Kakuto Chojin

"I can't believe how many reviewer's missed this!?!?"

I enjoy games with good graphics. I am not a story line person and I surely don't like bad gameplay. However gameplay is an objective thing since every game plays the way it was ment to play, and we are presented with ability to only like it or not.
In this game though, there are so many things going for it, but are hidden deep inside the gameplay. They are hidden in the way no one cares to bother. However if you stick with the game, you will be pleasantly suprised.

Intro: Kakuto Chojin is a game that lacks a major storyline, and you will miss most of it if you actually dont read the intro in the manual. What the heck is up with that?. The movie shown in the game and the demo is an oppening movie for the game, and also the only movie (i believe so) in the whole game. The game-play resembles old school street fighter combined with old school playstation fighters :(high kick, low kick, debacle of old).

This all makes you think that this game sucks major buns, and this is where most of the people and reviewers gave up and framed this game with a horrible grade.

Now I am not saying that this game deservs a good grade or a bad grade, but rather that this game is indeed worth your while. Why? Why you ask. Well..... Just read my review and you will know.

( I want everybody to know that when I wrote this review I was not baised on the game that I bought, but rather on the game that I played)

Graphics:
As you all know, the graphics in this game are incredible. From the shadows effecting the player in real time, to extreme attention to detail, to a very good arena design.
The characters look awsome, and while they seem to be a rip off of someone, most of them are great on their own merits.
This game also supports up to four players on screen at a same time, which was never done before in a fighting game (not sure about this one). Game shows ,no slow down, and it never falls on delivering the atmosphere, which is quite impressive indeed.
Only complaint from people is that the graphics aren't as good as the creators claimed them to be. To this I say ''Take your head out of your own baised carcas and give the game a chance.''

Graphics on their own merits get 9.7 in my book.

Gameplay:
This is the area where most of the people like to trash the game. They say its a bare fighter with not that much variety to it. They claim that only moves you can do are strong, one hit moves. They also claim that the whole system needs Virtua fighter/ Tekken kind of gameplay. Kakuto's gameplay easily draws people away from it, and it is apparently the main cause of bad grades.
This whole ordeal saddens me. Firstly if you play kakuto for more than 15 min. and you try different things, you will realize how diverse the fighting system is. I don't think many people used the R button while fighting in combination of X,Y,B and A. R combined with the buttons alone gives you enough variety and helps you link combos. Also try using L combined with the face buttons. While L is a running button, it also can be used to attack if combined with the face buttons. This gives you a greater chance of creating a ''juggling'' combo.
In Kakuto there are also some other ''not well explained, find on your own'' things. For example you start off with your energy covered with yellow energy (kind of like a power up). This to most people didnt even make sence, so they just disgraded it, thinking of it as an unfinished game. But, this power up can be also used to speed you up and create combos, especially made for this power up metter. You can access it by holding R and pressing away or toward and B (all at the same time). On top of this you can always (with certain characters) hold a button with R and face button and the character will execute a waiting manuver taking a lot of energy off of the opponent. On top of that one there IS a REVERSAL system in the game contrary to what many reviewer's said (ehm... IGN, VG.com ehm....). Different fighters have different reversals, which are executed by their ability to LEARN your way of fightign. Yes, you heard me right (by now a lot of people think I am insane, but bare with me). The characters do indeed learn your moves and if you try to use the same tactic over and over they will catch on it and either reverse it or duck it or block it. SO, there is much more variety hidden under, than what people say or see the first few minutes.

Story:
I already mentioned the story or lack there of. You need to read the manual to know what's going on and watching the oppening movie does help, but major storyline that you expect is unluckly gone. There is a scrolling text explaining every characters victory, but it seems rushed and rather Insidious, if you ask me.
I however, believe that fighter games should be on the light side of the story line concept, but still... Even a guy like me wants a little bit more story behind these rather strange whackos.

Music:
Music in this game is underrated. Firstly the score its self is grand. Music defenitely suits the whole mood of the game and on top of that matches the fights too. When you fight in the arena and you start off the music will be slow for few seconds and than it will pick up, almost brain washing you to fight. This adrenaline rush is cool and it really helps the game. However like I said before very few people notice this for it to have an effect.

Replayability:
There isnt really a lot of things you can do after you beat the game with all the characters. You unlock their Chojin style of fighting and you get good at it like you did with Kakuto before that.
(I forgot to mention that ever fighter has two move sets called Kakuto, and Chojin (respectively)). Multiplayer is a blast, no matter what they tell you, there is something cute about that crown. ( you'll know what I am talking about when you try the game).

Overall:
Overall I believe that Kakuto Chojin's developers made a big mistake not advertising every single bit of their, otherwise, excelent engine. The game is so curled up into its slef that you have to open it up by playing for a while and figuring things out yourself. This is what drove many people away from it, and I can understand. The only thing I can't understand are the review's from EGM, IGN etc... These guy's seem to have taken the easy way out and say that this game is nothing more than button masher and give it a bad grade. To this they also claimed that Teken was a button masher but gave it a better grade. I personally believe that Tekken is exteremely overrated game, (very cheap) if I may add.
In Kakuto you need more than just button mashing skills to survive. You will need brains for ducking and blocking and variety of moves because the computer is learning your attacks.

Some of you might wonder why did I give this game an 8 and I will tell ya. This game is grand and if the producers took care of small details like explaining the way the engine functions and they way fighters work, this game would get a perfect 10. For now its an 8.

Is it worth your money? YES, However its only worth if you give it a chance, and you can trust me that this game is underrated. Play if for a while use the R and L buttons while simultaneously pressing the face buttons and you will be treated to a immerse experience. Plus every fighter feel totaly different from the other one so it will be a pleasuer to learn all the moves and master this rather uncanny engine.

Thank you for reading my oppinion.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/17/03, Updated 01/17/03