X-Men vs. Street Fighter (Import) Review

X-Men vs. Street Fighter is yet another Capcom cookie-cutter fighting game. This time, Street Fighters team up with X-Men in a two-on-two tag-team battle of pure insanity. While the game's characters play somewhat like their previous incarnations, their special moves have been pumped way up. Ryu's fireball is now as tall as he is. The flames coming off of Ken's Dragon Punch are huge, and it goes about two screen lengths up. While this is a neat concept at first, the derivative moves and defensive gameplay really bring this one down in the end.

There is no better looking 2D fighter on any console system. Every frame of animation has been duplicated from the arcade, and the backgrounds all look very good. The characters move very well; even when standing still, they breathe and flex very realistically. From a graphical standpoint, it is absolutely arcade perfect.

The sound is also really good, unlike Capcom's previous fighter, Marvel Super Heroes. Gone are the tinny speech and sound effects from MSH. XMvSF's sound is all very crisp and clean sounding. The music is mostly remixes of existing Street Fighter tunes, which sound all right, but also stick out as yet other unoriginal facet of the game.

The gameplay is the game's main problem. Playing against the CPU is fun, albeit incredibly easy. Playing against a human opponent gets downright annoying, due to the game's many flaws that allow for far too much defense, resulting in a turtler's heaven. Once you've learned the game's basics, blocking and countering quickly become the order of the day. It's frustrating enough to make a guy start taking some of the Neo-Geo fighting games a little more seriously.

The new 4MB RAM cart is required and comes with the game. It really makes all the difference. This port is nearly perfect in every way. It is identical to the arcade version of the game and is without slowdown of any sort. Also, there is barely any loading time between fights. It's really a shame that something this cool didn't come out a year or so ago, as it could have helped save the Saturn from its spiraling demise. As it is now, it's still unknown whether or not this game (and thus, the RAM cart) will ever be released in the US, so you may just wish to skip the waiting and import the game now, especially since the RAM cart doesn't raise the price of the game.

Mortal Kombat Review

As fighting games go, Mortal Kombat has always held a distinct place in the history of the genre, shunning the often cartoonlike style of its contemporaries in favor of gore and guts. Its latest incarnation is no different, pushing the boundaries of taste to the extreme with ludicrously over-the-top attacks that see you ripping your opponents in half, impaling them on spikes, and stamping on their chests while their internal organs bounce around like tetherballs. Subtlety and sophistication are not Mortal Kombat's strong points, but beneath its bloody exterior lies an engrossing 2D fighting game that manages to capture the feel of its forebears, while also offering new experiences for longtime fans.

Most fighting games have some kind of narrative backing up the action, but few do more with it than bookend their arcade modes with a few cutscenes. Not so in Mortal Kombat's Story mode. Each fight you have is punctuated by in-engine cinematics, taking you on a journey that reboots the narrative from the first three Mortal Kombat games. The story picks up where Mortal Kombat: Armageddon left off, with Thunder God Raiden under attack from Shao Kahn, an evil emperor hell-bent on merging Outworld with Earth Realm--a process that threatens to end all life on the planet. Raiden sends a message to his past self in order to prevent that outcome, which manifests itself as a series of visions. Though he's not entirely sure what the visions mean, Raiden proceeds to help the people of Earth Realm compete in the Mortal Kombat tournament, which decides the fate of the two worlds. By using the time travel mechanic, the story does a great job of introducing new players to the series, while also giving long time fans a new perspective on events. Be warned if you're not a fan of cut scenes, though. You can't skip them, even if you've already watched them when you resume a game. You also can't choose to replay specific sections of Story mode, even after you've conquered it; you either resume from your last save or start all the way from the beginning.

You initially take on the role of the actor Johnny Cage, whose arrogant personality and inordinate sexism make him something of a chore to listen to. Fortunately, you play as different fighters as you progress, most of which made an appearance in the first three games. They include classics such as Scorpion, Sub Zero, and Liu Kang, through to later additions such as Kabal, Smoke, and Sindel, who are unlocked from the start. You're also taken through a range of different environments, which look great. They're full of detail, re-creating some of the classic environments from previous games. One moment you're fighting beside a river of blood or in the fiery depths of the underworld, and the next you're being transported to an arena filled with giant monsters and chained-up slave girls. PlayStation 3 users have the option of playing in stereoscopic 3D, and also get a bonus character in the form of Kratos, complete with his Blades of Exile. Each time you switch characters in Story mode you learn about their origins and motivations for joining the tournament, whether that's revenge, bravery, or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Though it would be inaccurate to say the story is particularly deep, it is entertaining, with tongue-in-cheek dialogue and a number of twists that keep you guessing--even if it gets a little absurd at times. Each character is well voiced, though, and because there's some motivation for the fighters' actions, there's more than just gameplay to keep you invested through until the end of the five-hour-plus narrative.

That's not to say the gameplay isn't enough to keep you entertained--far from it. Mortal Kombat makes a return to the single-plane 2D fighting that the series is known for, albeit with 3D models in place of digitised sprites. Your goal is to knock out your opponent using a range of kicks, punches, and special moves, such as knife throws, acid spit, and fireballs. You can chain moves together to perform combos, and also juggle your opponents by knocking them into the air and following up with additional attacks. Pulling off such moves is tricky, but things are made a little easier with a stripped back control scheme that harks back to the simple controls of the arcade originals, albeit with some tweaks. There are still four primary attack buttons, but rather than launching high and low attacks, each button now corresponds to a limb--similar to the control scheme from the Tekken series. Separate buttons perform blocks, while another performs throws. Though longtime fans may lament these changes, they actually make things a little easier, particularly if you're new to the series, as it's much more intuitive to perform low attacks by pushing down on the D pad or analogue stick.

The new controls are pleasingly responsive, with a feel that's very much reminiscent of Mortal Kombat II--that is, very fast. You need quick reflexes to dodge your opponent's attacks, as well as for finding those small openings in fights where you can squeeze in a punch and follow up with a devastating combo. Many of the button combinations for moves have been simplified. You still need speedy thumbs to enter in the button commands at the right time, but with less to remember it's easier than ever to pull off some impressive looking attacks. If you're used to playing the likes of Super Street Fighter IV, then the feel of Mortal Kombat will take some getting used to because the animation is less fluid. Moves don't string together as smoothly, so if you try to perform a combo that isn't in your character's repertoire, there's a delay between each attack, which feels jarring if you're not used to it. This doesn't make the game any less fun, though; it's just a different approach.

While the basic controls have been stripped back, a super meter has been introduced that gives you a few more options during a fight. As you receive and land hits, the meter builds up through three levels. The lowest level gives you access to enhanced moves. By holding down the block button while performing one of your character's special moves, that move becomes faster and more powerful, making it much trickier for your opponent to dodge. Fill the meter up to the second stage, and you can perform breakers--a type of counterattack. Tapping a directional button while holding down the block button breaks up an opponent's combo, letting you unleash a satisfying counterattack of your own, though getting the timing right does take some practice. Max out the meter, and you can perform devastating super combos called X-ray moves. These vary depending on your chosen character, but all are performed the same way, by holding down the block and stance buttons.

One Piece: Grand Battle Review

Shonen Jump's One Piece: Grand Battle lets you play as the Straw Hat Pirates or their enemies in an arena fighter that's very much inspired by the Power Stone games. Were One Piece also a four-player party game, it might be entertaining. One-on-one confrontations don't pass muster, as they basically become a race to see who pulls off a ludicrously damaging special attack first. There are 14 characters in total, but they play almost identically. A great cel-shaded graphics engine is the game's best feature. As a single-player experience, One Piece is inadequate; as a two-player romp, it won't hold your interest for long, even (and almost especially) if you're a fan of the One Piece anime or manga.

The increasingly popular One Piece show follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his ragtag crew of Pirates as they quest for the ultimate treasure. At best, Grand Battle is a footnote in their adventures. Story mode comprises five short matches, which take place in four or five disappointingly diminutive arenas. If you play as any of the series' protagonists, you'll find that all but one of these bouts pit you against your shipmates.

The justifications for these confrontations are invariably ridiculous and amount to domestic squabbles among the pirates. Most of these revolve around the distribution of food. Luffy will, for example, ask Nami (the ship's navigator) if he can borrow some of her tangerines. She'll then attempt to stifle Luffy's legendary appetite by besting him in deadly combat. In another instance, Usopp is attacked by Sanji, the ship's chef, after it is discovered that he has eaten the last of the eggs from the galley's fridge.

The fifth battle in the series finally lets you fight a baddie, but not toward any major goal. They just show up, and you have at it. No overarching mission unites the story mode. Your reasons for fighting are petty and are fueled by self-interest. Completing this game gets Luffy no closer to being the king of all pirates, and Zolo no closer to being the world's greatest swordsman.

As if to drive this point home, the ending cinematics--if they can even be called such--are three-second clips from the show and have nothing to do with the five battles that preceded their playing. The game then insults you by unlocking these character endings for playback in the game's treasure room. Who in his or her right mind would want to replay three seconds of anime?

After you complete a difficulty level with all of the initially available characters, you'll unlock four baddies. Complete the game with these guys, and you'll unlock four more. All characters are selectable in grand battles and grand tourneys, which are really just multiplayer modes in which you can, if you so choose, fight the CPU instead of a buddy. Grand battle is a single confrontation or exhibition, while grand tourney is, as the name would imply, a ladder-style tournament involving the characters and stages of story mode.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds Review

After a decade of anticipation, and a few long months of speculation, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds is upon us at last. This venerable fighting series, renowned for its structured insanity, has finally returned with the same fire and intensity that was its hallmark. However, not all the characters from the previous game have returned this time around--but not without good reason. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was a game so completely dominated by a handful of characters and strategies that the majority of its design was rendered moot. Developer Capcom has since learned from this, and the changes made help distill this game's combat into a more well-rounded experience than ever before. The result is not the most technically demanding of fighters, but is certainly one of the most enjoyable. The white-knuckle intensity is still here--but this is not the same game you remember from 10 years ago.

In the extravagant world of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, there is rarely a dull moment. You and your opponent each have a team of three characters to battle it out in one frantic, continuous round accented by dazzling finishing moves and triple-digit combos. But beneath all its style, the game's core combat mechanics have been simplified and work harmoniously to drive you, and the action, forward. Locomotion plays a large role in this, even if the characters are slower than before. This change feels natural in the game's large arenas and affords you the time to plan out your next move without having to rely on blindly overwhelming your opponent. But even if you are slower, you never want to stop moving. There is safety in mobility when every character can clear the length of the arena in a single bound or pepper you with projectiles from a screen away. Stopping only makes things easier for your opponent.

Movement keeps the battle flowing and changing as you duck in and out of your opponent's reach, each side frantically searching for that break in the other's defenses. Sometimes opportunity is easy to spot. Other times you have to make your own luck. In either case, when it's time to strike, the number of tools you have in your arsenal is intoxicating. You might unleash a fierce flurry of blows, summon another character to take a quick shot, or employ a snap back attack for a more favorable match-up. When on the defense, a well-timed advancing guard can punish a nasty rushdown player, while a crossover counter can rescue a teammate under fire. Regardless, after each encounter you take away a little something to add to your repertoire--be it practice with your favorite go-to combo or knowledge that a new assist isn't all that great. There's a constant sense of progression as you endlessly experiment with new tricks and new combinations.

From beat to beat and blow to blow, it's the little touches that sell the experience. It's that slight pause at the start of a hyper combo--a breath just wide enough to fit a single expletive before the hammer falls--or the feeling of weight right as you launch someone into the air. It's the fact that combat can just as easily take place vertically as it can horizontally. The addition of the new launcher button helps expedite this process. And once you're airborne, a few quick hits lead you to an important crossroads: either end the combo safely or press your luck. If you go with the latter, you can bounce your opponent in one of four directions, after which you switch characters and continue the combo. That is, unless your opponent inputs the same direction as you, in which case you're the one who's sent tumbling down. It's a gamble, and one that keeps both sides of the beatdown engaged.

All of this would be enough, but then there's the x-factor. True to its namesake, the x-factor is your wild card in any match. Activated by pressing all four attack buttons, this ability temporarily increases your character's attack power and speed--and resets his or her current animation. Its potency and duration are determined by the number of team members you've lost, making it an excellent last resort to turn the tables on your opponent. But its applications run deeper than that. The simple animation reset lets you chain together moves that would otherwise be impossible, such as two super moves back-to-back. Or, if an opponent manages to flank you while you're caught helpless in a big attack, you can burn the x-factor to cancel that attack and face your opponent. The amount of diversity gained for something so simple makes this new feature a valuable tool rather than a mere gimmick.

Combat in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is an enjoyable blend of violence and intimacy. Surmounting your opponent is just as much about getting in his head as it is about getting around the controls. Some people like to mix things up and have fun, while others just want to win no matter the cost. Whatever your calling, finding characters who fit your style of play is paramount. This game offers a wide array of variations on a single character theme, as most of the rosters' techniques are executed in the same way. Several of the basic moves and combos you learn for one will easily transfer to several others. However, while these inputs may be similar, their outputs are wildly different. Every character brings something unique to the experience, and the game quickly moves from the tedium of learning individual commands, to the joys of mastering their timing and situational uses.

At the heart of the game is Ryu, whose iconic trio of moves--the fireball (hadoken), the uppercut (shoryuken), and the hurricane kick (tatsumaki senpukyaku)--serve as the foundation for many others. Some characters, such as Morrigan and Zero, emulate this style closely while adding their own variations to the execution. Arthur and Chris are characters who explore a single aspect of this style, the fireball, with a variety of different projectile attacks. Dante takes it to the extreme with a staggering lineup of 32 unique attacks. If you've ever had trouble perfecting the motions for these moves, the game address this with a new simplified control option. This aptly named simple mode condenses each character down into a few key moves which can be executed at the press of a button. While this severely limits your offensive options in battle, simple mode's simplicity makes it ideal for series newcomers.

Is this game's roster perfectly balanced? No. If it were, it would have only two characters who each played exactly like the other. Battles aren't won on spreadsheets using numbers and averages. They are won with experience, mind games, and a bit of luck. Capcom delivers a roster where every character feels powerful and fun to play. In a game this over-the-top, there's a way around everything. One strategy isn't going to work in every situation. The deadly trio of Storm, Sentinel, and Magneto is still a mighty combination. But this time so is everyone else.

There have been countless one-on-one fighting games over the years, but only a small number of them have managed to distinguish themselves. That's because, while fighting games don't have to be complicated, the great ones all manage to get the controls, character designs, moves, and balance just right. Kakuto Chojin, a new fighting game for the Xbox, unfortunately doesn't succeed on any of these levels. The fact that Kakuto Chojin was originally displayed as a technical demonstration of the Xbox's graphical capabilities clearly comes across while playing the game, because, while the game offers some impressive production values, it ultimately seems shallow and incomplete, and it won't hold anyone's attention for long.

Why the main single-player mode of Kakuto Chojin is billed as "story mode" rather than "arcade mode" is anyone's guess. In reality, there's no story to speak of. As one of 12 fighters (there's one unlockable character on top of that), you'll fight your way through a dozen stages against all the others, apparently because there's some tournament and you're in it. At the end, you get a brief textual epilogue for your fighter, and then the credits roll. Kakuto Chojin certainly doesn't have many frills. Besides the story mode, there's a practice mode and a survival mode, as well as several different multiplayer modes, one of which actually allows as many as four players to duke it out simultaneously and sounds more exciting than it is.

Fighting games of course are all about the core gameplay and not about the frills. And it's the action in the ring that's the biggest problem with Kakuto Chojin. In short, the game's fighting system is far too simplistic. Each character's set of moves is so limited that you'll find yourself using the same maneuvers over and over, match after match. The game basically plays like Tekken, the very first installment of Namco's 3D fighting series, which dates back to 1994--only Kakuto Chojin has a much smaller move list and fewer characters. At any rate, the fighters all can execute high, middle, and low attacks, one or two unblockable moves, a couple of throws, and maybe a reversal. Damage is dealt by hitting the opponent where he or she isn't blocking or better yet by knocking the opponent into the air and juggling him or her with successive hits before he or she hits the pavement. Unlike in Tekken, fighters can also move freely about the game's enclosed 3D arenas, though there isn't much reason to do so. The game's one attempt at innovation is in how it allows you to trigger a temporary speed boost every so often, which lets you perform a few different types of moves while it's in effect, but it mostly just allows you to string together more hits more quickly. It's not a bad idea, but it doesn't make up for the game's lack of variety.

Simply put, the lack of moves kills this game. While games such as Virtua Fighter 4, Tekken 4, and Dead or Alive 3 offer many dozens or even more than a hundred different moves per character, Kakuto Chojin's fighters have just a fraction of that amount. The gameplay thus becomes a simple matter of rock-paper-scissors. Hit him low if he's blocking high, hit him in the middle if he's blocking low, or if he's blocking everything, throw him. While this is the underlying system behind every successful 3D fighting game to date, the difference is that those games offer much more variety, much more depth, and much more subtlety. In Kakuto Chojin, you can easily win matches just by picking one of the faster characters, finding a cheap and easy canned combination of punches and kicks, and performing it repeatedly. Even the computer at its higher difficulty settings can't really defend against a good round of button mashing. Most of the game's moves are quite damaging (and you can't tone the damage down in the options), so most rounds just boil down to a few back-and-forth exchanges of blows.

Strangely enough, Kakuto Chojin offers two somewhat different move sets for each fighter, one of which becomes available after you finish the story mode with each respective character. The second version of each fighter looks identical to the first but tends to have faster, more-damaging moves and longer canned combos at his or her disposal. Perhaps by incorporating both move sets for each character into one, the designers could have given Kakuto Chojin some more depth and variety. But because all the moves are easily executed, either using just the buttons or using the buttons along with simple directional movements, it's unlikely that this would have saved the game or even been possible. One of the big problems with Kakuto Chojin's gameplay is that, despite how different all the fighters look, they basically all control in just the same fashion. Good fighting games reflect the differences in each of their characters' fighting styles in the controls and the timing required to perform their moves.