A good fighting game for the PlayStation 2, just not enough depth.
Skipping right to the chase, the Bloody Roar series has always been a fun one. Bloody Roar 1 & 2 enjoyed success on the PSOne and BR3 looked to take the fighting action to a new level. In the end, while the visuals are quite good, the game does lack the depth that we’ve become used to in today’s fighters.
Gameplay wise, BR3 has all the standard modes that a fighter has: Arcade, Vs., Time Attack. Those are the main staple of the game. Once into the game you get to choose from some familiar faces along with some new ones. Of course, each one has their own personality and their own "beast" that they morph into. This adds some fun to the game and some trash talking when your wolf beats up on the rabbit. Visually, BR3 is all eye candy and doesn’t let down one bit. Running at a constant 60 FPS there’s no slowdown to be seen.
Playing through all the modes are quite simple, even on the hardest difficulty levels. I was a bit shocked that I could get a perfect round even on "hardest". Also, the lack of combos really got on my nerves. All you frequently need to do is mash the buttons harder and faster than your opponent, and you win. Lastly the sound just about drove me nuts. Every arena that was indoors has a terrible "pinging" sound to it and I finally had to turn off the sound. Also the lack of a decent story line between the characters didn’t really bring the game to any sort of conclusion.
So is Bloody Roar 3 worth the money? With fighters like Virtua Fighter 4 and Tekken 4 on the horizon, there is beginning to be little room for games like Bloody Roar 3. Bottom line is, definitely rent this one before you buy.
