Rumble Roses

"Dead or Alive Girls + WWE SmackDown! = Rumble Roses"

Rumble Roses was released in November 2004 by Konami, I bought my copy as soon as it came up, because I was really anxious to see how it turned out. Was I pleased or was I disappointed? Read below and find out. I rate in 7 categories: Soundtrack, Voice Acting, Storyline, Gameplay, Control, Graphics, and Replayability

Storyline
The storyline to this game, as I would hate to admit, is utterly ridiculous. It's about a mad female scientist named Dr. Cutter, who undertakes the name "Anesthesia" and goes on a quest to build the ultimate prototype, Lady X, whose main model is built after the legendary wrestlers, Kamikaze Rose. Anesthesia needs DNA from the top female wrestlers in the world, so what does she do? She holds a wrestling tournament called "Rumble Roses" Anesthesia has a henchwoman named Evil Rose, a mysterious woman dressed in a *rather revealing* leather, devil outfit. Reiko Hinomoto is Kamikaze Rose's daughter, she joins the Rumble Rose Tournament after her sister disappeared three years ago. Reiko hopes of finding her sister, Fujiko, at the Rumble Rose. Reiko enters the tournament and realizes that Evil Rose, who has been killing wrestlers (but the audience doesn't seem to care, do they?), has been helping Reiko out when she is in trouble (Do you know where this is going? Yeah there). The rest of the plot is really predictable and ridiculous. However, there are over 20 storylines to follow in Rumble Roses, all from different characters. The game, however, suffers from the lack of realism (I know it's not supposed to be real, but when they try and kill wrestlers in the ring, you would think someone would stop the tournament). It looks good on paper, but on screen, uhh..
Overall: 5/10

Graphics
The graphics to this game are AWESOME! Konami really did a great job with the Dead or Alive-esque look to all the female wrestlers. The mud-match is incredibly detailed (mud slings off their bodies and all that good stuff) If you want to see a incredibly detailed (and perverted) graphics, this is a good choice.
Overall: 9/10

Soundtrack
The soundtrack to this game is decent, it has a music to fit all the characters, and some of the songs are actually real-life songs (Keep on Liftin' Me, for example). The BGMs are rock music, but it fits the mood of the matches. the entrances are choreographed with their music and fits quite nicely. My personal favorite is "Looking at the Sky", which is Reiko's techno entrance music. Some of the BGMs get repetitive after awhile, but it isn't painfully annoying.
Overall: 7/10

Voice Acting
Ugh.. this brings the game down some more, the English dub (with no option for Japanese language option ala Dead or Alive) is incredibly horrible. Reiko's voice actor is so monotone it's annoying. Plus, Bloody Shadow's repetitive saying "TO ACTION!" gets on your nerves quite easily. Anesthesia is Hispanic, but has an English accent, which is beyond me, and supposedly Aigle is Mongolian, but can't speak English, but all the Japanese girls can. Most of the voice actors are pretty terrible, but there are some good ones. This is probably the lowest point of the game.
Overall: 5/10

Gameplay
The game has some good gameplay, and can actually be a challenge. Sure, it's harder to get used to than SmackDown!, but keep in mind this isn't the WWE. The modes available in Rumble Roses include: Normal Match, Mad Mud Match, Story Mode, Gallery and Title Match. Sure, it's a short list, but you can find all of the modes enjoyable, you character even shifts from her good from to her evil form, or vice-versa. The comp matches have a decent AI, which is good for watching matches. A thing this game has over SmackDown! is that Rumble Roses makes the moves looks extremely painful.
Overall: 8/10

Control
The game has decent control, but sometimes it gets a little out there. The controls are difficult, unlike WWE SmackDown!, which is why some people will not play it. It took me awhile to get used to all the submissions and grapples. Be careful when playing Story Mode, because if you don't know how to play, you'll get owned by the computer AI.
Overall: 7/10

Replayability
The game is obviously replayable, which is good for all wrestling games. Two player is really fun, especially during mud matches. It may get old after awhile, but then switch characters and have fun. I suggest you rent before you buy, just in case you're not sure if you like the game.
Overall: 7/10

Game Overall
68/100 or 7/10

Overall this game gets a 7 out of 10 because of all the highs and lows of this game. They can get professional voice actors who know what they are doing and improve the story mode a bit (because the whole military weapon thing is just stupid). If they do decide to make Rumble Roses II I really hope they fix those two, other wise this is a decent game.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/15/04