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Some enemies drop health-recovery items, but even if you can successfully pick up an item and run away, the time it takes to imbibe the item means you'll surely get nailed by a pursuing enemy. There are also missions where you end up having to deal with two or more boss-level enemies. So basically any single mistake you make means losing a good chunk of your stamina meter, with no way to block, dodge, or reverse out. They'll also come at you with strikes that can't be dodged, and they'll juggle you mercilessly.
#URBAN REIGN PS2 FULL#
They'll dodge your strikes, reverse out of all your grapple attempts, and use their special arts meters (which start full in each mission and recharge faster than yours) at the perfect time to break out of your combos. Before you know it, you'll find yourself dealing with some very difficult opponents to complete levels-the AI opponents will play almost perfectly. The biggest problem with Urban Reign, aside from its repetitive and bland story mode, is that it doesn't scale up in difficulty in a fair manner. There are a lot of different animations for the various attacks, so once you get used to everything, the fights can be pretty pleasing to watch, like a choreographed martial arts movie. The result of all these options is that as you learn to play, the fights appear more varied and more exciting.
#URBAN REIGN PS2 HOW TO#
Once you figure out how to do it, dodging and reversing out of enemy attacks is very rewarding. If you get caught in a grapple, you can try to quickly guess which sort of grapple (head, upper, or lower body) it is and reverse out of it to counterattack. Dodge a few in a row, and your character will automatically grab the opponents and push them aside, giving you a brief advantage in initiative. If your opponents are trying to hit you, you can simply tap the dodge button to gracefully sidestep their attacks. The game gains some real depth by allowing you to dodge strikes and reverse out of grapples. The fighting animation in Urban Reign is well done and pretty enjoyable to watch. These special arts moves cost you bars from your special arts gauge, which you must build up by hitting your opponents or taking damage. There are also special arts attacks that you can use to hit multiple enemies or to break out of combos and dizziness. Enemies on the ground can be pounced on and punched in the face or simply kicked while they're down. You also have the ability to run and do lunging attacks, run up walls and vault off them, or pick up weapons. If you continually do damage to one area, the enemy will take bonus damage and can be disposed of more quickly (you'll see each enemy's stamina bar as you target them).
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You can modify your strikes and grapples to focus on one of three areas of an enemy-the head, upper body, or lower region. Tapping on the strike button will unleash a combo, while you can use the grapple button to throw or simply restrain your opponent for a moment as you beat on him or her. Your two basic attacks are strikes and grapples. Thankfully, the fighting engine in the game is pretty good.
![urban reign ps2 urban reign ps2](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z0r0zPTUfAQ/maxresdefault.jpg)
There's no city to walk around or explore, and you'll find yourself quickly beating down the same enemies over and over again in the same arenas as you make your way through the levels. About the only variation you get is whether you're asked to beat up just one really hard opponent or four or five not-so-tough ones. You simply get dumped into various fighting arenas-such as a bar, a motel parking lot, or a junkyard-and are tasked with beating up one or more of the enemies you find there. But as you go along, you'll find that the game's story mode gets old quickly.
#URBAN REIGN PS2 UPGRADE#
With each mission, you'll earn skill points that you can use to upgrade your various abilities-such as striking, grappling, toughness, and more-so you can fine-tune your character depending on your personal style. The first few missions of the game go by pretty quickly as you are introduced to different aspects of the game's fighting system. A gang war has broken out between Shun Ying's crew and other rival factions, so you'll spend your time in Urban Reign's story mode laying the smack down on various gangbangers. You play as Brad Hawk, a freelance brawler who has just been hired by the fetching Shun Ying Lee, leader of the Chinatown triad. Unfortunately the game grows stale rather quickly and is hampered by a ridiculous difficulty level and repetitive gameplay. Urban Reign attempts to address the void, offering a solid fighting engine and solid visuals to go along with an impressive 100-mission story mode.
#URBAN REIGN PS2 SERIES#
Though series like Dynasty Warriors have been popular lately, urban-style beat-'em-ups haven't evolved much. Once a staple of the arcade and home console scene, the beat-'em-up genre isn't what it used to be.