mostly) starring Blanc.  That name is also a mouthful.  It adds one new character (Tamsoft), three characters from other Neptunia games, and new enemies.  IF is really on a role adding new enemies to the Neptunia games, and I like it.

Thankfully the mission structure has been revamped to be much easier to follow.  While it is more linear, it bothers having a story, so I'll take the change.  The story is also very fitting for the series.  Blanc and the other CPUs are all going to school.  Neptune has founded a film club and wants to make a movie to help save the school from closing at the end of the year.  She is starting to make a zombie movie, and enlists Blanc to write and direct it.  Trouble is, an actual zombie outbreak occurs while they are filming.

So, what's the best solution?  Just film your scenes around that, using the actual zombies as cheap stand-ins for the low budget film.  Yes, the idea is silly, but a funny one that likes to lampoon the zombie movie genre and still have its trademark Neptunia style.  In a great addition, some of the girls are really bad actors.  So you have voice actors doing a good job of playing a character who is then badly playing another character.  Cue the Tropic Thunder-level Inception stuff.  Plus, there are alternate scenes for some of the game if you pick specific girls, which is really cool.

The story scenes don't always match up to each other, or really flow as a movie, but I feel like that's part of the charm.  Many low budget and similar projects easily suffer from that, so it feels legit.  I would like the "movie" scenes in the game to have a better indication that they are for the film and not the game's story.  While you can usually tell from the dialogue, some visual cue (like a different text box or some kind of border) would be something I'd want to see.

Since the game is a hack and slash action game, there is a lot of fighting groups of monsters and bosses.  The square button is your main attack string, and the triangle button is a stronger attack.  Block is on the R Button while the L Button is for centering the camera and locking on.  The lock-on seems finicky most of the time, but it is very useful for bosses when it does want to work.  Your characters also have a jump that doesn't seem very useful and a dash that...also doesn't seem very useful.  They can help you break the recovery time at the end of a combo, but I've only needed that on one character (poor Tamsoft), so I rarely used them.  Of the two, the dash was more helpful in combat.

Holding the R Button and pressing a face button will give you one of the character's special attacks.  They are all available from the start, unlike the previous game where they were granted at certain levels.  The special moves are now on a cooldown system.  There is a meter next to your character's portrait.  When it is filled, you can use one of your special moves.  While it's nice that you will always have access to them given enough time, I far prefer the older system of attacking to fill several meters.  Some of the special attacks were best used every few seconds, not once every 20 seconds or so.  Hopefully the next game can strike a good balance between the two systems.

The meter above a character's health allows them to transform, use a super move, or the double team attack by holding both shoulder buttons and pressing a face button.  Super moves are no longer only usable when transformed, although you will get a slightly extended version if you use it then.  It still uses what is left of the meter, though.  The double team attack is really useful for damage and getting a lot of hits.  Unfortunately, boss enemies tend to easily fall out of them and the super moves.  The times you need it most are the times it fails the most.  I hope that changes soon.

Offline fights can have up to two characters per level.  Switching isn't that hard and happens quickly.  I rarely needed to use it, but did use it a few times for fun.  Thankfully the experience earned at the end of the stage is the same for both characters, a good improvement over the previous game.  At first the game felt a little loose, and combat didn't feel as refined.  I discovered that this was because I was playing on the PS TV and not the Vita.  Once I tried it on the Vita, the problem disappeared.  It was still fully playable on the PS TV (don't click the sticks down though), but it didn't feel as good.

When you level up, you gets some skill points that can increase one of four stats (HP, Pow, Def and Technic).  You earn a set amount per level, and have to spend them in the required amount per increase.  Since you can't spend less than 100, I don't know why they don't just give you 1 point instead.  Plus, you can't see how many points you need for the next increase until you have enough.  Not a huge deal, but a strange choice that really feels like an oversight.  The Technic category only gives an effect every few levels.  I'd think it would be easier to not have the extraneous levels, and just make each level cost more points.

Each character gets multiple weapons that are recolors to tell them apart.  They will increase your attack, which is already much higher than your defense.  Each weapon can have some weapon mods on them, which provide some bonuses.  Neither the game nor manual explain how this system works.  If it were intuitive, or something I could understand just by looking at it, that might not be a problem.

As far as I've experienced, you can place the mods on the weapon, and each costs a certain amount of memory.  Each weapon has a memory limit (with stronger weapons curiously having much less) that dictates the number of different mods you can place on it.  That part mostly makes sense, but then each mod has a use limit.  I'm not sure why.  While I've checked and they do go down, sometimes they are refilled.  Either that or I've used it up, which shouldn't be the case when it says I have 30 uses left and have maybe done 8 or so levels and it's (back?) up to max.  No previous Neptunia game had something like this, so it's a bit confusing.  Some of the bonuses aren't even that great, so it feels like you can just ignore the whole system completely.

Unlike Action Unleashed, you don't get any other pieces of equipment to wear.  Accessories are now just cosmetic things to put on your characters.  Honestly, the previous system in the last game was superior in those respects.  You do get more costumes though, by collecting various items as you play the game.  You just get them during battles (maybe based on the rating), so it isn't some collectible you have to seek out.  It's cool that they are gaming systems that unlock costumes for the characters, but some of the choices are odd.  They have all the Playstations (1, 2, multiple 3's, and 4), but no Wii U or Xbox One?  At least they have several Nintendo systems to partially compensate...

There are 12 story chapters, and each has 1-7 missions in it.  Each mission is really short, but you will probably have to grind experience at some point and there is replayability in unlocking the extra cut scenes.  Most levels aren't very hard, but bosses seem to be harder than the suggested level.  The online provides some nice extra content with its own set of missions.  Their suggested levels start low enough that you can use new characters for them, and I found them good levels to grind on.  I really like that online has every character unlocked from the get-go.  You can rank up to unlock more missions, but I'm not sure how, other than just doing some missions.

Overall, I'd say MegaTagmension is an improvement over its predecessor, provided you play it on the Vita.  The mission structure is improved and the new characters are a nice addition (Iris Heart in particular is fun to play).  I'm not too keen on the lowered defense and changing accessories from helpful equipment into fashion pieces.  The weapon mod system needs either some reworking or explaning.  There's also a few instances of text overrun that I'm sure will get patched out.  MegaTagmension is a fun hack and slash game for fans of the Neptunia series that I enjoyed playing.

____________________

The Good:
I liked HD Neptunia U: Action Unleashed, so a sequel with more characters is always welcome.  Story is a great idea, and the structure of it is much improved from the previous game.

The Bad:
Some of the reworked mechanics (weapons, accessories, special moves) just didn't pan out.  Time to revert!

The SaHD:
Speaking of Vert, I'm miffed she isn't getting a spinoff game next.  We just had the third CPU, but now it goes to Iffy?  I realize who the developer is, but come on...

(Review code for MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies was provided by the publisher)

Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed (PC) Review

Like its RPG brethren (sistren?), Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed is coming to the PC via Steam.  As the title suggests, this is an action game.  Specifically, it is a hack and slash, more akin to Dynasty Warriors than what had previously come in the Neptunia series of games.

Neptunia U follows the two reporter characters, Dengekiko and Famitsu, as they are writing stories about the CPUs and the CPU candidates.  To do so, you will undertake many missions that involve killing lots of enemies (in true hack and slash fashion).  Most battles are done in a team of two that you can switch between at any time.  Little bubbles under your health are used for special attacks, and a third meter (EXE) allows you to go into your CPU form.  In a nod to Senran Kagura, the girls' clothing can also be ripped.  At least you get some EXE meter for it.

The story is divided up into missions, but not all of them have to be completed to advance.  One of my gripes was the missions are given out in batches.  This would be fine but they have some big level spreads that you won't be able to do when you first get them, and their order in the areas is random too.  It makes for too much poking around to find the next mission, rather than having them in some sort of order.  Many of them do have the freedom to pick who you want, so grinding is pretty easy and usually required.  It is a Neptunia game, after all.

After completing the story, a battle tournament called "Gamindustri Gauntlet" opens up.  The tournament is pretty simple, and wasn't much fun for me, but worth doing at least once to unlock Neptral Tower.  That mode is a series of battles and can be pretty fun.  If you enjoy the action of the game, the content is worth the asking price.  If you want to read a little more in-depth about the game itself (and not this port of it), then check out my review of the Vita version.

Performance-wise, my preview build of the PC port was solid.  Load times are noticeably better than the Vita version, save for the hiccup when it loads a tutorial screen.  It looks better than the Vita version, which should come as no surprise.  It is possible to use the keyboard and mouse for the game, but...I wouldn't.  Since it is an action game, a controller is far superior.  The game feels really good with a controller, which is one reason I eventually put my Vita version on the Playstation TV.

Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed is a fun game.  This is the best looking version of the game, and it is so satisfying to play it with a controller.  Neptunia fans should definitely try the game out, even though it is a different genre.  Fans of hack and slash games like the Warriors series or Sengoku Basara might also find the game fun, even if it might be a bit basic by those standards.

Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed (PS Vita) Review

The Hyperdimension Neptunia series is no stranger to having spin-off incursions into other genres.  Its latest game is their take on the hack and slash action genre, titled Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed.  So instead of an RPG, think more like Dynasty Warriors... or Senran Kagura.

Actually, it is a lot like Senran Kagura.  Considering that both were developed by Tamsoft, I'm sure it's no coincidence.  Anyway, you run around stages taken directly from the Neptunia series and kill lots of enemies.  You have a standard combo of normal attacks, and the Triangle Button is the power attack.  There are a few variations of the power attack, depending on when you press the button, and some characters can even combo it.  X is the jump button and Circle is a short range dash to get out of trouble, or move closer to an enemy.  Up to three special attacks can be equipped and used by holding the R Button and pressing Square, Triangle or Circle.  Each of these moves takes one or more SP bars, which are the little blue bars above your health bar.

Being a Neptunia game, you characters can ascend to their HDD forms.  Once your EXE meter is half full or more, you can activate HDD for a strong power-up.  Once the meter is gone, your transform back into your normal form.  You can also cash out the remainder of your EXE meter to perform your super attack.  Thankfully, all of these options are also available to the two new characters, even though they are just gaming journalists, and not gaming goddesses.

There are ten characters in all, but they mostly play the same.  They have different combos and attacks, but the biggest difference is if they are a ranged or melee-type character.  Ranged characters will strafe while you keep hitting the attack button while moving, rather than change the direction of attack.  There is a decent variety of familiar Neptunia enemies to wade through, with certain ones being boss monsters.  One strange thing is the dating sim enemies.  There are three types, although they are effectively palette swaps of the same base one.  However, all other enemy types don't have their palette swaps counted as different types, so I'm not sure why the dating sim ones do.

As either an intentional riff, or because they just wanted it in the game, the ripping clothes mechanic from the Senran Kagura series is also present.  If you take too much damage, you will get an all-too familiar series of shots showing the outfit's destruction.  Spamming the strong attack will weaken it too, but most times it was the damage that destroyed mine.  You do get half of the EXE meter when this happens, so it is actually useful.  It can also occur to the HDD forms, and will effectively increase the time you can stay HDD (since you get the half an EXE meter).  It's a strange choice for the series, but there don't appear to be any down sides.  Well, unless it happens to Rom or Ram, since that's a little creepy.

The story of the game is pretty much there to get you to play stages and kill lots of guys.  There are only three chapters, but many missions to complete.  The story mode isn't very linear.  When stages open up, it gives you several, and you don't have to complete them all or in a certain order.  To mix it up a bit, there are "irregular quests", which have hidden conditions.  They are kind of like puzzles, since you have to figure out what to do.  When they open up, it gives you all of them.  I figured they would just unlock along the way, but nope, they just post them all.  It's a strange way to do it.  I took about 10 hours to get through the story mode and all the missions, but there was still a few more things to do.

Once you complete the story mode, "Gamindustri Gauntlet" opens up.  This mode has you choose a character and then fight in a one on one tournament.  It's not a very interesting mode to me, but I did it to try it out and to unlock the next mode, "Neptral Tower".  Opening up with a silly discussion of translating names, the Neptral Tower is a 50 floor tower that has a stronger version of the story final boss at the top.  Most fights in the tower are pretty short, but a few drag on a bit too long.  Each fighter has to make their way up through every stage to make it to the top.  Thankfully, you can do it in pairs so as long as you can use five of the girls, you can get them all to the top in a decent amount of time.  It's a pretty fun mode, and a great way to grind out some of the trophies.

While the trophies in Neptunia U aren't hard to get, they can become really tedious.  Maxing out all the Lily ranks for all characters (which now go to 10), getting all accessories, winning the Gamindustri Gauntlet with every character... you get the picture.  And yes, for the Gauntlet, the HDD forms count as separate characters.  Ugh.  One cool extra though are cheats.  After fulfilling certain conditions, you can unlock perma-HDD mode, infinite health, and more.  These make a few of the trophies/parts of the game more bearable... like the max level story stages.  These levels aren't required for the "all stages" trophy, and it seems they were DLC stages in the Japanese version, and just lumped into ours.

As a fan of hack and slash Warriors-type games, I was looking forward to Neptunia U.  It definitely didn't disappoint me, and the game is really fun.  It isn't quite as deep as the Warriors games, but there is the clothes ripping mechanic from the Senran Kagura series if that interests you.  I really like that the Neptunia series is branching out into other genres.  The first three excursions have been pretty fun, and I hope they continue to do more.  However, I hope they expand upon the ones they have done.  I'd really like another Action Unleashed title, with more of the characters seen in the other entries in the Neptunia family.