"GameCube owners have been
frothing at the mouth for their first fighter, and
months later we finally have something to dig our teeth
into..."
Intro
If you look back into the recent past, most
"new" consoles always produce a fantastic
fighter. When the Sega Dreamcast was first introduced we
were given Soul Calibur, which still happens to
be one of my favorite fighters; and the XBOX produced Dead
or Alive 3. I was more than surprised not to
see a fighting game on the GameCubes debut lineup. I
personally thought the Bloody Roar series to be a
stable, yet slightly above average title; but not
something that would make me lose sleep from. My
expectations were fairly on target, and we get a decent
(but highly mediocre) title.
If you are unfamiliar with the series of game, it
combines elements from various other fighting games.
Take the morphing abilities from Beast Wars throw
in some interactive environments from DOA, mix
some 3D from Soul Calibur and top it off with
some Tekken gameplay and you might come up with a
hybrid of Bloody Roar.
More than meets the eyes...
Since most fighting games in the genre have limited
storyline, this one actually is a bit better than most.
On earth there are two types of beings: humans and
Zoanthropes. The Zoanthropes have the ability to
transform into beastly beings, but their destiny and
reason in life is unknown. To discovery their origins,
the Zoanthropes have sponsored a cash competition where
the winner takes all. Along the way a few
"twists" (if you can call it that) pop
up, helping to develop the vague storyline.
As mentioned, the "hook" for Bloody Roar:
Primal Fury is the ability the characters have to
morph into animal like players. This adds a bit of depth
where other fighting games might lack. The aspects
surrounding the transformations also pit some nice
strategy involving into the combat schematics.
Transforming requires power (which is measured on the
screen), and transforming when low on power could
leave yourself open to death from a minor attack from
your opponent. Retrospectively, the transformed
character is much more powerful and can pack quite a
wallop if there combos land.
Speaking of combos... Combos have been the staple of
fighting games for nearly a decade and Primal Fury
doesn't lack for them. While most novice gamers will
button-mash in vain, other dedicated veterans will enjoy
the depth of moves. I appreciate the level of depth,
simply because it takes moves from a variety of games
and incorporates them into the control scheme. It takes
the "half-circle" moves from a Street
Fighter or Mortal Kombat, but it also takes
the "button-button-button-direction" from a Soul
Calibur or Tekken. To be honest, many of the
moves are difficult and frustrating. Mainly because you
have to learn moves from both the human side as
well as the Zoanthropes side. Luckily, the game
provides a solid practice mode in which you will spend a
few hours per character trying to nail the moves and
timing down for each character. With over a dozen
characters, it would be nearly impossible to learn all
the moves for each character in a few settings. I always
try to focus on one or two characters, learn them well
and dab into others later down the road.
It takes more than novelties, graphics and combos to
make a good fighting game. The single most important
factor in fighting games is the control and physics that
the play produces. For the most part I was satisfied
with the controls, mainly because they were tight and
responsive. Fighters reacted perfectly to my wantings,
and usually defended themselves when I felt appropriate.
And as much as I loved the combos of the game, it also
became a huge deterrent. Button mashers could prove
deadly to those still unfamiliar with the combos. I
found myself trying to execute a move as a button-masher
friend would stomp me into oblivion. The same goes for
the transformation. I wouldn't have enough time to pull
out the heavy weaponry, simply because they would knock
me on my back before I had the chance. To be fully
successful in the game takes lighting fast timing along
with pre-thought out combos. So, to summarize my
feelings about control, was that it didn't flow
like other games in the genre do. Single player was
semi-rewarding and the first time through was a breeze;
allowing you to experiment with your newfound combos.
Multiplayer, however, became tedious, unless both
players were on the same talent level. After about a
week or so of play, I was able to manhandle
button-mashers like a wet diaper; but until then I was
fodder for leg sweeps and round houses.
Shiny happy people...
To say that I'm a sucker for pretty visuals and gorgeous
animation would be an understatement. Screen shots
tempted me with "next-gen" graphics and I was
stoked to see my screenshots come alive. For the good, I
was super-impressed with the rock-steady (Turtle
Power!) framerate that made the game play like an
interactive movie. I was also impressed with the
fluidity of the animations and character modeling. The
negative is the shock factor. Nothing really stood out
to make me think "Wow, look at the graphics on
my Cube!". The Bloody Roar series has
always laid in the shadows of other fighters visually,
and their legacy continues. Other than what was
mentioned, you will also notice the backgrounds are
fairly interactive. Walls and blocks can bust when
thrown into with a player. While the game really isn't
multi-tiered, it does provide a nice "meaty"
type of visual experience.
When you listen to the soundtrack, it has ARCADE
stamped all over it. Classic Japana-techno, rusty
guitars and "watery" hooks fill the audio.
Heck, the job gets done and there’s nothing I would
change. The same goes for the average sound effects.
Punches to the gut really sound hollow and wrenching,
and slaps to the face sound just like mommas when I spit
my brussel sprouts out in my napkin. The only
"extraordinary" feat is the neat-o effects
when your character transforms. Heck, the music is
classic arcade fighter style and don't be surprised if
you reach in your pockets looking for quarters when you
die...
66 Says:
While I would have preferred a port of DOA3 from
the XBOX rather than an update of Bloody Roard 3
from the PS2, I was overall satisfied with the
experience. So satisfied that I purchased the game after
the rental. While I don't think a weekend rental could
fill you (mostly because of the high learning curve),
many might not want to spend the 50 clams. It was a toss
up, but I was desperate for a fighter game on the Cube.
DOA3 had its life on my XBOX, but totally love the
controls of my Cube better.
I think, for the majority, you will be satisfied with
the game, especially the nice control set of the GC
controller. The depth of play, including the extensive
combo list, should keep you playing for a good long
time. The single player is good, and gets increasingly
more challenging after you beat it; but if you can find
a player with similar skills; this could provide some
long term entertaining.
Will this ever replace Soul Calibur, Street Fighter and
Virtua Fighter? Not a chance. But what it will give you
is a solid, average fighter for your Nintendo.
7.1
