Blood Bowl 2

Races

Eight races are included in the Blood Bowl 2 base game. These are the Humans, Orcs, Dwarfs, Skaven, High Elves, Dark Elves, Bretonnians, and Chaos. There are also two races that are obtained as a pre-order bonus. The Wood Elves can be obtained by pre-ordering the game for Xbox One, and the Lizardmen can be obtained by pre-ordering the game for the PlayStation 4. When pre-ordering through Steam, both races are available.

On December 17, 2015, Cyanide announced that they would be adding four new races into the game, starting from the Norse (released on May 2016), followed by Undead (released on July 2016), Necromantic (released on September 2016), and Nurgle (released on November 2016). Players who purchased Blood Bowl 2 before the release of these races will receive them for free as they are gradually rolled out.

Human

Although Human teams do not have the individual strengths or outstanding abilities available to other races, they do not suffer from any outstanding weakness either. This makes Human teams extremely flexible, equally at home running the ball, passing it, or ignoring it and pounding the opposition into the turf instead!

Orc

Orcs have been playing Blood Bowl since the game was invented, and Orc teams such as the Gouged Eye and Severed Heads are amongst the best in the league. Orc teams are tough and hard-hitting, grinding down the opposition's line to create gaps for their excellent Orc blitzers to exploit.

Dwarf

Dwarf seem to be ideal Blood Bowl players, being compact, tough, well-armoured and having a stubborn knack of refusing to die! Most successful Dwarf teams work to the principle that if they can take out all the other team's potential scorers, and wear down the rest, then there won't be anybody left to stop them from scoring the winning touchdown!

Skaven

They may not be all that strong, and they certainly aren't tough, but boy oh boy are Skaven fast! Many times an opponent has been left in the starting blocks as fast-moving Skaven players scamper through a gap in the line and run in for a lightning fast touchdown.

High Elf

The Elven Kingdom sponsored High Elf teams [feature] a dangerous passing game and some of the most arrogant players you will find. Rich beyond the dreams of most teams, the High Elves often feature many Princes and noble born Elves on the team and what they cannot beat, they'll buy.

Dark Elf

Evil beyond belief, skilled without doubt, the Dark Elves take to the pitch to show the world their superiority. Dark Elf teams prefer a malevolent and spiteful running game over the passing of their godly cousins. Backed up by the ruthless Witch Elves and dangerous assassins, a Dark Elf team has all the tools to power though rather than around the opposition line.

Bretonnian

In the fair land of Bretonnia arrogant Bretonnian nobles and their yeomen are questing for an alternative grail - the Bloodweiser trophy. Convinced of their own skill, the young knights fill out their team with linemen levy, drafted from the many local and incompetent all-peasant teams.

Chaos

Chaos teams are not noted for subtlety or originality of their game play. A simple drive up the centre of the pitch, maiming and injuring as many opposing players as possible [is] about the limit of their game plan. They rarely, if ever, worry about such minor considerations like picking up the ball and scoring touchdowns - not while there are any players left alive on the opposing team, anyway.

New Features

Several new and improved features have been added since the first Blood Bowl game. These new features include the new Campaign mode, Stadium Customization, Cabalvision, and the Player Marketplace.

Campaign Mode

In Campaign Mode, the player follows the story of the Reikland Reavers, a team in disgrace. It is the player's job, as the team's coach, to raise them back to their former glory. Beyond the standard game play that can be found in League and Multiplayer modes, Campaign Mode includes a number of scripted, one-time events, such as a goblin crashing a helicopter in the middle of the field. When these events occur, the player has to continue play around them.

Stadium Customization

The base game includes five stadiums for customization. These are stadiums that originate with the Human, Orc, Dwarf, Dark Elf and Skaven. As players grow their teams, they can also grow their stadium. The stadium can be raised through four tiers, with 10 add-ons, for a total of 20 possible unique stadiums.

Cabalvision

Cabalvision is Blood Bowl 2's version of sports commentary. Play-by-play announcer (and immortal vampire) Jim Johnson injects his witty commentary alongside analyst Bob Bifford's forthright preference to sheer violence, providing the player with a colorful commentary based on the teams, players, and the action happening on the field.

Player Marketplace

Because of the brutal nature of Blood Bowl, teams will often have to find more players to field—due to death, injury, or retirement—or to make some extra money. One way to do this is through the Player Marketplace. The Player Marketplace allows players to be both bought and sold from other coaches (both AI and Human).

Reception

It has a score of 76% on Metacritic. PC Gamer awarded Blood Bowl 2 60%, saying "Blood Bowl 2 is the flashiest iteration of the game so far, but its dice rolls are frustrating, and its ample ruleset isn't introduced well to newcomers." IGN awarded it 7.8 out of 10, saying "Blood Bowl 2 is a smashy, satisfying, goofy tactical melee that leaves just a bit too much up to the six-sided dice." GameSpot awarded it a score of 8 out of 10, saying "Yet overall, Blood Bowl 2 is a step forward. It's a much friendlier, easier game than its predecessors, with improved looks, a tutorial campaign, controller support, and the UI improvements. New players won't feel blocked off from enjoying it."