Kingdom of Paradise was something of a love-hate affair for a few gamers -- its structured combat of pre-chained attack moves and its slow start turned many away, but those who stayed through it seemed to have loved how it unfolded. Sony Computer Entertainment and Climax Japan are expanding the adventure with a new chapter in what we hope is an ongoing series for the portable, adding new characters and even more gorgeous graphics for the second game.
Kingdom of Paradise 2 switches out the wimpy-looking fellow of the first game for a muscle-bound blond fighter, who is accompanied by a whispy young girl battle in this fantasical world of danger and magic. As before, the guy is the heavy lifter of the team, smashing enemies with his axe-staffs and swords while the girl conjures magic. You can switch between the two characters on the fly, allowing the CPU to take over the character you need least to take specific action in a given situation. New to the sequel are a whole bunch of new girls besides your main squeeze -- at various points in the game, you can switch partners with some fierce-looking babes (one a wicked-looking women in black who had moves that make your head spin, another a delicate woman with many magics to cast.)