King of the Monsters 2 for the Sega Genesis is a different game from the SNES and arcade game. Instead of being a beat’em up or having beat’em up stages, this is a tournament fighter. I’m not sure why this was done.
This isn’t the first multi-console release to do something like this. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes one version of the game is much better than the other. I’m not sure about this one.
This is a genre of games that I don’t typically play or enjoy. I’m going to give this game the benefit of the doubt because I did enjoy the first game. The Sega Genesis version plays similarly to that one.
TLDR: Doesn’t know if it wants to be a Beat’em up or a Fighting game.
Narrative
The story from the SNES arcade game is still here, which is a little strange. Three monsters are carried over from the first game, and a bunch of alien monsters attack Earth.
Instead of the three original monsters being presented as the good guys who are fighting against the aliens, they’re just part of a roster of monsters in a fighting game. This means the player can use any of the alien monsters. It makes me wonder why they even bothered to keep the story in this game.
I don’t get this game. The story doesn’t need to be here. It would’ve been better if the developers had created a new story for it.
Gameplay
The gameplay doesn’t work too well for a game like this. I’ve never played a one-on-one fighting game where you can get health items or bonus points. It feels weird that they turned this game into what it is.
Almost everything from the SNES version of the game is here. All the health items, power ups, and bonus points. Thankfully, I didn’t find the two items that hurt you, which is a nice change.
There are still destructible environments, which is where you’ll find the items. I’m really struggling to wrap my mind around the decisions that the developers made, but I don’t think it should’ve been a fighting game.
The stage enemies from the original show up while you’re fighting. This is such a strange decision for a fighting game. The one thing I can say that I like is the arena you fight in.
It is set up like the first game in the series, where you fight in an area. The difference is that this game doesn’t have the electric fence around the arena. This is a change that I like.
The boss characters from the arcade version of the game are playable characters. This makes the story a little nonsensical, but adds a lot to the game. I like that they did this, but I would rather be playing the beat’em up version.
Just like other fighting games, you’re dropped into an area and given a short amount of time to beat your opponent. You can win by knocking them out or by having more life than they do at the end of a fight.
The grapple system is still here, and it feels awful. I don’t understand it at all. In the SNES version, the controls were much better, and here they feel like everything is a struggle.
You can find the list of moves for each character in the manual. Here is a link to it (Link). On top of the grapple system, there are also special moves you can do. There are some cool things in this game, but I just don’t like it.
I don’t like the changes to this game. It doesn’t help that the Genesis controller doesn’t have enough buttons. The developers changed things to make this game play like a fighting game, and those changes tanked the game for me.
Visuals
The game looks great! There isn’t too much difference between the SNES and the Genesis versions of the game. The levels look good, the characters are great, and I like that you can see how the battles are affecting the locations you’re fighting in.
It is a bright and colorful game. The characters are well detailed, and the special moves look cool. I really like the look of the characters in this game.
They all look like monsters you might’ve seen in a Godzilla, King Kong, or Ultraman movie or TV show. Some of them are very imaginative.
The graphics are my favorite part of this game. Both the SNES and Genesis versions look very good. This game, in particular, is one of the better looking Genesis games.
6.5/10. I’m not a fan of fighting games. There are a lot of strange things in this game. It has all the power ups and health items you would find in a beat’em up, because that is what the game was supposed to be.
Pros
- Great Graphics
- Interesting Stage Design
Cons
- It doesn’t feel like a Fighting Game
- Awkward Controls
Conclusion
This is a strange game. I like the SNES version of the game much better than this one, as it felt like a step in the wrong direction. I would’ve enjoyed a beat’em up instead of this game that can’t seem to figure out what it wants to be.
If you liked the first game, then you’ll probably like this one. The Genesis version of King of the Monsters is little more than a better version of the first game, but without the things that made the SNES and arcade versions stand out.
If you liked this post, please check out my posts on King of the Monsters and King of the Monsters 2.