Shadow Fight 2

An arcade-style video game, Shadow Fight 2 puts you in head-to-head combat with your opponents. The biggest problem with this game is how it feels more like a more boring, money-grabbing version of Street Fighter because, while free, it includes excessive in-app purchases that everyone has grown to expect from the modern free-to-play games of today. In a fighting game, the combat will make or break the gameplay, and Shadow Fight 2 admittedly has a decent combat system. However, the first thing gamers notice is how slow the combat feels compared to other titles like Mortal Kombat or Tekken.

While the slow-paced combat system doesn't necessarily take away from the action, it does take some time to adjust. You have more time to observe your enemy and plan your attacks over the button mashing that you do in other games like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Tekken. The developers did try to write a coherent story, but they seem somewhat out of touch with fighting game fans. The majority of gamers in this genre do not want a story. What they want is to bash their enemy opponent's skull in.

With every fight, you will be given coins for the defeat of your enemy. You also receive extra coins when you pull off a long combo. The coins do serve a valuable purpose. For example, you can purchase weapons, armor, and other items as needed. You also have premium currency, or in-game purchases, that unlock the more specialized items. In other words, buy these items, and you will have an unfair advantage over the other players.

The basic controls of Shadow Fight 2 ensure that anyone can learn to play. You have two directional buttons and two buttons for punch and kick. When you blend the two combat buttons with the different directions, it creates new moves. Shadow Fight 2's biggest issue is how you have an energy meter that will be depleted after every fight. You have two options in this scenario: You can either pay real dollars to refill the meter or you can wait to fight again. The fight meter can remove you from the experience because you are having a good time, and all of a sudden, the meter runs out. Basically, you only want to play Shadow Fight 2 if you have some extra time to spare. This is not the type of game that you will spend hours delving into the plot and discovering the hidden gems.

While a lot of games have in-game purchase, this feels like an unnecessary cash grab, and there are already so many other in-app purchases in the game. Shadow Fight 2 might be a decent time waster for that person who wants to play a simple game every now and then, but the gameplay isn't really compelling enough to have anyone begging for more.

Pros

• Excellent graphics
• Plenty of content
• Sound effects are pretty cool

Cons

• The in-game purchases are overkill
• Energy meter
• Sloppy controls