The
King of Fighters EX2: Howling Blood
STORY:
In this storyline, there are not three sacred
treasures, but ten. A man named Gustav Munchausen is trying to revive the spirit
of
Leopold
Goenitz by channeling it in a boy's body. The boy, Sinobu Amou, is one of
the ten sacred treasures, and Gustav hosts the King of Fighters EX2 tournament
to test his new weapon's power.
REVIEW:
King of
Fighters EX2: Howling Blood is the sequel to the 2002 release, King
of Fighters: EX Neoblood. This follow-up on the Nintendo GameBoy Advance features
21 characters, 6 different modes of play, and a revised "striker"
system that enables tag team play during battles.
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A very
bright yellow selection screen. Owww.
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King of Fighters
fans will notice 3 entirely new playable characters have been added to the
roster (Reiji, Miu & Jun). Moe Habana from NeoBlood also makes her
return. NeoBlood also features a brand new boss (complete with
"cheap SNK boss syndrome"), Sinobu. In addition, a total of seven different teams restructured out of the
classic KOF line-up make up the bulk of the roster. Howling Blood features a Story Mode and of course a VS Mode, as well as
some decent unlockables.
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What is up with Jun's
hair?
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KOF: EX2 Howling Blood
definitely improves upon the prequel in a variety of ways. The controls seem
sharper, and most of the prequel's quirks and glitches were cleaned up. The
striker system was also changed, and doesn't subtract from the list of playable
characters. This time, the next character in line is the striker for the current
fighter. This element alone actually adds a new strategic element to keep in
mind when you select your team.
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No Mai, it
was your spamming, actually.
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EX2: Howling Blood
also
features some new visual elements. Perhaps the most notable one is that fighters
can now be seen in the backgrounds after they are defeated. The new background
designs also give the game a fresher look. While some of the KOF
character sprites look aged, they're actually some of the best 2D sprites to
appear on the GBA. The character roster is also one of the largest to appear on
the system (in terms of fighting games).
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| Page Updated: |
March 23rd, 2021
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| Developer(s): |
SNK
/ Sammy |
| Publisher(s): |
SNK |
| Platform(s): |
Gameboy
Advance
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| Artwork By: |
Hiroaki
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| Release Date(s): |
Jan. 1st, 2003 
Dec. 11th, 2003 
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| Characters: |
Moe,
Reiji,
Miu,
Jun, Sinobu,
Kyo,
King,
Mai,
Clark,
Ralf,
Leona,
Iori,
Terry,
Andy,
Ryo,
Takuma,
Yuri,
Athena,
Kensou,
Bao,
Kim,
Chang,
Choi |
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Featured Video:
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| Related Games: |
KOF:
EX Neo Blood, KOF R1, KOF R2, KOF '94, KOF '94: Re-bout,
KOF '95,
KOF '96, KOF '97, KOF '98, KOF '98 Ultimate Match, KOF '99, KOF 2000, KOF
2001,
KOF 2002, KOF 2002
Unlimited Match, KOF 2003,
KOF XI, KOF XII, KOF XIII, Tekken Advance, Guilty
Gear X: Advance Edition,
Street Fighter Alpha 3: Upper |
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Gameplay
Engine
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7.0 / 10
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Story
/ Theme
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8.0 / 10
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Overall
Graphics
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7.5 / 10
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Animation
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7.0 / 10
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Music
/ Sound Effects
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7.0 / 10
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Innovation
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7.0 / 10
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Art Direction
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8.0 / 10
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Customization
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6.0 / 10
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Options / Extras
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6.5 / 10
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Intro / Presentation
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7.5 / 10
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Replayability / Fun
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7.0 / 10
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"Ouch" Factor
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7.0 / 10
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Characters
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8.0 / 10
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BOTTOM LINE
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7.7
/
10
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| Final
Words: |
If you owned a Gameboy Advance in 2003 and you're a KOF fan,
Howling Blood is pretty much a must have. The unique characters aren't
the most exciting to come out of the series, but are worth checking out. While it has some shortcomings being a GBA-exclusive fighting game, KOF EX2: Howling Blood was one of the best fighting games on the system. The gorgeous artwork by SNK's Hiroaki also adds some charm and personality to the title.
~TFG
Webmaster |
@FIGHTERS_GEN
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