Yuu Yuu Hakusho Gaiden

"An all original story in RPG style!"

Yu Yu Hakusho Gaiden is an interesting twist on an RPG, and about as close to a true RPG that any YYH game gets.

This game is supposed to take place during the two month period mentioned in the show, in between Yusuke's encounter with Toguro and the Ankoku Bujutsu Kai. On the TV show, other than a few training segments, little was show of what happened in the two month time span. This game is an original story on what could have happened within that time.

At the start, you select Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei or Kurama;
who each have their own unique quests to solve.
You don't have a map screen to walk around on, instead, you select various locations to search. You talk to people you run into, but other than the selection of the location, you are not in control unless you encounter an enemy. In fights, it's more basic than your text book RPG, you have actual control of the character instead of just selecting a move to perform. In battles, you can do the basics: punch, kick, and dodge. You can also perform your special move, but this lowers your ki bar and you do not get it back until later. All fighters also have the ability to move very quickly behind enemies (this is very handy!). However, fights are not very complex at all and soon you'll start looking for cheap ways to finish fights. There are no items, so you cannot heal yourself. It's do or die.
And some of the battles can be extremely hard.

The music in this game is good for a genesis game. The opening theme sounds wonderful; and there is a cool introduction showing all of the major characters. The in game music has some cool tracks, some of them I found myself listening to in sound test mode. Sound affects are passable, some sounds seem out of place though. Graphically, the game is also not too shabby. Although the fight graphics lack a real background, the actual fighters look good. The ''movie'' graphics are what really looks good in this game.

This is a cool game that was overshadowed by it's genesis brother, the Treasure fighting game. I get the feeling a lot of people passed this game up in favor of the other. This game has a cool story, cool music and is very fun. It has it's share of flaws but overall it's a strong YYH offering. Even non-YYH fans should give this game a look, it's a unique game.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/04/02, Updated 11/04/02