World Heroes 2
Second entry in the World Heroes fighting series.
World Heroes 2, a fighting game for arcades, came out in 1993. ADK, with help from SNK, both developed and published it. This sequel to the 1992 World Heroes was the second entry in the series. It also marked the first appearance of the ADK logo in-game, following the developer's name change from Alpha Denshi.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Akira Ushizawa
- Producer
- Kenji Sawatari
- Designer
- Kimitoshi Yokoo
- Programmer
- Yuji Noguchi
- Artist
- Hiroyuki Ryū
- Composer
- Hideki Yamamoto
- Hiroaki Shimizu
- Yuka Watanabe
- Series
- World Heroes
- Platforms
- Arcade
- Neo Geo AES
- Neo Geo CD
- PC Engine Arcade CD-ROM²
- Super NES
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
World Heroes 2 retains most elements from its predecessor, including a three-out-of-four-button layout, an 8-way joystick, and both Normal Game and Death Match modes. The C button can throw when close or taunt the opponent. New additions include six new characters, new and modified moves, projectile-reflecting, counter-grabbing, and slightly faster movement. There are fourteen playable characters in total. In Normal Game mode, the player must defeat all six new characters, then four of the original eight chosen randomly, followed by the two bosses Neo Geegus and Dio. Each battle requires winning two out of three rounds; if the timer expires, the fighter with more health wins. Death Match mode uses stages with environmental hazards and a seesaw lifebar. When a player hits the opponent, an arrow moves toward the opponent's side; if it reaches the end, the opponent must press buttons to stand before a referee counts to ten. A perfectly centered arrow at time's end results in a draw.
Development
According to ADK World, considered characters that did not appear include Yagyu Jubei, Siegfried Fischbacher, Vlad Dracula, Sindbad the Sailor, Ramesses III, and Gors, a female version of Geegus scrapped due to animation issues. Other cut characters were an Aztec hero, a European fencer, a Native-American warrioress, and a Mexican wrestler who became the basis for Muscle Power. Erick was created from two scrapped heroines named Ellis and Musha, one a young Valkyrie and the other a Western fantasy character, both wielding blunt melee weapons.
Ports and related releases
World Heroes 2 was ported to the Neo Geo AES on June 4, 1993, identical to the MVS version. A Neo Geo CD port by ADK followed on April 14, 1995, with arranged background music. Hudson Soft published a PC Engine Super CD-ROM² port exclusively in Japan on June 4, 1994, using the Arcade Card expansion; it features a mix of arranged and chiptune BGM and nearly identical graphics, sound effects, and voice samples. Saurus ported the game to the SNES in Japan on July 1, 1994, and Takara published it in North America in September 1994; this version allows boss characters via a secret code. SNK Playmore included it in the World Heroes Anthology compilation for PlayStation 2 in Japan on October 18, 2007, in North America on March 11, 2008, and in a best-sellers reprint on June 18, 2009. The Neo Geo AES version was re-released on the Wii Virtual Console in Japan on November 15, 2011.
Reception
In Japan, Game Machine listed World Heroes 2 as the most-successful table arcade unit in its June 1, 1993 issue. RePlay reported it as the fifth most-popular arcade game in North America in May 1993, and Play Meter ranked it nineteenth in June 1993. RePlay later listed it as America's arcade software kit in July 1993. Famicom Tsūshin scored the Neo Geo version 25 out of 40. GameFan scored it 349 out of 400, calling it the best Neo Geo fighting game next to Fatal Fury 2. GamePro praised the SNES version for its 24-megabit size and accurate translation. Electronic Gaming Monthly scored the SNES version 37 out of 50, citing the ability to play as bosses and speed settings as bonuses.
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