Gekido

"Final Fight on steriods!"

I used to love playing beat 'em ups at the arcade, especially the final fight series. Lately, this genre in gaming has lost most of its following, and there have been less and less beat 'em ups being made. Gekido has finally broken that trend and gives its older gamers a ride down memory lane while giving new gamers something to drool over.

Gameplay 8/10
The controls aren't very hard to master at all, and the addition of a combo system makes beating badies even more fun. There are several hidden characters to unlock, and the more there are, the merrier. The game goes very smoothly with very little slow down. However, gamers should beware that some parts of the game are very difficult. Sometimes enemies use ''cheap'' tactics to easily dispose of your chosen hero, making you want to throw the controller at the screen. Fear not, because this doesn't happen all the time, and as you get used to the game, you can find ways to beat those generic bad guys into oblivion. The only thing new gamers should watch out for is the monotony that occurs. This is very commonplace for beat 'em up games like Gekido, but without that kind of monotony, Gekido wouldn't be a true beat 'em up. Also worthy to note is the addition of a four player fighting mode, which reminds me of Power Stone. Although not as fun as Power Stone, the mode does break the monotony of the game and gives gamers a fun way to destroy three friends.

Story 5/10
There isn't much of a story, but then again, Gekido is a beat 'em up, and many games of this genre don't have strong stories. Rather, the games focus on action. The little exerpt in the instruction booklet tells us that a certain girl was kidnapped by a notorious gang that is working for a demon. Your mission is to find the girl and rescue her. Almost like the story for Double Dragons, eh? Anyway, the story isn't important compared to the rest of the game.

Music and Sound 7/10
The music in this game rocks! Many of the tracks are done by real bands, giving gamers a good mix of alternative, rock, and some techno. The music matches the game's tough atmosphere well. Unfortunately, some of the tracks can get a bit repetitive. The sound effects are good, but they leave a little more to be desired.

Graphics 8/10
The graphics are surprisingly good for a beat 'em up. The characters are crisp and easily recognized. The backgrounds are nicely done, and there is good attention to detail. The game really shines during the four player fight mode where flashy light effects leave gamers in awe. The only problem occurs when multiple players decide to use their special moves and combos at once. All of those light effects end up confusing the gamers, and you can't tell what's going on or who's hitting who. It's not a very big problem, since all the chaos just adds more fun when you're playing with four people.

Replayability 6/10
Because this game is a beat 'em up, there isn't very much replayability. The only reason why gamers would want to play the game again (unless you're a BIG fan of the genre) is to unlock the secret characters, so they can be used in the four player mode. Once you do get all the characters, playing the regular side-scrolling mode won't be very appealing, and the four way brawl would become the sole reason why you keep playing Gekido.

Buy or Rent?
I advise you to please rent the game first. Not many people like beat 'em ups, especially the newer gamers, who've been influenced by great games like Final Fantasy VII and Power Stone. Make sure you like this genre of videogames, and that you'll actually enjoy the countless hours of bad guy butt-kicking.

Conclusion
This game is great for fans of beat 'em ups. If you enjoyed playing games like Double Dragon, Final Fight, and countless others, this game will definitely give you a ride down memory lane. For new gamers, give Gekido a try, and you may actually like it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/09/01, Updated 06/09/01