In an attempt not to sound contradictory, try to
follow: King of the Monsters 2 offers more and less… at the same time.
Things have been taken, things have been added, but the gameplay remains the same. It
doesn't make sense in certain cases, and whether or not this is an improvement is
debatable.
The
single and multi-player aspects have been stripped, eliminating three of the monsters.
That leaves the roster, rather ironically, at three. Players can fight alongside each
other, or beat each other up in one of the various cities provided.
It's not just struggles with a single monster either. There are stages that occur now
before the actual boss fights. These start as battles against the military, but soon turn
to the invading aliens. These brief segments seem rather pointless, rarely doing much
damage and adding almost nothing to the experience. It seems to be compromising for the
shorter length compared to the original.
The varied locales are a change of pace from the cityscapes, though it's hardly logical
why you would play a game with giant monsters and not want to rip apart various cities.
That's the point. Instead, you'll cover desert, canyons, under water, and the alien base
itself. Only the opening stages offer the destruction.
Taking
apart buildings is a simple task, whether it's picking up larger structures or tossing
something else into them. The standard "press the buttons faster than your
opponent" applies here. It may work when fighting another human, but not with the AI
which cheats relentlessly. It doesn't matter how quick you can press a button. The game
seems to make the choice as to who will win before the grapple starts.
Because of this, it's too frustrating, even on the easiest setting. There is a small
selection of other attacks, including the obligatory fire breath from Geon, just not
enough to turn this into a normal fighting game. There's little skill involved in the end,
which makes it accessible for newcomers. This unfortunately neglects to draw in anyone
else.
It's still possible to have a fun time. The basic premise is enough to earn more than a
few extra points. Oddly, even though it's not licensed, the original better represents the
source material we're all familiar with. It may look a little cleaner, and it may sound a
little nicer, but SNK has taken away the core of what made the game fresh, and those
additions aren't enough to offset what's been taken.
