Pocket Fighter

"Super-deformed Capcom fighter at its best? Pretty close"

Pocket Fighter brings together the super-deformed cast of Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo (and new characters) with classic Street Fighter gameplay into a carefree, goofy fighting game full of ridiculous moves, flashy combos, and a can of whoop ass. But even with some of it's innovative features, is it worth being in one's collection of fighters?

Graphics: 8/10
Don't expect big, muscular fighters in this game. Like I said, the characters are super-deformed and that will turn a lot of fans of the genre off. I for one love the style, but if you can look past that then you'll find great 2D graphics. Minor pixelation, but great animation as the characters bash each other round with big feet and hands. During combos the characters change costumes and perform the whackiest attacks ever in a game, and no slowdown! The backgrounds are amazing and are loaded with cameos of characters from other Capcom games with an animation here and there. It's no Street Fighter Alpha 3, but the sprites are definitely pleasing to the eyes.

Sound: 10/10
Hearing Chun Li calling a group of bicyclers to run over the opponent is delightful. The sound effects are crisp and the voices and clear. The music isn't that memorable, but they're pretty catchy and a joy to listen to while you smack your opponent across the screen. The sound adds more to the fun of Pocket Fighter.

Gameplay: 9/10
Although the gameplay is your standard Capcom fighter, new features are implemented. The gems from Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo are brought into play, and you better collect them because they increase the power, range, etc of a character's three ''level-up techniques'' (one for each color; red, yellow, and blue). There are level gauges at the bottom of the screen per color and per attack. For Ryu for example, his Hadou Ken gauge requires red gems. Starting at level 1, which is the weakest level for any attack, you collect red gems to increase the gauge to the point where it becomes level 2. Ryu's Hadou Ken becomes faster, bigger, and more damaging. You do this for all three of your ''level-up techniques'' (the maximum level is 3) so you can pummel your opponent with intensely damaging moves. Another aspect of the gameplay are items that, when thrown or dropped, can hinder your opponent. For example, the Freeze item can freeze your opponent in place if they are hit by it, and the Banana item can make them slip and fall. The controls are greatly simplified. There are only one Punch and one Kick button, good bye to the 6-button setup you were used to. It's awkward at first, but you get the hang of it and sometimes prefer the control. Also there is a Special button, which is for performing Guard Crushes (unblockable attacks that knock out gems collected from your opponent) and to perform Super Combos like in many Capcom Fighters. All of these features together make excellent gameplay and intense fighting.

Replay Value: 6/10
Although the game is a blast to play with friends that dig the game as well, you'll lose interest in playing by yourself. The Arcade Mode is fun and the stories for each character are either dumb or funny enough to view at least twice, but the AI can get incredibly cheap (well it was for me)! Running Mode is fun where you try to stay alive to fight all the characters one by one on a continuos background, basically it's ''Survival Mode'' from many other fighting games. And you have your Training Mode to perfect your skills. There's also an Edit Mode in which you merely get a character and boost up their stats by fighting, but it's not as fun as World Tour Mode in Street Fighter Alpha 3. Even with all these features the game still lacks lasting appeal if played alone.

Overall: 8/10
All in all, this game's got an irresistible charm. Do not let the simple controls and super-deformed characters turn you away! With great graphics, excellent gameplay, clear sound, and crazy mayhem, its worthy of being in any gamer's collection of fighters. If you're still unsure, then go rent it, but I recommend buying this game now because it is hard to find!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/13/01, Updated 06/13/01