Tech Romancer

"The best Capcom fighter in a long time!"

I'm going to take a second out so all you skeptics can get the ''Tech what? Kikawho?'' out of your sytem.

All better? Good.

Originally called Kikaioh, Tech Romancer was originally released in the US in 1998 as an arcade game. Due to its limited distribution, few people got to play it. This is a shame, but i wouldn't have told you that at the time. I wasn't that impressed when i played it the first time.
Why'd i buy the Dreamcast version? I was rather bored. If i had to play through Virtual on Oratario Tangram one more time, i'd have gone crazy.

To put is shortly, i was thrilled when i finally played this game at home.

For a short overview, Tech Romancer is a 3-d fighter. There are two things that set it apart from most other fighters (at least, at the time it was originally released)-

1. Its in 3-d. 'Up' and 'Down' move you in a circular fasion around the screen. A little slowly, i must say, but there are turning dashes and sidestep attacks, which are faster.

2. Giant robots. Yes, rather than normal humans, this game uses giant robots as its fighters. Rather well, i might add, with cool designs, superbly designed attacks, and insane Final Attacks (explained below). Each robot also mimics some anime or another. Some of the anime paroided aren't even giant robot anime either. All are pretty amusing in their own right (espically when you realise that someone could have probally sued Capcom for mimicing so many series so closely!).

3. Story. Its a little disjointed in places, yes. Some of the pilot's stories contradict each other. Some don't even seem to obey the game's continuity. On the bright side, most are worth seeing, many have alternate endings, and some of those are really worth watching (Such as, Pollin's bad ending... *snicker*). Some, unfortunately are not (For instance, Nakato's two paths are almost identical, Pulsion's routes are nearly the same whether you use Kei or Kai, Wise Duck's bad ending not only sucks but also makes no sense), but you can't have everything, i guess.

This game acts like its an anime, with theme songs, episode titles and the whole works. I don't think there was a series based on this title, but there really, really should be.

Probally one of the more fun aspects is that of the Final Attack. When you only need to win once more to finish the match, and your opponent has less than 50% health remaining, you can perfom a Final Attack. This attack is very flashy and dramatic, and kills your opponent at once if it connects! These are almost useless, strategy-wise, as they tend to be slow, and any good opponent knows you'll try to use it to kill them off, but they're fun nontheless.

The fights themselves are fun too. You fight in such places as an airport, a city, an oilfield, a volcano, a moonbase, a snowy tundra, a strange extradimensional field and even Goldibus' own throne room! Many of the backgrounds have things you can knock over, like buildings and houses. Doing so vields power ups, such as special weapons and health. Plus, knocking over buildings is fun. You wouldn't be a giant robot if you couldn't!
In addition, your fight rips up the ground too. By this, i mean that if you throw a bomb at your foe, it'll leave a crater. If you fall to the ground, you'll make a hole. If your opponent sends you sliding along the ground, you'll leave a ditch behind you. These changes don't really affect play, but they do look cool, and make things seem that much more wild.

Also, suprisingly, not only is everything from the arcade version in, but Capcom improved a few attacks and animations (G.Kaiser's final is VERY different from the arcade), AND threw in Jin Saotome and Blodia II for some real laughs! Before you scoff, Blodia II is a really great charachter, very useable. I salute Capcom... But the bosses really should have been playable too. Boo!

Now, for the breakdown:

Story:9- Join Junpei, Reika, Pollin and the others as they fight against the evil Majin Taisei Goldibus and his frightening servants! A little disjointed, but a fun and facinating story. The endings are worthwhile too. All the charachters look awsome, adding to the excitement.

Graphics:8- Good in-fight animation, excellent hand-drawn portraits. The backgrounds are simple, but get the job done. The 3-d animation works fairly well, but some of the attacks seem a little thin. Perhaps limitations of the year 1998 that couldn't be fixed now. Whatever it was, they don't detract that much from the game.

Sound:8- The in-fight musics are very good, as are the story tunes. The voices are crisp and clear, and the other sound effects are also very good. Also of note are the opening and closing themes that have actual vocals! These tunes aren't all that great, but they're amusing nontheless.

Replayability:9- With nine normal charachters, five hidden charachters, several VMU minigames, and other things to unlock, this game will have you busy for a long time.

Fun:10- An oft overlooked concept in games, rather than make a technically superior game, Capcom opted for an amusing and creative title that is bound to make you laugh as much as it would make your heart pound.

Final Score:9- Not an average. Buy this game if you own a Dreamcast and like fighters, giant robots or Capcom. Do you hear me? Buy it!

Whichever team made this game should teach all other Capcom teams on how to make a fighter. They should also team up with the Mega Man Legends team to make a downright awsome title.

Capcom, this game needs either a sequel, or a spin-off RPG. I hope your reading this, because while this might not be the game of the year, those of us who own this game love it.

Remember, polygons and frame speeds are only for tech-heads, gamers like fun and enjoyment. This game has it in spades. Again, go out and get it. You won't be sorry.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/24/00, Updated 06/24/00