Card Captor Sakura: Tomoyo no Video Taisakusen

"So good, so fun, yet so so short"

Card Captor Sakura: Tomoya's Video Battle is the first attempt at a Pokemon Snap like game on the Dreamcast. In it you play as Tomoya and you have to take pictures of Sakura with your camera ala pokemon snap style. The first few stages take you through what I think are episodes 1,3, and then 8. In the first episode you must first capture three pictures of Sakura as she goes to capture the fly card. Then as the fly card is in view, you have to take pictures of both Sakura and the fly card as she try's to capture it. You are then rewarded with a rendered cut scene right from the anime as Sakura captures the Fly card. The second level of the game takes place in the aquarium as Sakura tries to capture the Watery card. In this one Sakura is flying through the stage and you must take pictures of her on her wand as she flies and you must also take pictures of her with the water card chasing her from behind. When you are done you are rewarded once again with a game version of the anime as Sakura captures the Watery card. The last game before the Sp. level is the episode where she has to capture the Thunder card. In this one you have to first take pictures of her in the air as she tries to dodge Thunder on her Wand while she is flying. After this you must take pictures of her jumping from building to building using the jump card as she tries to get away from Thunder. Once again, if you beat the level you are rewarded with her capturing the Thunder card in yet another beautifully renedered cut scene straight from the anime v.i.a the games awesome graphics. Besides this there is only the Sp. level which I know little about. All in all, The game run's with stunningly beautiful graphics that make you feel like you are in the anime. Each level you play is just like watching an episode too; also, the beautiful in-game cut scenes add to the game making it seem more like a complete episode even after you complete the stage. Besides the beautiful graphics the game seems to have an average control and gameplay. The level of difficulty is average at best, but it is still fun to participate in the game if you are a fan of Card Captor Sakura. The major flaw is the game's length. It is incredibly short with the Tomoya video capturing part. Where the game fall's the shortest is in it's number of levels that you have to finish. Besides this there are a few small extras like a Tetris like game that you can play except the game uses fruits. All in all, Card Captor Sakura: Tomoya's Video Battle is not a bad game, but it just doesn't last long. If you are a fan of the anime I would definitely recommend you give this game a shot because it really is just like being in the anime, but still remember and be forewarned that the game is very short.
Julian Powers

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 01/11/01, Updated 01/11/01