Impressions on various obscure Saturn games as they come Part II

I saw PRIKURA DAISAKUSEN on ebay, but each seller want about $150 for it.

Hopefully I will find a copy of this Sega Saturn import game under $50 someday.

Btw: where do you get Sega Saturn import games for so cheap at?.

Shawn Carr2o said:

I saw PRIKURA DAISAKUSEN on ebay, but each seller want about $150 for it.

Hopefully I will find a copy of this Sega Saturn import game under $50 someday.

Btw: where do you get Sega Saturn import games for so cheap at?.

Click to expand...

No way in any shape or form is, Prikura Daisakusen worth $150.00

Keep looking i bet you can find.... a seller that has it for under $100.00

I swear some of these "sellers" that try to sell common. Saturn games over $100.00 need to be 'kick in the nutsack a few times

Btw:When i got mine years ago i payed either 57.00 or 47.00 for it.

Wow that seems like a very cool game. It kinda reminds me of Shock Troopers
2nd Squad in a way, only difference is that, this one is more cutesy.

Steve said:

PRIKURA DAISAKUSEN

I remember GameFan's December 2000 From The Graveyard write-up of this game. It proclaimed that a handful of Saturn imports were already consistently striking the magical 80+ barrier, and that if you owned PD -- you can consider yourself the most hardcore of hardcore.

While I don't agree with that last statement I do agree with GameFan's overall feelings on Prikura... this game rocks.

It only has 5 stages, and true, the game doesn't take long to beat (under half an hour) but the 5 stages are fun while they last with some cool memorable boss tangles. Presented to us by Atlus in 1996, Prikura Daisakusen presents the gamer with 3 character choices. Two girls and a giant bipedal dog-like creature.

A is to shoot.

B is to pound.

C is special.

Y (or double tap in desired direction) is roll.

One girl shoots out stars from her magic wand. The other icy-like projectiles. Enemies are all robot-types that flash when hit. When destroyed an animal is left for you to collect and earn points. You can pound enemies, this is a close-range hammer spike, or spiked ball slam, or the dog's giant hand smack. This reveals jewels instead of animals. Also, with the pound button, you can unleash a sweet chain reaction of an enemy hitting another enemy and so on. See how high a combo you can land! It's impressive to see one enemy being taken out resulting in a domino-like effect, and this increases your score.

Each character has a helper that can evolved up to four stages (at the end of each stage it evolves accordingly) and has multiple paths to take depending on such and such. The helper helps you like how you'd expect... it shoots at the enemies helping you to take them out.

Also, in some stages there's an icon that when you pick up your character turns into a steroid-pumped character who is invincible and with the simple touch any enemy is instantly destroyed. Nice.

It is an isometric shooter. You might be wondering how the shooting is. Well, once you hold A... you can move the D-Pad and still remain locked in that position. So don't fret about shooting and not being able to lock in one direction. There are multiple directions to shoot at.

It's more of a shmup than a platformer because you can't jump. Whereas Steamgash Mash was a platform blaster, I'd catagorized PD as a "Shooter Blast Em Up"... well, all that matters is that it plays damn good. =P

You'll fight enemies ranging from worm-popping menaces to shield-weilding gun-toting foot soldiers.

Stage one is typical lightness to get you used to the game.

Stage two has some cool boxes for you to break open. Boss is a flying airplane of sorts.

The game really picks up when you battle with stage 3's enormous and impressive fire-breathing snake-like creature, JUDGMENT... after going through his castle lair.

Then stage 4's boss in the winterland is a giant mechanical crab known as DEATH SCISSOR. You must cross the wintery iceland safely first...

Finally, the last boss really screams Groove On Fight in the sense that in that game, in one of the backgrounds you'll see a disfigured face. That face... is pretty much like the face of the end boss in Prikura. This vile menace is known simply as the oddly titled FLASH-THE-ALL. You got to deal with his main face and his left and right hands... and oh he enjoys throwing odd projectiles at you along his creepy little ghoul jello-like friends. There's a lot of flashing all right. To get to him though, you'll have to survive his creepy underworld cavern.

I liked the dog the least. He's too big a target and doesn't have the good mobility of the girls. The girls are fun to use. Special move is same for all the characters. A bunch of fireballs cascade downward from the heavens, damaging everything on screen followed by one single extra large fireball. Classic Streets of Rage special feel, hehe.

Overall Prikura Daisakusen is an ace game. It can be had for under $50 too, so it's not too bad on the wallet. Don't be fooled by some auctions that end at $60. It can easily be had for $45 or so with a little patience. Hell I got mine for $30. Mind you, Atlus released two versions.

1. Double Jewel Case with calender

2. Single Jewel Case without calender

I bought the latter and the former seems to be more frequently offered on eBay and such. I didn't mind getting the "lesser" version of the two, all I need is the game. :-)

Overall, it's an excellent title worthy of a place in every Saturn fanatic's library. From the classic flash flash flash of the enemies and bosses, to the cool old school feel, Prikura's a winner.
And check out those cool J-Pop tunes!

Good work, Atlus.

Click to expand...

Prikura used to go for about $45-$50 and that's also what I will pay for it max.

Heading out on the highway, looking for adventure and whatever comes our way...

TAITO CHASE HQ AND S.C.I


no, that's not Isiah Thomas and Dennis Eckersly there!


Chase H.Q. plus S.C.I. is a bare-bones compilation of Taito's neo-classic arcade racer Chase H.Q. and its immediate sequel Special Criminal Investigation (S.C.I.). It is very bare bones so if you're looking for options and secret modes galore this one is not for you. Mind you also that Chase HQ came out in 1988 with SCI following in 1989. Graphically you can almost expect neither title to win any beauty contests. However, the graphics have that pleasant OutRun touch, and is satisfyingly nostaglic.


ahh


In Chase HQ instead of racing laps or clearing check points your goal in each of the 5 stages is to ram a car until its energy is depleted. Each stage the enemy starts far away, and you have 60 seconds to reach it. If you don't, you are asked to continue. Once you reach the enemy car, his energy bar is displayed and the ramming begins. You also have lots of civilian cars on the road. Avoid them and earn bonus points. Crash into them and well, they die. But you live. Ahh the magic of video games.

In SCI it's the same concept except you have a shotgun partner who fires off shots at enemies. You can still ram cars, but you can shoot too. Game has more hazards and special effects like raining and even yellow flash lightning. Cool stuff. Even an odd section where you're driving on what appears to be water...




I love the stage where there's 3 buses going across the screen horizontally while you're racing vertically. Hit the bus and live to tell the tale! Again, the magic of video games.

A is drive.

B is brake.

C is turbo boost (you have 3 per stage)

X is shoot (only in SCI)

L is lo-gear

R is hi-gear

I recommend trying to stay in hi-gear throughout. Sometimes though when it's tight and narrow using L is the better part of discretion. Allow me to comment on the controls now, as some have complained about it in the past. Well when I first played it it was very rough and I ended up crashing a lot or falling off the side of the road. But the more I played it, and the more I learned to switch gears and when to let go of the acceleration button, it suddenly became a much better, tighter experience. Overall I'd say the controls are decent to good, just hang in there and use common sense.

There are some annoying bends here and there (particularly in SCI) but remember these were arcade games and as such were meant to be somewhat of a quarter muncher. Also, at the same time these games aren't very long. You can beat each game in under 20 minutes... although the last level in SCI is a true bitch.

I only have been able to beat Chase HQ so far, and I was on my very last continue on the last boss. I needed to ram him one more time... but he sped up and I only had 3 seconds to go. I thought it was over but at the stroke of 0 my car managed to just grace the bumper of the boss and I had defeated the game and was rewarded my cheesey late 80s arcade ending, heh. Good stuff.

Overall, I started out very iffy on this game, I even questioned selling it or not, but on my 2nd go I had a lot more fun and see it as a keeper. It took me a while to get this game for a good price... I see it usually goes from $30-$40. If you see it in the 20's, and you're this kind of gamer, I say go for it.... but heed my words ONLY if you're this type of gamer.

It's a nice little retro racing/ramming/shooting experience, ideal for them nostalgic mornings.


Agent in blue: Ha, now you shut up and take this like a man!
Agent in red: Where you think YOU goin' punk? See these cuffs? If it ain't rough it ain't right!

these 2 and Final Fight amount to some of the best experiences I ever had playing video games. I absolutely love the style of these 2.

Tron 2.0 said:

No way in any shape or form is, Prikura Daisakusen worth $150.00

Keep looking i bet you can find.... a seller that has it for under $100.00

I swear some of these "sellers" that try to sell common. Saturn games over $100.00 need to be 'kick in the nutsack a few times

Btw:When i got mine years ago i payed either 57.00 or 47.00 for it.

Click to expand...

I would never pay $150 for Parikura Daisakusen which is a total scam & $69 isn't a bad price at all. I saw Galactic Attack US version for $26 at some games store online.

I paid about $35-$45 for my Prikura and it was definately one of my mintest double case games ever.


I heard Princess Crown has the saturns best 2D delights, but never really went there due to needing a faq to play it.

I remember BIG was selling his PD for around $50-60 something. Wonder if it's still for sale.

he who denied it supplied it

BLAST WIND





Blast Wind, like Hyper Duel, is a hard to find and VERY pricey son of a gun. It is a vertical shmup. This game is an oddity in the sense that back in 2002 or so, it used to run for about 30 dollars. These days it's not uncommon to see copies topping out at around 95 bucks. I guess the scarity of this game finally caught up.

I read a lot of critism on Blast Wind in the past. But there was always a minority who really enjoyed this game. Even though I knew it was going to cost me some odd 70, 80 dollars, I wanted this game badly nonetheless.

The game opens with a very distinctive intro, you can tell TechnoSoft was going for a different atmosphere. It almost felt like Gun Frontier's odd-ball atmosphere. Pictures of barren wastelands and a couple nude back body shots... very distinct in style.

You have 2 guns and a bomb. One gun fires ahead and the other fires forward and backward homing style. You also have a helper.

Stage 1 - Iron Skyscraper
Boss - Strat Guard

Stage 2 - City of Night
Boss - Gamma Ray

Stage 3 - Atlantiss
Boss - Sodom

Stage 4 - Earth Breaker
Boss - Ostragle

Stage 5 - Dimension Cave
Boss - Drad

Final - Gorn LastBattle
Boss - Gorn himself

The stages are nice, especially Dimension Cave with its wicked flowing lava and sharp red hues all over your TV screen. Last stage is impressive too as you fly over a countryscape as horses scurry beneath you. Plenty of towers to blow up and collect goodies from.

Blast Wind employs a unique system where you can decide which path to take. In each stage, you can go left or right by deciding to press a switch, or not. The result -- different enemy patterns and a different end boss. Pretty good stuff. You definitely want to see (and conquer) all the cool bosses in this game.

The last boss starts out as a huge ship, but then goes into a 2nd animalistic form. I won't spoil it for you but let's just say it's pretty damn cool.

Overall I enjoyed Blast Wind. Worth the 80 bucks it goes for? I dunno, but hey if you got the means and are a fan of the genre -- why not. It's a fun, mindless shooter. It comes with TechnoSoft's traditional ace presentational style and possesses some decent tunes.

IMO not as good as Hyper Duel, but still good.

IMO all of Blast Wind's criticism comes solely from 2D shooter fans who are overly critical or casual gamers who happened to pick up a "l337 s00p3r r4r3z0rz" game. Blast Wind is, in my opinion, THE single most underrated shmup on the Saturn. Its fun as hell, has tons of replay, and its music is second to none (especially "Judgement Ray", the song for the final boss).


As far as shmups go, Tecno Soft rocked the Saturn pretty damn hard.


But I do agree, Hyper Duel is the better game. Then again, Hyper Duel is second only to Border Down in my mind as far as horizontally inclined shmups go.

Panzer Dragoon meets Astra Superstars

BTW, forgot to post these links. These links contains a good amount of pics.

Groove On Fight

http://www.markinjapan.com/detail.php?selected=208

Blast Wind

http://www.markinjapan.com/detail.php?selected=1955


Alright, time to move onto the next game. Like 3D fighters? Love Panzer Dragoon? Then this one will surely intrigue you.

ELAN DOREE





Elan Doree: "Legend of Dragoon" is a 3D dragon-based fighter featuring 10 fighters (5 male and 5 females) mounted upon their dragons/flying creatures of choice. Each character has different weapons, and their flying friends all have projectiles and other attacks of varying sorts. Battles take place in air, but it's not like Astra Superstars in the sense that when you press down in ED you don't fly down. In fact, your friend stays in the same vertical base. If you jump, only your fighter jumps (and lands back down on the dragon)

A = light attack
B = heavy attack
C = jump
double tap up = circle up
double tap down = circle down

Each character has a special move bar. This is different. It starts out at 100%. Any time you do a special move with the heavy attack button it drains, and if you don't have enough in the bar, you can't do a special move. This may sound limiting but it works...

Special moves take off as low as 5% of the bar to as high as 60%.

If you are hit, your special move bar increases. If you block, it decreases.

Every character has two super special's to use per round. SS is really easy, one is A+B. The other is A+B+C. Kinda like Astra in that sense. Also, the characters reminded me of the Astra cast...

Speaking of which here is the cast:

KAIN-Thunder Dragon Master
Rides a blue dragon. Kain looks like Samurai Shodown's Charlotte. Even carries a sword similar to what Charlotte toted. Dragon shoots out blue balls (hey now). SS is a 5-hit extremely damaging fireball attack.

KEYAKI-Fire Dragon Master
Rides a red dragon. Keyaki is a cool-looking ninja-like girl in black and red with red shoulder-length hair. Carries 2 knives. Dragon shoots out fireballs. Keyaki does a 2 hit slash. Dragon also breathes fire. SS is a flame attack move.

SION-Wind Dragon Master
Rides a green dragon. She has the power to conjure tornado wind blasts. SS is a huge tornado attack.

TINA-Magical Girl
Rides an orange puffy cute looking creature. She carries a huge wand and throws out stars. SS is a big multiple star projectile.

MARIELLE-Magician
Rides a pink dolphin with wings. Marielle is a purple witch with mucho cleavage. She throws heart projectiles. Multiple sword attacks from her witch hat. SS she tosses a gigantic sword flipping your way.

LEVIE-Dark Dragon Master
Rides an evil-looking horned creature that wears a mask. Levie himself looks bad-ass as well, with one eye covered and a mysterious aura about himself. Wields a stick and twirls it around. His two SS involve his evil friend. One, the dragon turns around and emits this huge blast from outta you know where. The 2nd the dragon shoots outta his mouth an 11-hit massacre -- ouch!

ERIORNA-Light Dragon Master
Rides a white pure-looking dragon. Carries a sword. Dragon emits blast. Tail whip. SS the dragon surrounds itself with flame and you can ram your opponent for multiple hits. You can do a hit into SS for extra damage.

GARNIC-Cursed Sword
Rides a green dragon. Carries two swords. Multiple fireballs. SS is a huge 7-hit blue wave.

RUBONE-Poison Dragon Master
Rides a cool looking black winged creature whose face is like Alien. Rubone himself is a piece of work, a cool wicked looking old man you can't trust. Attacks with a scythe. Dragon shoots out multiple rings. SS dragon shoots out a projectile. Other SS dragon surrounds Rubone in a damaging force field.

GULF-Earth Dragon Master
Rides a brown dragon. Gulf's fists turns into rocks. Dragon spits out a 7-hit rock projectile. One of Gulf's SS he throws a HUGE rock at you. Takes off tons of energy. Other SS he chucks two stone projectiles at you.

SS can be easily interrupted mid-way. It leaves your character vulnerable so should be timed properly.

There are two boss characters:

BLACK KNIGHT

Once you beat him he morphs into...

KAISER DRAGON

Kasier Dragon looks just like the end boss dragon found in Keriotosse! The stage is impressive -- a flying battle in space. The stages in ED are all pretty nice, with great graphics and transparencies even. Rubone's creepy stage has candles in the background. Kain's stage has a building reflection on the riverbank. Some good stuff.

Overall I'd recommend ED but I hear it's a bit of a tough one to find. It's not a great fighter, but it's pretty unique and got some cool characters and background stages. It's a good addition to the ole library.

For two reviews go here:

http://www.shinforce.com/saturn/reviews/ElanDoree.htm

For pics go here:

http://www.markinjapan.com/detail.php?selected=106

Puzzle Fighter you're on notice!

Hanagumi Taisen Columns was an excellent puzzler featuring the infamous Sakura Wars characters. Here is another Saturn puzzler featuring more infamous characters -- this time from the Tenchi Muyo universe.

TENCHI MUYO! RENSA HITSUYOU




This game, on the outset, kinda reminds me of two fellow obscure Saturn puzzlers:

Monster Slider (the well is non-flat)
Susume Bakabons (the ball graphics and lack of rotation on them, unlike SPF2T)

The best thing about the game IMHO is the way the playing field is uniquely shaped... you really have to adjust your mindset to the way chains can be formed and developed, it's very interesting.

Puzzle system employs the classic connect 3 like-colors or 3 like-shapes or more style.

The game also employs a unique "debris" system... technically there are no "debris blocks" that fall your way. Instead, you're playing in a well. Whenever you do chains or the CPU does chains, water builds up in the well. If the water fills your chamber you're toast.

It's different and works.

The gameplay is different too, as falling pieces are placed on top of the water, and cannot interact with pieces underwater, until drained. So how do you drain the water?

There are heart icons that fall down. Connect 3 hearts and the water will decrease.

Here are the pieces:

-Red
-Blue
-Green
-Yellow (same 4 colors as Puzzle Fighter)
-Anchor
-Heart
-Ryo-Ohki

Anchor drops any pieces on water underneath. Think about this now. Imagine shoving a bunch of like-colored/shaped pieces underneath the water. Then connect 3 hearts to clear some water. Once the water drains, the pieces may interact and it's major combo city! It's very satisfying to be near death then come back with a huge combo and securing the last laugh. AHAHAHAHA! ... whoa easy tiger :P

Ryo-Ohki blocks represent the face of the cute cat/rabbit in Tenchi Muyo known as the "Cabbit." They are another kind of block, that also work like standard colors, but they too have a special function, like the hearts and anchors. When you place three or more Ryo-Ohki blocks together, you will get a "Ryo-Ohki point" (I don't know if this is the proper name of it, but I call it that to make it easy to understand), which will be visible next to the chamber.

When you have gotten three Ryo-Ohki points, your character will perform a special move (draining water from your chamber, raising water in the opponents chamber drastically, or something else)

You can also raise your opponent's water level by connecting 4 or more pieces together, or doing 2 chain combos. The higher the chain the more water. Chains in this game feel really sweet. Some puzzlers you chain and you're like "eh" but in this one for some reason it feels really satisfying. Your character in the background will also do an animation and shout some Japanese words heh heh.

There are several different characters to select from with different strengths and weaknesses. Good good stuff. There are also secret characters to unlock.

The game has a Story mode, VS. CPU mode (with a mode that starts your chamber half-filled with water for an extra tough challenge), another kind of Story Mode, 2P and character art and information gallery. There is also a secret mode to unlock, if "you, the master of unlocking," can do it.

There is a TREMENDOUS FAQ on all things Tenchi Muyo! Rensa Hitsuyou-related over at GameFAQs for those further interested.

Overall it's a FANTASTIC puzzler. It is not rare, but it isn't common either. The price hovers around 15 to 20 bucks and is WELL WORTH it. Last night I was playing Rensa and before I knew it, more than an hour had gone by -- the sun had gone completely down. Time flies when you're having fun!

In the end, Puzzle Fighter, Tenchi Rensa and Taisen Columns reminds me a lot of each other. Three great puzzlers employing a cast of famous characters (from which you have the liberty to choose from with each having different pluses and minuses) that originated outside the puzzle genre. And most important of all, 3 great games you should own and play. Sadly though, only PF is well known of these three. The argument could be made that Tenchi Rensa and Taisen Columns are every bit as good if not better than PF. At least now the world knows a bit more about these two under the radar puzzlers, so I'm happy to have helped a small part in this injustice.

TM!RH -- ugly acronym... beautiful game.



Rensa and Taisen as good or better? Surely blasphemy?!? Find out for yourself....

By Pioneer?

Thats rad.

RAIZING!

KINGDOM GRANDPRIX




One of three Raizing shooters to appear on Saturn, this one is the least known of the three. Soukyugurentai and Battle Garegga have both deservedly had their time in the spotlight so I feel it's time we took a closer look at one, Kingdom Grandprix AKA Shippu Mahou Daisakusen (which if you recall is the same word as Prikura Daisakusen, which means "Big Plan")

The unique thing about KG is that it's a hybrid racer/shooter. There are 8 characters to select from, and you'll race in shooting stages against the 7 competitors. First to race ahead of the others, dismantle the boss and cross the finish line wins. It's hard, even on Beginner.

This has been one of KG's biggest complaints. That it's difficult and that the "racing" element ruins the enjoyment of the game.

Well I'm here today to share with you all a great trick...

How to turn KG into a pure shooter!

Yes there is indeed a code that allows you to turn off the "race against the 7 competitors" gameplay and turn KG into a pure shmup.

Go to option. Go down to sound.

Press left, right, left, right, up, up, down, down start.

Now you should see a "race or shooter" mode at the bottom. Set it to shooter and off ya go.

I've gotten better at the racing mode, but I still kinda am iffy on it on the whole. As a straight shooter though, KG is pretty dope. It's definitely the "black sheep" to the Raizing Saturn trilogy, but that's only because Garegga and Souky are SO damn good.







KG has 8 different ships/pilots with different weapons for you to choose from. You're bound to find a favorite. Also, after each stage it gives you a choice between two different levels, with the end stage giving you 3 choices... 6 stages in all for a total of 12. It enhances gameplay and definitely is a plus. Here are the stages with their funky old-school names:

1. BASALNA CITY
Easy 1st stage with enemy fodder. You're flying over townports. Boss looks like one of them dinosaur flying creatures -- latched onto a ship. He's tougher than most 1st stage shooter bosses, but shouldn't pose too great a challenge.


here's the stage 1 boss getting some "bomb" treatment

2A. VELMATIC OCEAN
Cool giant rocks to blow up. A neat mid-boss -- sort of a pirate wooden ship with turrets. Boss is a green dragon with gold plate armor on his chest. His long tail is submerged into the water underneath

2B. AIR CIRCUS
Tight space here as you ride along railings. The evil druids make their debut here (well, at least the easier breed... their nastier cousins appear later on). The boss hangs onto the railings and coupled with the limited space due to the railings, has some annoying almost sure-fire death patterns.

3A. CROSS FIRE
Battle against the side of a freakishly huge air battle ship, the boss bursts outta the top and he's one mean demon toting one big gun.




3B. OUTCAST CASTLE
Fly through a castle full of outcasts (hence the name). Gets tight as you navigate through the castle's corridors battling bats and other assorted oddities. Stage is home to one of the cooler looking bosses in the game -- a huge dracula-like creature with card tossing attack patterns among others. Satisfying to blow his ass up.

4A. DEEPLY DUNGEON
Swamp area with dead trees. Eerie atmosphere here. Stage opens with two fire sprouting skeletons hanging onto the far right and left of the screen. Don't get caught though, you can blow up if the you hang around long and the screen scrolls up. In fact there is a lot of that in some stages, keep in the open and don't wait behind barriers! Creepy underwater openings where eels and leeches pop out. The boss is a disgusting bubbly organism that hangs onto the sides like the boss from AIR CIRCUS and the stage 4 boss found in Layer Section AKA Galactic Attack.


Now imagine it set underwater against a disgusting bubbly organism..

4B. COLD CORRIDOR
Other than this "cheap" cop-out, each stage in KG is really different. This is a lot like DEEPLY DUNGEON only you're in the winter land with dead trees. Opens with the same looking skeletons chained off to the far sides. Thankfully it has different enemies after that, however. But get to the boss and he's basically the dragon gold plated boss from VELMATIC OCEAN, albeit with different attack patterns. I guess you didn't kill him the first time... so kill him for good now... oh yeah this stage has a speed-up section where the tight tunnels zoom left and right... so it takes a real pro to fly through this section unsmashed!

5A. STRATO STORM
An intense battle over dark thunder clouds... very moody, there's an isolated feeling of bleakness in this great looking stage. Boss is a HULKING good ole fashioned battleship.

5B. FOREST OF DEAD!
A cool stage with enough beasties to satisfy the biggest monster fan. Sections where you can blow giant 'shrooms and tombstones to hundreds of pieces -- sweet. The super hard druids debut here... very annoying attack pattern. The game's coolest mid-boss makes his appearence here... a flying rotting ghoul who shoots out fire and maggots. Tough sucker. Boss is a malpracticed oddity... a baby face in the front who shoots out a long disgusting tongue, and to the side are two eagle-like faces. Very difficult.

Then you make your way to the final stage, either

KOBOLOS TOWER
YASHIKI OF NINJA
or
KINGDOM GRANDPRIX itself

I won't spoil these stages for you but lemme just say...

Kobolos Tower is by far the easiest of the three.

Yashiki of Ninja has a boss that is agile with lots of sure-death patterns.

KG's end boss protects himself by first throwing about 20 midboss types at you.

Have fun...

Oh yeah the interesting thing to note about this game is that you can only die by enemy fire or staying behind a wall once the screen scrolls past. Yes, you can touch enemy ships (and even the bosses) and not be harmed. Only their fire can take you out.

Do I recommend this game? Well, it was made in 1994 so don't expect it to technically blow you away. But it has a nice old-school sort of feel, from the "choose your path next" system to the corny stage names to the choice of 8 different ships (the most I ever encountered in a shooter!)... KG is worth a look. For years I held out on it because my budget on this game was $30 or under. It usually went for 35+ a year or so ago, but I managed to get a copy for 32 dollars roughly. I wouldn't pay $45 for it, though, and I recommend you don't either.

It's easily Raizing's weakest Saturn shooter, but that's not to say KG is weak. That is only to say how good Souky and Garegga are.

Overall, KG has a nice feel and who knows, you may enjoy the racing part more than others did... and if not, hey, there's always the straight up shooter mode to fall back on.

for more pics go here:

http://www.markinjapan.com/detail.php?selected=1744

For Contra and Mech Lovers

WOLF FANG





Oddly titled Wolf Fang 2001 SS, I'll just call it Wolf Fang. It's a side scrolling shooter where you control a mech. Assault Suit Leynos II? Well, yeah, there are definitely similarities. However, WF is a LOT LOT easier.

The game opens with a nice 3D intro that really puts you in the mood to kick some mech butt. Intro shows 2 mechs working together to destroy a horde of bad guys. From lasers to up-close saber light sword kills, it does a good job of pumping you up.

The actual game is 2D, and in fact, was an arcade release in 1994, so yeah, don't expect the graphics to overwhelm the senses. In fact, these graphics could be handled by the Super NES, if not the Genesis. That's not to say the graphics are bad, oh no. They're serviceable but yeah, don't expect Metal Slug detail or beauty.

Wolf Fang is not a pure 2D shooter, more like a hybrid between shooter and action platformer like Metal Slug or Assault Suit Leynos, but faster than MS or ASL, and with the forced scrolling characteristic of "pure" shooters.

A player can choose from one of four pre-set mechs or select from 16 parts -- a combination of their own for a custom mech. The instruction manual lists 63 possible mech types, but I've no idea if they are types to unlock or a list of in-game evolutions you can undergo as you collect power-ups. The mechs range from the standard two-legged variety, to tank treaded ones, to 4-legged hoppers.

All mechs shoot forward, and diagonally up.

R dashes. You can dash in mid-air, mid-jump, whatever you like. It comes in handy and can be done an unlimited number of times.

L holds. So when you want to constantly shoot diagonally up and not be bothered by simple d-pad switcharoos while avoiding crossfire and not changing directions of your bullet pattern, this is a must-master button.

You can face right, or left. To face either direction, simply press the D-Pad in the desired direction and don't shoot. Once you shoot, you cannot change directions, which is smart, otherwise the controls would be an ugly mess and render the game unplayable.

Get your mech upclose and he'll unleash his saber lightsword attack. It seems to be more powerful than your standard gun. There are icons floating around to get new guns. Laser guns, etc.

Interestingly enough, the game starts a player out with two lives. The first life is that of the mech; it can take six hits before it crashes and burns. Then the mech's pilot comes out of the wreckage wearing a tiny powersuit that allows him/her to fly around and continue to lay out the carnage. Said pilot can only take two hits before dying, and also has no over-weapon access. The good thing about the pilot is that he is SO MUCH smaller than the giant mechs. Consider this pilot system a last ditch effort, heh heh.

It is 2 player co-op.

Game takes about 45 minutes to complete, and well, most stages I played on you just fight the boss right away. It's a little odd. After some time, if the boss is not defeated, you move on to the next stage regardless, and get a boss bonus of 0 points. It's not what I'm used to. There were a few stages where I actually fought through some enemy fodder before facing the boss. I liked this style more because it's the "traditional" way and I feel at home with it. The boss battles are alright. Some are giant mechs while others are giant ships spanning many screens with many turrets to take out.

I can guarantee you at first Wolf Fang will overwhelm you with its control and boss fights. You may even get frustrated. However, like most games stick with it and it gets more natural and better, as a result.

In the end though, Wolf Fang is a mixed bag for me with too many ups and downs. It is not rare but not common either, and copies usually go for 30-45. I can't whole-heartedly recommend it but I'm sure there will be those who will love this game. For all others, try to get it for 30 or less.

Closest I've ever gotten to playing Kingdom Grandprix is just as the characters in Garegga (go into the Options menu, mess with some stuff and they're in the Character Select). No one ever seems to sell it on the forums.

And what, no mention of Vapor Trail or Skull Fang? Wolf Fang's the end of the trilogy bro, you've got to stack it up against its predecessors! I'm pretty curious how much I'd like it since it's such a big departure from the series, hopefully it's a lot better than Skull Fang.

LoneSage said:

Closest I've ever gotten to playing Kingdom Grandprix is just as the characters in Garegga (go into the Options menu, mess with some stuff and they're in the Character Select). No one ever seems to sell it on the forums.

And what, no mention of Vapor Trail or Skull Fang? Wolf Fang's the end of the trilogy bro, you've got to stack it up against its predecessors! I'm pretty curious how much I'd like it since it's such a big departure from the series, hopefully it's a lot better than Skull Fang.

Click to expand...

IMO Wolf Fang is absolute shit... Skull Fang was actually a better game...

jp. said:

IMO Wolf Fang is absolute shit... Skull Fang was actually a better game...

Click to expand...

Lone, never played the other 2 games so can't comment.

jp never played Skull Fang so can't comment. However, everyone I've read on Skull Fang says it's absolute horse shit. Wolf Fang has far more favorable opinions with a few "I couldn't get into it" thoughts.

I actually gave it another go earlier. And enjoyed it a lot more. There are 2 modes. Saturn and Arcade. On Arcade mode you actually go through "levels" and THEN face the end boss. I still won't whole-heartedly recommend it like I did say, Hanagumi Columns, but it's not bad..

If you want a good mech based side-scroller get Assault Suit Leynos 2. IMO Wolf Fang had horrid graphics, controls, gameplay, etc. Just... meh.


Skull Fang looks average, but it at least has a really unique and interesting "boss fight" system going for it. The rest of the levels are incredibly mediocre...

Fists of Iron and Souls of Steel!

ZERO DIVIDE: THE FINAL CONFLICT





One of the many great things about SEGA SATURN MAGAZINE is all the good games they've opened my eyes to, either genres I previously dismissed, or games I once felt were so rubbish they were not worth a look at to begin with.

Zero Divide, a 3D robot brawler on the PlayStation 1, was such. I knew about a ZD game on Saturn, but had always said "Ah whatever" to it. After reading SSM issues #27 and #28, I did a complete 180. I learned that PS1 had Zero Divide and ZD 2: The Secret Wish. Saturn got the 3rd and final game, aptly titled ZERO DIVIDE THE FINAL CONFLICT.

And well, any game that gets a 4 page showcase from SSM, I can put my good faith into!

I have played the game now and can come to my own conclusions. Here are some quick notes:

-Great hi-res graphics
-Combos feel impactful and sweet to execute
-A way cool "dangle on the edge of the platform" system
-Armor can break off! Leaving a 'bot completely naked! Its black body pulsating in a fashion that does RADIANT SILVERGUN proud!
-60 FPS no slowdown
-Good character variety

Overall, I'm digging ZD TFC. I'm so glad SSM did their part to spread the word on this game, otherwise I would have gone on dismissing it as a crappy fighter. So Virtua Fighter fans listen up! Put Zero Divide on your wish list and get those thumbs ready!

Without further ado... here's SSM's take on ZD: TFC!

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Robots are great. They cannot be bargained with, they know no fear or pity, they don't feel pain or remorse, and they certainly don't have any problems when it comes to holding their own in the combat arena. No doubt Japanese coders Zoom are also keen on all things robotic, as they've taken fighters and levels from the two previous PlayStation versions of Zero Divide, and combined them to form this 'Special Edition' game. So let's take a look at the Saturn version of Zero Divide, the aptly subtitled "The Final Conflict."

CONSOLATION PRIZE
Those of you who are still upset at the lack of a Saturn version of Virtua Fighter 3 can take a bit of comfort from playing Zero Divide The Final Conflict -- the game completely copies the VF3 control system to perfection -- punch, kick, guard and evade are the four buttons players need to master, and it's pretty obvious that the programmers are big fans of Sega's VF games, as the gameplay is firmly rooted in the VF formula.

Most of the robots share some similar basic PPK moves, with special moves being accessed in the classic VF2 way -- towards, towards punch usually gets a result, and variations on PPPK and some A+B throw moves will make VF fans quickly feel at home.

ACCESSING DATA....
ZD is certainly well set up for fighting action. The game features ten initial fighters with a further three hidden robots, and they all play differently as well. Thanks to the weird shapes and styles of their mechanoid bodies, some truly strange moves can be pulled off. Cancer, one of the crab-like fighters, is quite spectacular -- due to his massive screen-filling size and plentiful supply of spare limbs to use, he can lunge across the whole screen to grab his opponent. In last month's preview we mentioned the similarities between ZD and VF2 -- and after another few weeks of playing it seems to have even more in common with Sega's classic beat 'em up! Hi-res fighters, 60 frames per second visuals, colorful backgrounds and rock-hard gameplay make Saturn Zero Divide one of the best looking 3D fighters we've seen.

LUBRICATING YOUR JOINTS
It really does look very good. Some of the stages are totally enclosed, some have walls around half of the arena while some are completely open and floating in space (more on those later). But that's not all -- the backgrounds are all incredibly colorful, and many feature pulsating colors and special effects. The fighters themselves look great and animate smoothly and well, with multi-limbed creatures rotating and scuttling around the battle zone, and armor plates being smashed off with every fierce move.

DON'T PUSH ME 'COS I'M CLOSE TO THE EDGE
Ooh, how exciting -- I've found an original feature! Some of the arenas have walls around them, while others have no borders at all -- they're just big floating platforms. This allows for some spectacular Ring Outs as robots plummet to their screaming death if they fall over the edge. There's also another cool feature here -- merely stumbling over the edge will often allow the falling fighter to grab hold of the ledge, and hang there trying to pull itself back into the ring. Particularly cold-hearted opponents will then stamp on their fingers so that they let go and fall off!


different characters have different "stomp" moves!

ANALYSIS MISTER SPOCK?
After an exclusive playtest, we can reveal that the Saturn version of Zero Divide is pretty damn good. It's not quite up to Dead or Alive standards, but Zero Divide could easily be described as "the 2nd best import 3D fighter, behind Dead or Alive." Which is quite high praise really. The graphics are there, the gameplay is there, but will the UK release date appear on Sega's calender? We can only wait and see. Sega's decisions are illogical.


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Alright here are the 10 fighters with comments from both SSM and me.

ZERO
Robot Rating: 8/10
Fights in a very similar way to Jacky and Sarah from VF. Which is a good thing. He's also got some very complex combo's in a similar style to Akira. One for technical fighters only. me: With his fist attacks reminds me a lot of Akira.
Most Complex Move: B, DF, P, F, P, B, F, P+K

TAU
RR: 9/10
The best looking and most aggressive fighter, Tau has some incredible moves using his claws to grab and spin opponents around his head, before slamming them to the floor. me: Tau is a giant crab-like creature, has a cool whip throw that is very dramatic and painful looking.
MCM: F, F, B, P+G

WILD 3
RR: 7/10
Wild 3 managed to sneak a gun past the bouncers. His chunky weapon can also be used as a close-range club, but Wild 3's lack of basic PK combinations stop him from being a contender. me: Cool looking humanoid 'bot. Has a beautiful pro wrestling suplex that will smash your opponent's armor! Throw from behind and it's a wicked snap back suplex, crushing their cranium into the canvas. His gun is lodged in his back pocket, which he can take out to shoot a blast Sagat style (high or low). Has also a quick resourceful gun shot that is amazingly fast, and when you're hanging on the edge Wild 3 will shoot down at your hands. When opponents fall down, he can shoot them while they're lying down. A fun mercenary type personality... after he wins he shouts "HASTA LA VISA PUNK!"
MCM: B, F, F, P, P, B, P

EOS
RR: 6/10
Eos is unique amongst the Zero Dividers. He has no PPPK moves at all -- instead he relies on his incredible arsenal of eleven different throws! One for diehard gamers only. me: cool looking 1 eyed brown bot with big fists
MCM: B, B, P, BD, P

IO
RR: 8/10
IO shares so many moves with Sarah from VF that I'm convinced Sarah herself is underneath the armor! Sarah's rising knee and flip kick are prefectly 'reproduced' here. me: Pink female 'bot. Cool assortment of kicks including a quick Flash Kick.
MCM: D, P+K, P, K

CYGNUS
RR: 9/10
Hey, who let him use the knives? Cygnus is very powerful indeed, and his extra weapons give him some powerful individual moves, and he has a simple to use nine hit PPPK combo! me: My favorite ZD fighter, this cool one-eyed humanoid blue ninja bot is just way too cool, he sports two energy knives, has a vicious 5-hit knife combo throw, and a devestating bulldog takedown from behind. Has a spinning heel kick effective for catching opponents off guard. Has his own Flash Kick variant where he flips forward AFTER flipping backward attacking with his two energy knives. Has a cool 2 hit low sweep just like Guile. Sweet easy combo I did with him was kick my enemy in the air, as they fell I did the two hit low sweep. They got up, I spin heel kicked them and they ring'ed out. SWEET!
MCM: D, P+K, K, K, K, K, K, K, K

DRACO
RR: 8/10
Tough sci-fi robotic dragon Draco looks great, with huge spiky scales and armor -- he can even use his tail as an extra limb for even bigger combos. Head butts his opponents as well! me: Impressive looking dragon. Mean headbutt move that would make Andre the Giant proud. Behind throw he absolutely OWNZ JOO! First he shoves you face first down, takes one foot and pounds it on the small of your back and the other foot down empathically on the back of your head -- ouch! Also has a cool multi-hit flame blast.
MCM: F, F, B, P+G

NEREID
RR: 9/10
Another PPPK specialist, Nereid also has some very powerful kick. Something to do with having huge, metal feet I suppose. Five different throws as well. Very tough. me: interestingly designed red killer of a 'bot... with extra limbs to place more blows in. He does have some very huge metal feet attacks.
MCM: F, P, B, P, P, P

PIXEL
RR: 7/10
Another chick robot, Pixel compares best to VF2's Pai. Speedy PPPP moves and quick escapes are definitely her 'bag', although she lacks any really damaging single attacks. Shame. me: agile yellow female 'bot... I didn't dig her too much.
MCM: DF, K, F, P, B, F, K

CANCER
RR: 9/10
An awesome crab-like machine, very big, very powerful and also very fast. He has a huge reach and loads of easy-to-use PPK combos and awesome throws, making him one of the best fighters. me: Cancer has missile projectile attacks to boot, in addition to his devestating "cruncher" throw.. ouch.

2nd Best 3D Import Fighter (behind DOA!)

Well that's it! Some other final notes:

Game opens with a bizarre space intro with these English words:

Welcome Crackers! We don't have much time will you go on and crack me please!

Check out the animation for when the face mask/armor flies off, it's so satisfying to hear the break sound effect and watching the bot stagger back holding its face... a thing of beauty

The break feature is awesome and really makes the game seem like a robot duel to the death. It has VF2 and Fighting Viper elements.

Game is in complete english. The boss spews out English words with JP subtitles. It is 100% in english...

1P, 2P, training (with a handy move guide), Story, Record and Replay modes await you.

Jumping is not too floaty and feels almost right. There is also a "short jump" feature that is handy in throwing the opposition off guard!

Overall, a very very good fighting game worth hunting down. Shouldn't run you more than $15 and if you liked VF2, you are sure to enjoy this. I'm not the biggest VF fan but I really enjoy this game. Cool crunching sound effects, great graphics, smooth controls and well... 2nd best import 3D fighter? Between this and Elan Doree it's a close battle, but I'll agree with Sega Saturn Magazine!

So-So Divide

SOL DIVIDE




What better title to follow up Zero Divide than Sol Divide? Sol Divide is a horizontal shmup from the folks at Psikyo... and do they know how to make shooters. Unfortunately, they tried to stray away from the formula with Sol Divide, and while it has some unique features, ultimately it's quite average.

You have rapid fire, attack and magic. There are more than five different spells to cast, from fire to lightning, etc. Attack makes your character "slash" with his or her given close-range weapon. So when enemies get up close, you can either shoot or slice 'em up. There are 2 males and 1 female to select from. The enemies take a ton of hits before they die... lots of tough cookies here in the form of griffins, skeletons and guardsmen.

Because your character is so big, it's hard to effectively dodge bullets... and you can't help but blame the character size as fault. Luckily there's an energy bar so your guy can take several hits before he dies. Each level is presented with a giant end boss, sand worms, evil gods, Hydra's, are but a few of the creatures you'll fight. Oh and of course the standard dragons.




Sega Saturn Magazine did a 2 page preview on Sol Divide and here it is

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If the name Psikyo rings a bell, it should. This dedicated Japanese developer has been producing solid console titles for a number of years now, although none have ever been picked up for (Western) release. Regular readers will have encountered Psikyo's work with the 2D beat 'em up 'Groove on Fight' as well as the forthcoming coin-op, Fallen Angels. Sol Divide sees the company on familiar ground, with an impressive mix of fast-paced shoot 'em up action and screen-hogging end-of-level bosses.The game immerses players on yer typical fantasy environments, complete with monsters, magic and er.. musclebound men with ridiculous hero names like Kashon..

Selecting either Arcade or Saturn (Original) Modes launches your chosen hero into an epic, side-scrolling battle against the forces of darkness. Gameplay is fast and fluid with multiple on-screen enemies unleashing all manner of energy-leeching attacks, before players tackle massive stage guardians. Typical shooter elements are in full effect as players have basic shots and weapon strikes at their disposal, with more visually impressive magical assaults collected along the way. By blasting creatures, picking up treasure chests they leave behind and then unlocking these with the correct keys, players soon gain access to graphically staggering powers. And you'll need 'em.

Other items may also be collected, such as potions and health-icons, yet some of these often have a negative effect on the player's health. Knowing which icons to pick up and avoid proves almost as troublesome as some of the creatures encountered in the game's latter stages. Speaking of which, setting the game's difficulty to the easiest (the bizarrely labelled 'Monkey'!) and opting for a spot of two-player-team-up action enables even the most talentless of gamers to blast through to the final end-of-level boss in no time at all. Ho hum..

Still, Sol Divide's most impressive feature has to be its amazing animated bosses. Seemingly inspired by Ray Harryhausen's legendary stop-motion monster models, these creations are often so huge that they dwarf players and are sometimes actually larger than the screen. We've seen towering end-of-level guardians before but the fact that these gory giants are subtly animated and move with a speed that belies their bulk is testament to Psikyo's programming skills.

Recent 2D scrolling shoot 'em ups have either been retro blasters or space-based battlers, but Sol Divide's fantasy spin actually gives this title a personality of its own. At first glance we were convinced this was just another indecipherable Japanese offering. However, time spent with Sol Divide actually leaves you wanting more of the same. From challenging levels and creatures to a for the most-part lack of slow-down and cool spells, Sol divide proves its mettle. Of course additional levels, playable characters and fully rendered endings would not have gone amiss but maybe Psikyo could squeeze these features into a Dreamcast sequel? Fingers crossed..

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Overall, I can't recommend Sol Divide unless you're a diehard shooter fan. The game goes for 30+ I believe, so I was pretty happy when I got it for $20 two years back. I hated it when I first played it. 2nd time around (these past couple days) I've grown to halfway like it... but yeeeah, it's no AAA shooter. It's got some nice things going for it, but in the end I just much rather play Souky or Radiant Silvergun. A lot of people hate Sol Divide with a passion, but I say it's average, if not slightly above mediocre. But yeah, that's about it. Oh, it does open with a KILLER CG intro. But on the downside again -- you can blow through this game in a measly dozen minutes -- yup. And you face 8 bosses no less! SD has that "poof! There's the boss!" syndrome... stages are incredibly short.




Not bad... you could do a whole lot worst... but definitely not a game to place the high-priority want sign on.

For more pics go here:

http://www.markinjapan.com/detail.php?selected=1764

Hyper WHAT?!?

Tonight is a bonus 2-for-1 deal. First we examine how the people responsible for the famed and loved ThunderForce series fared with their Virtual On clone HYPER REVERTHION




The game opens with an incredibly corny intro, with a horrible English voice over. You have Story mode, 2P, Try Mode and Options. Try Mode is just you vs. any CPU of your choice in any stage of your choice. Good mode to play to get used to the 8 different characters In the options there is a bit of stuff going on. Time and difficulty adjustment, along with controls (you can even set special moves to one press of a button), ring size, energy size, etc.

L = dash left
R = dash right
down left = turn around clockwise
down right = turn around counter clockwise
up = move up
down = move down
left = go left
right = go right
A = shoot standard projectile (quite weak)
B = dash (you have a dash bar)
C = jump (you can dash in air forward or backward)

The game has 8 selectable characters. You only control and see the monsters, but behind every monster is represented by a human character.

TEAG
Red dragon, has a fire blast

ZILD
Blue shark-like monster. Ramming attack and force field-like attack

AIHAN
Green turtle-like creature. Opens shell to launch assault. Big and slow.

TIAMILLA
Butterfly. Her "A" button shoots out a single ray, as opposed to most of the other characters' 3-4 circular blasts. Her single pink ray also does more damage than most other A's. Has a multiple ray attack as one special move, and the other sees her shooting out a stinger that does the most damage in the game.

COOMA
Ugly grey-black spider. Also shoots a single red ray that is strong like Tiamilla's. Lounging attack and a spider web trap where you get stuck for easy pickings.

MYSARA
White dragon. Multiple rays, ray launcher and a powerful force field attack

KNUANI
Giant crab creature. Only character whose "button A" does not produce a projectile. Instead it's a mini (powerful) force field type attack. Has a nasty throw as a special, effective for Ring Out's. Strong potential 3 hit slash.

KISS
Hornet. Projectiles and stinger attack


I beat the game once, and you are treated to a nice ending (unfortunately all in JP so I knew jack). The 8th guy you face is your own replica monster, and the 9th is the final boss of the game, who is huge and very tough. All moves executed on him don't take off the NORMAL kind of damage they would the regular characters. The game gives you only 3 continues and I got to him on my last continue. Beat him by Ring Out. If you beat the game with all 8 characters you unlock the final boss in either Try or VS. mode.




Overall Hyper Reverthion is nothing to write home about. The graphics are so-so (compared to PSX's great looking graphics, I think Saturn users got hosed here in the port), and so-so gameplay... yet there's still a certain charm to this game I can't put my finger on. For $50 I'd hate this purchase, but for $10 it's not bad. Just don't expect a Virtual On beater, and you should be alright. The main thing to keep in mind is... you won't be pulling off any 2-in-1 combos... it simply can't be done. Gameplay is a bit on the slow side with some minor slowdown here and there. The 8 stages are nicely done, however, with each stage having walls and barriers to hide behind and use strategically. But yeah, it's nothing to write home about. For big time VO fans though, this may be worth a look at $10. And trust me, it is a lot better than the tragically appalling GEBOCKERS.

Balls of Steel

OK time for our 2nd game tonight. Also from Tecnosoft... it's....

STEELDOM





Yes, you guessed right... it's the sequel to Hyper Reverthion! Gone are the special moves as one button option, gone is the Try mode, and gone are all 8 HR fighters..

The game opens with a KILLER CG intro... with excellent music... this is what I'm talking about.

The controls are mostly the same, only with the added feature of button X... which automatically turns you to face your opponent... a much needed feature! Graphically it blows HR out of the water, with crisper textures and more details, including a cool stage that snows. Ring Out's are still a part of the game, although this time is a lot harder to pull off. Instead of "animals" as fighters, the game seems to take on a more humanoid/fighting spirit approach. Here are the 8 fighters:

ZERAI
Red samurai spirit with glowing horns and status quo sword. 3 sword slash attack and a projectile wave. I can't use him too well, but when the CPU uses him oh man it's scary.

SORMA
White knight in shining armor. Fires an incredible blast that can go through barriers, and has a lounging attack where he sticks you fast and furious finishing you off with an icy freeze attack.

KIRIA
4-armed insectoid-like Egytian deity. Launches 4 bombs, and has a rushing throw where it takes you up to the heavens and slams you down hard. Very powerful!

GORLAN
Purple beast holding 2 knives. Throws 2 giant orange knives as a special move, and the other he conjures a storm that sucks you up high and drops you down hard.

REIRA
"Ghost-faced" samurai-like warrior with a huge backpocket sword. Throws 3 ninja stars -- left right A it curves left, but right left A it will curve right. Nice. Also tosses its giant orange backpocket sword at its opponent for major damage and multiple hits

DAIKU
Weird brown looking warrior with a beer belly. Has a 3 punch combo that packs a wallop. Launches shoulder projectile in the air and crashing down on your skull. Also tosses a grenade exploding on impact that is effective for Ring Out's.

KAI
Green creature with 2 different hands. Major league throw that is good for Ring Outs and taking off mucho energy.

MISAKI
Pink creature that jumps in the air and shoots a line of fire outta the ground. Can conjure 5 fireballs and you press A from here on out to launch each one at the time of your discretion. Or simply wait 2 seconds and she'll throw all 5 at the same time.

Steeldom improves on HR in many ways, though I wish the original 8 fighters made it here too in a "Fighters MegaMix" sort of package. Ah wells. Steeldom is better, but it's still not anything above an "above average game." Still, it can be had for $15 or so, and if you like TecnoSoft or must have every game they made, you could do a lot worse than Hyper Reverthion and Steeldom. It's nice to play both and see where TecnoSoft made improvements and whatnot. Just remember this is a battle of wits as much as it is brute force... and while it's no Street Fighter Alpha 2 in terms of combo's... it's a decent diversion.




2P is done split-screen, though Steeldom gives you the option of "link mode"... but what are the odds today that anyone will experience that? =P

Lastly, the game also gives you 3 continues. But for infinite continues hold L & R then press Start at the Continue Screen. See ya cats later!