Fighter Maker 2

"Enjoyable game, even with all its flaws"

I have really enjoyed the Maker series, and while this is probably the least user friendly of all, it stands among the most fun.

Customization 4/5

The game loses a point here for being the least user-friendly game in the entire series, tieing with the first Fighter Maker. This time around, they fit all the information in the instruction booklet, it's just very hard to find and once you do find it, get it to work for you in the game.

This time around, they fixed the problem they had before with just having 20 characters that could be used, instead opting for a large amount of combinations of costume elements.

I read a review of the first one that said that any move you might want to create was already available in the library in some form. While that person was certainly right, Agetec seems to have paid too much heed to that review because now there are only 6 styles in the move library, which really limits your ability to make sure the moves you make are realistic-looking.

Gameplay 3/5

There are only 6 rounds, and you fight a bunch of weaklings, so it's really not hard to win. There are no endings, and the only way to make the fighting game a real challenge is either to play against another human opponent or make your character's moves weaker, in the damage they do.

Replay Value 5/5

Of course, in a Maker series game, replay value is infinite because you can make whatever interests you, from somebody from a movie you enjoy to a character from another fighting game, to your own dynamic character.

Graphics 3/5

I'm going to be honest here, I really didn't enjoy looking at cheesy characters in the sequel to the game that had a few completely interesting characters that didn't look ripped off from other games. You can, of course, customize your character to look like almost anything, and some of the costumes are unique, but a lot of it seems ripped off from other fighting games.

Sound 2/5

Sound in this game is an uninspiring score combined with about as generic a set of thwaps, whacks, yells, and other sound effects of your choosing as can be thought of. It is a really good idea for you to be able to put your own sound effects in, it just takes a lot of tweaking to get them to work with the ones they recorded, and not have everything come out sounding cheesy.

Overall 7/10

While this game is a combination of good things and bad things, the fact that it is the only PS2 game in the Fighter Maker genre should tell you something... if you're really into fighting games, pick it up. It's important to be patient through all the game's flaws, but it is awfully fun!

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/23/03, Updated 06/23/03