Sony PlayStation Price t.b.a
It won't be released until the end of the month but when it is, get your hands on a copy of Bloody Roar. It seems an eternity since we last had a new entrant into the beat-'em-up ring and this should be able to hold its own against the more established "fighters".
Bloody Roar's trademark is undoubtedly the ability of the fighters to morph into an alter ego. In each case this alter ego takes the form of a beast. For instance, Alice can transform into a killer bunny, Gado into a lion and Greg into a gorilla, all at the touch of a button. When the "Beast Bar" is full, simply press the B button and the character takes on a whole new persona. In Beast mode the character feels and moves differently from its human form and if you manage to complete the game and access the Big Head and Kid modes, again the characters feel different. In essence, this gives you tremendous replay value.
Unlike a lot of other games of this nature, Bloody Roar doesn't require you to memorise complicated key sequences in order to pull off some of the special moves. Even the novice should be able to get to grips with it fairly easily. Bloody Roar also performs well in the graphics and sound-effects department. The crunching sound of a million deadly blows hitting home is exquisitely produced.
Coupled with this are some splendidly created graphics and such is their quality you could be forgiven for thinking you where playing the game in your local arcade. To top it off there is little or no polygon break-up. The background music isn't quite from the top drawer - but who cares? With virtually everything adjustable, Bloody Roar is bursting at the seams with options. There is Arcade, VS, Time Attack, Survival and an excellent Practice mode. In Practice mode there is a bar at the bottom of the screen which shows you exactly which buttons you pressed and in which order. So, if you manage to pull off a special move by accident, the correct sequence is displayed for you to analyse.
Whether you are a beat-'em-up fan or not, Bloody Roar is worth having in your games library. It's a real knockout.
Graphics: 92% Sound: 89% Gameplay: 91%