The Rumble Fish 2
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
The Rumble Fish 2 Trailers
Critic Reviews for The Rumble Fish 2
The Rumble Fish 2 has developed a cult following since its release and it's no surprise why after finally being able to play it.
This is the kind of package we hope for when a relatively unloved, but largely excellent arcade title is ported for a modern system. There's no slacking here, with all the options and modes a fighting game fan could desire, updated visuals for modern displays, and that all-important rollback netcode for online skirmishes. Superior to its already very enjoyable predecessor, it will be great to see the online fighting game community revive The Rumble Fish 2 in a way that never really happened with its original arcade release. Ideally, both the original game and this sequel should be on a single package - and DLC paywalls be damned - but this is a well-executed port of the best entry in this short-lived series.
The Rumble Fish 2 has the promise of online play with rollback netcode – which should make this perfect for going online and getting absolutely smoked by a Japanese kid who has probably forgotten more than you will ever know. Superb.
An Exercise in apathy, neither solid nor liquid. Not exactly bad, but not very good either. Just a bit 'meh,' really.
Rumble Fish 2 is a great game for people like me who enjoy solid fighting games. It won’t stick with most players beyond initial contact though. It feels like it borrows more than it innovates and in a sea of familiar brawlers that is rough. I enjoyed my time, but will likely forget it exists in a month or two. Then one day I will be browsing my game library and think to myself “hey, that was a pretty cool game!”
The core arcade fighting, with its persistent clothing damage and blend of vivid 2D and 3D visuals, makes it a compelling curio for fighting game faithfuls. But the package as a whole falls short of expectations, and will either need major updates or a chunky price drop moving forwards.
Taking all the elements of visuals, variety of characters (with more available via DLC), attacks, environments, replayability, single and multiplayer modes, and overall challenge, Rumble Fish 2 is a good 2D fighter to have ready to go.
Fighting game nerds will no doubt be all over this in a heartbeat, but everyone else might wonder what all the fuss is about. Nonetheless, it's nice to have The Rumble Fish 2 out of the arcades and ported to modern consoles, even if it might be one to file away as 'strange forgotten curio' that should have perhaps stayed in the arcade.
