The tabletop gaming genre hasn’t really seen much popularity in recent years due to the surge in attention that home consoles are receiving. Blood Bowl’s universe derives from the very popular Warhammer franchise and so a lot of the characters you’ll see within the game may be familiar. Anyone who has dabbled with the series will know that Warhammer is all about tactical precision and decision making is imperative at the most pivotal moments, and with Blood Bowl 2: Legendary Edition that very same premise remains. Of course, you no longer need to play on a tabletop to enjoy the action because now it’s on Steam and in full HD for you to have a blast with. With a variety of teams to choose from all of whom come with their pros and cons, Blood Bowl 2: Legendary Edition is a great upgrade for those who follow the franchise and enjoy a little blood on the field.

While Blood Bowl 2: Legendary Edition provides an assortment of modes for you to choose from, admittedly the game will most likely cater to those who are familiar with the franchise. That isn’t to say the game is fun on its own, but you’ll most likely have a more jubilant experience if you’re a little more attune to the character roster. Those looking for a new experience in the tactical playing field will definitely have a good time also with the game, and if you just ignore the Warhammer lore, everything seems quite normal. It’s comedic approach to tactical competitive games will take off a lot of tension as you play, as you watch each team destroy each other on the field with brutal tackles, devastating uppercuts and other very amusing antics. If you enjoy a nice turn based approach to things then we certainly recommend giving this one a try because you won’t be disappointed. Expect nudity, chainsaws, body parts dispersed everywhere and more!

For some reason, every time we played Blood Bowl 2: Legendary Edition, it reminded us of the classic Mutant League football game that released on the Sega Genesis back in the early 90’s. Both games share a very ruthless approach to football and have a great deal of humor to keep you coming back for more. Of course, you’ll have limbs flying off in all different directions which may be a bit off putting for some, but it’s all in good fun as you have to constantly think through your turns to avoid conceding points. The solo campaign mode is where you’ll most likely start off since it gives both new and veteran players a breakdown of how to play the game and various tips with regards to securing wins consistently. It’s more of a refresher for veteran players who came from the original Blood Bowl but in the end, it’s still worth playing through. With brand new races included in this version such as the Kislev Circus Bears and the new challenge mode to test your wits, Blood Bowl 2: Legendary Edition really stands out when compared to its predecessor and provides more variety to create an enriching experience.

The way to win is simple: score a touchdown before your opponent does. The problem is that getting there requires a lot of decision making and to avoid any fumbles along the way. As you progress further into the campaign each team progressively gets more difficult, and tactics that you thought worked before will need to be readjusted because the AI will catch on to patterns quickly. This is the joy of playing this game because each bout is never the same and so you’re always having to come up with a new formula to tackle the enemy, while pressing them enough so that they don’t reach the end zone. There were so many moments where we had to make tough choices, for example knowing when to sacrifice a teammate so that our ball carrier would have enough of an opening to run through. Doing so put us a teammate behind and so having to create a safety net around that one player would often times lead into us getting killed just before reaching the touchdown. All of that tension and excitement is what makes coming back again and again so fulfilling because, you’re constantly testing yourself to see just how much you can endure and coming up with fresh approaches to outsmart the enemy.

However the most fun aspect of playing Blood Bowl 2: Legendary Edition would certainly have to be the multiplayer because playing against other humans just adds that extra element of surprise and unpredictability. We recommend new players to the series to really spend a great deal of time playing the Solo Career and Challenge Mode to really get accustomed on how to properly set up your team on the field, and be able to determine the best course of action when pressured. Jumping straight into the online battlefield may only cause some anxiety because you’ll more than likely run into experienced players who are relentless in their approach, and will not take any prisoners. Once you do learn the ropes and build up enough confidence then playing online is perhaps the best selling point about Blood Bowl 2: Legendary Edition because the replay value is limitless. Time flies by so quickly because so often matches take a very long time to conclude, especially when you’re matched up against a strong opponent and they don’t fool around. This of course can be said about any other tactical game but to be honest, there isn’t any other game like Blood Bowl 2: Legendary Edition and the amount of fun you can have in this game is incredible.

You can of course customize your team to your liking through purchasing uniforms and equipment which in turn will make you stronger, but even purchasing the right items can be a challenge in itself because you don’t want to just pick and choose for the sake of. There’s a lot of consideration that must be made when deciding on equipment and signing sponsors since it all can create an impact at some point, so being constantly aware of that is imperative.

Blood Bowl 2: Legendary Edition is just as challenging as it is wacky and that’s what makes this game truly entertaining. A lot of tactical games really get you immersed and often times create a very tense environment, but we never really felt that way while playing because of all the crazy antics that were happening on screen. Spectators can join in on the fun and beat up your players for making foolish mistakes, everything is random so even though you think there’s a solution your player suddenly flops over and the entire flow of the game changes. All of these put together create a truly enlightening experience that you can only get through playing, and so as we said earlier if you’re new to the series don’t hesitate to try because in the long run it’s totally worth it. For experienced players of course don’t even think twice about this one. If you played the first one then most definitely grab this one!

Tactical games will certainly not cater to everyone and we totally understand that. Those who do fancy the genre will surely find Blood Bowl 2: Legendary Edition to be a treat and when you have friends to play it with, the value only increases. We hope you found this review to be insightful and gave you an idea of what to expect in this wild and frantic tactical football game. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on all the latest gaming and anime news, and of course follow us on Twitch to know when we go live!

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