Wikipedia

Digimon Rumble Arena

Digimon Rumble Arena[b]is a 2001fighting video gamedeveloped and published byBandai.It is part ofa video game seriesconnected to theDigimonfranchise and showcases the titular creatures within the context of a fighting video game. The player controls one of several Digimon and engages in combat with other Digimon within a variety of settings. Apart from the central fighting gameplay, a trio of mini-games are available upon the single-player campaign's completion.

Digimon Rumble Arena
North American box art withGuilmonandVeemon
Developer(s)Bandai[a]
Publisher(s)Bandai
Director(s)
  • Ayano Fujiwara
  • Yukio Umematsu
Producer(s)
  • Takashi Aoyama
  • Hirotaka Watanabe
  • Atsushi Minowa
Designer(s)
  • Hiroyuki Seki
  • Yasuaki Takahashi
  • Yutaka Sato
Programmer(s)
  • Masahiro Tobita
  • Takayuki Hanamasu
SeriesDigimon
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • JP:December 6, 2001
  • NA:February 2002
  • PAL:July 5, 2002
Genre(s)Fighting
Mode(s)Single-player,multiplayer

Bandai produced the game under the oversight ofHudson Soft,and it was released for thePlayStationin Japan in 2001, with a North American and European release following in 2002; its late release in the console's life cycle resulted in minimal press coverage.Digimon Rumble Arenareceived mixed reviews from critics, who noted the game's similarity toSuper Smash Bros.,and believed that the gameplay, while simple and accessible, lacked polish. A sequel,Digimon Rumble Arena 2,was released in 2004, while aspiritual successorto the first two installments,Digimon All-Star Rumble,was released in 2014.

Gameplay

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Gabumon(left) andRenamon(right) battle in an arena, withhealth barsand time remaining visible on the lower part of the screen.

Digimon Rumble Arenais afighting gamethat is set within the universe of theDigimonmedia franchise and features a gameplay style closely resembling that ofSuper Smash Bros.,particularly in its single-button attacks.[1]In the game's single-player mode, the player controls a Digimon and fights a series ofcomputer-controlledopponents, unlocking new characters in the process.[2][3]Clearing the single-player campaign unlocks three mini-games that can be played against a computer-controlled or human opponent. The mini-games consist of "Target Games", in which characters toss a ball to collect gems; "Digivolve Race", in which characters punch aspeed bagto fill a gauge; and "Basketball Game", in which characters shoot baskets into a moving hoop.[3][4]The two-player mode allows two human players to compete against each other, and the "Vs. Computer" mode allows the player to face the computer-controlled opponent of their choice.[2]

Digimon Rumble Arenainitially includes nine playable characters out of a total of 24.[1][5]The roster is composed of characters featured in theanimeseriesDigimon Adventure,Digimon Adventure 02,andDigimon Tamers.[3]Each character is associated with one of three "specialties" —fire, nature, or water—which makes them stronger against or more vulnerable to certain fighters.[5]The gameplay primarily consists of two Digimon fighting one-on-one in one of seven themed arenas.[1]Characters can jump, guard, and have a series of basic attacks as well as two special techniques.[3]Landing successful hits against the opponent or guarding against attacks will gradually increase a gauge that allows the player character to undergo "Digivolution" —a transformation into a more powerful character—when it is filled. In this state, the character can execute a special technique that empties the gauge and returns the character to their previous form.[6]

The game's arenas feature interactive elements and traps (such as falling rocks or lava flows) that players can avoid or use to their advantage.[7]Matches may be timed, with the winner being determined by which character has morehealthremaining,[6]though the time limit can be deactivated in the options menu.[2]During a match,itemsandcardswill randomly appear that are either beneficial or detrimental to the player, such as increasing or decreasing the player's Digivolution gauge or attack strength.[6]

Development and release

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Digimon Rumble Arenawas produced byBandaiunder the direction of Ayano Fujiwara and Yukio Umematsu ofHudson Soft.The game was designed by Hiroyuki Seki, Yasuaki Takahashi, and Yutaka Sato, and was programmed by Masahiro Tobita and Takayuki Hanamasu. The animated opening sequence was created byToei Animation's digital contents department. The English voice acting was recorded in the studio Oracle Post and directed byMary Elizabeth McGlynn.[8][9]The game was released asDigimon Tamers Battle Evolutionin Japan on December 6, 2001.[10]It was released asDigimon Rumble Arenain North America in late February 2002,[3][11]and in Europe on July 5 of the same year.[12]

Reception

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BecauseDigimon Rumble Arenawas released late in the PlayStation's life cycle, it received little coverage from critics.[16]It garnered a 64/100 aggregate score (indicating "mixed to average reviews" ) from five reviewers onMetacritic,[13]with most of them pointing out the gameplay's resemblance toSuper Smash Bros..[c]Jeanne Kim, Chris Johnston, and James Mielke ofElectronic Gaming Monthlyfaulted the game's lack of originality, but opined that it fulfilled a single purpose of allowing fans to fight Digimon in real time.[14]Kim, along with Fennec Fox ofGamePro,regarded the game as a solid fighter, with the latter concluding that the game was one of the better budget titles for the PlayStation, though he lamented the lack of four-player gameplay and substantial features compared toSuper Smash Bros.[1][14]

Though Johnston determined the game to be the bestDigimontitle he had played, he and Sam Kennedy ofOfficial U.S. PlayStation Magazinecriticized the awkward controls, stiff combat, and uneven character balance. Additionally, Johnston complained of the overly difficult final boss and inability for two human players to select the same character in two-player gameplay. However, Kennedy and Kim commended the game's accessibility, which Kim attributed to the simplified combat mechanics, though Mielke identified the same trait as a weakness. Kennedy also found enjoyment in the multiplayer experience and unlockable content.[14][15]While Romendil ofJeuxvideo.comobserved that the game "daringly draws on the classics of the fighting game", she felt that the result's success was hampered by major handicaps; namely, she castigated the gameplay for its imprecision and limited move sets, remarking that evading a string of combos from an opponent was "often impossible".[12]Akira Fujita, in a preview forIGN,deemed the controls responsive, but felt that the execution of the Digivolution mechanic was imperfect, explaining that the attacks by non-evolved Digimon were sometimes faster and more effective than the slower special techniques of the evolved Digimon.[3]

Fujita considered the graphics to be satisfactory for a PlayStation game.[3]Fennec Fox appreciated the presentation's recreation of the anime's atmosphere, and was surprised by the smooth character animation.[1]Kennedy and Mielke were impressed by the ambitiousness of the arenas, though Mielke felt that they affected the game's graphics by rendering them "grainy and unkempt".[14][15]Romendil respected the wide range of colors and effects as well as the lack of slowdown, but wished for more arena variety.[12]Fennec Fox dismissed the music as "typical generic anime stuff",[1]and Romendil was disappointed by the "unremarkable" score and low variety of sound effects, adding that the voices were barely intelligible.[12]

Successors

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A sequel,Digimon Rumble Arena 2,was released for thePlayStation 2,GameCube,andXboxconsoles in 2004. The game features a roster of 45 playable characters representing the first four seasons of the anime series, fully destructible environments, and four-player gameplay.[16]It was unveiled at the 2004Electronic Entertainment Expo,[17]and received mixed reviews from critics upon release.[18][19][20]Digimon All-Star Rumble,aspiritual successorto theDigimon Rumble Arenagames,[21]was released for thePlayStation 3andXbox 360consoles in 2014. The game, which features a roster of 32 playable characters representing the first six seasons of the anime series, was poorly received by reviewers.[22][23]

Notes

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  1. ^In association withHudson Soft
  2. ^Known in Japan asDigimon Tamers Battle Evolution(Japanese:デジモンテイマーズ バトルエボリューション,Hepburn:Dejimon Teimāzu Batoru Eboryūshon)
  3. ^[1][3][12][14][15]

References

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Citations

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  1. ^abcdefghFennec Fox (February 8, 2002)."Digimon Rumble ArenaPlayStation Review ".GamePro.IDG Entertainment. Archived fromthe originalon December 5, 2003.RetrievedMay 27,2021.
  2. ^abcBandai staff 2002,p. 4.
  3. ^abcdefghFujita, Akira (January 2, 2002)."PlayStation:Digimon Rumble Arena".IGN.Ziff Davis.Archivedfrom the original on February 17, 2002.RetrievedMay 27,2021.
  4. ^Bandai staff 2002,p. 16.
  5. ^abBandai staff 2002,p. 5.
  6. ^abcBandai staff 2002,pp. 12–15.
  7. ^Bandai staff 2002,pp. 10–11.
  8. ^Bandai (December 6, 2001).Digimon Tamers Battle Evolution(PlayStation). Bandai. Level/area: End credits.
  9. ^Bandai (February 24, 2002).Digimon Rumble Arena(PlayStation). Bandai. Level/area: End credits.
  10. ^"デジモンテイマーズ バトルエボリューション".Bandai.2001. Archived fromthe originalon February 20, 2002.RetrievedJune 9,2021.
  11. ^"PS2 Previews:Digimon Battle Arena".Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine.No. 54. March 2002. p. 92.
  12. ^abcdefRomendil (August 5, 2002)."Digimon Rumble Arena– PSX – Test avec ".Jeuxvideo.com.L'Odyssée Interactive. Archived fromthe originalon May 6, 2004.RetrievedJanuary 7,2022.
  13. ^ab"Digimon Rumble ArenaReviews for PlayStation ".Metacritic.Red Ventures.Archivedfrom the original on November 23, 2010.RetrievedJuly 12,2010.
  14. ^abcdefKim, Jeanne; Johnston, Chris; Mielke, James (March 2002)."Review Crew:Digimon Rumble Arena".Electronic Gaming Monthly.No. 152.Ziff Davis.p. 144.
  15. ^abcdKennedy, Sam (April 2002)."Reviews:Digimon Rumble Arena".Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine.No. 55. p. 109.
  16. ^abSulic, Ivan (September 10, 2004)."PlayStation 2:Digimon Rumble Arena 2".IGN.Ziff Davis.Archived fromthe originalon September 12, 2004.
  17. ^Navarro, Alex (May 12, 2004)."Digimon Rumble Arena 2E3 2004 Impressions ".GameSpot.CNET.Archived fromthe originalon December 11, 2004.RetrievedAugust 12,2022.
  18. ^"Digimon Rumble Arena 2Reviews for PlayStation 2 ".Metacritic.Red Ventures.Archivedfrom the original on January 3, 2022.RetrievedJune 9,2021.
  19. ^"Digimon Rumble Arena 2Reviews for Xbox ".Metacritic.Red Ventures.Archivedfrom the original on September 13, 2008.RetrievedJune 9,2021.
  20. ^"Digimon Rumble Arena 2Reviews for GameCube ".Metacritic.Red Ventures.Archivedfrom the original on September 13, 2008.RetrievedJune 9,2021.
  21. ^Hannley, Steve (November 11, 2014)."Review:Digimon All-Star Rumble".Hardcore Gamer.Archivedfrom the original on January 2, 2022.RetrievedMay 20,2022.
  22. ^Romano, Sal (July 31, 2014)."Digimon All-Star Rumbleannounced for PS3 and Xbox 360 ".Gematsu.Archivedfrom the original on August 2, 2014.RetrievedJune 9,2021.
  23. ^"Digimon All-Star RumbleReviews for PlayStation 3 ".Metacritic.Red Ventures.Archivedfrom the original on August 13, 2022.RetrievedJune 9,2021.

Bibliography

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  • Bandaistaff (2002).Digimon Rumble Arena instruction booklet.SLUS-01404.
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