The King of Fighters EX2: Howling Blood

"One of the best fighters on the GBA!"

I was at a video game store in my local mall and I saw this title. I saw the pictures on the back and the graphics looked cool so I decided to buy it. I took it home and played it and it has become my new obsession for the three days that I've owned it. I don't see myself getting tired of it anytime soon.

There is a whole series behind the game but I don't quite know all of it. You don't get the greatest look at the beginning of the story from this game alone. It traces all the way back to 1994 and it used to be the main rival of Street Fighter.

Gameplay-8/10
It is so fun to play this game! I believe they used the 4-buttons very well. It definitely is still limited by shortage of buttons just like pretty much all other GBA fighters, but its not all that bad. It can get annoying to do some specials, but most techniques are done just fine. Its a very challenging game at first, but very fun from the start.

Story-9/10
From what little I've heard of the story, its great. Unfortunately, I'm still trying to find out the rest of it. From what I know, It's a tournament and everyone basically has their own agendas for joining in. Some go in just to win, others go in to discover something, some are in to get revenge on others who are in the tournament. For those of you who don't know the story, you should try to find out more about it yourself. I heard enough from friends to spark my interest.

Graphics/Sound-10
The graphics are beautiful on this game. Just watching someone else play is cool. The backgrounds are decorated well and interesting to see. The special effects look great as well. When you see the graphics alone you'll want this game.
The sound is fantastic! You'll be humming most of the music in your head and you'll be walking around saying everything they say in the game.

Replay factor-8/10
There are a few new modes to unlock and a special character to unlock. You'll be playing this game at least until you master all of the characters and that will take a long time as there are 21 characters, all with very interesting moves and personalities.

Rent or Buy?
You might as well buy it. Highly skilled players can beat the game in a rental period, but you'll miss it and end up buying it anyway. You won't be sorry for getting this one. It'll be your favorite for a long time to come.

I give this game a 9.5/10! The only reason this game doesn't get a 10 is because of the semi-difficulty of performing specials. Even then I'm probably being harsh. I've been taking this game everywhere with me and if you buy it, you'll want to do the same.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/16/04