The first Fullmetal Alchemist game for PS2 was a decent, if not terribly satisfying brawler. It could only really appeal to fans of the anime/manga who wanted little more than to control the young alchemist brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric. Now, a roughly half a year later, the game's sequel has been released, and although it's still not a great game, it's a definitely improvement over the original.

The immediate reaction to the game is that it looks a lot nicer this time around. The newly cel-shaded graphics suit the game perfectly and make it feel a lot more like the anime on which it is based. Interestingly enough, the game's storyline is a sort of "alternative universe" version of the anime's plot. The first stage is a training level based on the first couple episodes of the show (where the brothers face off against the deceptive priest, Cornello). After defeating Cornello, however, new events take place that spin the game off in a new direction. It's an interesting twist that should please fans.


Fullmetal Fighting

Since the game is a beat-'em-up, the most import aspect is how the combat system handles. Like before, it's comprised of relatively simple attack combos and the ability to use alchemy to transmute various objects in the environment into weapons. The combo system is more fleshed out this time around, with a little more technique involved in chaining together punches with blade attacks (from Ed's alchemy-altered metal arm) and stone spikes (which Ed can make burst from the ground. There seems to be slightly less emphasis on the transformable objects now, making them feel less like a gimmick and more like a integrated part of gameplay.