Dreamcast

The Last Blade 2: Heart of the Samurai

Any self-proclaimed fighting fanatic owes it to themselves to find a copy of this one. Hours can (and will) be spent simply figuring out all of the different game mechanics. Some may not have the patience for all of this and will write it off as yet another Geo fighter. They don't know what they're missing. It may have taken them 10 years, but they finally did it. Capcom, stick your tired Street Fighter franchise in a closet. It doesn't belong in a world with fighting games like this.

In these declining days of the Dreamcast, it's good to know that a game like The Last Blade 2 will keep most Dreamcast users busy practicing the wealth of play mechanics and theorizing their own combinations. Perhaps if this title does well enough in the states, we may even see other 2D fighting games like Guilty Gear X, Capcom VS SNK 2, or SNK's beautiful Mark Of The Wolves. But if not, I can live with the fact that the last 2D fighting game on the Dreamcast shined brilliantly like a newly polished blade.

The Last Blade 2 features colorful anime-style characters that fight each other with swords, clubs, and even fishing poles. With The Last Blade 2, publisher Agetec has made another feature-complete port of a NeoGeo fighting game to the Dreamcast, though aside from a few extra options, it's apparently nothing more than a straight port of the NeoGeo home cartridge version.

This is one of those games that is specifically designed for a small group of gamers who like their fighters with height and width, no depth. And although the game’s graphics and audio aren’t the greatest, the easy controls and generally fun tone make for a pretty decent game, a decent game for those genre specific gamers that is.

2D fightinggames zullen er over tien jaar waarschijnlijk ook nog wel zijn maar de kans is klein dat iemand zich dan nog deze game kan herinneren, hoewel ie best aardig is.

The graphics are very attractive, with fluid characters and some of the most beautiful 2D backgrounds I've ever seen. The music and sound effects are fantastic, except for the voices which are somewhat scratchy. The voice dialogue and most of the text is in Japanese, which is probably a good thing. Last Blade is a fighting game for fighting gamers, but casual players might not appreciate it so much.

With SNK falling off the proverbial gaming map, it's great to see some of their older titles still making it onto today's consoles. Last Blade 2 is one of SNK's crowning achievements, so if you missed out on it in arcades before, I highly suggest you pick it up while you have the chance. It's a piece of 2D history, and one that no DC owning fighting fan should be without. Overlook the absence of blood, take some time to really take in the fighting system, and you'll find a ton of hidden depth. The low price of the game doesn't hurt either. Check it out and experience SNK fighting glory, one more time.

It's an unexpected bonus that SNK took the time to port this title; fighting fans who have no access to the NeoGeo version of the game, or who have never played it before, owe it to themselves to have a look at this game, which is an interesting break from the norm and one of the Dreamcast's most original fighters.

Everything about TLB2 looks and feels cheap. If someone manages to enjoy playing TLB2, that's great. But I love fighting games and couldn't stand it. Most people are sick of the fighting genre and TLB2 gives them another reason to never play fighting games again.