King of the Monsters 2 was created by Takara and SNK for NeoGeo, with a port made for SNES in 1993. This game represents a bygone era of videogames as an arcade style, side-scrolling beat 'em up. This is in contrast to the first King of the Monsters, which was purely a fighting game. Other than the classic moves of attack, jump, jump-attack characters can charge up to execute a special move. In addition to regular attacks, combat with bosses also involves the characters sort of wrestling/grappling. Don't worry, the controls are easy and only involve sequentially and repeatedly tapping left & right to mimic the back and forth nature of contention, ending in an attack move of the winner's choosing.
Despite how short this game is, and the numerous geographical inaccuracies, it's actually pretty fun to play. While the main story is a beat 'em up game, there's a fighting mode where two friends can fight each other using one of the 3 main characters. Personally, I didn't touch this mode much, and had a better time killing monsters cooperatively.

Graphics: 7
The monster designs (both friend and foe) are pretty well done, the sprites are intricate and for the most part, have an overall good look to them. The landscapes within the level design are also well illustrated. Other things including special moves effects and combat-wrestling illustration are more than adequate to make the graphics enjoyable.

Sound: 8
At first, I thought some of the music sounded kind of silly, but after playing through over the years, I guess it grew on me? The game's levels take you across different geographic regions and climates, and I feel the music is pretty well suited for each level. I think the music certainly helps to keep some of the longer fights of the game exciting. No real complaints in this department.

Addictiveness: 6
"Addiction" is not how I remember this game, but it was a fun experience while it lasted. In fact, I found the game to be too short to be addicting as you were likely to have completed the entire game after enough time had elapsed. The funnest aspect of this game is similar to that of other beat 'em ups; that is, the ability to team up with a friend and just beat up every enemy/monster, while showcasing your special moves to each other.

Story: 5

*STORY SPOILERS*
In the not too distant future of 1999, only 3 monsters were left. Then, Earth was invaded by alien monsters: game start!
*END*

That is my paraphrased version of the game's story, but if you watch the intro to the game, you'll see the story they portray is likely only a few words longer than what I wrote. Even in the first level, you're greeted by one of the enemies. It says a few words, then you're suddenly thrown into combat learning on the go. Although honestly, I'm playing this game more because it's a beat 'em up rather than to become enveloped by the story. I don't recall the game providing other story elements, such as any semblance of a back story on why the 3 main characters are monsters or where they come from. If that information was contained only in the game's instruction manual, that would explain why I'm oblivious to such information.

Depth: 5
One unique feature of this game's combat system involves grappling in which the player must tap left and right repeatedly. When successful, the player can press another button (I think A,X, or Y) to do a victory move. The damage is the same regardless, it's just for fun. Each level also features different enemies, so each level is at least diverse. There's only about 6 or 7 levels so the game is short and can be beaten within half an hour.
One of my criticisms, however, is that the level design is really short. It doesn't take much time at all before encountering the boss. Later on, the levels become noticeably shorter, until they just culminate entirely and become a boss parade. Speaking of levels, several geographic locales are traversed. The first level is called "American City" and located in the northeast US. Yet, in the very beginning of the level is the Golden Gate Bridge. A later level called the "Grand Canyon" (located appropriately on the map) features a cameo of Mt. Rushmore. This doesn't affect the gameplay, and may be unnoticed in players not from the US, but would normally be an easy detail to fix with a slight amount of research.

My last criticism is the final boss of the game:
*FINAL BOSS SPOILERS*
Most of the game's fighting is done against boss characters, and the primary way to do damage is to grapple and wrestle with them. Using just regular attacks does little damage and takes too long. The final boss, however, abandons this mechanic; other than its regular attacks, it does damage just by touching you. Some of its movements involve quick/rapid jumps specifically meant to take advantage of that attribute. In other words, the player is trained and reinforced to engage in a particular play style, and is suddenly punished from that core aspect of gameplay in the final boss.
*END*

Difficulty: 6
Difficulty is really dependent on the number of players (1 or 2). I recommend playing just about any beat 'em up with 2 people, because I always have more fun doing that, but I'm aware many may not agree with me, and the constraints of Netplay could limit this option in King of the Monsters 2. The game is much easier with two people because while one player grapples with the boss, the other can charge up for a special move and vice versa. Most of the enemy's attacks are designed to only hit one player at a time, too. If playing alone, there will be much less time for special moves, and combat becomes almost entirely about grappling. For some of the later bosses, this can potentially make combat a little monotonous. Otherwise, the game isn't too difficult. Even on hard mode, it's still very manageable with 1 player. There are enough power ups and health in each level to keep you going (just avoid the downgrade items).

Overall: 6.2
While it seems there's a lot working against King of the Monsters 2, this game is not without its charm. Beat 'em up games were popular during this era of video games, and the fact that this genre doesn't seem prominent (or even existent?) any more serves to fuel the nostalgia for this game. While this type of game does not attract based on its story, the fun of beating up monsters with a friend is perhaps more than I could articulate in words here, and the game ought to be recognized for at least that much, while containing solid music & graphics. If you're a fan of the beat 'em up genre and can look past short, relatively simple level designs, give King of the Monsters 2 a shot. If beat 'em ups are not your style, I think it's safe to give this game a pass. Whatever your decision, enjoy!