Ultimate Fighter

"Why aren't people giving this game its props?"

This would be considered the sequel to Flying Warriors on the Nintendo. Culture Brain sticks to its guns and still preaches unity between the action and rpg fan. It has it's problems, but you cannot deny that these games have constantly shown that a marriage between the Arnold Schwarzenegger type gamers, and the Dungeons and Dragons type players was possible then and it is now. The innovation they've shown is truly awesome, but once again, I'd like to see what they could do on some next generation systems.

Gameplay[8]
With Culture Brain games they have a serious problem with collision detection. You have to get in deep to an enemy to register a hit when you are sidescrolling fighting. It can be very annoying, but it truly shines in the sheer number of modes that are available and difficulty levels there are. This adds a whole lot of replay value to the game, and this time they've dropped the goofy presentation for the most part. They've brought back the kung fu tournament mode in which you spar with an opponent one on one. Winning depends on timing, skill, and the knowledge of various amounts of even more complex moves. What hurt them is they had the opportunity to be the first company to add in combos other than Capcom, but the idea escaped them probably. It would've added a new dimension to the game and replay value.

Sound[5]
I have to grill them about the sound. They still use the same ''buckaa'' noise when you hit somebody. In kung fu mode, hits sound like scuffles, but the music is memorable. They didn't change the theme music which was really catchy.

Graphics[8]
They've definitely improved over Super Ninja Boy though those two titles were slightly different concepts.

Culture Brain was trying to start something. They were the first ones to create and pioneer a brand new genre, and I think if more people have known about Culture Brain games they would've sold a little bit better. Even today, Ultimate Fighter is ahead of its time, and Capcom can learn a lesson from them in making an effective rpg-action- fighting blend. Street Fighter Alpha 3 was not a good example of a blend of rpg and fighting. World Tour mode was garbage. It was Street Fighter Alpha 3 with rpg slapped on. Ultimate Fighter took the world tour concept and went more in depth with it. Culture Brain deserves a good long hard look from every gamer and designer out there because it had the courage to do something completely different. It was such a revolutionary idea that people still haven't learned how to blend action and rpg effectively even today. The secret to a good game lies in it's ability to deviate itself from all the others out there, and have it done in such a way that makes it appealing to a broad range of people.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/03/04