PlayStation 2

Viewtiful Joe

February 4, 2005

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Matt Karam Make a comment! / Tweet it!

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/viewtifuljoeps2/cover.jpg[/floatleft]I was idly standing by the GameCube section when I noticed an interesting game on the screen. I didn’t know what it was called, but I saw a side-scrolling game with comic-style graphics. Some kid was intensely pounding away at the controls, and the dude in the red bodysuit with the pink cape was performing all sorts of animated antics that made stuff fly all over the place. After watching the action in awe for a few moments, I continued with my shopping. By the time I arrived at home, that game never entered my mind again. Months later, the game resurfaced on the PS2, and again I was mildly intrigued by this [i]Viewtiful Joe[/i].

I finally had the chance to check this game out, having read the great reviews for it both online and in magazines. I turned it on and set my difficulty to “Adults” (the other choices are “Sweet”, the easiest setting, and “Kids”, the default setting) and anticipated creating carnage as that little kid did in the store those months ago. Once I got started, I was hugely let down. My character wasn’t doing any of the actions that I knew he was capable of performing. On top of that, I kept dying, and it took me hours just to get to Level 2. I was fed up. How did that kid have it so easy, and I couldn’t do a thing? I sadly established that I wasn’t good enough to play on the “Adults” setting-perhaps I wasn’t good enough to play the game at all.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/viewtifuljoeps2/ss03_thumb.jpg[/floatright]I decided to lessen the difficulty to “Kids” and see if I couldn’t learn how to play that way. I wasn’t looking forward to trying this, being low in spirit for finally finding a game I wasn’t good at. With a larger life bar and therefore more confidence, I began the game the right way. And let me tell you, I finally learned how to play [i]Viewtiful Joe[/i]. If you approach the game by just punching and kicking, you will not succeed on many levels. [i]Viewtiful Joe[/i] is virtually impossible to play without using Joe’s three major powers. His powers not only aid in helping you through the game, but if you use them correctly, you will gain a ton of Viewtiful Points, which act as Joe’s currency to purchase power-ups and abilities at save spots (which are few and far between). You are rated based on how well you played a certain section, and the higher the rating, the more Viewtiful Points you are awarded at the end of the level.

Just what might those powers be? Well, your first power is VFX (Viewtiful Effects) Slow, which slows down everything on the screen. This is the power that will be used most often, as you can perform a huge combo with tons of hits for loads of Viewtiful Points as well as dizzy up opponents so that you can completely obliterate them with an attack in Slow-Motion. You can also deflect bullets this way. The second power is VFX Mach Speed, which, as you guessed, is basically [i]Viewtiful Joe[/i] in fast-forward. If used properly, Joe will start to glow on Fire, which you can then use to light bombs or candles. Finally, you gain access to VFX Zoom In, which is useful for performing special attacks that aren’t available otherwise. The neatest part about VFX is the ability to combine them to create powerful attacks. Ultimately, my favorite one is the “Slow Zoom Red Hot One Hundred”, which combines the use of VFX Slow, Zoom, and holding down the punch button. Bosses don’t stand a chance against this.

The graphics are very unique. It looks and feels like a comic book, and Joe is believable as a superhero. Photographs of this game give it no justice, as the game moves a lot smoother than anyone would expect a 2-D side-scrolling game to do. The sound effects are cool, too, giving this game an arcade feel. Sounds of cracking and smacking never get old, and this game brings them to you in full throttle here. My only complaint on the sounds is that the voiceovers for some of the bosses you fight are completely horrible, as their voices are gross and their English is incomprehensible (the shark boss is just awful). You can easily bypass the scenes if you don’t care about what is going on and just want to pound some noses.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/viewtifuljoeps2/ss06_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]The story kind of threw me off-guard, and because of this I don’t rate the game any higher than maybe a 7.5 out of 10. I won’t say it’s horrible, but it’s definitely not the type of fantasy that appeals to me. Joe is a normal guy watching his favorite action star, Captain Blue, with his girlfriend Sylvia. Suddenly, Sylvia gets kidnapped and taken into the movie, and Joe gets sucked into the movie to rescue her (sound like a familiar Schwarzenegger movie to anyone?). He obtains superhero powers from Captain Blue, and then it’s off to the rescue. Meanwhile there’s a plot going on where the baddies in Movieland are planning to take over the real world, so in addition to saving Sylvia, Joe must stop the hostile takeover.

What is a game nowadays without lots of secret content? Not [i]Viewtiful Joe[/i], that’s for sure. There are tons of unlockable characters and difficulties that can either be done legitimately or by entering in a cheat code on the start menu (which I won’t tell you-you must find it yourself). I won’t spoil any of the secret content, either, because then it wouldn’t be much of a secret, now, would it? But if cheat codes are your thing, look them up-they won’t be hard to find. I don’t think the secret items, however, add much to the replay value. Essentially, you’re just playing the same game over and over.

[i]Viewtiful Joe[/i] is not the greatest game I have ever played, but it is an enjoyable one. I don’t have much experience with 2-D side-scrollers, but this was a nice change of pace from the hugely-involved questing RPGs. I am looking forward to starting the sequel, so keep checking for the review on that as well. The only thing I can say about [i]Viewtiful Joe[/i] is that it is cheesy, but who ever said that cheesy can’t be fun?

Oh, and on a final note, when you’re playing [i]Viewtiful Joe[/i] and your VFX meter has completely drained, making you a normal human being and more vulnerable, just remember the words that will restore all of your hope…

[b][i]”Henshin A-Go-Go, Baby!”[/i][/b]

Lord of the Rings: The Third Age

January 20, 2005

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Matt Karam Make a comment! / Tweet it!

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/lotrthethirdage/cover.jpg[/floatleft]Let me start by saying that I am an avid fan of the [i]Lord of the Rings[/i] trilogy. Until The Fellowship of the Ring movie came out, I had not read the books and knew nothing about the story. I had only read a few chapters of The Hobbit when I was young. So needless to say, after I viewed the first movie, I read the trilogy twice, watched every movie as it came out multiple times, and viewed the extended sets. I own everything that I mentioned above. Sadly, [i]Lord of the Rings[/i] video gaming, before the movies, had not even been an afterthought. Once the movies were released, the onslaught of games poured into stores and homes nationwide, and of course, I own every single one of them. The latest (and far from the greatest) is [i]Lord of the Rings: The Third Age[/i].

First of all, I didn’t utterly despise this game. I honestly didn’t. I might even say that I liked it. However, there is so much that is wrong with it that I can’t help but cringe and ask myself what EA Games was thinking. Riding on the wake of two very successful games ([i]The Two Towers[/i] and [i]The Return of the King[/i]), they thought they would cash in on that success to make a game based on the entire trilogy. Again I say, although I enjoyed the game for what it was, it fell very short.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/lotrthethirdage/ss14_thumb.jpg[/floatright]For starters, the story is very cheap, and I stopped caring about it after ten minutes into it. EA thought they would introduce some new characters that were completely made up (and not by anyone bearing the name Tolkien). I was excited, thinking I would be getting an RPG set in Middle Earth that was a story in its own. Wow, was I wrong. Basically, you’re creating a second-string Fellowship, complete with a bickering Dwarf and Elf, a Gondorian warrior, a healing Ranger, a Rohirrim guard, and a shieldmaiden of Rohan (all that is missing is hobbits). Your mission objectives are, to my chagrin, to follow the Fellowship around and clean up the garbage they left behind. There is very little character interaction, and there is NO explanation to why the characters are doing anything among themselves. Just why didn’t Idrial accept Berethor’s love? What exactly was the main reason why these people were even traveling together? No one will ever know.

The only thing that progresses the game’s story are narrations by Ian McKellan. I was really annoyed by this because any good RPG has the characters interact and decide what to do for themselves. EA got horribly lazy here. The pace of the game slowed down tremendously when you had to stop whatever you were doing to view an “Epic scene” so that Gandalf could tell you where to go next and what you must do. After about the tenth scene (there are 109 of these terrible things), my patience dwindled to an all-time low. And placing this ragtag group in the heat of battles such as the Balrog, Helm’s Deep, and Sauron was more laughable than the fact that this game is even called [i]Lord of the Rings[/i]. When you beat the game, you are awarded with…another Ian McKellan narration! That was the final straw for me.

The graphics are very pixilated. I didn’t notice it after a while, but maybe that is because I got so accustomed to it that I stopped caring. Graphics aren’t usually a big part of why I play games, but…let’s face it, a game should be made using current technology. Something else that irked me was the lack of secrets and side quests. From start to finish, this is the most linear game I have ever played. The option to travel back to other lands is given to you, and I still don’t understand why in the world they thought that would be cool. Unless there are items waiting for you (which, when I experimented, I found nothing), there is no point to traveling. There is no secret equipment that takes something challenging to acquire. You simply pluck your things from chests, battle spoils, and maybe a steal from an enemy. I feel like EA just got lazy about midway through writing the game’s outline and just started making what they had, filling in gaps with useless garbage.

Is there anything salvageable in this utter mess of an RPG? Of course there is, or else I wouldn’t have played it for 45 hours. The main thing that drew me was the return of the turn-based battle system, as I admit I’m a sucker for [i]Final Fantasy[/i] games and anything that tries to be a spin-off. Without paying attention to the (horrible) story, I focused instead on building my characters, which was kind of fun.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/lotrthethirdage/ss04_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]Each character has three skill trees that they can learn abilities from, and in addition, there are three pearls (called Elfstones) that each fighter can learn from. With a total of six skill trees, I had a lot of work ahead of me in learning everything for every fighter (that Item Craft Elfstone took ages to master). Eventually I did, and by that time everyone was level 99. The game was a no-contest from there (I always seem to play my games this way).

The magic spells aren’t very impressive, and I knew-oh, I just KNEW-that one of the Elven girl’s spells would be the water stallions. The Dwarf’s magic was better, calling on erupting volcanoes and fire dragons to inflict massive damage. The melee abilities were cool too, especially when I could perform five- and six-hit strikes. The Rohirrim spearman was boring. The addition of “real” Fellowship members as guests in your battles was cool, but most of the time my fighters were better than the guest. A

Monster Hunter

January 17, 2005

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Matt Karam Make a comment! / Tweet it!

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/monsterhunter/cover.jpg[/floatleft]There are way too many formulated games that come out nowadays, to the point where a game will come out that does not follow the “traditional” standards set by previous games before it and gets bashed by the critics for being different. This is what [i]Monster Hunter[/i] was upon its release. This game does not play how a typical gamer would expect it to, and if you lack patience, you won’t make it past the opening minutes in The Village. I always implore people to look past the initial moments and actually play any new game they get for at least a half hour (or more) just to get a good feel for the game. Admittedly, I was frustrated at first when I tried to maneuver my character. However, after about an hour into this game, I was hooked.

[i]Monster Hunter[/i] is, without a doubt, the most underrated game I have ever played. From the very start, it captured my attention with its “Create Your Character” screen, which has always been my favorite addition to any game. After exiting from this screen with your customized character, you’re placed in The Village for the very first time, which is your single-player hangout between quests. Here, you can shop, create weapons or armor, modify your current equipment, or rest at home to replenish your health. For online play, you’re placed in The Town, which can only hold eight players at a time-four of which can join together to complete quests. There isn’t much of a story that goes beyond “saving the peaceful village from the monsters.” You’re simply told that you are a new hunter and you wish to become better. You are then given quests to begin that journey to progress in your Hunter Rank (you start out at rank 1 and are aiming for rank 20).

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/monsterhunter/ss02_thumb.jpg[/floatright]Playability-wise, this game takes a lot of getting used to, especially in the area of character and camera movement. Capcom should have left camera control completely out of the game; it’s very cumbersome to have to worry about controlling the camera when you’re hunting. Getting past that, this game is simply fun. If hacking and slashing satisfies your gaming hunger, then [i]Monster Hunter[/i] offers you an all-you-can-eat buffet. In order to make the game a little easier on first-time players, the first few quests are lessons, where you are given step-by-step instructions on how to complete them in the given time frame (which is usually around 40 to 50 minutes), and they are so simple that you really have to try to fail them. Once you pick up the game basics, you will receive harder quests that require you to be well-equipped. Your character can’t leave town until he or she is given a quest, so you can’t really explore the lands unless you accept a task. However, the beginning quests open up quite a few areas, so you can easily complete the mission objectives in a few minutes then explore for at least a half hour.

There are two types of quests: Hunting and Gathering quests, with each offering its own distinct challenges. Gathering quests involve going out into the land and acquiring items, either by mining, picking plants, catching bugs, or carving items from your killed monsters. They can be easy, but be forewarned: stealing Wyvern Eggs can get very aggravating. The more fun quests involve slaying monsters, and you can use a myriad of melee or shooting weapons, as well as time bomb traps and large barrel bombs that really pack a punch. If a monster has a tendency to retreat to a new area during battle, you can mark it with a paintball to track its movement on the map. Usually, you are given these items at the start of the quest, but more are available at the shops in town as well. Quests are necessary to make money, as you are given a financial reward after each quest you complete, driving you to complete quests more than once to build up for that weapon or armor upgrade.

Selecting your weapon can be a tough decision if you make it one. Each weapon type varies in style, damage, and swiftness, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. My personal favorite is the Great Sword, not only because of the massive damage it can do early on, but because I’ve always liked fighters who wield swords that dwarf them in size. Consequently, the Great Sword is very heavy and slow, and recovery time is long between swings. Dual Swords, Hammers, and Lances also offer a nice change in weaponry, but if melee fighting doesn’t suit you then bow guns and arbalests will fulfill your needs to toss projectiles.

In addition to hunting, [i]Monster Hunter[/i] offers more ways to pass your time, such as crafting (this game encourages you to craft your weapons and armor from monster parts instead of buying your equipment), cooking, and fishing. Cooking can be really flustering because while you are cooking, a short cartoonish tune plays, at the end of which you must press a button at the right time to get a well-done meat. Missing could yield a rare or burnt steak. If you manage to acquire a well-done steak, you can either sell it for a nice sum or hold on to it for use in replenishing your stamina. You can also combine items to make different items. For example, an Herb and a Blue Mushroom will yield a Potion that will restore lost health.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/monsterhunter/ss01_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]Graphically, this game is beautiful, showing off its realistic design as early as the game’s intro movie. The prehistoric feel was a welcomed change from the normal fantasy setting to which I’m accustomed. Most of the monsters you will hunt are dinosaur spin-offs, and they are presented with near-realistic design. The landscapes are crisp, making you feel as if you’re in the game yourself, slashing away and carving dead corpses for your prizes. Character models are also extremely realistic, and your hunter’s appearance changes as you dress or undress equipment. This has always been another favorite characteristic of mine, because it gives the game a little more flare, and watching your character grow from wearing practically nothing to wearing a full suit of armor is always fun.

Sometimes my favorite games are ones that focus on character progression/item-hunting than on immersing you in a heavily involved story. [i]Monster Hunter[/i] is one of those games that you can always play because the addiction level is really high. The real meat comes from going online and questing with others-that level of interaction always makes games more fun. If you’re looking for the traditional action/RPG, then don’t waste your time on this game. If you want to play a game that is both different and creative, then pick up a copy of [i]Monster Hunter[/i]. Just don’t forget that USB keyboard, or you won’t be very talkative to your online comrades.

Mortal Kombat: Deception

January 14, 2005

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Matt Karam Make a comment! / Tweet it!

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/mkdeception/cover.jpg[/floatleft]I distinctly remember the first time I popped quarters into the first-ever [i]Mortal Kombat[/i] arcade game. I had read up on it in the magazines and was completely bewildered by the fact that a mainstream game had so much violence. I completely loved every cent I spent performing all of the special moves and fatalities, which for the game’s time were horrendously gross. I could never have enough [i]Mortal Kombat[/i]. Those who knew me would call me obsessed. I bought the game for the Super Nintendo despite the fact that there was no blood, and I bought both a Sega Genesis and Game Gear exclusively to play gory versions of the console game. I loved every single version. As the series progressed further, the game got a bit repetitive and even silly (the Babalities and Animalities were the most ridiculous concepts I had ever heard of), and my faith in the series dwindled to nothing.

[i]Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance[/i] for the PS2 was strictly responsible for the resurgence in my liking of the franchise, and I played that game and had a good couple of months doing so. However, nothing, and I mean nothing, could have prepared me for the bloodfest that awaited me in [i]Mortal Kombat: Deception[/i]. I was so eager for this game to come out on the shelves that I was practically drooling. When I finally got my hands on it, I tore into the wrapping and immediately played the game for about five hours. None of the hype that it received did the game justice. [i]Deception[/i] is by far the greatest fighting game I have played to this day, not only living up to its predecessors in a very big way, but also creating new paths for future games to follow.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/mkdeception/ss04_thumb.jpg[/floatright]This game was built on the same engine as its latest predecessor, [i]Deadly Alliance[/i]. The characters are very easy to maneuver, and the moves are very easy to execute (there are menus that give you every single move in the game). The computer makes the game challenging, but experts in button-mashing will find that the combos make short work of their opponents if executed properly. Previously, if someone got caught in a combo, there was nothing that he or she could do but helplessly watch as they get pummeled by a ten-hit flurry of punches and kicks. What [i]Deception[/i] has that [i]Deadly Alliance[/i] does not, however, is the Breaker ability, which allows you to break up your opponent’s combo and push them away, allowing you time to recover and plan your next attack.

You start off with a bare-bones collection of fighters and stages, but as you progress through the single-player mode (which is a relatively short but easy RPG), you not only unlock more fighters and arenas, but you learn the game’s story and ultimately why the game is called “Deception.” And yes, the Krypt from the previous game is back, as are newer versions of stages from older games. The blood is heavier and stays on the ground for the entire fight. The fatalities are more brutal; there are two per fighter, plus the loser can kill himself before the other can do anything by using a “Hara-Kiri.” The selection of characters is vast, and each has three distinct fighting styles (one of which includes the use of strangely-shaped weapons) that each offer their own attacks and combos. Almost every single stage has at least one (sometimes two or three) deathtrap(s) that can be used [b]at any point in the battle[/b]. I find myself playing matches exclusively to use these, as they are both gruesome and an easy way to win a tough match.

In addition to the arcade style and the single-player RPG mode, the game offers two more styles of play. The first (and my favorite) is the Chess version, where you choose your characters to represent the pieces. Strategically moving your pieces isn’t enough-once you land on an occupied square, the two fighters duke it out for the rights to own the square. If your team is on a power square (or two), your fighter gains a really unfair advantage (and I always owned both squares!). If you don’t feel like fighting, then you can have your sorcerer cast a death or resurrection spell. The other (and not so fun) addition is the puzzle game, where you’re basically playing a [i]Dr. Mario[/i] spin-off against either the computer or another player, and two mini versions of the fighters you choose fight below the puzzles. I don’t like this at all because you’re so busy concentrating on working your pieces that keep falling that you can’t see what is happening below you.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/mkdeception/ss02_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]The story is pretty simple. The [i]Deadly Alliance[/i] destroyed Raiden and fought each other for control over the world, but they were interrupted by the Dragon King Onaga, former ruler of Outworld, who had come back to claim what was (un)rightfully his. Realizing that they had no choice, Raiden joined with Shang Tsung and Quan Chi in a new alliance to stop the threat (though I still don’t know how Raiden stood up just moments after being killed by the Deadly Alliance, but I ignored that gaping plot hole). Realizing that they couldn’t win, Raiden basically blew himself up to try to stop the beast, but that failed as well (and yet, another gaping plot hole has Raiden as an unlockable character). The stories for the games in the [i]Mortal Kombat[/i] series never meant much to me-because that’s not why I play them-but the story that unraveled in the single-player mode (and consequently watching it lead into the arcade mode) was a really neat concept. Midway scores again in this area.

While all of the additions make this game more incredible, this game is essentially just a good old two-round fighting game that usually ends very brutally for whoever loses the fight. Replay value is extremely high, and having small [i]Deception[/i] tournaments amongst your friends will never get old. My only complaints are: the horrible strategy guide does not offer any tips on unlocking any secrets; also, the RPG mode has a large pillar of light erecting from the area you must travel to which can be seen from all the way across the world. (My three-year-old nephew could play it without getting lost.) The only other flaw is that neither Shang Tsung nor Quan Chi are playable characters, but there are so many others to make up for them that I quickly forgot about that. Aside from that, the game is flawless. I never thought I would call fountains of blood a “beautiful sight” until I played this game. If you are a fan of the series, you will love this game. If you aren’t a fan of the series, you will still love this game for all of its creativity. If you just love fighting games period, then this is the game for you, because, again I say, this is easily the best fighting game I have ever played.

Rumble Roses

January 10, 2005

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Joe Teed Make a comment! / Tweet it!

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/rumbleroses/cover.jpg[/floatleft][i]Rumble Roses[/i] is a simple, yet fun, all-female wrestling game. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that the game is aimed at a male audience, but it has the perfect attitude for a game of this sort. It makes no attempt to conceal the exploitative nature of the game, yet never actively enters the kind of creepy realm that you see in similar games. There is no tacked-on dating sim or gift-buying system here-just a fun and fairly goofy wrestling game.

The characters were designed purely for male entertainment and have themes based on such classic fetishes as the nurse, schoolteacher, schoolgirl, and…uhh…Mongolian chick? OK, maybe scratch the last one. Just like in real pro wrestling, characters can be face or heel wrestlers (that’s good guy and bad guy, respectively, for all the rest of you folks). Each persona has her own theme, giving you almost twice the characters. They even have an elaborate entrance sequence for each character.

Each character has a complete story you can go through in story mode, and a more basic alternate story mode once you complete that. The stories are not necessarily from the height of writing talent, but they are entertaining enough. Unfortunately, the exhibition mode (which is also the multiplayer mode) only allows you to unlock one version of each character at a time. You can take vows before each exhibition match. These are conditions, which if met during the match will move you closer towards face or heel status. It’s a neat system, but I would prefer it if there were some way to unlock both variations at the same time. The exhibition mode also keeps track of who is the current champion, and defeating the champion in a championship match gets the challenger the best, but this doesn’t do much beyond helping to unlock things.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/rumbleroses/ss05_thumb.jpg[/floatright]There are only three match arenas, and there is very little difference between them. There is, however, an excellent mud match mode. The mud is a little watery, but this is the first attempt I have seen at creating realistic mud. The fact that it clings and flows off the characters so well is very impressive. The mud mode doesn’t play too different from a normal match, but it does look kind of neat if you want a little variety.

The controls to this game are pretty simple. Although they may seem a bit too simple for those used to fighting games, anyone who is familiar with a wrestling game should feel right at home. New players can actually jump in with minimal ramp-up time as well. Your character can attack with a strike or grapple, with the other two face buttons being used for running and general actions like leaving the ring or pinning. There are also super moves (more on that later) and a simple counter system based on hitting R1 and then either the grapple or strike button, respectively. This counter system basically gives the matches a large rock/paper/scissors strategy element, which can lead to a few rounds with excessive reversals, but is mostly very enjoyable and easy to pick up. The game is more heavily submission-based than any recent WWE game, and those are handled with a nice button-tapping system. Sadly, the manual doesn’t explain all the controls perfectly (mostly leaving out non-combat controls), and there is no training mode.

The game also has weapons, but they are somewhat poorly implemented. They are a pain to get a hold of and easy to lose. At least one of the items is a glove on a stick, which has a hilarious tickle attack. There’s really no other way to explain the tickle stick. It needs to be seen in action to really understand it.

Each character has a wide variety of hilariously elaborate throws and submission moves, as well as some more basic ones. Different grapple moves are chosen by holding the D-pad in different directions as you hit the grapple button. In addition to normal moves, you can fill up your super meter as you beat up your opponent, and each time you fill it you can store a super move. These are often crazy-looking grapple moves that pretty much guarantee a pin afterwards, or less frequently are powerful submission moves. If you use your super attack in a specific situation, you will execute a different super move, which will basically have the same effect, but it will usually look even more impressive. Of course, each character has an even better move, which requires a stored super move, and it requires you to fill your opponent’s “humiliation gauge.” These humiliation moves are always almost unbeatable submissions and are some of the most amusingly spectacular wrestling moves you will see in a game.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/rumbleroses/ss03_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]There’s plenty to unlock in the game, such as character galleries and the ability to use the second player colors and bathing suits at any time, but there are no special game modes beyond the mud match. The game could stand to use at least a few different match types and maybe more elaborate alternate costumes. Also, it makes no sense to me that you cannot unlock the face and heel versions of a character simultaneously for multiplayer. I hope in a sequel they put the face/heel and championship elements into a league mode, or something similar, so you can use any character you’ve unlocked in exhibition mode.

The biggest strengths and weaknesses this game faces are the inevitable comparisons to the current WWE games. I found that the slower pace of the game made it much easier for new players to learn and get into, but the lack of many gameplay modes may potentially hurt the long-term staying power of the game. Still, I haven’t been a huge fan of any of the recent WWE offerings as they tend to have a painfully high learning curve. This game looks a lot prettier than Raw vs. Smackdown (I mean graphics-wise, honestly!), and I don’t have a huge personal attachment to the WWE franchise.

Overall, the game is a nice, simple wrestling game with a well-done theme that’s just perfect for playing with the guys. It could use a better selection of game modes, and maybe the ability to unlock all the face and heel versions of the wrestlers at once, but that doesn’t stop it from being a nice party game. The single player will undoubtedly get a bit stale after you have beaten most of the story modes, but that really isn’t the main reason to have the game. I’m hoping we see a sequel that corrects some of the deficiencies of the game without hurting the simple underlying gameplay model or the fun theme too much. This game will stay in my rotation list until then.

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