Platform: Gameboy Advance

Genre: Fighting

Publisher: Acclaim

Developer: SNK

ETA: April 2003

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King of Fighters EX2: Howling Blood

There have been some very pleasant surprises on the GBA since its release as developers continually prove they can cram a whole lot of fun into a portable system.  As titles have been ported to the system of games originally seen in the 16-bit era there was initial skepticism that the controls may be difficult if not impossible to work into a platform with so few buttons, but so far that simply hasn’t been a problem.  Plenty of ports have crossed over from the home consoles of old onto Nintendo’s handheld system.  Even Street Fighter Alpha 3 (a game originally on the PSX and Dreamcast) has done an exceptional job on the GBA (no mean feat!).  Now SNK has an original fighter making its way to the system.  Already having received a good deal of praise in its Japanese incarnation, it’s looking like it will be making its way to North America intact and ready for fighting fans to sink their teeth good and deep into the title.

It will be interesting to see this game in motion, no doubt, as there is so much meat on its bones that players will find themselves with plenty to do.  Packing almost two dozen characters, 6 play modes, and having some basic RPG elements in it, King of Fighters EX2 has more going for it than a lot of games made for the home console, and that’s saying a lot for a tiny little cart-based handheld game.  It looks like gamers may have something special to look forward to in April on the GBA, or perhaps even an excuse to go out and pick up the new GBA SP.

Features:

· Gain experience with each new match - refine your skills, unlock secrets and master powerful new moves;

· 21 characters across 7 teams, including 3 dynamic exclusive characters;

· Challenging VS mode (single or team) using Link Cable;

· 6 modes of play - Classic 3v3 Battle mode, 2-player VS mode, and an all-new Story mode;

· Revised and enhanced 'Striker' fighting system brings in outside help for maximum damage!

- Mr. Nash

(March 22, 2003)