The great thing about follow-ups is you can learn greatly from all those that came before. What went well, what your competitors did, what needs to be reformed or deleted. It can be a great chance (if you get the chance that is) to improve, especially if you realise you need a lot to learn. In 1996 Mirage Software tried again with their take on a robotic fighting game in the quirkily name title Rise 2: Resurrection.

The attempts at telling the story, and the nice addition of your robot avatars status has been deprecated, instead, the previously unique and clear interface has been redesigned to more represent the competition of fighting games. Much of the original has been expanded here. The cast of robotic fighters has been increased from eight to sixteen. Some have been renamed: Military has been changed to War, Gorilla has been renamed Prime-8 (in a delicious pun) and some new metallic faces join the Frey. A robotic Samurai named Suikwan was my pick, although the choice was trickier due to the uniqueness of each of robot’s playstyle and physical attributes.

It is also a lot clearer where Rise 2 has borrowed from the competition. The fatality system from Mortal Kombat makes an appearance here, only instead it is called “E-x-e-c-u-t-e-d”. The stages look interesting too, and some are filled with unique traps to spring (a-la Mortal Kombat) and the new announcer has a creepy delivery to his lines.  Fans of the first game will be pleased that the music of Brian May does make a return, only this time it’s one unique composition, aptly named Cyborg. It sounds good especially with the other songs, and with the variety of sound options, make hearing the soundtrack a snap.

The move set has been upgraded, projectiles are the welcome addition, although there is a wide variety of classic punch and kick combinations like in the former. The aforementioned “E-x-e-c-u-t-e-d” system works in the same way as the fatality system, as a reward for skilled players who mastered the game. While the single and multiplayer versions are largely identical, The A.I. does give the player a fair challenge, or at least for me, as the computer hardly broke a sweat rendering my chosen robot asunder.

In the two years since its grand debut, Rise 2 ups the stakes and tries to match the competition blow for blow. With a mix of new and old makes for a fun title for users both new and old. For those looking for a metallic take on Mortal Kombat or a return of their favourite robots from Rise of the Robots, Rise 2: Resurrection is a nice renaissance for the franchise.

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