by:	November 03, 2004

Digimon has a following; make no mistake about it, it has it’s fans that will gobble everything Digimon up. You may write this game off as a Pokemon imitator and nothing more then a cheap game off of the Digimon license, but that wouldn’t be a wise decision as Digimon Rumble Arena 2 is a step in the right direction for the Digimon series. It may not be Super Smash Brothers Melee, but it certainly does quite on it own merits.

Bandai likes to borrow a lot from what Nintendo finds successful you could say. With Digimon Racing (for the GBA) being more of a kart racer like Mario Kart and Digimon Rumble Arena 2 receiving comparisons to Super Smash Brothers Melee, Bandai has found some successful genres to put their Digimon license through. Some may not remember the original Digimon Rumble Arena as it didn’t receive a lot of recognition or any notice from the gaming community. With the first one being lost with the plethora of last generation Playstayion One video games, Rumble Arena 2 is more of a fresh start for Bandai. Does it succeed at emulating the “party-fighter” sub genre?

When compared to Nintendo’s known Smash Bros. series, Digimon Rumble Arena 2 isn’t as great as it seems but considering the fact not many fighting games have the “party-fighting” scheme, Rumble Arena 2 is actually a nice addition to the genre that is gaining popularity quite quickly. Not only does it offer new Digimon to use, but they come straight to you with better graphics, interactive environments and a better overall gameplay then the original.



If you don’t own Super Smash Brothers Melee or haven’t played the first Rumble Arena, here’s a quick detailing on how the fighting is. Characters move across the screen like those of 2d fighters. Yes you heard that right; it’s a 2d fighter in essence with polygonal graphics that are shiny to give you the feel of technical graphics. The environments are interactive as barrels will explode when you knock the competitor into them, lava will be dangerous to stand on, a few levels constantly move to keep you thinking on your feet and many other hazards that may stand in the way of achieving your goal of winning your fight.

The levels might not be the most original but they get the job done. They all may seem cliché but they serve their purpose. A lava level which you don’t want to fall into, a factory type level which can suck you up and turn you into processed food in a can, and the usual ice varied levels that are hard to walk on; everything you expected, is in this game. What isn’t expected though is that it actually gives us another fighter that may have quality within gameplay.