Bakugan Battle Brawlers

- Reviewed on PS3 -

Bakugan Battle Brawlers released on October 20th, 2009.

Bakugan Battle Brawlers is an action game developed by Now Production and published by Activision, that puts the player(s) in control of winning highly enjoyable Bakugan brawls. 

With familiar characters from the TV show, Bakugan Battle Brawlers is a game that any Bakugan fan should sink their teeth into!

Although the game is quite dated in terms of release, the actual gameplay and graphics still do hold up.

This review WILL have Major Spoilers so keep that in mind before continuing...

When starting a new save file in Bakugan Battle Brawlers, you have the option of customizing your characters appearance, as well as deciding which attribute to play with.

Unfortunately, you can't play as a female, so playing as a male protagonist is the only way to play the main story mode. 

The Bakugan attributes to choose from include...

    - Pyrus, which are Fire Bakugan (Red)

    - Aquos, which are Water Bakugan (Blue)

    - Ventus, which are Wind Bakugan (Green)

    - Subterra, which are Earth Bakugan (Brown)

    - Haos, which are Light Bakugan (White)

    - Darkus, which are Dark Bakugan (Black)

Now, do keep in mind, that just because you choose one attribute in the beginning, doesn't mean your limited to just that attribute. 

The only reason behind choosing an attribute in the beginning, is to decide which version of Leonidas you'll receive as your "Main" Bakugan partner. 

The main story of Bakugan Battle Brawlers isn't that exciting in the beginning but does pick up steam towards the ending. 

Essentially, you are the new Bakugan player around town, and your goal is to become the number one Bakugan player (who wouldn't)!

With the occasional assistance from Dan (one of the actual Bakugan characters from the TV show), you will enter various tournaments to eventually be crowned number one!

Each tournament has a special battling stage, each represented by Bakugan attributes. 

Majority of these special stages have attribute advantages and disadvantages that increase and / or decrease your chance of winning, depending on the attribute you choose to battle with. 

The premise of Bakugan battles is quite simple. Everyone starts with only three Bakugan (of any attribute) and your goal is to win three gate cards, first to do so, wins.  

These battle rules are the same as the TV show, so originality is still alive and makes sense with the in-game lore. 

Gate cards are what your Bakugan(s) land on, and they all have special powers to decide how much G-Power you gain and / or lose. 

Along with gate cards, ability cards serve the same purpose, and can be used before the actual minigame(s).

Now, the actual minigames you play in order to win gate cards can either be...

    - Shooting Battles

    - Shaking Battles

    - Timing Battles

Each battle has levels of difficulty, this being one to three (three being the hardest). 

Shooting battles is when you must shoot the attribute symbol of your currently used Bakugan and gain more points (G-Power) than your opponent.

Shaking battle is exactly what the name suggests, and that's shaking your controller to get more G-Power.

Finally, Timing battles (my favorite) are when you have to press a certain button (or shake the controller) at the exact time the symbol reaches the end of the bar.

The controls in this game are heavily based on motion controls, and the PS3 controller was an actual clear and precise way of battling in this game.

Playing these Bakugan battles are a lot of fun and with the option of doing one on one, tag team, or battle royale, the combinations and possibilities are great!

Along with the battle modes, you can unlock Special Shots for each different Bakugan (and their attribute) by upgrading them in the shop. 

During story mode, you can unlock more Bakugan and Cards by competing in the tournaments and / or winning battles in the park. The park is essentially free play mode (along with Battle Arena Mode). 

On the main navigation menu (during story mode), you have four options to choose from. You have the Tournaments, Park, Shop, and My Room. 

The My Room option is where you can check out your decks, statistics, and even find helpful hints. 

The characters in Bakugan Battle Brawlers you will eventually face (or play as in Battle Arena Mode) are...

    - Dan

    - Runo

    - Marucho

    - Shun

    - Julie

    - Jenny

    - Shuji

    - Masquerade

    - Chan Lee

    - Julio

    - Klaus

    - Komba

    - Billy

    - Jewls

    - Akira

    - Marduk

For fans of the actual TV show, you'll be pleased to know that every character is voiced by their respective voice actor in the show!

Sure, the dialogue may be a little dated, but the music, sound, controls, and graphics surprisingly make up for it (unless you're playing the DS version). 

And on top of that, the actual gameplay (although repetitive during long sessions) is a real blast!

Pros: 

    - Great Graphics

    - Original Voice Actors

    - Smooth and Simple Controls

    - Fun Music

    - Well Designed Bakugan, Stages, Cards, etc.

    - Lots of Combinations / Possibilities

    - Good Amount of Characters

Cons:

    - Only Two Decks at a Time

    - Very Repetitive at Times

    - Lacks Focus Post Game

My Rating for Bakugan Battle Brawlers (on PS3):

4 / 5

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Disclaimer

All Reviews, Ratings, Pros, Cons, and Opinions Shared on this Blog (Press A Reviews) are my (Connor Butler) own Thoughts and Feelings.