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Review: Ehrgeiz |
Ehr what? Yeah, yeah, I know. Dream Factory’s first project after Tobal 2 was indeed oddly named. When it came out in the arcades, Ehrgeiz received little to no press, despite being a conglomeration of Namco hardware and Dream Factory design. One would think that would be a guaranteed hit, no? Well, I played it in the arcades very little, and while the Tobal-like free movement system and the FF7 characters definitely brought me in, the bland character design and certain aspects of the gameplay system really turned me off. I found myself moving back to the Alpha 3 and KoF ‘98 machines within an hour. However, this is Dream Factory, so I decided to give the home version a try.
God Bless the Ring is all I have to say.
While not technically the most precise home conversion, Ehrgeiz definitely stands heads and shoulders above it’s 3D PSX competition (with the possible exception of Destrega). The backgrounds are looking good, and the characters, while not as smooth as their arcade counterparts, are definitely passable. This, after all, was a System 12 game. The special effects in the home version are also not as special as their arcade brethren. However, only the true anal arcade-goer will notice.
From an audio standpoint, Ehrgeiz puzzles me. The music is, for the most part, above average (I especially enjoy the opening track). However, the sound effects all sound like they were recorded in a static storm. Muffled voices? On the PSX? Huh?
Gameplay is, for the most part, very reminiscent of Tobal 2. Timing combos, as well as generic tap combos take up the bulk of the fighting, with unblockable weapon moves, counters, and VERY Tobal-like grapples round out the engine quite nicely. The weapon moves always irritated me in the arcade. However, now that I’ve become more adjusted to the way the game plays, avoiding them, or countering them has become a little easier. The beginner will get frustrated with them very quickly, though.
Lots of new goodies were added to the PSX version to sweeten the deal. First, 5 more characters (6 if count Zack) were added for your gaming amusement. Sephiroth, Vincent, and Yuffie from FF7 make appearances (although Vincent plays exactly like Godhand), plus Koji Masuda (winner of the 2 previous Ehrgeiz tourneys), and his sidekick, Claire Andrews. In addition to our extra characters, the home version offers several mini-games. Battle Runner is a full-contact track and field meet, Battle Beach is a series of Track + Field-like (Konami NES game) races set on the beach, Infinity Battle is a survival mode, and Battle Panel is a game of full-contact Othello. :) Finally, an all new quest mode, dubbed “The Godless Dungeons”, awaits those who can speak Japanese fluently. While I’ve seen a couple of basic quest mode FAQs on gamefaqs.com already, wait until some complete ones get done before tackling it. It’s tough for those with only a rudimentary knowledge of Japanese, much less zero knowledge. Tack on full D
In the end, I still can’t get into Ehrgeiz like I could Tobal 2. Perhaps it’s the characters, perhaps it’s the weapons, or perhaps it’s just me. However, any true Final Fantasy fan will jump at the chance to finally settle that Cloud vs. Sephiroth battle. Plus, the game is technically proficient and loaded with extra goodies.
Bottom Line: A great translation with lots of extra goodies. However, I’ll still take Tobal 2 personally as my fav 3D fighting game of all time.
Note: The proper pronunciation for this game is: “Air- guy- tz”. Lord knows how many butcher that.
- Dark Schneider
