A complaint I've most commonly heard about the first Söldner-X title is that it was incredibly difficult. The developers seem to have taken this aspect into account and toned in back a bit. Sure, we died periodically, but it wasn't unmanageably hard in single player or co-op. They also didn't ignore the hardcore SHMUP fans, adding a lengthy Challenge mode. This is where things were difficult; survive for a certain amount of time, collect certain items, etc. Unlike the enjoyable story, these were actually quite unforgiving.
Aside from the challenges being difficult, the game seems to forget its pace sometimes just to mess with you. At one point, we had a warning that said "Watch out for the floating islands" but before the radio voice finished saying it, we were hit by a wall of floating islands with not nearly enough time to react to any of them. This design flaw happened two or three times, sometimes ending in devastation, sometimes ending in my sister and I joking about walls of floating islands.
As an added bonus to this review of the game, we want to give you the opportunity to play for yourself. Leave a comment detailing your favorite Shoot 'Em Up, from R-type to Shoot 1UP, and you'll be entered to win one of two free game codes for PSN version of Soldner X-2. The games can be from any console, and any era. Leave your comment by this Saturday before it gets lost in the E3 fiasco.
Verdict
Co-Op Score
Overall
The Co-Op Experience: Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype is a SHMUP all it's own allowing players to game together locally, share power-ups, and conquer the enormous bosses. Added challenges up the ante for those that are tired of the mundane, ready to take on the PSN leaderboards.
Co-Optimus game reviews focus on the cooperative experience of a game, our final score graphic represents this experience along with an average score for the game overall. For an explanation of our scores please check our Review Score Explanation Guide.