X-Change 2

The Good
X-Change 2 has terrific graphics. Although I personally prefer the less cartoony style of games such as Crescendo and Chain, this title's artwork compares favorably to any animated feature, and in fact is better than most since animators often skimp on detail in individual frames. The CGs are very colorful and detailed, especially when the characters depicted are wearing clothes. The artwork suffers a little during sex scenes, where everything appears a bit bland. I'm not terribly concerned about this, though. It is a detraction from the game, but only a small one.

Overall, this feels like a big-budget game. The production values all around are top-notch.

X-Change 2 features several different endings, 23 of them to be precise. I didn't bother to get each one. From what I have seen, you would have to try pretty had to get a "bad" ending, but the best endings will be a challenge without a walkthrough, as well. In all, you will have to make about 35 choices over the course of the game, so the potential is there for plenty of variety.

The Bad
Unfortunately, apart from who you finish the game with, there isn't much variety at all. Takuya is dating Asuka at the beginning of the game (X-Change 1's "true end" has Taukya falling in love with Asuka, his lifelong friend). Therefore, as the principal female character, she has the most possible endings. Takuya's relationship with her may emerge strengthened, unchanged, or destroyed depending upon the choices that you make. You may also end up with one of several other characters, but the game didn't hold my interest long enough for me to actually see all of those possibilities.

Why? Because the storyline just isn't that interesting. I only completed as many endings as I did in hopes of making sure that my opinion of the game was balanced enough to write this review. To be honest, I think that a science experiment gone awry, turning its male subject into a female is a fairly humorous premise for a game. However, X-Change 1 was more than enough for me, and I just don't think the premise or characters are memorable enough to justify a sequel. I could easily name almost ten US-released bishoujo games that are far more deserving of a story continuation. (Despite all this, X-Change 3 has already been released in Japan!) X-Change 2 was just more of the same. The comedic set-ups weren't funny to me because they were all done in the first title.

As previously mentioned, there isn't a great deal of variety in the female characters' subplots. Basically, all of the best endings play out something like this: Takuya and Asuka are blissful high school lovers (apart from the fact that Takuya gets cracked on the skull whenever he says the wrong thing). Takuya gets coerced into a science club experiment, turning him into a girl. As a girl, Takuya meets another girl and they become friends. In the last few minutes of the game, a "cure" is found for his "ailment" and he becomes male again. He realizes that he is in love with the girl he met earlier. She loves him, too. They sleep together. Takuya's relationship with Asuka becomes a distant memory. The end. After I saw this for the fifth or sixth time, I decided that my opinion was balanced enough, and uninstalled the game.

Also, I didn't care much for the character designs (the lovely design for Asuka being the sole exception here). They are original enough, but not particularly attractive. This isn't helped by the fact that their personalities and story lines differ little from one another.

Lastly, Takuya is a fairly wimpy guy, and even weaker as a girl. Thus, he gets preyed upon by some not-terribly-nice men throughout the game. It seems fairly obvious that a bishoujo game featuring a "girl" as its main character would probably include sexual situations with men, but this didn't quite sit right with me and I usually found myself just skipping through those scenes.

The Bottom Line
X-Change 2 features excellent artwork, some of the best production values in the bishoujo game industry, and a large number of choices and possible outcomes. However, the comic situations are retreads of the first title in the series, and the game's story and characters are not interesting enough to hold the gamer's attention for long. I have played some bishoujo games that I had trouble finishing due to disturbing subject matter. With X-Change 2, I wanted to quit because I was bored, and that might be the worst thing you could possibly say about a computer game. For that reason, I can not recommend this title.