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.
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2013)
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.
Plotedit
The game is set one year after the events of the first game. Long before humanity existed, death was an unknown, equally distant concept. The "Messenger from Afar" was born when death first came to the world. With time, the Sealing Rite was held to seal Death behind Hell's Gate. At that time, two worlds were born, one near and one far, beginning the history of life and death. Half a year has passed since Suzaku's madness, and the underworld is still linked by a great portal. Our world has been called upon. Legends of long ago told of the sealing of the boundary between the two worlds. The Sealing Rite would be necessary to hold back the spirits of that far away world.
Hibiki Takane: daughter of a famed swordsmith, she is searching for the silver-haired man that requested the final blade her father would ever make.
Setsuna: a being believed to be the "Messenger from Afar", he requested a blade to be forged by Hibiki's father and is out to slay the Sealing Maiden.
Kojiroh Sanada: Shinsengumi captain of Unit Zero; investigating the Hell's Portal. Kojiroh is actually Kaori, his sister, who assumed his identity after his death to carry on his work.
Home versionsedit
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]
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]
Notesedit
^Known in Japan as Bakumatsu Roman Dainimaku: Gekka no Kenshi - Tsuki ni Saku Hana, Chiri Yuku Hana (幕末浪漫第二幕 月華の剣士 ～月に咲く華、散りゆく花～)
^"Last Blade 2: Heart of the Samurai". IGN. 2 August 2001. from the original on 2020-10-01. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
^Keisuke Nishikawa. "The Last Blade 2 Strikes PS4, PS Vita on May 24". blog.us.playstation.com/. PlayStation Blog. from the original on 2020-10-01. Retrieved 2015-12-05.
^Knight, Kyle (1998). "The Last Blade 2 (Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. from the original on 15 November 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
^Frankle, Gavin (1998). "The Last Blade 2: Heart of the Samurai (Dreamcast) - Overview". AllGame. All Media Network. from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
^Roure, Maxime (March 1999). "Test NeoGeo - The Last Blade 2". Consoles + (in French). No. 86. M.E.R.7. p. 99.
^"Testscreen - Last Blade 2 (Dreamcast)". Edge. No. 94. Future plc. February 2001. p. 102.
^Park, Andrew (13 August 2001). "The Last Blade 2: Heart of the Samurai Review - All things considered, The Last Blade 2 for the Dreamcast is a faithful port of a good game". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. from the original on 2020-10-01. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
^"Last Blade 2: Heart of the Samurai - Agetec delivers what might be the last great 2D fighting game for the US Dreamcast". IGN. Ziff Davis. 2 August 2001. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
^Hellot, Grégoire (March 1999). "Zoom - Sorties U.S.A.: The Last Blade 2 (Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System)". Joypad (in French). No. 84. Yellow Media. pp. 124–125.
^ abFischer, Blake (May 2001). "Finals - Dreamcast - Last Blade 2: Final Edition (Japan)". Next Generation. No. 77. Imagine Media. p. 82.
^Dillard, Corbie (18 October 2012). "The Last Blade 2 Review (Neo Geo) - Last Blade Part Deux". Nintendo Life. Nlife Media. from the original on 2020-10-01. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
^Frear, Dave (2 July 2018). "The Last Blade 2 Review (Switch eShop / Neo Geo) - Another contender for Switch fighting champion". Nintendo Life. Nlife Media. from the original on 2020-10-01. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
^Karels, Ralph (April 1999). "NeoGeo Test - The Last Blade 2". Video Games (in German). No. 89. Future-Verlag. p. 78.
^Karels, Ralph (July 2001). "DC Import: The Last Blade 2 Final Edition - SNKs letzer Streich auf Dreamcast?". Video Games (in German). No. 112. Future-Verlag. p. 84. from the original on 2020-10-01. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
^Dangerboy (1 September 2001). "Last Blade 2: Heart of the Samurai Review (Dreamcast) - Bring on the sprites!". GameShark.com. Mad Catz. from the original on 13 February 2002. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
^"Review - The Last Blade 2 - Dreamcast". Power Unlimited (in Dutch). No. 92. VNU Media. October 2001.
^"Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - TVゲーム機ーソフトウェア (Video Game Software)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 578. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 December 1998. p. 21.
^"Game Search". Game Data Library. from the original on 2019-04-24. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
^Sullivan, Lucas (October 20, 2012). "29 obscure fighters that deserve HD remakes". GamesRadar+. Future US. from the original on 2014-01-16. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
last, blade, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, june, 2013, le. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources The Last Blade 2 news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2013 Learn how and when to remove this message 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 The Last Blade 2Developer s SNKCode Mystics PC PS4 VITA Publisher s SNK Agetec Playmore DC SNK Playmore WIN PS4 VITA Writer s Hidetaka Suehiro 1 SeriesThe Last BladePlatform s Arcade Dreamcast Microsoft Windows Neo Geo AES Neo Geo CD PlayStation 4 PlayStation VitaRelease1998 ArcadeWW 25 November 1998 Neo Geo AESWW 28 January 1999 Neo Geo CDJP NA 27 February 1999 DreamcastJP 21 December 2000NA 6 August 2001 PS4 VITANA 24 May 2016WW 25 May 2016 WindowsWW 17 November 2017Genre s FightingMode s Single player MultiplayerArcade systemNeo Geo MVS Contents 1 Gameplay 2 Plot 3 Characters 4 Home versions 5 Reception 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksGameplay edit nbsp Gameplay screenshot showcasing a match between Akari Ichijou and Hibiki Takane This section needs expansion You can help by adding to it June 2013 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 Plot editThe game is set one year after the events of the first game Long before humanity existed death was an unknown equally distant concept The Messenger from Afar was born when death first came to the world With time the Sealing Rite was held to seal Death behind Hell s Gate At that time two worlds were born one near and one far beginning the history of life and death Half a year has passed since Suzaku s madness and the underworld is still linked by a great portal Our world has been called upon Legends of long ago told of the sealing of the boundary between the two worlds The Sealing Rite would be necessary to hold back the spirits of that far away world Characters editSee also The Last Blade Characters Three new characters were introduced Hibiki Takane daughter of a famed swordsmith she is searching for the silver haired man that requested the final blade her father would ever make Setsuna a being believed to be the Messenger from Afar he requested a blade to be forged by Hibiki s father and is out to slay the Sealing Maiden Kojiroh Sanada Shinsengumi captain of Unit Zero investigating the Hell s Portal Kojiroh is actually Kaori his sister who assumed his identity after his death to carry on his work Home versions editThe 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 Reception editReceptionReview scoresPublicationScoreAllGame NG nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 4 DC nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 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 nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 11 Nintendo Life VC nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 12 NS nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 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 Notes edit Known in Japan as Bakumatsu Roman Dainimaku Gekka no Kenshi Tsuki ni Saku Hana Chiri Yuku Hana 幕末浪漫第二幕 月華の剣士 月に咲く華 散りゆく花 References edit Suehiro Hidetaka February March 2011 Game Design in the Coffee Lovable Game Design by SWERY Game Developers Conference Informa Retrieved 2020 05 10 Last Blade 2 Heart of the Samurai IGN 2 August 2001 Archived from the original on 2020 10 01 Retrieved 2013 11 05 Keisuke Nishikawa The Last Blade 2 Strikes PS4 PS Vita on May 24 blog us playstation com PlayStation Blog Archived from the original on 2020 10 01 Retrieved 2015 12 05 Knight Kyle 1998 The Last Blade 2 Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System Review AllGame All Media Network Archived from the original on 15 November 2014 Retrieved 1 October 2020 Frankle Gavin 1998 The Last Blade 2 Heart of the Samurai Dreamcast Overview AllGame All Media Network Archived from the original on 14 November 2014 Retrieved 1 October 2020 Roure Maxime March 1999 Test NeoGeo The Last Blade 2 Consoles in French No 86 M E R 7 p 99 Testscreen Last Blade 2 Dreamcast Edge No 94 Future plc February 2001 p 102 Park Andrew 13 August 2001 The Last Blade 2 Heart of the Samurai Review All things considered The Last Blade 2 for the Dreamcast is a faithful port of a good game GameSpot CBS Interactive Archived from the original on 2020 10 01 Retrieved 2020 10 01 Last Blade 2 Heart of the Samurai Agetec delivers what might be the last great 2D fighting game for the US Dreamcast IGN Ziff Davis 2 August 2001 Retrieved 2020 10 01 Hellot Gregoire March 1999 Zoom Sorties U S A The Last Blade 2 Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System Joypad in French No 84 Yellow Media pp 124 125 a b Fischer Blake May 2001 Finals Dreamcast Last Blade 2 Final Edition Japan Next Generation No 77 Imagine Media p 82 Dillard Corbie 18 October 2012 The Last Blade 2 Review Neo Geo Last Blade Part Deux Nintendo Life Nlife Media Archived from the original on 2020 10 01 Retrieved 2020 10 01 Frear Dave 2 July 2018 The Last Blade 2 Review Switch eShop Neo Geo Another contender for Switch fighting champion Nintendo Life Nlife Media Archived from the original on 2020 10 01 Retrieved 2020 10 01 Karels Ralph April 1999 NeoGeo Test The Last Blade 2 Video Games in German No 89 Future Verlag p 78 Karels Ralph July 2001 DC Import The Last Blade 2 Final Edition SNKs letzer Streich auf Dreamcast Video Games in German No 112 Future Verlag p 84 Archived from the original on 2020 10 01 Retrieved 2020 10 01 Dangerboy 1 September 2001 Last Blade 2 Heart of the Samurai Review Dreamcast Bring on the sprites GameShark com Mad Catz Archived from the original on 13 February 2002 Retrieved 1 October 2020 Review The Last Blade 2 Dreamcast Power Unlimited in Dutch No 92 VNU Media October 2001 Game Machine s Best Hit Games 25 TVゲーム機ーソフトウェア Video Game Software Game Machine in Japanese No 578 Amusement Press Inc 15 December 1998 p 21 Game Search Game Data Library Archived from the original on 2019 04 24 Retrieved 2020 11 01 Sullivan Lucas October 20 2012 29 obscure fighters that deserve HD remakes GamesRadar Future US Archived from the original on 2014 01 16 Retrieved 2020 10 01 External links editOfficial website The Last Blade 2 at GameFAQs The Last Blade 2 at Giant Bomb The Last Blade 2 at Killer List of Videogames The Last Blade 2 at MobyGames Portals nbsp 1990s nbsp Japan nbsp Video games Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Last Blade 2 amp oldid 1179493372, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
