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OK, you got me. The only two RPGs I've ever played in my life are the Zelda Ocarina title for N64 and this one. This review will probably be most helpful for those who are familiar with the Zelda game.

1) Graphics for Dark Cloud 2 - beautiful
2) Gameplay - very, very similar to Zelda - including the targeting function (which comes in handy most of the time). The dungeons are the best part of the game (even if they become repetitive after awhile) and I liked the idea of building up your weapons as you went along. I also liked the idea that you had to keep repairing the weapons as you use them. It kept the game from being too easy. You also have to build up villages so people/places/things in the future will be restored to the way they should be.
3) Difficulty Level - well, this is where Dark Cloud 2 falters and keeps me from giving it 5 stars. There are no puzzles that present a challenge in Dark Cloud 2 like there were in Zelda. My wife and I had to consult a "help manual" several times in the Zelda game. There is no help needed in the Dark Cloud 2 game. Also, the bosses are disappointing. Unlike Zelda, where you had to learn a variety of methods to defeat the bosses, in Dark Cloud 2 it is just use your weapons and dodge their attacks if you can. It's not good when the dungeon monsters are tougher than the boss. It is also possible to beat most of the bosses in one or two tries (interestingly, the first boss called Halloween was the toughest one for me).

There's a few interesting side games/challenges to keep you entertained (collecting medals, fishing tourneys, fish races, and Spheda - a golf-like game).

My wife and I enjoyed the game, but we hope that they up the ante in the next version with some puzzles which require a little brain power to resolve and bosses that require a little more than what they have in this game.

The only word to describe Dark Cloud 2 is "lovely". From the rich, colourful cel-shaded graphics to the understated musical score to the solid voice acting, Dark Cloud 2 is an immersive experience. It also plays extremely well; the controls are always intuitive, the challenge curve increases at a good pace, and the infinite things to do in Dark Cloud's massive world are all tons of fun. The gameplay is very similar to Legend Of Zelda's "dungeon"-dwelling. The fighting is in real-time, rather than turn-based, and also relies on hit points rather than a life meter (think of Secret Of Mana for the SNES and you get a feel for what the battle system is like). This keeps the pace relatively high compared to the battles in the Final Fantasy series, without sacrificing that statisical depth that RPG fans dig. The biggest strength of Dark Cloud 2, though, is the vast array of activities to keep you busy. You could ignore many of them and finish the game as quick as possible, but that would be a huge disservice to yourself and the game. You could kill hours just fishing or playing Spheda (a variation on golf) or recruiting Palm Brinks residents to live in the towns you built, without ever finishing a single dungeon floor. The invention system is great, and adds an even further creative element to what is already a game that tests your aptitude for innovation. My one complaint (and it's a big one) lies in the randomized dungeons - while it's kind of neat to never be able to memorize a floor, I would prefer if the dungeons had stuck to one single ingenious design. These dungeons are simply a matter of killing all the bad guys, finding the geostone and making the exit. There isn't really much opportunity to test your grey matter a la Zelda. All of the puzzles come outside of the dungeons themselves, and are mostly of the scavenger-hunt variety. Other than this, there isn't much to complain about. The game is a treat for the senses, and a blast to play. You won't regret this purchase.

The original Dark Cloud was one of the first RPG-like games to come out for the PlayStation 2, and although it broke from the traditional console-style mode, it mixed fun gameplay, dungeon exploration, and a simple Sim-city mechanic to create a game that never got boring.

Dark Cloud 2 is in the same vein, but it's a quantum leap forward. The graphics, story, animation, and gameplay are all clearly a new generation beyond the first game. There are some repetitive bits, but this is balanced by the sheer depth of the game. Sometimes, you'll be playing to build up your golfing skill, sometimes to work on your fishing, sometimes to enhance your combat skills, sometimes to explore, sometimes to advance the story, sometimes to build your cities. Few games have such a sheer number of fun activities all rolled into one, and each aspect is done with a light, breezy quality that prevents it from feeling onerous.

I highly recommend this game, especially if you enjoyed the original Dark Cloud.