Bloody Roar: Primal Fury
This past year, the most hyped and anticipated Xbox Live Arcade title was none other than the classic button-mashing success, Street Fighter II. I didn't even download the trial version. My most anticipated Xbox Live Arcade title? Well, let's just say that I'm still waiting for a Ninja Turtles game. So I'm sure it goes without saying that I don't really keep up with the latest haps in the fighting genre, and I definitely missed out on Hudson's GameCube fighter back when the machine came out.
Yes, you heard me, an exclusive GameCube fighter! Who would have known? An early third-party exclusive to the GameCube's launch window that seemed to slip under the cracks for most gamers reappeared on my desk this past weekend, and proceeded to weave a special little place in my heart.
I win, along with every other teenage boy of the world.
Bloody Roar: Primal Fury is an arcade fighter at heart. Rather than featuring a rich storyline, or an in-depth manuel teaching you how to play, Bloody Roar runs on pure arcade soul. All you need to know is that you're in a tournament, and you need to fight to the top, and win it all. Multiple modes of play keep players entertained for hours: Arcade Mode, VS Mode, Time Attack Mode, Survival Mode, Team Battle Mode and finally VS Team Battle Mode. Team Battle and VS Team Battle both allow for a 3-on-3 no-rest-action until the only one player is left standing. Survival mode pits you against a continuous flow of enemies with only a brief rest between fights until you can't take any more. Arcade mode throws you into the real battle, and winning this tournament unlocks different aspects of the game, including extra stages, extra characters, and additional unlockable modes. Being able to plow through arcade mode 16 times to unlock Hyperbeast Mode is quite the feat.
Not quite the ladies of DOA, but the girls of Bloody Roar are hardly hard on the eyes.
The game itself is fairly simple, which makes it great for somebody like me: a member of the fighting-genre-illiterate. I usually avoid titles like this like the plague, but the ability to turn into a gigantic bunny rabbit and kick the living hell out of my opponents was too alluring to pass up. Fighting in the game is pretty straight-forward, with the A and B buttons controlling punches and kicks respectively. Y controls your blocking and grabs, with the L & R triggers controlling the 3D side-stepping. The real attraction of the game, however, comes in the form of the Z and X buttons which unlock the anthropomorphic abilities of the characters (both in the regular form and in the 'hyper' form, the latter shown with purple electricity coursing through the body of the player), or better said, their capability to change into kick-ass half-human, half-animal characters, dubbed Zoanthropes.
Having anamorphic abilities is all the rage this season.
However, transforming into your beast form can be tricky at times, and strategy is the key element in knowing when to change. Even though you're considerably stronger and quicker while in animal form, you cannot morph into your anamorphic state until your beast meter is full, and morphing before said meter is full causes massive damage to the player, so play wisely. Beating on your opponent will raise your Beast Meter, and once full, you can unleash your devastating offensive maneuvers to vanquish your enemy.
Arriving very early on in the GameCube's lifespan (before third parties decided/realized that their games wouldn't sell on Nintendo's purple wonder), Bloody Roar: Primal Fury received fairly generic reviews, with critics continuously pointing out that the title was more or less a port of Bloody Roar 3 for the PS2. Complaints were made on the game's artificial intelligence, its general lack of depth, and the ability for cheap button-mashing tactics. Critics also opined that the title had trouble competing against other fighting titans such as Dead or Alive 3, Soul Calibur, and Tekken.
Jenny can pack a punch with her kicks. Pun intended.
In the end, the title is a pretty fun affair for a GameCube fighting game, and best used in the company of guests. Getting six people together, splitting into teams, and fighting in versus tournaments can bring hours of fun. The game looks pretty enough, there's plenty to do with respect to gaming modes, and the level design is great, with some stages even featuring destructible environments to slam your opponent through. This title is recommended to fans of old school arcade fighters and fun easy to play fighting games. Furries everywhere rejoice and buy this game.
