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Review: Battle Arena Toshinden 2 |
Battle Arena Toshinden 2 is not a revolutionary game by any means. But it sure as hell is a fun game to play with its unique aspects of gameplay. This is one of those games that you either really like or really hate.
The graphics in Battle Arena Toshinden 2 are both a curse and a blessing. The beautiful light rendering done in this game are first in its class! Takara pulled all its stops to make the graphics in this game as realistic as possible. The water in Gaia’s level is simply mindblowing with splashes and water drops all over the level. Not only that, but the level itself is dark and groomy, making it more exciting to play on than any other level on most games. The type of levels found in Battle Arena Toshiden 2 are much more realistic than the flat Tekken 2 levels. Unfortunately we can not say the same about Toshiden 2’s polygonal characters. Compared to Tekken 2’s clean smooth polygons, Toshiden 2 has a lot of polygon break ups. Vermillion is perhaps the coolest character to ever grace the fighting game scene period. Wielding a gun in one hand, a big’o shotgun in the other and completely dressed in black, Vermillion is definately awesome! There is also plenty of pixilation found because of the complex level designs. The great light sourcing however will set a new standard in the new 3D game field.
Toshinden 2’s music is nothing espectacular but not entirely bothersome. Some tracks are very cool indeed as in the case of Duke B. Rampart which has some very nice gothic music. The sword slashes will seem very clear to the japanese audience with very cool but yet unrealistic sound effects. Overall speaking, the sound effects are good but not entirely “cool”. Sofia still has her sexually appealing voice for those of you who care :)
Even though the game plays rather well, there is nothing here that was not in the original Battle Arena Toshinden. A couple of moves added, a couple of moves removed and an unbalanced gameplay (Vermillion kicks too much ass) make the game boring at times. The special moves such as fireballs add very little to the gameplay. Side stepping and all of those other neat 3D moves are still available in the game. The jumping is still very exaggerated and an effective way to move in for an attack. The combos are very easy to pull off, but require very little thought. The Super moves look very cool and do an amazing amount of damage to an opponent though it requires a lot of time to power up. The controller is responsible most of the time, but when you are performing the fireball moves your character will jump and become rather jerky and annoying.
If you have played Toshinden and are a diehard fan of the series BAT 2 is a great sequel to add to your library. One sign of warning though - even though the character line up has increased the unbalanced gameplay will leave you wondering if you will ever beat your friend controlling Vermillion. There are not many multiplayer options such as Team to keep the action furious. The endings are simple polygonal endings in which your character just stands there and the camera moves in at different angles. I know that may sound bad, but the game is quite fun if you do not choose Vermillion! The levels add a lot to the gameplay and the computer presents a very nice challenge.
Battle Arena Toshinden 2 is a great game but nowhere as complete as Tekken 2. The action is furious, the gameplay alright, and the characters very original! This game has a lot of appeal and its a great purchase if you already own the biggies (Tekken 2, SFA2, etc…). Otherwise give this game a rental and have fun kicking butt with Vermillion!
