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The original Fuzion Frenzy was one of the better games to launch with the original Xbox.
It was a good showing of what that system was capable of, while also giving a nice family
friendly title to consumers who may have been under the impression that the Halo-toting
Xbox was not for kids. The game wasn’t fantastic, but it definitely accomplished what it set
out to do. Now, a sequel was developed quite a while later by the developers known for
some good party games. Actually, they were known to make THE party game, Mario Party.
Could they inject some of their magic into Fuzion Frenzy as well? Well, that depends
on how much you like luck. This is Fuzion Frenzy 2 for the Xbox 360.
Fuzion Frenzy 2 plays out in a game-show style format, with an announcer DJ narrating the
action, as well as explaining how the game is set up. Each player must capture a certain
number of planets by completing mini-games to win, and this number is set in advance.
At the end of each round, a battle takes place where every player fights to be the last one
standing. The format actually works pretty well, although with mini-games like this,
I think the style used in Viva Pinata: Party Animals was a little bit better.
The mini-games in Fuzion Frenzy 2 are a bit of a mixed bag. The coin collecting ones,
for the most part, rely on skill and reaction time more than anything else, and these ones
are a lot of fun. Putting out flaming rocks and cracking open big icicles is awesome.
However, there are others that are based almost entirely on luck. Being in the right place
at the right time is the reason for winning one of these far too often. That being said,
the controls are excellent, and I had no problem with any of the gameplay mechanics. Luck is
always an element in party games like this, but in a game like Mario Party, the luck comes
from what roll you get on the board. In this, it happens during the actual mini-games, and
it just doesn’t work that well. Fuzion Frenzy 2 also uses a card system to
add another element of luck to each game. If you know that you are really good at a
particular game, you can use one of your cards to gain a multiplier or another ability. These
cards are given away pretty randomly, and sometimes can be the reason for a player capturing
a planet. Again, a little element of luck in a game like this can be nice, but it’s
just annoying when it feels like one of the biggest parts of the game. Fuzion Frenzy 2
does have a pretty large collection of mini-games, though, some of which can’t be unlocked
until later. They’re all grouped together by the theme of the planet they are played
on, which is a nice touch. Fuzion Frenzy 2 was a fairly early 360 title,
so it isn’t all that sharp looking. It actually doesn’t look bad, as the cartoony style
helps to mask it, but some elements such as the announcer’s mouth not matching his words
really do take you out of the experience. His chatter can also get a little bit annoying,
although it isn’t so bad as to make you stop playing.
Party games are best played with friends. That’s why they’re called “party games”,
and Fuzion Frenzy 2 will definitely give you some fun in a group. However, there are better
options available, so save this for after you’ve played some better ones.