tsdZero
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Background:


Picture this. You're Sony interactive and you're looking for the next big thing. Street Fighter and Art Of Fighting have already shown that fighting games have their own demographic and culture. And Mortal Kombat showed that people love gore, but sometimes too much is just too much. So what's Sony to do? Enter Eighting/Raizing and Hudson Soft and their take on the 3D fighting Genre: Bloody Roar. A game with a concept so absurd. So Crazy...so downright bats*** insane it just might work. And when it released, people ate it up like pancakes at a breakfast convention. A few years later, Eighting/Raizing though they could create a second act to the growing play that was the world and Lore of Bloody Roar. Released in 1999, Bloody Roar 2 (Also known as Bloody Roar 2: Bringer of the New Age in Japan and Europe and Bloody Roar 2: The New Breed in the USA) is a brawler style arcade game that differs from other fighting games in one specific aspect that drew in fans from all walks of life. Bloody Roar gives each and every single one of it's fighters the "Ability" to change into a Bipedal Animal Hybrid that reflects their style of fighting or their personality. (My favorite and Main being Uriko as she turns into a Bobcat-Half beast and is actually quite speed oriented as well as looks just damn adorable) From Yugo the Wolf to Shin/Jin Long the Tiger to Hans Taubemann the Fox. All the characters have quite the variety that only grew more and more as the games became more popular. But with it's success also came it's decline. Bloody Roar 2 was ultimately overshadowed by more "Mainstream" titles like King of Fighters or Street Fighter Alpha or even the more insane and faster paced Marvel Vs Series. But that's not to say it lost it's spot. Bloody Roar is still very much alive. And it's waiting for it's time once more. Like a predator waiting in the shadows for it's time to strike....



Graphics: 7/10


Keep in mind, this was the PS1 to borderline PS2 Era so graphics weren't so standard and realism based as they are now.
Bloody Roar 2 is a 3D fighter. So Naturally instead of sprite work, they favored Polygonal models with texture and detail. And boy did they get it right. From Jenny's almost showing thigh short skirt to Basuzima's....demeanor, details that would normally be seen on a PS2 had no right of being on the PS1, and yet here they were. Granted the stage wrap probably could've used some work but this was what all the rage was in 3D fighting games like Dead or Alive or even Virtua Fighter. Ranging from back alleys to lush filled jungles to an old arena where it's caged in not by metal but by wooden stick fencing that's easily breakable. And in a game where ringing out is a definite possibility, you feel empowered and bad ass when you send your opponent flying ass first through that stage barrier. Even though fights take place in a square arena all the time, it's not exactly so bad. Once again borrowing from other 3D games, Bloody Roar took pages from other books and used them well. Blood felt natural and right, albeit cartoonish and Animeish at some points. But there was a visual cue they took from Marvel's Vs. Series (And I'm glad they did) that just feels perfect. And I'm talking about the "Astral" stage. Whenever a Beast Drive move is attempted, the entirety of the stage blackens and the grid of the arena takes shape. This might not look pleasing to some people's eyes but it takes the focus away from the stage itself and puts emphasis on the characters. Both receiving and giving out the move. The Astral stage feels empty and lifeless, like there's no where to run. Which is exactly how it feels to be hit by such techniques. You can't run and you can't hide. It's going to happen and there's nothing you can do to stop it. ?Did I mention that all of this runs at a glorious beautiful (Miles923 subscribers take an effing shot) 60 frames a second?



Sound: 7/10


Normally I put a lot of thought and a lot of heart into typing things about music. But to say something about Bloody Roar's soundtrack is....well....it's not memorable. That's not to say it isn't good! It's pretty damn good. It's rock and techno hybrid songs almost rival that of Guilty Gear and BlazBlue composer Daisuke Ishiwatari. All the theme's seem to fit and match to person's style and personality just like their beast forms do. But I'm going to be completely honest. I had to go and listen to them again while writing this to even remember what genre of song they used. It's not memorable by any means. Maybe I'll get some flak for that but I speak my mind. It's just so...generic. It's good but it's by no means amazing. They just miss the mark. Other than that, sounds during battle are as they should be. Punches when someone is hit by something solid. And a satisfying as heck "SHLIIICH" when you cut something. Nothing notable but it does sound right, which is a lot better than 60% of games nowadays.


Addictiveness: 8/10

This is the main selling point of the Bloody Roar Franchise. Like Dead or Alive and Virtua Fighter (Again I'm making this comparison. Oy...I need to play more 3D Fighting games) the main ingredient in the addictiveness of Bloody Roar is the combos and improvisation. And that is thanks to the raw and styling movement of the characters that honestly reminds me of Tekken's Fluidity. Not to say Tekken has fluidity, I'm just saying Bloody Roar feels like it. Combos don't just look stylish either. There are combos created specifically for baits and cross ups that just make you feel powerful when you execute them perfectly and when you need to. And that takes skill and time. Which is precisely why it's so addictive. Sometimes, like I did, you'll find a corner combo that absolutely wrecks people up by complete accident. Bloody Roar brings out the wonder and excitement in me. I kinda don't want to look at the move list, I wanna see just what kind of messed up tactics I can do myself ya know? And Bloody Roar has the flexibility to do so with ease. Wanna space someone out and time out win like a troll? We got that. Wanna rush in and cross up like your name is Saberwolf? We got that. Wanna hit combos that almost rival MVC3? We got that in spades. Though that last one takes time to master. Arguably Bloody Roar is as addictive as Tekken and DoA and VF but that is its only point. There isn't much in terms of unlockables, beit stages characters costumes or colors. So while it does have a fun an addicting style of play, it does need to amp up the meat of the game. But I'll get to that later.


Story: 6/10

Oof, where do I begin. Continuing where the story of Blood Roar 1 left off, Bloody Roar 2 follows the stories of 11 fighters who's destinies are entwined in the complex weave of fate reality has in store for them. I can't say I've played them all to be honest, but what I HAVE played and seen isn't exactly Hollywood material. ?But if you play a fighting game for it's story (With the exception of Blazblue, Guilty Gear and Persona 4 Arena) You're playing it for the wrong reasons. Stories have never really been a fighting game's strong suit except for the 3 examples I just listed and maybe some others. Even my main, Uriko doesn't really have much of a meaning to be in the game besides being damn cute and trying to become stronger. She's like Sakura that way. (Street Fighter, not Haruno.) Playing Arcade mode shows you cut scenes, Rival Schools Style, and it's not exactly good. It's not bad either but it's nothing noteworthy. Just above average. No offence to other Bloody Roar 2 Fans.

Depth: 4/10

And here we have the main problem of Bloody Roar 2. Depth. This game is bare bones. While it might not be that bad for something of the time, nowadays we expect other things from fighting games. A Story mode, maybe a gallery mode or even a music listener. But it makes sense. Bloody Roar was created to be an arcade game for an arcade cabinet. And that's actually quite apparent. But it also means it hasn't aged well. A Solid fighter it may be, but just like BBQ ribs, once you get the tiny bits of meat off the bones, you're left wanting more. Bloody Roar 3 and 4 (Or Extreme if you played that) remedied this with unlockable characters and stages and even a point system but Bloody Roar 2 got left out to dry.

Difficulty: 8/10

This game is hard. Like just outright hard. If you don't know what you're doing, it's no surprise, but still even after hours and hours of training and comboing it's hard. Depending on what difficulty you're in Bloody Roar can seem either like a walk in the park with you mowing down more people than a lawn Mower to your front yard, or an SNK boss fest where you'll want to rage quit harder than most MVC3 online players. Let's start from the bottom up. When I played Bloody Roar 2, it was on a friend's PSP. And being new to the game I set it on easy to get used to it. It wasn't bad. I still got slightly comboed and the final boss took two tries to win, but it wasn't that bad. Especially for someone new to the game. So I put it on normal. And then the challenge kicked in. I started to notice the different strengths and weaknesses of animal forms. I kinda had to or else I would get my ass handed to me. Combo's into beast drives, health regeneration, being punched and kicked out of the ring. It was madness. Sometimes it felt like I was being cheated out of pokes and the neutral game, but that was just me not being used to how Bloody Roar 2 was suppose to be played. It took me several days to get used to it. And after that it took me another couple of days to beat the final boss. But after that I wanted more. To see just how high I could go. So I obviously set it to hard difficulty. And promptly got my ass beat in like I was going out of style. Every fight seemed like a boss battle. Every punch and kick I couldn't dodge lead into something more complex and mind breaking. It. Was. Glorious. To be fair, I don't know what Difficulty Bloody Roar 2 for the arcade is in. Nor do I know what this emulation on Vizzed will be like. Haven't tried it yet but I will after this review. You can bet on it.


Overall: 8.2/10

All in all Bloody Roar is an under the Radar cult classic. It has it's followers that will follow it to the ends of the earth. I should know. I'm kinda one of them. Like Melty Blood and to an extent Street Fighter X Tekken, games like this will always have it's followers. And for good reason. It has what other games nowadays are taking for granted. Straight out F-U-N. It has an original concept, good but not great sound design, a story that could use some polish, characters that look amazing and probably spawned a furry lover or two just from jenny alone (You know who you are, I don't judge) and an overall difficulty that makes you want to scream in frustration, but keep coming for more. But like the final boss, people are begging for one more shot. For one more game. For one more chance. Who knows. An experience like this isn't easily snuffed out just from 5 games. If Killer instinct can come back with a vengeance, maybe this beast can one day come out of the shadows and truly show everyone how a Bloody Roar sounds.

But don't take my word for it. See it for yourself! (last edited by tsdZero on 04-25-14 01:21 PM)

Bite Bug
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Elpizo
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Nice job on this review!!! You did an amazing job describing the game! You went into good detail about the game and everything! Awesome job and keep it up!

Victreebel

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tsdZero
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Elpizo : Thank you very much! I appreciate it!

Bite Bug
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kirbmanboggle
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tsdZero : amazing review this is huge descripted and split up very good job kid

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pollution_skunk
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Great job on your review! Even though Raizing/8ing is better known in the retrogamer community due to the multitude of shmups they produced (particularly Battle Garegga, which I'll review soon!), the Bloody Roar franchise is definitely a very important part of their legacy.

On the review itself: I loved it to bits! This is one of the few reviews here on Vizzed that is actually, y'know, well done and worth reading. I like how you dissected every little detail possible on every section while not going very in-depth about it (as I tend to do in my reviews ), creating an excellent but not overwhelming writeup on this hidden gem.

P.S.: How long did it take you to write this review? I usually take weeks to a month or two to write one... Not because I'm lazy, but because I make them as long and detailed as possible so I can show Vizzed's users how awesome the games I like are and so I can get tons of Viz!

P.P.S.: I'm a furry, and I don't have the hots for Jenny! xD I'm not much into the 18+ parts of the fandom nor into fighting games, so there's that

---

(last edited by pollution_skunk on 06-08-14 07:12 PM)

Nidoking
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tsdZero
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pollution_skunk : To be honest this review took me the better half of 5 hours to compose and edit. Creating something this large and complex actually isn't the challenge, it's the editing and making sure I conveyed myself how I wanted. I am a passionate person and I wanted to express myself on how I feel the game is beit as a whole or the sum of it's parts.

My Advice to you: Stay true to yourself. Don't make it long because you want vizzed. Make it long because you like the game. If it's a game and topic you're truly passionate about, then you won't need to worry.

Bite Bug
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TheReaper7290
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tsdZero : Awesome review I like fighting games but this is one of the very few I never played I hope to read more reviews from you

Red Sahag
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rebelyell
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Nice review bro. Great detail  hope you do more.

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rebelyell : Even though I'm technically not a "Bro" I appreciate the sentiment!

Bite Bug
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good review broheim heh   

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rebelyell
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Sorry force of habit.

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