First off, as I begin this review, it is time for a little history lesson. Pay attention at the back!
The Rumble Fish 2 is the follow up, you’ll be shocked to hear, to The Rumble Fish, released on the Atomiswave arcade machine way back in 2005. Now, I’m by no means any kind of authority on arcade fighting games, but until this release, The Rumble Fish franchise had completely passed me by. However, Dimps, the company behind it in the arcade, has decided the time is right for us to play this in the modern day; in conjunction with 3Goo they have brought the game to modern consoles and the PC.
So, obviously, the question has to be whether a seventeen year old game can cut it in the world of Mortal Kombat 11 and The King of Fighters XV. Strap on your best fighting pants, we’re going in!
We’ll start with the narrative that is found kicking around at the back of The Rumble Fish 2, but whilst there is one, I think it is safe to say I have no idea what is going on. Apparently there has been some kind of natural disaster, an evil corporation has arisen to take over what is left, and so a series of organised fights turns out to be the best way to sort out this bit of corporate skullduggery. It makes about as much sense as the story from the Tekken series of games to be honest, and while a story is very much optional in games like this, the effort has been made and is appreciated.
But what about the way The Rumble Fish 2 looks, has it moved with the times? Well, no. The best thing I can relate this game to is an early Street Fighter II version, probably around the SFII Turbo era, with lovely sprites beating seven shades out of each other in front of hand drawn backdrops. In fact, it is such a nostalgic experience I’m surprised it doesn’t come with a pair of the red and green 3D glasses to look at it through. The characters are well designed and beautifully animated, and the whole look of the game is very much of its time; please don’t take that as a criticism. The period The Rumble Fish 2 harks back to is one in which I was mostly found in arcades, playing games like this, and so it has brought back lots of fond memories.
I’m equally as pleased with the audio that plays out; it’s very nice indeed, with Japanese vocals given to the characters, and all the chop socky martial arts sound effects you need. Every punch and kick sounds like it really hurts and all in all, so far, The Rumble Fish 2 is your typical classic 2D fighting game.
Surprisingly the actual fisticuffs holds up well too as the fighting system on display here is pretty deep and complex. Obviously, when I play, it is very much a case of finding a character I like, nailing a single move and shamelessly spamming that all the way to victory. Yet there is very much more to the game.
There are two gauges that can be filled in order to access stronger moves, and interestingly, one is filled by being offensive (I mean fighting, not calling people names) and the other is filled by using defensive moves. These gauges can then be spent to access stronger attacks, for instance, or to perform Impact Break guard moves, which temporarily stun your opponent. And playing the AI in the single player modes is very much a demonstration of how effective these tactics can be, as the number of times the AI has beaten me into a corner and then demolished me with ridiculous combos is pretty shameful.
Luckily, there are a few modes to choose from when you have finished getting your ass handed to you. There is the usual Arcade mode, a Survival mode, which does what it says on the tin and pits you against a stream of competitors, a Time Attack mode and then a Vs mode, either locally or online. You can’t complain that The Rumble Fish 2 doesn’t have plenty of content to go at, and that’s not even mentioning the Gallery mode that has been included, which allows you to view unlocked characters concept art and endings, for instance.
The characters that you choose from are also a pretty varied bunch, ranging from the usual kind of muscle bound blokes and well endowed women to a werewolf looking thing, to a couple that appear to be small children, all fighting away. These characters have a range of special moves to use against each other, and the best way to describe them is again, like Street Fighter II characters. Kaya, one of the female protagonists, is pretty much Ryu, with the same command inputs giving a fireball and a dragon punch, essentially. There’s also Garnet, a young lady who is a lot like Chun Li, with strong kick based attacks. All in all, if you have played a fighting game before, there should be nothing here to unsettle you.
What may unsettle you however, is the way that The Rumble Fish 2 plays when you dare to venture into the online world in order to search out some fighty action. It’s all a bit hit or miss – sometimes the game will run well, but at other times everything moves into almost slow-motion, with such crippling lag and slow down that it is literally unplayable. There is seemingly no rhyme nor reason as to what you will get and why. Sadly, this is a massive minus for The Rumble Fish 2 as being able to test yourself against the world is the long term goal for any player. The Rumble Fish 2 is just not up to scratch in that regard.
In conclusion then and The Rumble Fish 2 is a competent fighting game that is enjoyable in the single player or local Vs modes, yet crippled by a very poor netcode that makes online matches a bit of a lucky dip. There is a lot of content to go at, and a good challenge waiting, but the main draw, that of beating like-minded fighting game fans from around the world, just can’t cut it. And that is a real shame.
The Rumble Fish 2 is on the Xbox Store
