PE2 starts off with a bang as Aya investigates an abnormal sighting at a downtown skyscraper. She's been relocated to Los Angeles and now works in M.I.S.T department - Mitochondrion Investigation and Suppression Team. Aya is taken back to find that the SWAT team sent in to get rid of the menace has been wiped out, leaving her to deal with the operation solo. The skyscraper and the spinning police lights make a stunning backdrop that gives the player a good sense of the production values put into PE2. The rendered backgrounds are very well done, as are the character models. The faces on the characters are so sharp that they actually make out a pretty decent face, not the blurry mess we're used to seeing on the PS.

The battles get pretty intense with the newly evolved Neo Mitochondrion creatures. The real-time battle system is much more appropriate in the PE series and keeps the environment as tense as it should be. Players don't get to customize their weapons like they do in the first, but the arsenal available is pretty adequate. Aya's psychic powers are back and add a good spin to the traditional action games. A bunch of jacket armor and medicines also help to aid in fighting. The creatures in PE2 are well designed and nastier than they are in the first. The only thing stopping Aya from wiping out all of these baddies with ease it that her character speed is quite slow. The enemies are about as fast if not faster than in a typical Resident Evil game. And without enough speed to run and fight Aya is a lot better off shooting in place.

The new Aya has a lot more personality in PE2. In PE she was hindered by her constant battle with mitochondria but she's lightened up a lot and it shows in the humorous dialogue and personal comments. Players can examine almost everything in the pre-rendered background and Aya usually has a lot to say about each object. If you keep pushing the examine button Aya will keep adding to her first comment. This gives the game a character that's a lot more approachable and easier to root for than the first. And the fact that Aya's mitochondria have made her look younger isn't bad either.

Aya gets caught up in some pretty creepy environments that are complimented by eerie sound effects. Players will get to roam through a deserted motel, a mineshaft, and other places I won't spoil. But every location has a feeling of unease that keeps a lot of great tension throughout the game.

About the only thing missing from PE2 is an intricate plot. It starts out great but we learn very little about Aya or any of the supporting characters throughout the entire first disc. The little spurts of detail here and there don't get the job done and definitely keep players in the dark for a large part of the game. You want to know more, but the story never lets up.

Parasite Eve 2 is a good sequel that would have been great if the story had more substance. The production values are great as is the new an improved Aya. If her journey had as much wit as she did, mitochondria would be a lot more interesting than they sound.