Like the previous Star Force title, you play as a young man with the ability to become Mega Man in the virtual "Wave World." The real world is a shining fantasy of clean futurism, and the virtual one a literal fantasy of clean futurism. In the real world, you can explore, talk to NPCs, and generally role-play; in the Wave World you'll spend most of your time battling.
Battles take place on a 3x5 grid, with you at one end and your enemies downfield. A major element of combat is collecting cards, which are then randomly dealt to you during your turn. Selective use of your cards grants you abilities, from a more powerful shot to bombs to shielding. You then maneuver Mega Man across the bottom of the battlefield and fire your weapons (or for melee, lock onto your enemy and strike) until one side of the fight is wiped out. It's a formula anyone who has played the previous Star Force, or the older Battle Network games, will be instantly familiar with.
You'll be able to trade cards online, especially important if you don't want to fork over $30 twice, but you'll also be able to trade with an AI "brother-band." This is a CPU "player" who will give people without any Mega-buddies the chance to trade for cards. However, having real friends will have some currently unspecified benefits, so there should still be good reasons to go online with Star Force 2. We'll have more information on Star Force 2 as we approach the June release date.
