Fuzion Frenzy 2 is by no means a great game as far as the visuals are concerned, it can be more compared to the types of games we currently see on Xbox Live Arcade – the only difference being that there are a total of 43 mini-games (some of which need to be unlocked during the course of gameplay) to play which all support up to 4 players either with the CPU, locally or on Xbox Live. Fuzion Frenzy 2 is essentially a fun, wacky but basic party game. The game is by no means an “eye-candy” game, though the one good thing which may attract people is the price-tag, Fuzion Frenzy 2 is half the standard retail price of an Xbox 360 game. Will the gameplay and price-tag be enough to get you hooked on this crazy party game?

Gameplay

There are 43 games to play, so obviously the game mechanics vary some what between the mini-games. These mainly consist on variations of racing, fighting, collecting items in or out of vehicles and more – the objective is usually to be the last player remaining either by eliminating everyone or having the most health by the time the clock expires or having the most collectable items or points at the end of the game. The controls are very simple through-out and extremely easy to pick up and play, which is a good thing as the game is clearly aimed at the casual gamer who just wants to jump in and take on the computer or his friends on Xbox Live. Fusion Frenzy 2 offers three modes of play, these include: Tournament, Mini-game frenzy and Custom game modes. It’s also worth noting that these three game modes can be played offline against the CPU or locally with friends as well as online against the world or your online buddies.

During Tournament mode you have the opportunity of choosing from seven planets of which you can compete on, the Mini-games you then play are specific to the area in which you are competing. The player with the most points at the end of the game is then declared the winner by the wacky and annoying presenter/commentator.

The Custom and Mini-game Frenzy modes basically skips the part of the cutscenes and talking that you get from the DJ during the Tournament game mode (this is a good thing). The Custom and Mini-game modes are essentially the same thing, the Mini-game mode gives you the full list of available games and allows you to choose what you want to play and you can immediately jump right in and play. Where custom differs slightly is the fact that it allows you to alter the amount of games you can play. You can play up to 45 games if you wanted to, you can play the same game modes repeatedly or just pick from the list and mix and match as you wish. There are a total of seven playable characters to choose from; only four players can compete during any mini-game.

Graphics

This is not a visually impressive title by a long shot, which is easily the game’s biggest disappointment, what it lacks in the visuals it clearly makes up for in the gameplay though as it is indeed simple and fun to play (depending on the mini-game; a few really are dire). The game is not visually pleasing however some of the locations you compete on do look nice, specifically the snowy and underwater areas.

Sound

The game has all around good sound effects for the mini-games even the soundtrack is rather nifty as it suits the game’s pace during mini-games very well. Probably the worst thing about the sound is the DJ he is more annoying during the Tournament mode as you can actually see him. He commentates during every match and always repeats himself, there is no variation to it and you can’t even turn him off in the options. It’s actually a shame he is not a playable character as I would like to burn him with a flamethrower during one of the mini-games; at least that would put his character model and voice to good use.

Longevity

This depends on the player and participants, longevity would no doubt be short if you are only playing against the CPU but if you have friends/family to play with locally or on Xbox Live then the game really does come into its own. If you want to unlock all of the mini-games and get all the achievements then this could be done in a few hours.

Overall

Fuzion Frenzy 2 is no doubt a good game for what it is and for its budget price range. If you are looking for some easy achievements then this is worth renting but if you want “fun” playing against your friends/family locally or the world on Xbox Live then this game is certainly worth picking up. If you have Xbox Live then you can download a Fuzion Frenzy 2 playable demo from the Xbox Live Marketplace which gives you access to three of the 40+ Mini-games.