Blade II (PlayStation 2)

The control in Blade is rather stiff. Moving and turning is all done with the left analog stick, and it's sometimes difficult to turn sharply while moving. You can strafe side to side with a button press, but Blade strafes incredibly slowly, making it a basically useless maneuver. The jump move is a gigantic flying forward flip that can't be controlled in-flight and, if used to jump from a ledge, has a nasty recovery time that's apparently just for show, allowing Blade to do the familiar "land on one knee and fist, look ahead, stand up, and start moving" motion that you've seen in the movies.

Blade II also has some of the worst enemy AI so far this year. Enemies are content to stand around and ignore Blade until you run right up to them. Killing enemies on a crowded dance floor doesn't even wake nearby enemies out of their dancing animations, and if you're using your pistol, you can usually kill every enemy before the others in the room are even aware of your presence.

Blade deserves better.

Graphically, Blade II doesn't really do anything to stand out. The character models aren't particularly good, and the way Blade's chin tends to clip through his puffed-out chest during cutscenes just seems sloppy. There are some decent effects, such as the blur used when going into rage mode, but the animation behind it all seems just as stiff as the game's control. As far as audio is concerned, the game really blows it. The accompanying movie has a pretty solid techno/rap soundtrack that would have been a lot better suited here than the dull, repetitive "game techno" found throughout. The pistol fire sounds extremely flat, and the enemies repeat the same two or three phrases throughout the game. The voice actors for Blade and Whistler sound somewhat close to their movie counterparts, for what it's worth, though that's not saying much.

If you find yourself out shopping for some Blade II-related items, take a pass on the game and stick to the movie. Poor AI, dull design, and lackluster presentation all add up to make Blade II a game that you should definitely skip.

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Where to buy Blade II (PlayStation 2)

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• Amazon.com Marketplace $49.89 Yes
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