RockMan Battle & Chase

"A Kart game starring Mega Man and friends--suprisingly fun and a great multi-player game."

Are you fan of Rockman(or Mega Man as he is known in America)? Are you a fan of Kart games(such as Mario Kart)? Well I have a game for you. Rockman: Battle and Chase is an extremely fun title that provides a great multi-player experience and suprisingly fun single player game. Now, allow me to present all the details.

Story--8
There really isn't much of a story--Rockman and various others enter this Kart championship for the price money, which is a ridiculous amount that allows anyone to buy their dream. Each racer enters with their own dreams to fight for. Of course, Dr. Wiley needs some cash himself. Like I said, not much, but it's not bad.

Gameplay--9
This is what makes the game quite a joy. Since all of you are going to compare this game to Mario Kart anyway, I am going to explain it to you with such a comparison. The game has similar control to Mario Kart. There are eight playable characters and two hidden(nearly impossible to get). Each one has there own special ability. On the upper right screen is the gauge for the ability--if you use the ability before the Gauge is full it will be a decent power, when it is full it is the complete power in all of it's glory(or cheesiness). As you race around the course there are little obstacle and enemies to destroy(like Hard Hat Harry, the little guy in the floor that is a yellow construction hat). When you destroy ten of these obstacles you will randomly get a special upgrade or power--there is a box in upper-right corner of the screen that lists the number of obstacles to go and the power once you have it. These extra powers are stuff like speed boosts, malfunction attacks and mine deployment. The multi-player experience like any other you would expect--there are a few modes to use(like with or without computer controlled racers) and extra options(such as these extra robot racers that merely obstacles and not really competition). The nice suprise of this game is the single player experience. You pick your character and race each character one by one on their own personal board. When Mega defeats a character he now has access to the various parts of their Kart and may interchange them with his--quicker engines, tighter steering, or special abiilties. The best thing though are the various wheels with different one's being invincible to different traps on the various levels--ice, mines or electricity for example. It's quite nice to have this kind of customization capability--you can even save you character and use him in Multi-Player(like Chocobo Racer, another great Kart game with a rating of nine in my opinion). It is not long single player experience, but this part switching is enjoyable and the endings are decent too. That's all the major details about the Gameplay--no real drastic difference from Mario Kart, but it is quite fun. The last thing I'd like to mention is the little mini-game during the loading screen where the two players see who can tap the button the quickest and win the mini race--like I've said many times it's the little things that stand out and make a game.

Graphics--7
This is the worst part of the game. The graphics are simple in that they are designed to be cartoony. My problem is that, my problem is the really low resolution they are displayed at. It's kind of distracting. Besides that the character designs are flawless, the courses are designed well and the various special effects work perfectly. I just wish Capcom did extra work and managed to get this game out with a higher resolution.

Sound and Music--9
This is probably the best part of this fun game. It has great and exciting background tunes, though they are a bit simple. It also has interesting sound effects of the cartoony variety. What makes the sound awesome are two things--the racers various voice snippets when they do their attacks and a highly over-enthusiastic announcer who provides a running commentary. This is a video game based on a cartoony character, the various characters have to say their special attacks--it's a rule. Some of them are priceless--I especially love Spring Man declaring SPRING ATTACK!!! And then there's the announcer. Oh, boy. You will die of laughter--especially if you DON'T know Japanese. I can't even begin to explain the number of chuckles that will emerge from your mouth. My favorite is the way he says my favorite racer's name--SHADOW MAN!! These two vocal components really make the game a joy to experience. One little note for the various Roll fans out there--there is a new version of her vocal song in the game and it is quite good and definitely a treat.

Conclusion
That's about it for this review. I enjoyed this obscure game. Sure it is an RPG and not horribly complex, but it is truly fun. I really had some wonderful two player games with this title any you will too--many you can come over and race your specialized racer against mine? Come on--don't be coward! Enjoy the road everyone!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99