Bloody Roar

"Bloody Roar brings diversity into fighting games"

Bloody Roar isn't just your average 3-D fighter. This game is fast and fierce. This arcade style fighter's got everything you could want and then some. Rapacious 3-D graphics. Ferocious combos. Unforgettable characters. More than enough fighting techniques to devour your foes. This game has so many incredible features. You can morph into raging beasts in the heat of battle and expose a whole new level of untamed fury. Execute more than 200 unique moves for both human and beast forms. The "Rave" feature unlocks immense power, more speed, and even more moves to decimate your prey. The play options are never-ending! You can strengthen your skills in Practice Mode. And, if you have enough guts, attempt the Time attack mode or Survival Mode!

Bloody Roar provides a unique style of fighting. Players have the choice to fight in their human forms or fight in the unforgettable, blood thirsty, bone crushing beast form. When Beast mode is activated, the character becomes more powerful and unlocks more unique moves. When in Beast mode you have the luxury of activating the "Rave" feature which gives the player a unimaginable source of power. Though it will slowly decrease during usage and shorten when your character receives damage, it provides unbelievable strength to decimate your enemy. Bloody Roar has a simple fighting engine. There are three attack buttons. During your character form, you only have the X and Square buttons to attack. The Circle button is used to activate the Beast transformation. Beast transformation is only attainable when the beast gauge is fully charged. While in Beast Mode, the indicator is yellow. The yellow area decreases according to damage suffered by the Beast. It does not recharge during that round. When the yellow indicator reaches zero, the Beast Mode is not negated until the Beast is hit with an effective technique. Characters experience the following power-ups when fighting is Beast Mode. The number of their moves available by using the circle button increases. Flotation amount changes. Characters become heavier. Life energy recovers-characters can recover up to three percent of damage when in Beast form. However, your life energy does not recover when you are guarding or talking damage. Jumping ability increase- this enables in-air attacks and moves. You may also use the walls as part of your attack.

The ferocious 3-D graphics are remarkable. Lighting effects from special moves and beast transformations are spectacular. The backgrounds and characters are have vibrant polygonal textures and colors. Little details like blood and throw up are nice touches. There is an extremely short loading time which makes the game fast and fun to play. The overall speed of the game is satisfactory. The fights can be fast and furious or slow and strategic. It's all up to the player(s). Music is of a dance feel. Some music tracks fit the game's theme, others are a bit out there. Sound effects are on the mark. Character voices, shouts, screams, grunts, punches and kicks smacking the head of your opponent are clear.

Menus are straightforward and a breeze to navigate through. You have your basic menus like options, configurations, modes of play, etc. The instruction manual is really helpful towards beginners and includes brief bio's for each of the nine characters in Bloody Roar. It also provides a few special moves and combos for each character as well. This game is for one or two players. And needs only one memory card block. With 200 plus moves for each character, it'll take a while for you to become a grand masta killer in Bloody Roar. Keeping you quite busy for a few weeks. You should check this game out.

Overall, I would recommend checking this game out. This is a game to be reckoned with. This fast and fierce arcade fighter's got everything you could want in a fighting game. Bloody Roar is diverse and exceedingly fun to play.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99