Ranma 1/2: Chougi Ranbu Hen

"HIRYUU SHOTEN HA!"

Ranma 1/2 - Chougi Rambuhen (Super Battle) was released in Japan in 1994 for the Super Famicom (Super Nintendo). Unfortunately, it never came out in America, so importing/emulating are your only two ways to play this game.

Before the review, I have a confession to make. I am a huge Ranma 1/2 fan. It is my favorite anime. I have Ranma decorations in my room. Once, after watching Ranma episodes for a few hours, I stared up at the ceiling at hallucinated Ranma-chan's face. I know, it's sad. v_v

So, is there any doubt that I would have a hard time hating this game? Of course not!

Storyline: 9/10
All 13 characters receive a letter that tells of a Maneki Neko (translation: Invitation Cat) that can grant any single wish. Everyone (individually) goes out on a quest to find the cat and get their wish granted. Unfortunately, it's not that simple; the characters must gather 12 ingredients to have their wish come true. So, they all go traveling, finding the ingredients and defeating the other characters to make sure that they are the ONLY one to have their wish granted.

The 13 characters include Ranma-kun, Ranma-chan, Akane, Genma, Shampoo, Ukyou, Kunou, Ryoga, Kodachi, Hinako, Mariko, Mousse, and the hidden character Herb.

Super Battle, like the anime series itself, is very funny. The end product ends up feeling like a hilarious spoof of Street Fighter II. If you have to ask, this is a good thing. ^_^

Graphics: 10/10
The characters are hand-drawn, just like in Street Fighter, and VERY closely resemble their anime counterparts. Everyone has certain traits that match their anime character. For example, Hinako can grow from a child to adult, and Kunou still has his bokken.

The backgrounds in this game are also awesome. Just like in Street Fighter II, each stage has a beautifully animated background, from waterfalls to a city with skyscrapers and bright lights.

Sound FX: 9/10
These SFX are very nice to hear. The normal sounds of blows landing isn't anything out of the ordinary, but if it ain't broke, why fix it?

I also like how Rumic Soft was able to squeeze in voices, and on an SNES cartridge, even! That's right, all the characters call out the names of their attacks and even have some victory quotes. Sure, the voices don't sound super sharp, but that's what you HAVE to live with on 16-bit, cartridge based console.

Music: 7/10
This music is bland. There's nothing special about it, and personally, I can't remember a single track. It kinda fits the fighting theme, and would work well in a Street Fighter game, but all in all, it just...sits there.

Game Play: 9.5
Like I said before, this game is ripped from the same cloth as Street Fighter II. Therefore, it's not hard to see a resemblance.

There are three different modes of play in Super Battle. They are:

Story Mode
The normal, one-player, story mode.

Versus Mode
Two-player 1-on-1 fighting.

Tag Battle
One or two-player, 2-on-2 fighting. Just like Marvel vs. Capcom, one fighter fights while the other heals. The match ends when one person is defeated.

In Super Battle, there are every button does a different thing. There are two punch buttons, two kick buttons, a taunt button, and a ''shortcut special'' button. When you press the shortcut special button, your character instantly does a certain special move, assuming that the option to do so is turned on in the options menu.

What is the purpose of taunting, you ask? Besides seeing the characters in some very funny poses, (YAH! YAH!) holding a taunt for a few seconds allows you to do a super move. After finishing the taunt, your life bar will begin to flash, and performing a certain command will have your character perform his/her super move. However, if you perform a normal attack or are hit while your life bar is flashing, you lose your super move ability and must taunt again. Super moves do major damage, so taunt as much as you need. ^_^

The control is great. The move commands are very easy to learn, so it won't take you long to remember how to win if your are rusty. What did you expect from a Street Fighter clone?

However, one of my gripes is that button-mashing can sometimes beat even an expert at the game. Trust me, I've seen it happen.

With many modes of play and a hidden character to unlock, you'll be playing this one for a good long time. Therefore, the replay value is very good.

Pros
- Great graphics
- Great sound FX
- Lots of replayability
- A bit of comedy thrown in for laughs

Cons
- Unmemorable music
- Button-mashing can sometimes take you to victory
- If only Akane wasn't soo uncute...

Bottom Line
Why didn't this game come out in America?

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/02/01, Updated 10/06/02