There's nothing wrong with beat-em-up action. It's just the way you approach it. If you have a gameplay system that offers something fresh and vibrant, then you have a great chance for success. The Warriors from the Rockstar camp is a prime example of this, even throwing in an old-school homage to the Double Dragon legacy with a mini-game. However, do this formula wrong and you'll find a game that's overly repetitive and with little point. Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance sadly fills this void with its useless characters and lifeless brawling. It'd be more interesting to see crippled Sumo wrestlers go at it, clashing their walkers.

Drakengard took a different kind of approach to this formula when it came out a while back, from the folks at Square Enix. Along with typical ground combat between your hero and the countless foes who encounter his wrath, you also got to take to the skies on a fearless dragon, letting loose with vicious fireballs that scorched the earth and the soldiers upon it, as well as the occasional aerial enemy. The problem was, the game lacked in diversity, and got really old. Really quick. Despite the best efforts of the development team at Cavia, the game fell into a "rent this" category, instead of being a must-have like most of Square's library.

Now we have Drakengard 2, the aniticipated (well, anticipated by fans anyhow) sequel, once again being produced by Cavia, but this time taking a different publishing route at the camp of Ubisoft. I guess Square Enix wasn't in such a rush to get it out of the gate, and Ubi thought they had instant gold with the brand. It is true, the sequel does have some touches that make it improved over the first. But it's lacking those touches in the areas that needed it most, and, as a result, feels just as repetitive as the first.

The game puts you in the shoes of a new hero named Nowe, taking the place of the hero in the first game. He's been raised by a dragon named Legna and gets discovered by the group that is the Knights of the Seal, the protectors from the first game. However, there's a bit of dissention in the ranks, and Nowe suddenly finds himself thrust into the middle of a war against the faction, fighting to make things right again in his world.

That's one of the strengths of the sequel- a better storyline. Drakengard 2 benefits from having a sprawling storyline that gives you better care of the characters than the first one did, as well as the ability to switch between different members of a party in ground combat. This makes for some interesting combat situations, including the ability to use some devastating magic attacks that, you guessed it, will clear away a group of enemies faster than the effects of a digested can of bean chili.

Dragon combat also comes into play in certain spots, where you can ride Legna and fire away fireballs at a number of enemies, or lock on to bigger targets to take them out of the sky. You can also charge up a super attack to clear away the screen, which seems to be quite the standard since it was introduced in the aerial combat game series Panzer Dragoon.

But the game still runs into its rough spots. Where it's vehemently improved in terms of storyline and stage set-up (including some boss encounters that are far better than those discovered in the first game), it still runs aground in terms of its limited playability. Despite the fact you have several people to choose from in ground combat, it's still a matter of slash-slash, move on, and more slash-slash. There's nary a bit of change in the formula, and after the first hour (heck, maybe the first 15 minutes), you'll feel the monotony begin to set in. Even riding on a dragon, which should give you a feeling of might and power, feels repetitive as you spew fireball after fireball at an enemy, only to have to do six or seven tries to get them to be destroyed on some occasions. Cavia would've been wise to mix up these categories with new magic attacks and power-ups, instead of just adding the little that they did.

The presentation is also a mixed effort. I love the audio aspects of the game, as the soundtrack is far better (and less repetitive) than the first game's, and the voicework is done with care and grace, with nary an annoying nitwit in the bunch. The graphics, though, could've used some touching-up. Some of the visual effects are great and the animation appears to be pretty solid, but the levels themselves needed much more work in terms of draw distance and diversity. Furthermore, the frame rate jumps from time to time, something the first game didn't do that much. A little more work would've been nice here. Also, the camera tends to be a bit more of a bother than it should be, with you being forced to constantly readjust in order to attack with precision. It should be your ally, not your enemy. That's not the case here. I think I've seen better camera work from a tourist in Vegas with shaky hands and poor vision.

The game does have some longevity to its credit, including multiple endings and two difficulty levels, so you can always work your way back through it if you feel "easy" was, well, too easy. However, it all depends on how much you can take of the game's constant attack methods, and how little they change whether in the air or on the ground. Drakengard 2 isn't a bad sequel by any means, as it does have some aspects that make it a noteworthy rental. But, really, the game could've used more adjustment in the areas it mattered most to make it something of a stronger brand, instead of just Drakengard redux. This fire has lost a bit of its warmth, and in an era where a brawler can easily innovate, that's not good news.