My DRA2 Review
Key: DRA2 = Digimon Rumble Arena 2
SSBM = Super Smash Brothers Melee
Characters:
They start you out with the 7 origial season 1 rookies, plus Gatomon, Veemon, Guilmon, and Flamemon.
Agumon, Gabumon, and Guilmon can digivolve to champion and then mega.
Gatomon digivolves to Nefertimon and then Angewomon.
Veemon digivolves to Flamedramon and then to Paildramon.
Flamemon digivolves to Agunimon and then BurningGreymon
Gomamon, Biyomon, Palmon, Tentomon, and Patamon, digivolve to champion and then to ultimate.
On the right half of the character select screen there's a grey icon with a question mark and what seems to be the shadow or silouette of Agumon. If you can't decide who to play with you can click on it and the computer will randomly select a digimon character. You can click on it as many times as you want until you like what the computer chose. So DRA2 has a random select character option instead of a random select level option, or if it does have a random select level option, I have not unlocked it yet.
Unlockable characters:
It seems that I have unlocked all the characters in the game, for the only space left with a question mark is the icon mentioned above. The following are the characters you can unlock:
Those that can digivolve (to champion and then mega):
BlackAgumon
BlackGabumon
BlackGuilmon
Those that can't digivolve:
Neemon
Duskmon
Diaboromon
Omnimon
Malomyotismon
I don't see the digidestined anywhere and I don't think their faces will ever show in the game.
It has a Digidex that lists a lot of move combinations for each character. This is very useful. Learn how to use the moves correctly and eventually you'll understand how unique each character is.
DRA2 has two top 10 lists of High Scores, one for Multiplayer and the other for Single player. If you get a high enough score, you will be prompted to type in your initials. Then, your score will be posted on the appropriate list next to your initials and a tiny picture of the digimon you used.
Items:
Some of the items can totally change the outcome of the game, like switching health meters and switching which digimon you have contol of at the moment. The items are not held items, but instead change the enviroment and/or game play (healing, digivolving, dedigivolving, summoning Phantomon, random lightning striking, etc.). If you want to hold something or throw something other than an opponent, then it must be part of a level, and there is one level that has explosives sitting around.
Basic Controls/Play, and Options:
The characters speak their moves, just like in the tv show, and there is an option to control how loud the characters voices are, how loud the music is, and how loud the sound effects are.
There's also an option where you can customize your fighting controls if you don't like the default configuration.
If default controls (option A) on the GameCube:
Each third stage has an L+B move.
Press X to throw objects and opponents.
Attack opponents to knock ?spirit eggs? out of them, and cause them damage.
Collect the ?spirit eggs? to fill the your digivolve meter/bar.
Press R when the bar/meter is full to digivolve or ultra attack(when last stage).
Press L by itself to Block
By pressing L+A, you can us the digivolve bar to heal yourself during battle instead of digivolving or doing your ultimate attack.
Levels/ Main game:
I think the levels are ten times better than those in SSBM. The main game is much more unpredictable, and thus more fun because no matter what path you choose you, you don't know who you're going to battle or in what arena you're going to battle in. It's also a surprise whenever a challege to unlock something comes up. You may for the first time be playing by different rules like Digimon Race (where you have unlimited lives and only get a point for doing your digimon's ultimate attack which is only possible at your third stage in digivolution.).
Multiplayer:
You start out by only getting to choose between Stock (everyone gets a certain number of lives), and Time(timed battle). You get to pick the level you play on and how many computers/humans there will be. Each player (both computer and human) has a level meter 1-5. I wish they had addressed how the meter works in the instruction booklet. As of now, I believe that it measures how powerful your attacks are, so if you are a level one Agumon, Pepper Breath will do less damage than a level 5's Pepper Breath. You can play other modes in multiplayer once you unlock them in the main game. The modes you can unlock are not available on SSBM and they replace the rules of stock or time.
Other Modes of Play:
Besides Stock, Time, and Digimon Race, they have:
King of the Hill- you get a point for standing on the platform that has a flag on it, for a certain period of time. You have infinite lives, and the goal is to be the first to get a certain number of points that you choose from in the begining (20 points is a choice).
Little vs Big- one random digimon starts out at their ultamate level while the rest are rookies. If you didn't start out as the ultamate digimon and want to be at your ultamate level, you have to defeat the ultamate level digimon. Basically, its a stock match with a twist.
Crazy Chase- Be the first to touch Calumon when he appears to score a point. Again, you choose how many points you are going for.
There are other modes like Collection and Poison, but I don't think it's neccessary to explain more.
Practice Mode:
It seems to be equivalent to multiplayer only you have infinite lives. Even if all you choose is 1 player, the computer automatically gives you a computer opponent that fights you. There are no special options in practice mode that I know of, but I don't think it is nessary; I have come to understand why practice mode is the way it is. Having practice mode go on forever helps a lot because it gives you enough time to evolve to your 3rd stage, and learn all the moves in that stage. Also, some moves and combos cannot be fully executed without an opponent to strike at, and you can find a kill count near the bottom of the screen.
Unique Character Moves:
(not all of them, but some)
Malomyotismon's ultra attack (R button) switches the controls of his opponents for a short period of time. On an opponent's controller left becomes right, A becomes B etc. At first, I just thought it was a glitch in the game; I was confused and didn't know why I couldn’t control my character. It's a very sneaky attack that can throw opponents into confusion.
Garurumon's B down move, if done continuously and correctly, is deadly if no one else interferes. It prevents the foe from making any more moves until Garurumon has KO'd them, unless someone else saves the foe by attacking Garurumon.
Duskmon can automatically teleport himself right behind enemies. His L+B move is a twin sword attack that visually looks pretty cool.
Palmon and Lillymon can put opponents to sleep or in a trance momentarally.
BurnningGreymon, Ikkakumon and others have some very cool projectile attacks.
Patamon, Gatomon, and a few others have speed on their side, and can do fast combos of about 4 moves that prevent the foe from fighting back until the combo is complete.
Paildramon, Lillymon, and others have powerful attacks that can reach all the way across the screen.
Megakabuterimon's B down move makes a giant shield that does damage to any digimon close enough to touch it (attacking or not). At the same time, it deflects any projectile attacks and sends it right back at it's opponent. I’ve found timing and speed to be a good strategy against Megakabuterimon. However, for someone who is supposed to be slow, Megakabuterimon is pretty fast and hard to beat.
Garurumon can also freeze foes with his Howling Blaster.
Gatomon can stop foes' movement for a few seconds with her Cat’s Eye Hypnotism.
If the opponent is high in the air when frozen by either of these attacks, the result can be deadly.
I haven't played enough to know all the strengths, weakness, and unique moves of each character, but there is strategy in using certain techniques at certain places at certain times like Patamon's boom bubble (that curves up) and Nefertimon's Rosetta Stone (goes down).
Characters can become very powerful and hard to defeat in the hands of the player who knows how to use its strengths and weaknesses to their advantage. Sometimes it's fun just trying to figure out who is the weakness or strength over who, if the character's are equally matched, or if it's the player that makes the difference in a plain KO match. With all the digivolutions, there's 46 different digimon to experiment around with.
What it lacks:
Well, don't expect a spectacular beginning sequece like SSBM or even a beginning sequence at all, other than a couple printed words. I thought they would at least have a picture of one digimon, but oh well. I wish there was a item switch option, but perhaps there is and I just haven't unlocked it yet. I hope they included that, but I'm begining to have my doubts. Also no team battle, no SSBM's special melee modes, no highly detailed melee records, etc.
Bottom Line:
SSBM has A LOT that Digimon Rumble Arena 2 does not, but DRA2 has unique items and modes of play (plus better levels- just had to say that :p )that SSBM does not. I think DRA2 has more unique characters and uses more strategy. Both have highly detailed characters and levels, but only SSBM has camera mode. I wish that I could combine the 2 games into one. I think I like both games equally; they are unique in their own way.
Digivolution Charts Back to Digimon Episode Guide
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