Blood Bowl 2 a Great Recreation

If you are not familiar, Blood Bowl is actually a Warhammer Table Top game that is enjoyed by a fairly niche group of individuals. With its launch on console, I think a wider audience will be found. Whether these people will stay to play, however, is the real question. Despite a lackluster tutorial system which inevitably requires players to learn-as-they-play, there is a lot to love in Blood Bowl 2. Don’t be confused, however, Madden fans. If you are dedicated sports game fan, this probably is not the game for you.

Blood Bowl Two is just like your average football game. There are two teams, there is a bawl, two end zones, and player inventively win by scoring more touchdowns than their opponents.  I think I forgot a few other key details: the football is covered in spikes, both teams would just as soon kill their opponents than score touchdowns, and all the players on the field are not necessarily human. Oh ya, and in Blood Bowl 2, people can die, for real.

Blood Bowl 2 has a few things going for it. Great writing, great visuals, and depth of game play. These are three huge positives for a game that will require a lot of trial-and-error. The problem lies in the tutorial system. It is there, but it is not always that clear. I actually learned by cranking up the difficulty a few levels and watched which tactics my AI opponents used. It was a bit unconventional, but it worked. Within a few hours, however, I felt like I was a seasoned pro. My tactical positions on the field came more naturally, and choosing where to move and how far I should attempt at running became less of a chore. Like all table top games, there is risk and reward. The further you attempt to run with the ball for instance, the higher likelihood you will trip and fall, fumbling the ball.

When you win in Blood Bowl it is incredibly satisfying, as its often more difficult than you would imagine. Career mode is even more exciting, since between games you need to make sure you have a full squad – replacing players that may have died for example – and that all other facets of your team are in place and running smoothly. Blood Bowl 2 really is an almost perfect representation of the table top game it is emulating.

That is both a positive – as stated above – and a negative. See, a lot of Blood Bowl 2 comes down to the roll of a dice, true to it’s table top counterpart. So even perfectly planned movements down the field can all be lost by the single roll of a die. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but a few poor rolls and the ball is heading the opposite way with you scrambling to get back to defend. It’s unfortunate, but its accurate. There is an element of luck in the table top game, and understandably, there is an element of luck to the video game. Be prepared for this when you go online. In certain situations, no matter how well you play, if you are not getting the rolls you need, you won’t succeed.

Unfortunately, this element of luck – not commonly found in most video games – will drive more than a few people away. It is rather sad, because all the elements of a table top game come together in this inexpensively priced package. Compared to the cost of playing the table top version, Blood Bowl 2 is a steal for anyone with even the slightest interest in turn based, table top experiences. If that sounds like you, disappointment is not something you will experience while playing this game. At Games Reviews we enjoy the odd table top game, so we cannot recommend Blood Bowl 2 enough!