Developer: Hudson
Publisher: Microsoft
Rating Guide: How I Review Games

Review:

It seems so long ago that I had my original Xbox and a certain game called Fuzion Frenzy.  I loved it.  I’d take it with me on trips and out to dinner.  I’d even tuck it in at night next to me as I slept.  Fuzion Frenzy was my best friend.  It was the ultimate party game that my family and friends enjoyed for countless hours.  It was 4-player madness!  I had visions of the day I’d get a sequel and love it even more.  Dub Wins!  That was my victory cry.

Well, the day did come and I got myself a sequel to Fuzion Frenzy but would I love it even more?  Short answer…no.  I wanted to love this game as much as the original.  I didn’t see any reason why a sequel to what seemed like such a simple concept would fail to create the same feelings as the original did in me.  But unfortunately, the unthinkable happened!

Gameplay, Graphics and Sound

Fuzion Frenzy 2 brings all the characters from the original back for more 4-player action.  They’re all much older now.  Each of them is again colored differently so you can recognize them during play.  I believe the first mistake was making them older because it gives off a feeling that the game has grown up when no one, especially me, wanted the game to grow up.  I guess that’s the reason for the mindless announcer.  (more on this later)  All the party games are there, including new ones, but they just don’t feel the same when played.  You’re back in the frenzied tournament though and this time it spans across 7 other planets.  You’ll battle on Earth, Blazer, Moisture, Amuseth, Eternite, Machina and Icicle.  Each planet has its own special blend of games for you.  For example, you can expect a lot of water battles on Moisture.

Before you begin each game, you have details on the controls and how to play as well as options to jump right into the mix or start a practice run to get yourself familiar with the action.  There are three modes to play the game.  (Tournament, Mini-Game Frenzy and Custom)  In a tournament, the winner is the player who dominates any specified number of planets.  Of course domination is all about points.  If you score the most, you’re the winner.  Watch for different types of power-ups during these mini-games that increase different thing from your attack to defense.  At the end of the mini-games you play during the tournament is a Battle Royale.  It’s pretty standard action here as you battle to determine the granddaddy of the tournament.

A new twist to the game came in the form of two things both of which didn’t go quite as well as I think was planned.  There’s a DJ to guide you now and there are Frenzy Cards.  If I had to point to two particular things that totally killed the experience, it would be the introduction of the DJ or mindless announcer as I call him.  The Frenzy Cards would come in a close second.  Frenzy Cards are handed out by the DJ at random or either won by a Card Get game also set by the DJ.  These cards are there to change the balance and outcome of the games.  I understand the theory behind allowing different cards to change the outcome of the match but when you’re sitting there dominating a few rounds only to have someone use one of those 6x Points (which multiplies the number of points at the end of a game by 6) cards to win, it doesn’t seem fair. 

Speaking of the DJ, I never quite understood why he was ever created.  His dialogue is mindless and he looks even worse.  Why oh why was I ever subjected to hearing this DJ with his repetitive and annoying dialogue?  I much preferred to simply head into the action and not go back to “DJ-Land” to engage in Frenzy Card distribution etc.  This only gets worse on Xbox Live and I’ll point that out later.  There is a saving grace as you can play Custom and not be victim to any DJ or the Frenzy Cards.

Visually, Fuzion Frenzy 2 looks pretty good.  The characters are easily identified amidst the action and the environments are varied enough that you get a good sense of being on different planets.  It doesn’t make much use of the 5.1 Dolby support but then this isn’t a World War II game that focuses on the environment.  You have your standard action sound effects and mini-game music throughout so it was all pretty dull.  I won’t even mention the DJ and the failure to properly sync his words.

Xbox Live Extras

You can play two ways across Xbox Live.  There are Ranked and Player Matches.  Ranked of course lets you compete for ranking online (only tournaments) and Player lets you play however you like.  You and three (3) friends can battle through all of the mini-games together which is fun I’ll admit.  There is just one thing that stops it from being an even better time.  You guessed it…the DJ!  There’s no way to skip through his mindless banter during Xbox Live play so you’re left to hear his repetitive talk over and over and by the time he finishes, you just don’t even feel like playing the mini-game.

Conclusion

Fuzion Frenzy 2 is a good game.  It could’ve been a great game though.  It fell victim to the classic mistake of trying to fix something that truly wasn’t broken.  I would’ve been content with simply adding more mini-games with none of the visual or gameplay upgrades.

I still had plenty of fun with Fuzion Frenzy 2 but it wasn’t any of the “I can play over and over and over” type of fun that the original gave me.  It’s a good title but it seems to have lost its life so to speak or rather its personality.  Head out and give it a rent though to try it yourself or even zip over to the Xbox Live Marketplace for a quick demo of the game.