Glad everybody's on the same page here haha. VP2 is an absolutely fantastic game & 100% worth playing!
Story-wise VP2 may fall a bit short compared to the first one, but its easily a Top 5 action-rpg game, while also being a Top 5 best-looking game on the system. The game has crazy layers of depth, build customization & replayability.
Covenant of the Plume is also worthy of being a Valkyrie Profile title. The game is (surprisingly) hard but the combat is addicting. Movement is SRPG but the core combat kinda uses a combination of 1 with hints of 2.
Art is great & the OST is more or less a remix of Lenneth's.
Elysium is disappointing. I think the studio that developed it didn't have a budget to work with, because it largely feels like an unfinished game. But the combat is still fun, & actually found myself labing combos a few times.
Story is a rehash of 1 & OST is forgettable. No awesome post-game content. The free DLC was a bummer. Definitely not worth the full price they're asking.
Oddly enough Star Ocean: The Divine Force from actual Tri-Ace gave me exactly what I wanted from this game though!