Customer Reviews

Last Blade 2 Heart of the Samurai Dreamcast Complete Ii

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

For an older 2D fighter, Last Blade does have surprising depth in terms of gameplay. Last Blade also sports a cast of interesting characters with a huge array of impressive looking attacks at their disposal.

With that said, there are a few things that prevented Last Blade from being great. The first thing you notice is the frame rate. This game is choppy by today's standards, so compared to Street Fighter III: Third Strike and Guilty Gear X, Last Blade looks downright archaic. The other minor problem is the control, it's not as responsive as most fighting fans would like. Even when compared to its older SNK cousins in the Samurai Shodown (Spirits) series, Last Blade's control isn't as crisp and the game's "physics" seem a little light or "floaty".

I wasn't necessarily a fan of SNK's fighting games. I was not used to their lack of fluidity in their gameplay (Fatal Fury 2 for example). In the late '90s, SNK had progressed in their fighting games like the King of Fighters series, the Samurai Showdown series, and the new Fatal Fury series. Now SNK has brought in four of their 2D fighters to the Dreamcast to probably, boost their popularity to a new level. Now that the Dreamcast is about to die, SNK decides to shut down as well (but not because of the DC). Now they released two of their last SNK fighters. Last Blade 2 and Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves (A.K.A Garou: Mark of the Wolves). Now let me explain this game. The Last Blade 2 for Dreamcast is a very impressive fighter with tons of surprises. The graphics are a bit, blah ! The textures of the characters may look a bit dated (just imagine playing a 2D fighter with 16-bit characters and enviroments), but the backgrounds look pretty impressive. The super moves to each character looks cool. And, for the first time, when you are about to arrive to your next battle, you get an animated introduction to the stage you're about to arrive on (Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves has the same feature...only they do mostly just character introductions), but it looks kinda dumb. It's a very cool element to the animation, but just not as good as the ones in Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves. The gameplay is downright solid and perfectly balanced. People would say that this game feels dated, but to me, this is SNK fighting at its best. The controls feel like you're playing Samurai Showdown all over again. And that's a good thing, considering that Samurai Showdown was one of my favorite SNK games. Audio-wise, the music is totally whacked out with tracks resembling SNES and Genesis music. This is perhaps the most embarassing feature in the game. SNK had great music in their fighters, but this...is just horrible. Sometimes SNK doesn't know how to live in today's generation, and I said sometimes. But on the plus side on the audio, the voice acting is superb. These fighters act like they're in a Japanese drama movie or something. The game features, let's just say, they have a lot. Various game modes, unlockable endings, and anything you can possibly ask for in a perfectly good fighting game. Unfortunately, Last Blade 2 didn't turn me into an SNK nut. It was the Fatal Fury series and Samurai Showdown series that turned me into a fan. Especially, Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves, the latest Fatal Fury installment. Anyway, if you're a totally nuts about SNK, there's no reason why you should leave Last Blade 2 behind.

...how Street Fighter II Championship Edition was too fast.

What can you say? This is an older classic transported over to the Dreamcast. If you've only been playing games like Capcom Vs. SNK series or any of the more recent fighting games, you will be disappointed with Last Blade 2; it's practically expected.

If you're an old school gamer that still remembers when the Neo Geo game system cost well over $700 and its games were selling for $200 a pop, well, you're going to be pleasantly surprised as the nostalgia overtakes you.

It's a fun game, if you take into consideration that it is an older title. I kind of like not having projectiles getting tossed like tomatoes every two seconds. It's a rather refreshing change of pace; god knows Capcom Vs. Marvel 2 is a little on the jading side with thirty different power blasts coming from every which way all at once.

In essence, Last Blade 2 isn't exactly for the young, because the graphics and gameplay are dated, given. However, it shouldn't be dismissed out of hand. It's like a litle piece of history revived. Older fans will be thrilled to play this again. Younger fans may be, too, if they can get past the glam and bam of today's games.

By the way: Hibiki does shows up in Capcom vs. SNK 2, and she can certainly dish out a ton of punishment for a little sprite. ^_^

The Dreamcast certainly has better fighting games than this, but that doesn't mean this game isn't good.

If you have played all the King of Fighters games and Fatal Fury to death, this game is a good change of pace. It is a little bit slower and methodical than most 2d fighters. The super moves are not complex at all, but picking when to do them is the challenge, not "how" to do them.

The only real gripe I have about this fighter would be how people either love it or hate it. I can never find someone who would rather play this with me than any of the other Dreamcast fighting games.

If you are looking for a change of pace from other SNK games or just want to see some new characters with different moves to learn, pick this up it won't dissappoint.

I am a big fan of fighting games, so when I saw last blade 2 for the sega dreamcast at a fair price I decided to give it a go. I was a big fan of other games of SNK's such as samurai showdown, but when I put this game in my system the first thing that I noticed was dated graphics. I wasn't sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me so I ventured on. The next thing I noticed was that it is pretty much basic fighting. There were no fire balls or hurricane kicks, just slicing with knifes and simplistic button mashing. In conclusion if some of you amatuer fighting game fans are looking for something to play an expirenced person at then this might give you the upper hand. But if you are a fan of the high flying moves then maybe this is a rental game.

If this game were for the original Nintendo it might be decent but even then it would be hard pressed to find an excuse for why it plays so badly.

I like 2D fighters. I still think Street Fighter 2 is one of the best games ever made. Samurai Showdown is another classic example of a great 2D fighter. It was this game that made me decide to pick Last Blade 2 up. If you also loved Samurai Showdown and are considering picking this game up, don't! This game is just awful.

From the lackluster graphics (even for a 2D game) to the four frames of animation per sprite (character) this game is just a poor example of what fighting games should be. If you want a 2D fighter stick to the Capcom games and you should be fine. If you just want a great fighting game, Dreamcast has one of the best in Soul Calibur. If you're into samurai, get Bleemcast (or a PSOne or PS2) and get Bushido Blade 2, but by all means, ignore this piece of junk.

I am a fan of fighting games but this......thing, it....(sigh). Don't bother looking at it.