Bloody Roar: Primal Fury
Score: 80% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Activision Developer: Hudson Soft/Eighting Media: GCD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Fighting
Graphics & Sound: Bloody Roar: Primal Fury is a major step above the PS2 version. Sure, it's not as pretty as some other recent fighters, but when you see the beautifully rendered backgrounds (complete with animated features such as water and torches), combined with large, detailed fighters there's not much to complain about either. Some very impressive special effects, combined with a smooth frame-rate top off a very nice presentation. Sound is done well, but could stand some improvement. The standard punch, kick and other sounds are very well done, however the music leaves a lot of be desired. Following other fighters, Bloody Roar: Primal Fury's soundtrack is mostly comprised of the 80's style guitar riffs. It's fun and some may like it - but wasn't my cup of tea.
Gameplay: Looking for a tangible story in a fighting game is like looking for Gary Coleman in a haystack- you can look all you want, but the odds of you finding him are minimal. Bloody Roar: Primal Fury is your standard fighting game and includes all of the options you would expect. Arcade, Time Attack, Survival, Multi-player and Versus modes; you want it, you got it. For new players, the game even offers a nice Training mode. The element that sets Bloody Roar apart from other fighting games is the beast transformations. After transforming, characters become more powerful and gain the ability to unleash their most powerful attack - the hyper move. However, transforming requires power, so transforming while the change meter is low could result in your character becoming more open to an opponent's attack. This adds a whole new layer of strategy and depth to the game.
Difficulty: Running through the game is fairly easy and can be done by just about anyone who is familiar with fighting games. That's not to say Bloody Roar: Primal Fury is a complete cakewalk since the computer does, from time to time, have its moments of complete cheapness. But these are rare, and do not ruin the overall experience too often. Bloody Roar does have some replay value since the game seems to get harder as you complete the game a second or third time. As with any fighting game, you also have to contend with the skills of your friends as well - adding even more replay value.
Game Mechanics: From the first time I saw the GameCube's controller design, I questioned how effective it would be with fighting games. After playing Bloody Roar, I am happy to say that it works. Of course, there is a bit of a learning curve, but the setup is so intuitive that any player can pick it up in no time. In addition to learning special moves for your characters, each has a set of combos to learn. Some are easy, some are downright hard - it all depends on how good you are at fighting games. While it's not in league with Soul Calibur or Tekken, Bloody Roar does offer a fun brawler with enough depth to keep you interested and it's also a lot of fun too.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
NFL Blitz 20-03 Burnout