| The Last Blade 2 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | SNK Code Mystics (PC/PS4/VITA) |
| Publisher(s) | SNK
|
| Writer(s) | Hidetaka Suehiro [1] |
| Series | The Last Blade |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Fighting |
| Mode(s) | |
| Arcade system | Neo Geo MVS |
The Last Blade 2 [a] is a video game developed and released by SNK in 1998. Like its predecessor, The Last Blade , it is a weapons-based versus fighting game originally released to arcades via the Neo Geo MVS arcade system, although it has since been released for various other platforms.
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Gameplay elements remain the same as their predecessor with some minor adjustments. An "EX" mode was added to play, which is a combination of "Speed" and "Power". The mood is grimmer than its predecessor through the introduction to the game. The characters are colored slightly darker, and the game's cut-scenes are made longer to emphasize the importance of the plot. Characters are no longer equal, hosting greater differences in strengths and weaknesses than before.
Three new characters were introduced:
The Last Blade 2 was made available for various consoles, including SNK's own Neo Geo AES and Neo Geo CD. The Neo Geo CD version includes an extra quiz mode, voiced cutscenes, and a gallery section featuring art from both Last Blade titles. Most of these additional features were also included with the Dreamcast port titled The Last Blade 2: Heart of the Samurai, released in 2001. [2] The Neo Geo CD and Dreamcast versions added an additional character named Musashi Akatsuki, the sub-boss from the first game.
The Last Blade 2 was subsequently bundled with the original Last Blade for a PlayStation 2 compilation released only in Japan; both games are arcade perfect emulations of the original games and do not contain additions from the other console versions. At PlayStation Experience 2015, SNK Playmore announced PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita versions of The Last Blade 2 developed by Code Mystics. [3]
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| AllGame | (NG)   [4] (DC)  [5] |
| Consoles + | (NG) 85% [6] |
| Edge | (DC) 6/10 [7] |
| GameSpot | (DC) 8.1/10 [8] |
| IGN | (DC) 8.7/10 [9] |
| Joypad | (NG) 7/10 [10] |
| Next Generation | (DC) [11] |
| Nintendo Life | (VC)   [12] (NS) [13] |
| Video Games (DE) | (NG) 78% [14] (DC) 80% [15] |
| GameShark.com | (DC) 7/10 [16] |
| Power Unlimited | (DC) 77/100 [17] |
In Japan, Game Machine listed The Last Blade 2 on their December 15, 1998 issue as being the second most popular arcade game at the time. [18] According to Famitsu , the Neo Geo CD sold over 9,379 copies in its first week on the market. [19] Blake Fischer reviewed the Dreamcast version of the game for Next Generation , rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "A unique 2D fighter for Dreamcast which is a welcome break from the plethora of Street Fighter variants we've seen in the States. Too bad you'll have to track down an import to play." [11] In 2012, GamesRadar+ included Last Blade 2 among the little-known classic fighting games that deserve HD remakes, calling it "one of the Neo Geo’s prettiest, deepest fighters." [20]
The Neo Geo, stylized as NEO•GEO and also written as NEOGEO, is a ROM cartridge-based video gaming system released on April 26, 1990, by Japanese game company SNK Corporation. Designed as both an arcade system board and home video game console, the Neo Geo was marketed as the first 24-bit system; its CPU is actually a 16/32-bit 68000 with an 8-bit Z80 coprocessor, while its GPU chipset has a 24-bit graphics data bus. It was a very powerful system when released, more powerful than any video game console at the time, and many arcade systems such as rival Capcom's CPS, which did not surpass it until the CP System II in 1993. Neo Geo hardware production lasted seven years; it was succeeded by Hyper Neo Geo 64.
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