Review - Ultraman Powered

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mattyg
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Review - Ultraman Powered

Post by mattyg » Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:27 am

Well where do I start?

This is an import that when I first heard of its existence back in the 3DO's hey day that I believed was one I had to have. The TV series was known to me and I always felt that it fell between the Godzilla movies of the sixties and slightly (but only just) more polished fare as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

The game itself is divided into a couple of different parts

There is the obligitory versus mode where you get to choose your opponent from the list or a human counterpart chooses.
You must play however as Ultraman

There is an Episode/story mode - this stages each fight around a tv episode which is shortened from its original format - this sets up your opponents backstory and the fights setting

Then there is Battle mode - this is curious as it starts each fight with you in the pilots seat of an aircraft that passes over your enemy on rails.Each shot within the target area takes damage off of your opponent once the regular fighting starts.Although this perspective is quite good ,your aircraft is rendered destroyed and useless after just two passes at your enemy so you need to make them count.

Being a bit of a closet fan of Ultraman I was curious as to how the game actually played - visually the game is great - the FMV of the show is of a high standard (unlike the acting/dubbing) , the characters are well thought out and drawn and the backgrounds are actually photographic. I have always enjoyed seeing western actors dubbed in Japanese and the rubber alien suits are as cheesy as you can get.

But the gameplay.........in a word .....horrendous. there is a significant lag in commands , which could be lived with if it wasn't for the fact that the AI computer opponent has no lag. This game is incredibly difficult as a result. Each enemy has a weakness and it takes a bit of practice to find it , unfortunately once found its a case of repeating the same move over and over again to win. CHA CHA CHA

As you ramp up the difficulty the AI becomes near impossible to defeat as you cannot enter your countermoves fast enough and you end up throwing your controller , console , ...small child ...whatever is in reach at the screen.

In a nutshell the game although fun due to its cheesiness and curiosity value is a nightmare to actually play. Its disappointing as the bare bones of something special are there - its just not finished.
I would have loved some more of the on rails stuff but the extras in the form of stills/slides of the show are a great touch.

I recommend only if your curious , an Ultraman fan , or just need it to complete a collection - as a fighting game it makes a good tv show.
"purge with fire Bretheren"

3DO is dead , long live 3DO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K2kuP_anAc

"The greatest games in the world take seconds to learn but months to master. The worst take months to learn and minutes to finish."...MattyG

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Trev
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Post by Trev » Wed Apr 29, 2009 9:18 pm

The footage in the game, do you know where it is from?

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mattyg
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Post by mattyg » Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:09 pm

not sure if the footage was written specifically for the game or was cut down from the TV show - its been so long since I watched an episode but it looks to me that they are edited original episodes
"purge with fire Bretheren"

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K2kuP_anAc

"The greatest games in the world take seconds to learn but months to master. The worst take months to learn and minutes to finish."...MattyG

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Trev
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Post by Trev » Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:16 pm

I was surprised because I'm not aware of an English show (but clearly they are English actors dubbed) I wonder why they'd write English material for a game that only was released in Japan? I'd love to find out since the original program is such cheesy fun!

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mattyg
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Post by mattyg » Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:23 pm

It wasn't uncommon for them to give a show a "western" sci fi feel by using english actors dubbed in Japanese. This was far easier than finding Japanese speaking western actors!
I am sure the show was never officially released outside Japan - I got to see some episodes at the the time via a friend who was into manga/anime but everything I saw was dubbed Japanese - I have never seen an english speaking version - but if anyone out there knows more than me feel free to correct!
"purge with fire Bretheren"

3DO is dead , long live 3DO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K2kuP_anAc

"The greatest games in the world take seconds to learn but months to master. The worst take months to learn and minutes to finish."...MattyG

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