Bloody Roar Extreme is
the latest addition to the Bloody Roar family on the Xbox. Bloody Roar has been
around since the original Playstation, and is a fighting game where players take
control of contestants that can transform into beasts to help them fight their
way to victory. The series has had multiple publishers throughout its lifetime,
but this time around Konami has done the honors.
Bloody Roar Extreme is
your average fighting game. A very powerful leader is holding a competition for
all Zoanthropes (people that can transform into beasts) to find the most
powerful fighter. There’s a punch button, kick button, block button, and a Beast
button. Bloody Roar also offers the traditional fighting game modes: Arcade,
Versus, Survival, Time Attack, Team Battle, Versus Team Battle, and Training.
The gameplay is very
basic. Fighting consists of hitting the punch and kick button alternately to
create combos. The combos are very easy to pull off due to the simplicity of the
button combinations making it easy for anyone to get good at the game. This may
be a turn-on for a lot of gamers, but hardcore fighting game fans may find this
annoying.
The flare of the Bloody
Roar name is the ability to turn into beasts during the fight. As you fight,
your beast meter at the bottom of the screen fills up. Once it’s full, you have
the ability to transform and become more powerful. While in your character’s
Beast Form you do more damage, have access to more moves, and are able to pull
off a Beast Drive attack. Beasts Drives are a lot like the super attacks you’d
see in a Street Fighter game and result in a really cool looking barrage of
attacks on your opponent.
Aside from Beast Form is
Hyper-Beast Form, which turns your character into a faster, stronger version of
their Beast Form. The screen gets sort of a blur and you have unlimited access
to Beast Drives. Your character can only do it once per turn, but in tough times
it can win you the battle.
Bloody Roar Extreme has
plenty of treats to unlock. There are extra hidden characters and fun things
like Kids Mode or Beast Only Mode.
Overall, Bloody Roar
Extreme is a fun game to just pick up and play, but it’s definitely not for
gamers that are heavy into fighting games. They may be disappointed with the
lack of technique and charm. The characters seem strangely like characters from
other fighting games and not very unique, the graphics and textures are plain,
and the play mechanics are simple and uninventive. Bloody Roar isn’t a bad game;
it just feels like it they didn’t try very hard with this one.
Gameplay: 6.5
Bloody Roar
Extreme is fun to play, but with its simple fighting engine a skilled player
could still get beat by a button masher.
Graphics: 7
The graphics are
mediocre; I’ve seen worse, but I’ve also seen a lot better. The textures are
pretty plain and the backgrounds are flat and lifeless. Character animations and
costumes are pretty cool, though.
Sound: 7
The sound is also
mediocre. There’s nothing too exciting in the music department, and the sound
effects are the usual. No custom soundtrack or Dolby Digital support really
hurts, especially since those are two huge pluses on the Xbox.
Difficulty: Hard
You’re able to
change the difficulty in Bloody Roar Extreme, but even at the medium setting
fights get really hard towards the end of Arcade Mode. The AI gets really smart
and can dodge your attacks endlessly in the more difficult settings.
Concept: 5
Being able to
change into a beast is a really interesting idea, and being able to send your
opponent flying clear across the arena and through the opposite wall makes the
idea even better. The problem is that there is nothing unique or exciting about
the actual gameplay, which is very important in the growing genre of fighting
games.
Multiplayer: 7
Playing against
your friends in any sort of game is always more entertaining. There’s really no
change in the gameplay when playing a human opponent, it’s just more exciting to
be sitting next to the person your pounding into the ground.
Overall: 6.8
The problem with
Bloody Roar Extreme is that it gets by on the bare minimum. The gameplay is very
simple and requires no skill. While Bloody Roar is a fun fighting game, lack of
anything above average really hurts this game’s score. Bloody Roar Extreme is an
entertaining game by itself, but with competition like Tekken, Soul Caliber, and
Dead Or Alive it really needs something to help it stand out.
