If you have a Gameboy Advance and you're a KOF fan,
Howling Blood is pretty much a must have. The exclusive characters aren't
the most exciting to come out of the series, but they're cool to try out. At the
end of the day, KOF EX2: Howling Blood is indeed one of the best fighting
games to hit the GameBoy Advance. ~TFG
Webmaster
STORY:
In this storyline, there are not three sacred
treasures, but ten. A man named Gustav Munchausen is trying to revive the spirit
of Leopold
Goenitz by channeling it in a boy's body. The boy, Sinobu Amou, is one of
the ten sacred treasures, and Gustav hosts the King of Fighters EX2 tournament
to test his new weapon's power.
REVIEW:
King of
Fighters EX2: Howling Blood is the sequel to the 2002 release, King
of Fighters: EX Neoblood. This follow-up on the Nintendo GameBoy Advance features
21 characters, 6 different modes of play, and a revised "striker"
system that enables tag team play during battles.
King of Fighters
fans will notice 3 entirely new playable characters have been added to the
roster (Reiji, Miu & Jun). Moe Habana from NeoBlood also makes her
return. NeoBlood also features a brand new boss (complete with
"cheap SNK boss syndrome"), Sinobu. In addition, a total of seven different teams restructured out of the
classic KOF line-up make up the bulk of the roster. Howling Blood features a Story Mode and of course a VS Mode, as well as
some decent unlockables.
What is up with Jun's
hair?
KOF: EX2 Howling Blood
definitely improves upon the prequel in a variety of ways. The controls seem
sharper, and most of the prequel's quirks and glitches were cleaned up. The
striker system was also changed, and doesn't subtract from the list of playable
characters. This time, the next character in line is the striker for the current
fighter. This element alone actually adds a new strategic element to keep in
mind when you select your team.
Terry's sweep still has
great priority.
EX2: Howling Blood also
features some new visual elements. Perhaps the most notable one is that fighters
can now be seen in the backgrounds after they are defeated. The new background
designs also give the game a fresher look. While some of the KOF
character sprites look aged, they're actually some of the best 2D sprites to
appear on the GBA. The character roster is also one of the largest to appear on
the system (in terms of fighting games).
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