Bloody Roar II Download

If gaming in the nineties is synonymous with one thing, it is arguably couch co-op gaming. This era was the pinnacle for this phenomenon with racing games, sports games and fighting games all offering a compelling way to pummel your pals. The most competitive market of those mentioned was easily fighting games, with tonnes of fighters vying to be the household names on everyone’s lips and fresh off the back of a successful first outing, Bloody Roar 2 stepped up to plate hoping to cement this series as fighting game royalty.

This game plays like it’s predecessor Bloody Roar. However, looking outside the series, this game also plays like Tekken, Street Fighter, Soulblade, Mortal Kombat and Dead or Alive. This game aimed to offer a unique take on the fighting game genre by using beasts instead of human combatants. However, would this gimmick prove successful a second time? Or would this animal-based fighter fizzle out? We find out in our review of Bloody Roar 2.

A Thunderous Roar

What Bloody Roar 2 does brilliantly on its return is keeping the same great gameplay that we had from the first game in the series, yet elevating ever slightly. The player still has access to a wide variety of brutally beastly characters to fight with and against. There is still the usual suspects in terms of game modes such as story and arcade mode and the visuals keep the same look and feel of the original, while adding a new layer of polish to the overall presentation. However, its the small tweaks that make this one worthwhile as a sequel.

First, the story is a great continuation of the original, with the rogue group of Tylon Zylonthorpes fighting for the dignity of their race. Fighting games aren’t often remembered for their narrative and rightly so. But if they can offer some captivating exposition, it really ties everything together and motivates the player to fight. So this is a welcome bonus and one that elevates the series.

Then when it comes to the new game modes, the game does a great job at giving the player everything they could ever want. You have the new survival mode where you have to beat every character with just one health bar. The watch mode that allows you to take in AI fighters and learn new moves and weaknesses. Plus, you have the custom mode which is like playing the game with cheat codes such as god mode, big head mode and all the classic settings. It’s a lot of fun and a great addition to the game.

The Art of War

The fighting system is also a joy to behold in this title as well. This series has always prided itself on offering a hybrid of all the fighters of the era and the second iteration does this successfully as well. The variety of special moves and combos are great, the weight of the characters feel right and three perspective finishers are great too, even if they are nabbed from Sega’s Virtua Fighter.

The Verdict

Overall, Bloody Roar 2 takes the formula from the first successful outing and experiments again to offer an even more impressive final product. The additional game modes are a triumph, the gameplay and visuals are a step up from the previous game and story is a real highlight somewhat surprisingly for a fighter.

8.5

The only thing that drags this game down is it’s need to recycle ideas from it’s competitors plus the limited number of characters on the roster. Despite this though, this is an iconic fighter that any fighting game purist should witness first hand.

Pros:

• A wonderful fighting engine
• Stunning visuals for the time
• Brilliant additional game modes
• A compelling narrative

Cons:

• A small roster of fighters
• Recycled assets from competitors