Check out the first significant fighting game on a Nintendo system since the SNES.
Bloody Roar has always been the black sheep, the redheaded stepchild of fighting games. It tries so hard to fit in, but it always seems to be right on the fence as a love it or leave it game. Bloody Roar 3 hit the Playstation 2 last year and had to compete with Tekken Tag Tournament and Dead or Alive 2. The semi-sequel, Bloody Roar: Primal Fury, like its predecessors has taken another positive stride toward competing with the big boys. This time on the GameCube you may have to make room on your shelf.
Bloody Roar: PF, and Bloody Roar 3 for that matter, are deeper fighting games then they are given credit for being. BR: PF follows the basic formula for a 3D fighting game to a point. If you haven’t played any of the series yet, the catch is that your human fighters have the ability to transform into animals. This is more than just a visual trick. Once in animal form, be it a wolf or rabbit or cheetah, your character becomes faster and stronger and has new moves at its disposal. You can’t always fight as a beast though. There is a beast drive gauge that fills as you deal and take damage. Once you fill that gauge another appears, and this one determines how long you’ll be able to sustain your beast-hood. You’ll turn back in to a human when you’re gauge gets beat down or when you execute a super move. If you can avoid getting hit, it’s conceivable that you could stay in beast form for the entire fight.
The fighting engine is fast, 60fps fast, but also a little frantic. You can really mash your way to some pretty cool moves, but there is an underlying structure that is full of depth and usability. Sure there are a numerous paint-by-numbers combos, but it’s how you use them (string them together) and other advanced techniques that show off what this game is truly made of. Some of the advanced techniques include hard versus soft blocking, counter attacks, guard breaks, evasion, sidestepping, and 3D movement. The game can be played without using any of these skills and still be fun, yet mastering the use of all of them makes for a much higher level of play.
In relation to other games, BR: PF is really most akin to Capcom’s Versus series. How could the two possibly relate? For one, they both make use of flashy over the top special moves. They also both play at such a quick pace that you feel on the verge of out of control. They are both easily accessible by beginner and expert alike, and it is in the hands of these experts that you see what both games truly have to offer. The main link between the two though is the juggle combo. So much alike, in fact, that there are air combos in BR: PF that clearly mimic the aerial raves from the Versus games. You want to see 30 and 40 hit combos in a 3D fighting game? This is where to turn. Each character comes equipped with launcher moves that can be followed up, by standard punches and kicks, air combos, combo strings, throws, or even super moves. On the opposite side of the coin, the airborne opponent has the ability to break out of the falling animation and throw off the timing of the combo (a little like Soul Calibur).
I could go on and on about combos and defensive techniques, but that’s what FAQs are for. You’ll be happy to know that surrounding a good fighting engine is plenty of modes and options. Some are available from the first boot up, but many are unlocked as you play your way through the arcade mode. There are survival and time attack and team battle modes as well as your standard versus and arcade. There are two brand new characters to the series that are unlockable. Six of the stages are brand new, most with destructible walls that can lead to ring outs. I’ve also found a kids mode (ala VF kids), slo-mo and speedy modes, and different wall settings (solid, none, easily breakable, etc.). The slow motion setting is particularly intriguing because it makes practice on your combos that much easier and meaningful.
The upgrade to the GameCube added more than just a couple of new characters and stages. The visuals also received a big facelift. The character designs are out of this world, and the modeling on screen is superb. They are noticeably upgraded from the PS2 version. You can see things like the veins in the arms of the really ripped guys like Gado. The animals are equally impressive although Alice’s rabbit form seems to have put on a little weight. The backgrounds aren’t particularly active, but you won’t even notice when you have an elephant and a giant beetle doing battle without a hint of slowdown. The animation is tight if not a little too fast. You’ll be able to appreciate it a more in the slo-mo mode. Lastly, and most visually appealing, are the special effects. Eighting has gone all out to show things like claw trails behind punches and slaps. Other things like beast transformation, the hyper beast mode (where the beast blurs and waves), and the super moves are a light show worthy of a tech demo.
Sound on the other hand doesn’t fare quite so well. While the obligatory grunts and growls all sound fine, the music leaves much to be desired. They went for the hard rock sound, but unfortunately they missed out on what good, current hard rock sounds like. Instead we are left with a flashback to Genesis and SNES cartridge rock. Like usual, though, the music in a fighting game cannot detract from the game itself, it could only serve to make it better. I choose to turn it down or play my own.
BR: PF is just another step forward for a series that one day may be mentioned in the same breath as Tekken and Virtua Fighter. As it stands today, if you are a fighting game fan, it rightfully deserves a spot in your collection along side, but not in place of, those other titles. The near endless replay value of searching out new and original juggle combos is alone almost enough to warrant a purchase. Also, if you own the PS2 version and a GameCube, you’ll certainly want to trade in and upgrade to Primal Fury.
