![]() I'm looking forward to some real paws-on time with the final version, so I can learn what nuances the engine really offers. However, it's apparent that this game, which seems pretty much done, isn't going to give the big guys a run for its money. Seeing a small developer like Eighting pull off a competent 3D fighter in this day and age of mega-budgets and huge teams brings a grin to my face I have to admit I like pulling for the underdog. When I say I like this game, I'm not lion! (Groan.)Īfter spending some time with Bloody Roar Extreme I'm left with mixed feelings. Ironically, I think that they generally look better as people than animals, because they have more personality - though I'll give the nod to Stun, the giant beetle. The decision to go with the transformation theme means the creators have to put twice as much work into creating the characters as other developers would, yet the characters are still really appealing and sport an anime flair without being too stylized to turn the heads of people who look for something realistic. Graphically, the game isn't going to stack up to the more polished and expensive 3D fighters - I mean, what can stack up to DOA3, really - but the characters are extremely solid. Once you metamorphose, the "beast" button becomes another, stronger attack button (and the general power and speed of your attacks increases as well.) Along with the "hyper" option, which puts you into even fitter fighting shape (available for beasts only, of course) you're beginning to see the heavy emphasis on transformation - it's a key to success. As a human, you have punch and kick attacks at your disposal. Jenny, the bat girl, managed to destroy half of my health with one super-combo attack when I was fighting the computer, for example. ![]() The gameplay is mainly based around punching and kicking - a shocker, I know - but another way it resembles a 2D fighter is an emphasis on more traditional special moves (energy-charged uppercuts, for example) and super-combo attacks. It often feels more like a 2D fighter, since the action really is on a single plane unless you dodge around a lot. There's still a solidity to the game, and people who are still finding their footing as far as 3D fighters go (it's a bit late for that, but you never know) can put this game to good use as a sort of set of training wheels. In general, the gameplay has been eclipsed by games that have grown more throughout the years, but that's not to say it's bad, it's just not as evolutionary. ![]() Bloody Roar has settled down into a niche (as is fitting to its furry theme, I guess) of providing solid, if slightly shopworn, 3D fighting action.Īn example of the way the game has its eyes on the past is that instead of having a full-3D control system like Soul Calibur or Virtua Fighter 4, you dodge out of the way using the L and R triggers on the Xbox controller. It only makes sense - as this is the third iteration of the same game - that the kinks would be worked out by now. Now, things have quickened considerably, but it still manages to hold its own. What originally struck me about the original Bloody Roar is that it offered a real kinetic, hard-hitting, and fast-paced fighting game back when things were often on the slow side. Now the Xbox version's come out, and it seems like it's probably the best value yet. I was tempted to buy this game on PS2 then the GameCube version was announced - with improvements, so I was tempted again, but ultimately never managed to pick it up. BRE isn't going to win any awards, but with a competent (if retrograde) fighting engine and a bargain price, it'll stand a decent chance of keeping your attention until Soul Calibur II hits. While the game is obviously having a bit of difficulty keeping up with contemporary trends, it's a fast and fun alternative to the wide variety of pap the system's got for a fighting library - DOA3 and MK excepted, and only then depending on taste. Now, after turns on the PS2 and GameCube, the Xbox receives the final version of Bloody Roar 3, under the title Bloody Roar Extreme. I played a lot of the first Bloody Roar by the time the second game came out it was almost time for the Dreamcast and Soul Calibur, and the idea of playing a PlayStation 3D fighter didn't appeal - although I did try to get into it. When it debuted, there was a real need for a high-quality 3D fighter that provided a viable alternative to Tekken its gimmick of combatants who transformed into animalistic versions of themselves was a novel hook that offered both visual appeal and a new kind of strategy to the genre. The Bloody Roar series has been around since the middle of the PlayStation era.
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