DreamMix TV: World Fighters

"Not Just a Super Smash Bros. Rip-off"

What do you get when you cross Super Smash Bros. with popular Konami, Hudson, and Takara characters? DreamMix TV: World Fighters! While this game may be a Super Smash Bros. clone at heart, don't write it off as not being worthwhile; playing it won't give you a ‘been there, done that' feeling. DreamMix TV presents enough twists in its gameplay to make it a completely fresh and unique experience.

Graphics: 7/10
The graphics in this game aren't spectacular, but are far from bad. The characters all look fine, some even sport great detail. One thing that I find impressive about this game is the ability to select entirely different outfits for many of the characters to wear (unlike Super Smash Bros. which generally only offers one outfit per character, in different colors). The stages in this game also appear to be quite attractive. However, some levels look better than others: the Castlevania stage is littered with aesthetically pleasing statues and rubble, while the Bomberman stage appears blocky and simplistic.

Gameplay: 8/10
If you've played Super Smash Bros, you'll be able to pick up DreamMix TV's gameplay in a snap. It has the same fighter-style gameplay that involves throwing punches, using special moves, and grabbing items. But unlike Super Smash Bros. which focuses on throwing opponents off the stage, DreamMix TV opts to use a life bar. Every time a character takes damage, his life gauge decreases and he drops ‘life tokens' which you can collect to replenish your own life. When a character's life reaches zero, his ‘soul' floats out of his body. If that character can grab his ‘soul' back, he stays in the game, but if another player takes it first, he's out for good. This is probably the biggest difference between DreamMix TV and Super Smash Bros, and is a surprisingly fun variation in gameplay!

Controls: 9/10
The controls in this game are simple and intuitive. The B button triggers physical attacks, X unleashes special moves, A jumps, Y allows you to grab your opponent, and the shoulder buttons block attacks. Pressing a direction on the analog stick in conjunction with the B or X buttons creates different physical and special attacks. While figuring out how to use the controls may be confusing at first (figuring out those special attacks had me stumped for a bit), after a few matches, they'll become second nature.

Characters/Stages: 8/10
Half the fun of Super Smash Bros. was seeing all of our favorite Nintendo characters battling each other in familiar milieux. If you're like me, you've never heard of half of the guys in this game, so can it be nearly as fun? Well, yes! At first, there are enough recognizable characters here so you won't feel totally lost (ex: Bomberman, Master Higgins from Adventure Island, Optimus Prime of Transformers, and even Barbie's little sister). There are also stages to accompany each character. As you progress, you'll unlock more characters you'll surely recognize, while the others you never saw before start to grow on you. In addition, each character in this game is completely unique from the other characters. There are slow, strong characters and weaker, fast ones. Each character's special moves are very different from the others'. This helps increase the fun factor of the game and prolongs its replay value.

Import Friendly?
This game is extremely import friendly. The main menu is easy to figure out for a person who doesn't read Japanese. The first option on the menu is the single-player game, and a couple down is multiplayer – It's all very logical. Not to mention, nearly all the text in the actual fighting matches seems to be in English. You won't have any trouble understanding what's going on.

Buy/Rent
Well, I assume most people reading this review can't rent Japanese games at their local video stores… but if you like Super Smash Bros. and want to try something new (or are getting tired of the same old Super Smash Bros. characters and formula), DreamMix TV is definitely worth a shot.

Final Score: 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/06/06