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Review: Pocket Fighter |
Hee hee. It’s good to know video game programmers have the same demented sense of humor we gamers have. (Or at least this gamer anyways) Pocket Fighter (looks like the name will stick in the States) may not be one of the most horribly deep fighters, nor is it one of the most difficult, but it is silly fun, and boy is it ever fun.
If the graphics seem somewhat familiar to you, that would be because the majority of these SD (super-deformed, for those who don’t watch a sick amount of anime like me…) cuties are from Super Puzzle Fighter 2:Turbo (SPF2x in Japan). The PSX pulls off this little CPS2 beauty quite nicely, with next to no slowdown and bearable load times. This fact is quite relieving, especially after the abysmal XSF:EX. The backgrounds are a regular who’s who of Capcom lore, with cameo after cameo. (Including Charlie/Nash and Guile, Yun/Yang, Birdie, Cammy, and MANY more) Overall, not an incredibly taxing game on the measly PSX RAM, but it still turned out nicely nonetheless.
The sounds are what make this game. There is some speech from the arcade missing, but there’s still a TON of voice, only adding to the sickening cute factor. :) Speaking of cute…
The gameplay in this game is not really supposed to be taken seriously. 3 button setup: Punch, Kick, and Super. If this were a real game, that would be leaving a lot to be desired. Supers are done with a single motion (Down to Forward, Half-Circle Back, etc.) and the Super button. Not spectacularly difficult. Plus, if you hit just the Super button, you get a Guard Crush, which spits out Gems, and destroys blocking characters. Oh yeah, Gems. Gems can be acquired from a couple different scenarios. Basically, they power up regular special moves. No big deal. The only other notable gameplay note are the Flash Combos. In essence, you tap the Punch and Kick buttons in specified sequences and your character changes into humorous costumes (Morrigan into a nurse, Felicia into Rockman/Megaman, Chun into Jill Valentine, etc.). VERY funny.
This Capcom offering showcases mostly the usual suspects: Ryu, Ken, Akuma (isn’t anyone tired of these bozos yet?), Chun, Dan (”OYAJIIII!!”), Zangief (SD ‘Gief is hilarious!), Sakura, Morrigan, Lei Lei/Hsien-Ko, Felicia (SOOOO cute!), Tessa from Red Earth/Warzard, and Ibuki from SF3. Mostly ladies, as you can tell.
Did I forget to mention the bonuses in the home versions? Well, there’s the Running Battle (also known as Survival Mode), Free Battle (Versus Mode), and Training Mode (of course). Not only this, but we lucky gamers get an Edit Mode. Tessa gives you a psychological profile (consisting of some fairly standard questions), and based on that profile, the computer creates a character customized for you, which you can bulk up by fighting computer opponents (you, unfortunately, don’t control your brainchild). You can even fight against your Shoto-gatchi (sorry, I had to! Be gentle with the produce!) with regular characters. Thank you, Capcom, for adding worthwhile extras.
OK. If I have to be SUPER-critical (which I usually am), there are several voices missing from the arcade, plus the occasional frame of animation. (If both players choose the same character, what was missing becomes more noticeable). PSX RAM limitations strike again! That and the game has a very low skill ceiling. *shrugs shoulders* Big deal.
In the end, Pocket Fighter is not for the die-hard fight fan in search of the newest strategic masterpiece. However, the Capcom enthusiast will REVEL in this little piece of SD heaven. Oh yeah, and don’t worry PSX owners, the Saturn version won’t be much better. :)
Bottom Line: If ever there was a fighting game the ladies could play, this is it. Super-cute, super-easy, and REALLY funny.
- Dark Schneider
