Last Blade 2 Heart of the Samurai Dreamcast Complete Ii

by fighter

Product Details

• ASIN: B00005MNRW
• Media: CD-ROM
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,177 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

A Samurai's honor is found at the edge of his blade! Last Blade 2 is a 2P-VS fighting game where legendary Japanese Samurais gather for a fight to the death. There is a total of 16 different characters, each with their own characteristics, weapons and traits.

Story Mode / VS Mode / Time Attack / Training Mode / Art Gallery / DEMO Gallery

Product Description

This is the game The Last Blade 2 . We stand by our products and offer a 60 day guarantee. If a game does not work within 60 days from the time you receive it we will gladly exchange it for you.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ideal for Adaptable Fighting Fans, September 14, 2001

By 

D. White (NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Blade 2 Heart of the Samurai Dreamcast Complete Ii (CD-ROM)

Videogames must be rated against genre, not against the sum of videogames as a whole. Last Blade 2 excels in deep 2D-fighter gameplay, thematic atmosphere, and unique execution. There is no doubt that to the casual observer it resembles an SNES game, and if Dreamcast-caliber, fully-optimized 3D graphics are a must, you shouldt pass on this game. Pretty simple. But don't pass on it as "just another fighting game". That would be a mistake.

Last Blade 2 is a refreshing break from the very-popular 2D Street Fighter games (two of which I own), featuring sword and other weapons mixed with a more deliberate and strategic pacing. Instead of 6 buttons, there are 3 attack buttons (1 kick and 2 slash/punch) and a Repel button. Yet within this control system is as much or even MORE depth than the 6-button fighters. Add in 3 pleasantly unique "styles" to choose for each of the 16+ characters ("Power", "Speed", "EX") and this is a great fighting (and slashing!) game.

Better yet, if like me many of your friends can't handle much more than arcade racers and Ms. Pac-Man, there is a nice single-player Story mode here, with individual endings for every character. You can even call up finished pre/mid/ending story panels in the "Demo Viewer" option.

The game is also chock full of "personality", which I'm discovering is an SNK strongsuit. Almost every move elicits a groan, grunt, boast, or other exclamation. That definitely could not have been done on SNES, nor on Playstation (very clear soundsamples on the DC thanks to ample memory).

Last Blade 2 deserves every bit of 5 stars for fighting fans. Casual gamers in general probably won't care for it, as these are often driven by "eye-candy". Each to his/her own, and Last Blade 2 for some.

Enjoy.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Those unfamiliar with SNK, look elsewhere., July 19, 2002

By 

"deusjester" (Providence, RI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last Blade 2 Heart of the Samurai Dreamcast Complete Ii (CD-ROM)

I say this as an honest warning: If your personal relationship with fighting games starts and ends with Street Fighter, you'll be wasting your money on this title. Alternately, if you've heard about SNK games but have never really gotten into them, then you'll still be wasting your money (though if that applies to you, check out Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves for a better introduction to the SNK style). Last Blade 2 is NOT a good title to have as your first real exposure to SNK. Come back once you know for sure whether these are your kind of games or not.

Some points to consider before buying this game:

1. The game itself is designed to run on the NeoGeo, which is 24 bits as opposed to the Dreamcast's 128. What you're playing is a port, and while it's a very good port, it's also very faithful, so the graphics were left the way they were. Basically, the game looks like ... when compared to most other Dreamcast games. Note that this applies to ALL Dreamcast SNK ports - Mark of the Wolves, Last Blade 2, both King of Fighters titles. None of these are going to knock you out graphically.

2. The game is CENSORED fairly heavily from it's original version to get a "T" rating, though this really doesn't affect the gameplay. The blood that is normally red has been colored white. If this doesn't bug you (and it really shouldn't) then don't worry about it. If you have to get the "untouched" version, you'll have to import. It's worth noting that the Hanafuda card game originally accessible as a bonus once Arcade Mode was finished has also been removed. I'd assume this is because practically nobody in the U.S. has ever heard of Hanafuda (let alone knows how to play it) so, again, no big loss for most people, but if you need it, import.

3. This game is very SLOW when compared to Capcom Fighting games (which includes Street Fighters). It also only has THREE attack buttons; punch, kick, and slash, and there's also a parry button.

This results in a very different style of play than many people in this country are used to. There are very few characters who have a "fireball" type move, and a greater emphasis is placed on "psyche" moves that try to trick your opponent into dropping their guard - For example, the character Moria has a move where he puts his sword in it's hilt and then quickly slashes across the screen with it. However, depending on which button you use to perform the attack, he could slash upwards, downwards, or in front of him. Also, the move can be held, which means the button can be held in and Moria will keep the sword in it's sheath. Release the button, and THEN he'll make the slash. If your opponent sees you make the move and tries to leap over it, imagine their surprise when you simply hold the move a little longer and hit them as they come back down! A little more complex than Ryu's fireball, eh?

Last Blade 2 also relies more heavily on timing than knowing what moves to perform, and it's not uncommon to win matches using nothing but normal attacks that are timed well. There certaintly are special moves, but if you try to play this game like Street Fighter, you won't be able to even beat the computer, let alone a skilled human opponent. The emphasis on defense and counterattacks can make the game seem almost unplayable to someone who expects to leap right in and begin tossing off super moves. If you don't have the time or patience to learn a completely new set of rules for a fighting game, then you're not going to have very much fun with this one.

I know this reads more like a list of why NOT to buy the game than anything else, so you might be wondering why I gave it 5 stars. Well, these reviews are also matters of opinion, and to be honest, this is one of my favorite fighting games, ever, and I have over 20 fighting games in my collection. This game and Capcom vs. SNK 2 alone mean my Dreamcast gets more playtime than my PS2 or my XBox.

Think about that.

If you're someone who's really into fighting games, or (better yet) has just started to discover SNK fighters and you REALLY like what you see, then this is definitely a game you will cherish. Much like Virtua Fighter 4, this game rewards those who actually learn how to play it correctly. A veteran player will always be able to stomp flat someone who's just mashing the buttons, and when you see two vets of this game go at it, you're suddenly able to appreciate it in a whole new light.

The animation is fantastic, and the graphics, while old-looking, have a remarkable amount of personality in them. Hand-drawn plants sway in the background, clothing flutters, facial expressions change, and every character reacts verbally to EVERYTHING that happens to them. No two characters are alike, so when you see a battle playing out, each character has to position themselves in an area where their moves will be most effective, the whole while trying to change the flow of the fight to their advantage. The result almost looks like an animated Crouching Tiger-style battle, BUT it's a subtlety that's lost unless you really know what you're doing. Pit two kids against each other who have never played the game, and it'll be the most boring 60 seconds of your life.

My reccomendation is to borrow this game if you can. Play it for a week straight and see if it clicks with you. By the end of 7 days, you'll either think it's brilliant or think it makes a good beer coaster.

As for me, though, I wouldn't trade this game in for anything.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best game ever!, September 24, 2002

By 

Margaret Mcfarland (Huntington, WV United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Blade 2 Heart of the Samurai Dreamcast Complete Ii (CD-ROM)

I don't care what anyone else says, this game is great! The graphics are not the best but so what, there not that bad. There is
a good storyline and a lot of realistic elements. If you want a simple punch kick kind of game I wouldnt suggest this. It
takes some time to master the different sword movements and counters. but once you get used to doing the moves it gets to be really fun. If you like samurai this is what I recomend you buy. There are plenty of cheats and extras to get so you wont get bored very fast. So buy this great game!