>>718282910
I actually fully agree regarding PXZ1, which while technically shorter than 2 in terms of chapters is an utter slog with dull repetitive combat mechanics and bloated, annoying encounter design (I swear the chapter that drops four clones of Nemesis on you and then reveals the title of the chapter is just "Nemesis" is a sick joke) and an oddly mediocre OST outside of a few tracks because of the weak soundfont (with some exceptions like the Gain Ground remix). It's very much like Namco X Capcom in that way except that NXC's twice as long and has even less engaging combat.

PXZ2 on the other hand fixes basically every issue I have with the series to some degree even if it's not perfect:
>Chapters are overall better-paced; despite an extra chapter the game takes like 2-3 hours less to beat than 1
>Splitting SP & XP so that each unit can use their skills without eating into your team's XP alongside the addition of Side/Back attacks allows you to actually strategize a little instead of
>Cross Freeze rework with Cross Breaks alongside Mirage Cancels & Red Mirage Cancels give you WAY more ways to improve and optimize combo routes instead of just mashing out everything during one long Cross Freeze like in 1; using capture states or well-placed sandwiching to go straight from a Cross Break into a Cross Freeze without the launch feels fantastic
>Massively improved music, including tracks from Yuzo Koshiro
>Challenge Maps genuinely require some thought and mastery of the systems to clear unless you do them way overleveled
>The fanservice is off the charts even with a number of things missing from 1; Segata Sanshiro alone is incredible
I've cleared the game, done NG+ & NG++, and cleared every Challenge Map at least twice, I have over 250 hours in PXZ2 alone, and I feel like I'm going to replay it within the year (despite playing it for the first time only 2 years ago). Meanwhile you'd have to pay me to even touch 1 again.

>>717180713
Generally I agree but putting some guardrails on it so it's not as fucked up as Infinite's is good. Look at Tekken Tag 2 (and by extension SFxT; that game had a lot of issues but the way its tags work isn't one of them) for example, or the way S4 of DBFZ allowed tagging only during specials on hit/block and still had the new character come in via Super Dash like usual. The closest to the more open-ended implementation that was good was Power Rangers since it combined it with traditional assists pretty smoothly without going full retard like BBTag and other later games did.

Marvel Tokon's soul transfer thing where there's a very clear visual tell of when control changes is nice but I do long for the days when you had to consider when Hard Tags and DHCs were safe to do.