GamesRadar+ Verdict
Pros
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All your favorite characters
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Uses save file from part 1
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Well-written dialogue
Cons
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Essentially the same as part 1
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More mindless item collecting
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Repetitive level structure
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A pirate’s life for me? Not if it involves this much brainless scavenging. Cruise 2 is hardly a standalone adventure, but the second half of a bigger game simply hacked off in the name of money-making. Cruise 1 abruptly ended and Cruise 2 abruptly begins, dropping you in to flee a boss you technically fought two months ago.
God help you if you didn’t play the original. Actually, God help you if you did, as in you’re in for a pixel-by-pixel repeat of the same adventure. Sanji the cook even says, “You mean we have to go and do all those first islands again?” Take it up with Ganbarion, Sanji. Boot it up with a completed Cruise 1 save file and the Straw Hat Pirates appear in their upgraded glory – technically, this gives returning fans less to do second time round.
The bulk of the quest treats old hands and newbies alike: collect arbitrary sacks of bark and moss, activate cutscene, fight boss, repeat. There’s plenty that fans will recognise – from well-written dialogue to a parade of classic villain boss fights – but little to connect with. GameCube’s Grand Battle proved Ganbarion can make One Piece games. Until they rediscover that gold, X doesn’t mark the spot, it stands for ‘keep away.’
Sep 24, 2009
