Surely if you're here, you do know what Blood Bowl 2 is right? OK, well let's begin with the basics. Blood Bowl 2 is the second iteration of the classic Games Workshop board game to be digitized by Cyanide Studio, and let me tell you now, I am biased, because even before the Legendary Edition was launched, I thought it was brilliant. Blood Bowl 2 Legendary Edition is effectively both an all inclusive 'Gold Edition' in that it includes both the original base game and all of the DLC races released to date. That's not the end of the story though, because BB2: LE also includes 8 further additional races, the ability to play as mixed race teams in some events, and an entirely new Endless Campaign for solo players. There's actually a lot more (some of which is cosmetic) but the main thing is, BB2: LE includes a whole raft of content over and above the base game. Blood Bowl 2 Legendary Edition is out now on,.
There are effectively a couple of ways to play a campaign mode in BB2: LE. And believe it or not, there is indeed a story mode, although it is one carried over from the original Blood Bowl 2 base game. In this story mode, players control the Reikland Reavers, a legendary human team that has seen better days, and must guide them to glory.
The other mode is the Eternal League, which is a brand new mode that, erm, has the potential to last forever. In this mode, players can take any team (or create one to begin afresh) and will play through four seasons each year, each of which will comprise of a number of events of your choosing. Your team remains consistent throughout, and players can age (and retire) or gain skills and improve as games progress. The Eternal League isn't especially revolutionary to new players (who will have seen similarly expansive modes in FIFA, for example) but it is a big deal for returning BB2 fans, and it means that if you are a solo player, you will now have much more to compete for. Whilst I didn't replay it just for BB2: LE, the base campaign revolving around the Reikland Reavers is a lot of fun, and it offers a fairly lengthy game over about ten or eleven games. It does a decent job of introducing the style, humour and gameplay of Blood Bowl, and it remains an excellent starting point for any newcomes to the game.
Gameplay remains the main attraction in BB2: LE, and where this version is concerned, all Cyanide have really done is layer more and more interesting features for players to explore. Mastering the game is hard, and when you begin a game, it's important to realise that you'll probably lose a lot at first, and because each game is long, it can be frustrating. Stick with it though, and BB2: LE is extremely rewarding. The game is a digital representation of a board game about an ultra violent interpretation of American Football. Each team consists of eleven varied players (plus one or more subs if you're lucky) that must move around a board based on rules - their movement allowance, where other players are located and so on. When you decide to tackle (or block, as the game refers to it) an opposing player, you roll dice, and how likely you are to succeed depends on the strength of each player (plus variation for adjacent team mates or other skills.) Similarly, when you pick up the ball, you roll a dice based on your player agility, again modified by any skills. This makes each game of BB2: LE a series of puzzles made up of multiple turns.
Blood Bowl®2: Legendary Edition smashes Warhammer and American football together, in an explosive cocktail of turn-based strategy, humour and brutality, adapted.
You never want to roll disadvantageous dice early in your turn because that will result in a turnover, and yet if you don't pick up the ball, or remove that opposing player, how can you hope to score? All of this is complicated by the fact that players can be knocked over, knocked out, injured or stunned, and there is a whole reward and level system for players that are proficient in hurting others, just as there is for scoring points with the ball. Bashy teams as they are known, excel in damaging other players and removing them from the game, and as a result, they score (assuming they can pick the ball up) by beating up the opposing team until they can't mount a useful defense. Injuries, deaths and player advancement are all elements of gameplay that are especially important in league, campaign and multiplayer modes, and playing online is where BB2: LE comes into its own. There really is nothing more satisfying that testing your wits against another human player, and whilst it can be frustrating to lose a key player to death or injury, it is just as likely that you'll be dishing out the punishment - after all, it's just part of the game.
Graphics and Audio. Regardless of what is or isn't new, BB2 was always a fine looking game in the context of what it is.
Remember, this is a board game, so it isn't especially flashy in any way, but the character models, stadiums and supporting graphics do suit the game world, and the detail and humour that permeates the original Games Workshop product is as strong as ever. For the sake of speed, I turn off the block animations, but if you do leave them on, there is a palpable weight of impact involved, and it is accompanied by a satisfying crunch of bone and armour. On that note, sound is also quite good in BB2: LE although it never reaches especially great heights. The game features the Vampire/Ogre combo of Jim and Bob on commentary duty, and whilst repetitive, I still enjoy their whimsical banter. The sound effects (as I said before) are crunchy and powerful which is also nice, whilst the music is fine in menus, and has an appropriately dark yet comical tone.
ConclusionWhilst I do admit that I am biased, I think BB2: LE really does offer exceptional value. Within the game there are now 24 distinct races from which to draw your team, plus the opportunity to mix them where appropriate. Whilst many of the teams introduced in BB2: LE are expert level, quirky or just downright unplayable, that simply means there is more to discover once you become a proficient player. Whilst BB2: LE is indeed a board game, it also works well when you think of it as a turn based or tactical strategy game, because that is kind of how it plays.
It's never been the perfect board game (and therefore it is not the perfect digital board game) but it does have an excellent mix of luck and judgement that allows players to minimize randomness to the extent that the feeling of control remains. Board game fans, or fans of the original BB2 should certainly invest in BB2: LE, and fans of tactical combat looking for something with longevity and humour might also want to consider it. If you're simply wondering whether or not this is a game for you, then there has never been a better time to dive into the world of Blood Bowl. PROS CONS + A huge amount of content + Not for everyone + Plenty for new and returning players + Each game takes a long time + The definitive digital interpretation of Blood Bowl + Very strong online community.
This game is a brutal mock parody of American football, where various teams made up of different races such as Humans, Orks, Goblins, and Dwarves collide in head-to-head matches and smash each other into bloody pulps. And after putting quite a few hours into this brutal game, I've found it to be an enjoyable experience that's undermined by a few glaring flaws and a disproportionate price tag.
Note: This review is focused on the single player experience in Blood Bowl 2, and is not entirely reflective of the multiplayer aspect. Once I've spent more time in that mode, I'll update this article accordingly. New Blood for the Blood Bowl The Official Expansion adds eight new races that can compete in the Blood Bowl - the Elven Union, Ogres, Goblins, Vampires, Amazon, Underworld Denizens, and the Kislev Circus (plus their Tame Bears). Each of these new races has a solid set of strengths and weaknesses that differentiate them from each other and allow you to engage in a variety of match-ups. Bloody Balance Issues In spite of the fresh experience they offer to players, the addition of these new races highlights a long-standing issue with Blood Bowl 2: its balance. Blood Bowl isn't really a balanced game - but then again, it never claims to be.
Some teams are simply better than others, and can beat other teams even when those teams are at their best. Halflings are a prime example - they generally suck, but their one saving grace is that they're packed with cheap fodder you can send out to die. This might be a major turn-off for players who are expecting a 'fair' challenge, but players who can look past that and take the imbalances in stride should still have a fun time playing around with these new teams. That said, some of these teams feel like an outright chore to play. The Halflings are once again a good example here, but so are the Ogres and the Kislev. The Ogres and their boneheads are a pain, and the Kislev have a constant need for re-rolls - so these additions don't feel quite as fun to play as some of the previously released teams.
Brand New Features on the Field The Eternal League The Eternal League is probably my favorite addition that the Official Expansion/Legendary Edition adds to Blood Bowl 2. It offers a dynamic single-player league that simulates seasons as they go. Tournaments in the League generate rewards for the winning teams. I think many Blood Bowl fans have been waiting quite a while for a single-player experience like this, and it's been executed well. I particularly enjoy the fact that the AI develops as the League progresses, and will even suffer from the same effects of injury and death as the player team. This simulated, semi-dynamic, single-player League is certainly a welcomed addition, but it could use a little more polish.
Cyanide could have added more to team management in this mode, which feels a little lackluster in some areas. Challenge Mode Another new feature is the Challenge Mode, which offers a variety of challenging situations and predetermined scenarios that task you with finding the best way to solve them. The dice rolls are predetermined and visible to the player, forcing them to find the optimal way to use their dice rolls and complete the objective.
So if you want a Blood Bowl experience that will make you think, this is where you'll find it. Currently, there are only ten challenges to choose from. This number is smaller than I would have liked and simply doesn't feel like enough content for players to really sink their teeth into. But I'm hoping that more will be added in the future. Bugs Are Still a Big Problem The bugs that have infested Blood Bowl 2 since its release are still rearing their ugly heads in this edition.
Several times while playing, I ran into a bug where the AI would freeze and sometimes take up to three minutes to begin its turn. Additionally, turn timers would run down to zero without shifting the turn to the other team. These were just a few of the strange hiccups I ran into - but they were present in nearly every match I played. The game also crashed on me twice in the most curious way possible.
The AI froze and refused to finish its turn and the timer ran down to zero, but I could still select players, read pop-up tool tips, open the menu, and move the camera. I simply couldn't end the turn, and I couldn't concede or return to the menu. So I was forced to close Blood Bowl 2 through the Task Manager. I've never had a game allow me to use in-game functionalities like that while stopping all other functions. And I actually laughed at it - until I realize I'd just lost two hours in a match I was winning. Verdict To put it bluntly: if you didn't like Blood Bowl 2 before this, you won't like it anymore.
There are some nice additions for those who did enjoy it that will probably make it worthwhile if you pick it up. But you should do so with the understanding that many of the problems in the base game persist in this expansion rather than being fixed. What this expansion adds is some pretty fun content, but I'm not exactly sure that it's worth the $24.99 price tag (or $44.99 for the Legendary Edition). Players might find some amusement in this perverse parody of football - and I'll be the first to admit that it's a hell of a lot of fun to slaughter a field full of Halflings with a team of Orcs. But eventually the single-player experience and its rampant bugs do get tedious, just like the base Blood Bowl game did before the expansion. Overall, I'd say the Official Expansion and the Legendary Edition of Blood Bowl 2 is a pretty average addition to the base game.
Long-standing fans will likely have a good time, but it's not going to entice new players to keep bloodying the field. If you want to pick it up for yourself, you can do so over on.
Note: A copy of Blood Bowl 2 was provided by the developer for this review.