Bloody Roar 3
(LAST UPDATE: 5/2/08)

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General: Bloody Roar was never among the "top" fighting game franchises in terms of popularity OR quality, but the series, refusing to throw in the towel, was suprisingly successful enough to warrant yet another installment. Bloody Roar at least got the much needed make over it needed, this time using the System 246 graphics engine, with it's big release being on PS2. The graphics have improved immensely and have their moments, but generally there are much better looking games on the PS2... Certainly nothing we haven't seen.

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   Of course we would overlook the graphics if the game was actually fun to play. So is it? Hmm. Well, the gameplay has improved much over the past two games, including a better combo system, a more effective sidestep game, and some flashy super moves. Now, when you activate your "beast form," you can sacrafice your entire store of beast energy, and unleash a "beast drive," a super move that can do upwards of 20 hits if it connects... And that's about the most exciting that Bloody Roar 3 will ever be. Infact, the gameplay lacks "ouch" factor, meaning moves just don't look like they hurt as much as they should.

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   Transforming from human to beast, back to human, back to beast, just gets old after a while... The series is becoming quite repetitive. The way the game plays now should have been how Bloody Roar 1 / 2 played. The series just feels like it's lagging behind, and that's what makes it a below average fighting game. Ohh, and that stupid giant bunny really doesn't help the cause. If that's not enough for you, the computer AI is annoying at it's best, and really does no justice for the game.

Manufacturer: Hudson Soft
Platforms: Playstation 2, Arcade
Release: 2001
Characters: Yugo, Alice, Long, Shen Long, Uriko, Gado, Bakuryu, Busuzima, Jenny, Shina, Stun, Xion
Related Games: Bloody Roar, Bloody Roar 2, Bloody Roar: Primal Fury, Bloody Roar 4
 
Gameplay Engine
5.5 / 10
Story / Theme
4 / 10
Overall Graphics
7 / 10
Animation
6.5 / 10
Music / Sound Effects
5.5 / 10
Innovation / Creativity
6 / 10
Customization / Options
 3 / 10
Intro / Presentation
7 / 10
Replayability / Fun
 4 / 10
"Ouch" Factor
4.5 / 10
Characters
5 / 10
Overall Score
5 / 10

Closing Comment: The "who-can-get-their-super-move-off-first" gameplay has been done before, and in other games it was actually done well... Ohh, and it was "fun." Bloody Roar 3 may be "fun" for "some," but anyone who's been exposed to more technical and more dynamic fighting games will pass, once again, on Bloody Roar. The people that actually bought this game most likely don't have any guidance as to what a good fighting game is, or perhaps got it as a gift from their parents, or maybe they're bored with their current PS2 games because they have some form of A.D.D... What I'm saying is, it's THOSE people that encourange crappy games to continue to be made. ~F.Yagami, Webmaster of TFG