Waco
03-29-2002, 12:18 PM
Having not been into a fighter since MK3, I wasn't really interested in this title beyond admiring the graphics.
A little taste at a friends encouranged me to pick it up, and I'm glad I did. The levels to which the counters, evades, and blocking play with a whole mess of offensive styles really gives this game a complexity far beyond button mashing.
In Kumite mode, you take a fighter through 20 ranks, combating NPC opponents that test your skill at various levels. Having made it to 2nd Kyu, I am routinely getting my ass handed to me now, as I've apparently reached the level that more complex defense is required to achieve victory.
Kumite also has the cheese factor of giving you "prizes" after certain victorys, so you can update your character model with different apparel for kicking ass in. There's just some kind of odd pleasure in building Sarah Bryant's Ho outfit and then kicking some ass with her... it amuses me.
Of course, Bryant is one of the easier characters. There are 2 new to the series ( I guess, they're all new to me ), and one is a Shoa-lin monk with 4 different stances. Each stance has its own set of entry and exit moves that makes him hard as hell to master, not to mention defeat.
As far as the graphics go - fantastic. The rings are destroyed by flying bodies, lighting flashes down to destroy statues. And the snow, oh the snow. In one ring, a foot of snow covers the ground, and accurately deforms as you stomp through it. Sweet!
In conclusion - even if you don't like fighters, give this one a rental and have some fun with it. If you do dig this genre, than you're sure to find plenty here to amuse you.
A little taste at a friends encouranged me to pick it up, and I'm glad I did. The levels to which the counters, evades, and blocking play with a whole mess of offensive styles really gives this game a complexity far beyond button mashing.
In Kumite mode, you take a fighter through 20 ranks, combating NPC opponents that test your skill at various levels. Having made it to 2nd Kyu, I am routinely getting my ass handed to me now, as I've apparently reached the level that more complex defense is required to achieve victory.
Kumite also has the cheese factor of giving you "prizes" after certain victorys, so you can update your character model with different apparel for kicking ass in. There's just some kind of odd pleasure in building Sarah Bryant's Ho outfit and then kicking some ass with her... it amuses me.
Of course, Bryant is one of the easier characters. There are 2 new to the series ( I guess, they're all new to me ), and one is a Shoa-lin monk with 4 different stances. Each stance has its own set of entry and exit moves that makes him hard as hell to master, not to mention defeat.
As far as the graphics go - fantastic. The rings are destroyed by flying bodies, lighting flashes down to destroy statues. And the snow, oh the snow. In one ring, a foot of snow covers the ground, and accurately deforms as you stomp through it. Sweet!
In conclusion - even if you don't like fighters, give this one a rental and have some fun with it. If you do dig this genre, than you're sure to find plenty here to amuse you.