STORY: 

Bloody Roar 2 presents a semi-interesting Story Mode, which manages to flesh out the characters a bit. The downside is... it's mostly made up of pages upon pages of bland text and boring "still images". I wouldn't call it a particularly fun or exciting play-through, but at least they showed some effort with the story. Still, the plot is pretty laughable, boring, and is a bit sloppy in some areas. On top of that, most of the characters are still pretty kooky and are arguably more difficult to "like" than some other well known fighting game characters out there making a big name for themselves in 1999 (and years prior). In fairness, if you give BR2 characters a chance, you might be surprised with what you find.
 

Bloody Roar 2's gameplay presents a mix of 2D & 3D elements and overall looks and feels very similar to the first game. The gameplay is still heavily based on taking advantage of each character's "Beast Form" which make them stronger, faster and enables more special moves. Replacing "Rave" mode from the first game, players can now perform a super move combo simply by hitting the L1 button while in Beast mode. Overall, it's a very simple setup which is obviously aimed more towards the casual crowd rather than the experienced fighting game player.

While casual players can jump right in and have fun mashing buttons, BR2 leaves something to be desired from the more competitive crowd. Bloody Roar 2 is "playable" but doesn't feel nearly as responsive as other 2D and 3D fighting games of the time. The combo system has its moments (and there are indeed some cool combo possibilities involving the wall game), but the system has its limits in terms of "fun" and there are some key fundamentals missing. Most characters have a decent amount of strings and special moves, and at the least, there's enough content inside character movesets to keep players who look deeper entertained for a while.
 

 
Bloody Roar 2's graphics are fairly "solid" for a PS1 title... looking only slightly dated for 1999 video game. The textures and lighting effects are actually quite sharp, although most stage designs and human character models are on the bland side of things. Transformed characters definitely have more interesting polygons and animations... so Bloody Roar 2 really does shine a bit more after and during "beast form" character transformations. The gimmick of the game might also be its best aspect, in this case.
 
Bloody Roar 2's sound effects & music aren't anything spectacular, and voice acting (along with the game's announcer) is a bit annoying and irksome. However, BR2's presentation is actually pretty good and likely more than you'd expect to see in a typical 1999 console fighting game. Like the prequel, Bloody Roar 2 offers a "unique" concept to the fighting game realm... but doesn't quite deliver on deeper elements of gameplay or replayability. 1999 was an incredibly competitive and groundbreaking era of fighting games. Bloody Roar 2... while innovative in some ways, didn't quite match up to the competition in terms of substance or replayability.

 

Page Updated: June 7th, 2024 Developer(s): Hudson Soft                Arcade Eighting/Raizing       PS1 Publisher(s): Virgin Interactive, SCEA, Hudson Soft Designer(s): Shinichi Ōnishi         Lead Designer Artwork By: Naochika Morishita Platform(s): Arcade, PlayStation, PSN Release Date(s): Jan. 28th, 1999            PS1 Apr. 30th, 1999            PS1 July 1999                         PS1 June 8th, 2010              PSN Characters:  Jenny Burtory, Shina, Busuzima, Yugo Ogami, Alice Tsukagami, Long Shen, Shen Long, Gado, Bakuryu, Stun, Uriko Featured Video: Related Games: Bloody Roar, Bloody Roar 3, Bloody Roar: Primal Fury, Bloody Roar 4, Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring, Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, Final Fight Revenge, Bushido Blade, Bushido Blade 2, Street Fighter EX2, Toshinden 3, Toshinden 4, Tobal 2, Plasma Sword, Soul Calibur, Dead or Alive 2, DOA2: Hardcore, TEKKEN Tag Tournament      Gameplay Engine  6.5 / 10 Story / Theme  7.0 / 10 Overall Graphics  6.5 / 10 Animation  8.0 / 10 Music / Sound Effects  6.0 / 10 Innovation  5.5 / 10 Art Direction  8.5 / 10 Customization  4.0 / 10 Options / Extras  5.0 / 10 Intro / Presentation  6.5 / 10 Replayability / Fun  4.5 / 10 "Ouch" Factor  6.5 / 10 Characters  6.0 / 10 BOTTOM LINE  6.2 / 10  Review based on PS1 version       Final Words: Bloody Roar 2 is interesting for a few reasons. The developers clearly had a set concept that they stuck to (human characters who can turn into beasts), which is heavily the main draw of the game. Some of the artwork & character designs are worth a look... visually, that is. In my opinion, the gameplay lacks depth & replayability, and character movesets are hit or miss (and borrow many things from other already existing characters). In retrospect, BR2's animation and combo system wasn't half bad for its time... but it's not difficult to see where Bloody Roar 2 fell short compared to other 2D and 3D fighting games of the time period. Casual fighting game players might find some things to like about BR2... but the gameplay just wasn't rewarding or fun, in my opinion. Besides, hardcore fighting game players had so many hits to be busy with in 1999. On that note, I suppose Bloody Roar 2 would appeal players tired of getting their asses kicked in real 3D fighting games like Tekken Tag Tournament and SoulCalibur (released the same year). ~TFG Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen        Click Here for all Posters / Box Artwork! Click here for all Screenshots! FOLLOW    ON:                             TFG NEWS CHARACTERS GAMES