Ranma 1/2: Chougi Ranbu Hen

"Ranma Saotome and the Gang in Street-Fighter Haven."

I truly admire good street fighter clones. Ranma 1/2 Super Hard Battle is no exception.

The story behind the game is simply this. The heroes are sent a letter by a myserious source telling them to gather 13 ingrediants and to bring them to this specific statue. Once done, any wish will be granted to the one who succeeds. Naturally, Ranma and the gang jump to the chance, to be able to cure their curses or more.. *ahem* personal reasons.

Gameplay
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The game plays as any other Street Fighter. Two attacks, Kick and Punch, Light or Hard. Ranma is the ideal RYU of this game, with almost identical attacks. There are, however, over 12 character's to choose from, including : Akane, Ranma in both Male and Female Form, Kunou, Kodachi, Ryoga, Ukyou, Shampoo, Mousse, Genma and two others who's names pass my mind at the time.

Sound
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The Hai! and Hiya! sfx are all here, and even moreso, the characters pronounce the names of their attacks. Still cartoony as all Ranma games sound, but it is still so fun to blast Ryoga while screaming " HIRYUSHOTENHA! ". :D

Graphics
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Aha.. Hmm.. Graphics? They're not exactly Ranma 1/2 worthy. You can tell it is them, but they are not Anime Style at all, and what is Ranma with Anime? Tolerable graphics, to say the least.

Replay Value
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Two player mode enhances the replay already, and with 12 characters to choose from, and a secret character for winning, it should keep you busy for a decent while.

Overall - 9
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Mainly lacking in Ranma 1/2 Super Hard Battle is the graphics. If they had made improvements to the Original Hard Battle graphics and placed them, they would have had a BlockBuster KnockOut! Still a good game to play with your friends every now and then. It's a pity it was never released officially in America though, this game could have been big for Ranma 1/2 Fans.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99