Jeremy Dunham of IGN, GameZone's Michael Knutson and 1UP.com staff praised the multitude of moves; Knutson, however, said that it was difficult performing special moves, and 1UP.com affirmed "The real improvement, though, is the addition of more life-destroying options, like the hyper-addictive Challenge mode." Dunham accuse the fighting engine of being "too advanced for the casual fighting fan", also criticizing its "sucker" control scheme. Conversely, "GamePro" thought it "can be enjoyed by novices and veterans alike", and Matt Keil of G4 said it "is surprisingly accessible" to all gamers. Dunham cited how the "two-player mode allows for near-infinite possibilities and all the extra options are just icing on the cake." In contrast Kasavin criticized the other modes for not being as engaging as the two-player mode.